Apple today seeded the first beta of an upcoming watchOS 5.1 update to developers, just one day after releasing the new watchOS 5 operating system.
Once the proper configuration profile has been installed from the Apple Developer Center, the new watchOS beta can be downloaded through the dedicated Apple Watch app on the iPhone by going to General -> Software update.
To install the update, the Apple Watch needs to have at least 50 percent battery, it must be placed on the charger, and it has to be in range of the iPhone.
It's not yet clear what features will be introduced in the watchOS 5.1 update, but it could bring support for answering Group FaceTime calls, a feature that was removed during the beta testing period. New emojis are also an option.
We'll update this post when we find out what's new in the watchOS 5.1 update.
Apple today seeded the first beta of an upcoming iOS 12.1 update to developers, just one day after releasing iOS 12, a major new version of the iOS software.
Registered developers can download the new iOS 12.1 beta from Apple's Developer Center or over-the-air once the proper configuration profile has been installed from the Developer Center.
It's not clear what features might be included in the iOS 12.1 beta, but Apple removed the Group FaceTime feature from iOS 12 ahead of its launch and promised to introduce it in a future update, which could be iOS 12.1.
The update may also feature new emoji that are said to be in the works and coming in an iOS 12 update later this year.
We'll update this post with details on the new features that are included in iOS 12.1 once we've downloaded the software and have had time to check it out. Apple today also released a new beta version of Xcode, Xcode 10.1.
Update: The iOS 12.1 beta reintroduces support for Group FaceTime, a feature that was removed from iOS 12 ahead of its release. Apple needed more time to test Group FaceTime and said that it would be coming in a software update later this fall. Group FaceTime is designed to let you audio or video chat with up to 32 people at one time.
One year after launching the successful live game show app HQ Trivia, Intermedia Labs is planning a new game called HQ Words. Instead of a basic series of trivia questions and multiple choice answers, HQ Words has a hidden phrase presented in a series of letter blocks that look like the puzzles from "Wheel of Fortune" (via Digiday).
Players will be presented with a clue for each puzzle, and below the empty tiles are letters that they can select to complete it. You'll get three strikes, and will be awarded for each correct letter you choose. HQ Words will be live, just like HQ Trivia, so every player will be solving the same puzzle at the same time, and those with the most points win the jackpot.
The new puzzle type in HQ Words
CEO Colin Kroll discussed the company's readiness to move beyond trivia:
“We’re trying to diversify a bit, and that’s where my skill-set comes in handy. My favorite part of working here is your imagination runs wild when you look at what we’re doing and you apply that to any idea. The sky is the limit, but the challenge is how do we build them,” Kroll said.
The company is hoping that it can avoid some of the problems that have been prevalent in HQ Trivia over the past year, namely including numerous glitches, technical challenges, and cheating. Sponsorships in HQ Words have not yet been mentioned, but given the frequency of sponsors in HQ Trivia, users can likely expect the same for the new game.
A specific launch date for HQ Words was not confirmed, but you should see it appear on the iOS App Store in October.
MacRumors has received confirmation that the names of Apple's latest iPhone models are to be stylized with a capital X, followed by the S or R in Small Caps, which are lowercase characters resembling uppercase letters:
iPhone Xs
iPhone Xs Max
iPhone Xʀ
If the option to use Small Caps is not available, then both the X and S or R are to be stylized in fully capitalized letters:
iPhone XS
iPhone XS Max
iPhone XR
In other words: iPhone Xs, iPhone Xs Max, and iPhone Xr with the final letter being lowercase is incorrect styling.
This might seem like trivial information to report, but there has been quite a bit of confusion over the past week in relation to the proper names of the latest iPhone models. Apple didn't help the situation, using everything from XS to Xs to Xs in Small Caps on its product pages, press releases, and support documents. Sometimes, the S and R are even in squares.
iPhone names solved!
I've received official confirmation that it is iPhone XS / iPhone XS Max / iPhone XR, capitalized, unless Small Caps are available, in which case it is iPhone Xs / iPhone Xs Max / iPhone Xʀ.
Apple even updated its iOS 12 press release with caps XS and XR. pic.twitter.com/sQpxb4HSRv
— Joe Rossignol (@rsgnl) September 18, 2018
Now that we're just three days away from the launch of the iPhone XS and iPhone XS Max, Apple has given the green light for publications and YouTubers to publish full reviews and unboxing videos of its latest smartphones. In this post, we've rounded up a few unboxing videos that were shared early this morning, most of which focus on the all-new gold color of the iPhone XS and XS Max.
If you've ever owned an iPhone, it appears that the contents of the box for the iPhone XS and XS Max won't be too surprising. The box art showcases the edge-to-edge OLED display of each device and simply says "iPhone" on the sides. If you buy the gold color, the iPhone and Apple logos are also subtly tinted with gold coloring.
Inside the box for both the iPhone XS and XS Max you'll find paperwork, Apple stickers, the iPhone itself, the EarPods (with no Lightning-to-3.5mm dongle), an AC adapter, and a Lightning cable.
YouTuber Jonathan Morrison notes that one difference is that in the box for the iPhone XS the AC adapter sits above the EarPods, but for the iPhone XS Max Apple has swapped this positioning. Morrison also gave a quick impression of the faster Face ID in iPhone XS, stating that while it won't make an iPhone X feel slow in comparison it is noticeably zippy and worked perfectly even in low light.
Marques Brownlee unboxed the 512GB iPhone XS Max and iPhone XS in Gold, sharing a quick glimpse at three live wallpapers that are exclusive to the new iPhones. The wallpapers are all a play on the planetoid imagery seen since the first iPhone XS leak, with different colors including a green and purple planet, all subtly hiding the iPhone XS' notch.
iJustine compared the various gold colors that Apple has introduced over the years, showcasing the noticable difference between the yellow tones of the gold on the iPhone 6s and the darker gold on the iPhone XS. The iPhone 8's gold is closer to that of the iPhone XS, but appears to be slightly lighter. iJustine also showed off a few of Apple's leather cases, including Saddle Brown and Cape Cod Blue.
For full impressions on the iPhone XS and iPhone XS Max, you can check out a few reviews which we've rounded up right here. The overall consensus appears to be that the iPhone XS is a worthy upgrade for users on older model iPhones, but numerous publications mention that waiting for the cheaper iPhone XR to launch in October might make more sense for many customers.
Twitter recently confirmed that it is bringing back the classic reverse chronological timeline as an option for its users.
In a series of Tweets sent by @TwitterSupport, the company explained that while it tries to balance showing you the "best" Tweets with the most recent Tweets, it "doesn't always get this balance right" (via TechCrunch).
Following user frustration with this curated selection of Tweets -- which is sometimes mixed in with ads, Tweets your friends like, and more -- the company says it will soon provide an easily accessible way to switch between a timeline of Tweets that are most relevant for you and a timeline of the latest Tweets. The reverse chronological timeline option will come in the form of a test for some users "in the coming weeks."
4/ So, we’re working on providing you with an easily accessible way to switch between a timeline of Tweets that are most relevant for you and a timeline of the latest Tweets. You’ll see us test this in the coming weeks.
— Twitter Support (@TwitterSupport) September 17, 2018
Twitter will introduce a stopgap solution before the full reverse chronological setting has launched. To do this, Twitter updated the "Show the best Tweets first" setting so that when you toggle it off, you'll only see Tweets from people you follow in reverse chronological order. Before when this was turned off, you'd also see "In case you missed it" Tweets and recommended Tweets from people you don't follow -- now all of this won't show up.
The company didn't divulge when the full and "easier-to-access" reverse chronological timeline setting will launch, but says it will announce further details via @TwitterSupport.
Twitter first rolled out its algorithm-focused timeline in early 2016, curating Tweets for each user based on their activity and ditching the simple reverse chronological flow of Tweets. The company tried to allow some form of customization with buttons that trained the algorithm for Tweets you might not like, but many users still opted for third-party apps like Tweetbot, which stick to a reverse chronological format and don't include ads, "In case you missed it," recommended Tweets, etc.
Roberts asked Cook about the cost of the iPhone XS and iPhone XS Max line, the latter of which is Apple's most expensive iPhone to date at $1,449 for the 512GB model. Cook explained that monthly payment plans provided by carriers help make the cost of the iPhones easier to digest.
He pointed out that all of the technology included in the iPhone, replacing previous separate gadgets like MP3 players and digital cameras, requires each smartphone to be priced at a premium. Cook also mentioned Apple's aim to "serve everyone," which he mentioned in an interview last week.
Roberts: "One model starts at almost $1,100, are you afraid that a group of people are being priced out?"
Cook: "Well we want to make an iPhone for everyone, that's always been our objective and we've got several iPhones in the line and they go down to materially lower. But if you look at this phone, it's the most advanced iPhone we've ever done.
The way most people pay for these...they do a deal with a carrier and they pay so much per month, so if you look at even the phone that's priced over $1,000, most people pay $30 a month for it, so that's about $1 a day. And so if you look at it, the phone has replaced your digital camera...it's replaced your video camera, it's replaced your music player, it's replaced all of these different devices. And so arguably the product is really important and we found people want to have the most innovative product available, and...it's not cheap to do that."
Cook then discussed the tariff situation, explaining that while the iPhone is assembled in China, parts of the device come from all over the world, including the United States.
The iPhone is assembled in China, but the parts come from everywhere. Including the United States, you know, the glass comes from Kentucky, there are chips that come from the U.S., and of course the research and development is all done in the United States.
So, I don't want to speak for them, but I think they looked at this and said that it's not really great for the United States to put a tariff on those type of products.
In regards to potential blowback from the Chinese government on this tariff exemption, and how this could impact consumers, Cook says he's optimistic that the U.S. and China will sort the situation out.
The topic then moved onto the company's record trillion dollar valuation, which it hit in early August, making it the world's only trillion dollar publicly traded company in terms of market capitalization. Cook says that, from his point of view, Apple "could only have been created in America," and as such he and his executives feel a responsibility to help the country thrive, including creating jobs and encouraging coding in public schools.
"And so we do that in terms of creating jobs, we've created 2 million jobs in America. We want to create even more, we're investing $350 billion in the country over the next five years and we're starting up facilities in a number of different places. We're really proud of that contribution, but we want to do more.
You can visit Good Morning America's Twitter account to watch the full interview, which also includes a discussion of the iPhone XS camera, Memoji, the Apple Watch Series 4's ECG monitor, fall detection, and more.
Note: Due to the political nature of the discussion regarding this topic, the discussion thread is located in our Politics, Religion, Social Issues forum. All forum members and site visitors are welcome to read and follow the thread, but posting is limited to forum members with at least 100 posts.
iPhone XS and iPhone XS Max reviews have hit the web, three days before the smartphones are released in stores.
2018 is what is known as a "S" year—hence the XS branding—in which Apple retains the same physical design of the iPhone, for the most part, and instead focuses on internal improvements to the display, camera, performance, and so forth. Previous examples include the iPhone 4s, iPhone 5s, and iPhone 6s series.
Not only that, but Apple said last year's iPhone X set the standard for the next decade of the smartphone, with its premium design and nearly edge-to-edge display, leaving the iPhone XS and iPhone XS Max with big shoes to fill.
All that considered, let's dive in and see how they stack up.
After nearly six days of trying out the devices, many media outlets agree that the iPhone XS and iPhone XS Max are "evolutionary, not revolutionary," as Wired's Lauren Goode put it. TechCrunch's Matthew Panzarino went as far as labeling the smaller-sized iPhone XS as "one of Apple's most 'S' models ever."
That's not necessarily a bad thing. As in many "S" years, if you already own the previous-year's device—in this case the iPhone X—Panzarino said there are only "about a half-dozen definitive improvements" in the iPhone XS. But, for customers upgrading from an older iPhone, he said they'll be in for "a huge win."
As an upgrade over an iPhone X, I'd say you're going to have to love what they've done with the camera to want to make the jump. As a move from any other device, it's a huge win and you're going head-first into sculpted OLED screens, face recognition and super durable gesture-first interfaces and a bunch of other genre-defining moves that Apple made in 2017, thinking about 2030, while you were sitting back there in 2016.
In terms of specific features, The Verge's Nilay Patel has good impressions about Face ID, the rear camera, performance, battery life, and more. As he reminds readers, the only differences with the iPhone XS Max versus the smaller iPhone XS are its larger 6.5-inch display and longer battery life.
Patel on Face ID:
Other than the minor speed increase and secondary appearance support, Face ID is still Face ID: it doesn't work in landscape or upside down or anything like that. If you wear glasses like me, you'll still have to enter your passcode every morning when you wake up because you're holding the phone too close to your face for it to work. And sunglasses that block IR light will still prevent it from working — Apple says it's working with sunglass makers to ship new kinds of sunglasses that support Face ID.
On the rear camera:
The camera upgrades on the XS over the X are significant — the XS makes the X camera look terrible most of the time. But we've been saying the best smartphone camera on the market is Google's Pixel 2 for a year now, so that's the standard to beat. And… I think the Pixel 2 still has a better camera than the iPhone XS. Don’t get me wrong — most people are going to like the photos they get out of the iPhone XS. It has a solid camera, and I prefer it to the Galaxy S9. But compared to the Pixel 2, the XS doesn't really do it for me.
Performance:
Last year's iPhone X had an A11 Bionic chip, and this year’s iPhone XS has an A12 Bionic. In terms of CPU performance, the A12 really isn't that much faster: Apple only quotes a 15 percent performance improvement, and I didn't really see a noticeable speedup over my iPhone X.
Battery life:
I mostly tested the XS Max, and it did great — better than even Apple's claim of 90 minutes more than the X. In fact, I got a full 12 hours of battery life out of the XS Max without low power mode, and that's even under my heavy daily use of constant Slack and email usage, video watching, photo taking, and browsing. The smaller XS is rated to get 30 minutes more than the X, which has run for about 8 hours for me this past year. It's solid.
If you are a diehard Apple fan who can't wait to get your hands on the latest and greatest iPhone, you're probably going to choose the iPhone XS, or specifically the iPhone XS Max, regardless. For others, it may be best to wait until Friday, October 19, when the lower-priced iPhone XR becomes available to order.
iPhone XR is often described as the iPhone X for the rest of us. While reviews of the device are not out today, we know it has a nearly edge-to-edge display, Face ID, glass casing, wireless charging, and many other advantages of the iPhone XS, including new camera features such as Depth Control and Smart HDR.
Both the iPhone XS and XS Max are great phones, fantastic refinements and incredibly promising hubs for your super-connected universe. As you'd expect, they're the best iPhones at the moment. But here's the twist: That third new iPhone, the iPhone XR, may be the best pick for anyone upgrading from any iPhone other than the 2017 iPhone X.
It has many of the same features as the XS, but with a larger yet lower-resolution 6.1-inch LCD screen compared to the XS, and -- according to Apple -- better battery life. And it's $250 cheaper to start -- only $50 more than the iPhone 8's starting price this time last year.
The new iPhone XS and XS Max are great phones but the XR, due out in October, sounds more like a great deal…
Imagine Goldilocks only tested the cold and hot porridges and never found the one that was "just right." Her life might have been entirely different. That's how I feel about testing the iPhone XS and XS Max—without the iPhone XR—for the past week…
Many other publications have shared iPhone XS and iPhone XS Max reviews that are worth a read. We've rounded up links below.
iPhone and iPhone XS will go on sale, and begin arriving to customers, this Friday. For those who decide to wait for the iPhone XR, reviews of that device will likely hit the web a few days before its October 26 release date.
Withings has returned with a new hybrid smartwatch offering, after one of the company's co-founders bought the brand back from Nokia earlier this year.
Back in 2016, Nokia acquired health startup Withings in a deal estimated at $192 million, hoping to re-establish its presence in the consumer electronics market. It did so by rebranding Withings' line of iOS compatible products under its own name.
But by May 2018, the acquisition was considered a failure, and Nokia announced its intention to sell the division back to Withings co-founder, Eric Carreel. Carreel promised a "relaunch" of its products by the end of 2018, and today's arrival of the Steel HR Sport smartwatch is apparently just the start.
The Steel HR Sport shares many of the features as the Steel HR smartwatch which Nokia released in 2016, such as the heart-rate monitor, sleep tracking, smartphone notifications, and 25-day battery life. But it also packs some additional new features, like the ability to track 30 different activities (yoga, rowing, boxing, skiing, and so on).
Water resistance is now up to 50 meters, while new oxygen intake sensors allow the watch to measure variables like VO2 max, which is supposed to be a good indicator of overall health. Connected to a smartphone, the Steel HR Sport is also able to GPS-track walking, running, and cycling workouts with distance, elevation, and pace metrics recorded in the accompanying iOS Health Mate app.
In addition, the digital readout on the analogue watch face has been tweaked to show notifications from over 100 apps, as well as regular alerts for calls, text messages, and calendar events.
The Steel HR Sport comes in a single 40mm size, costs $200, and is available to order online today from the Withings website or from Amazon.
Apple started preparing the first iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max, and Apple Watch Series 4 orders for shipment over the weekend, and now those orders have started shipping out to customers.
Apple has not yet updated order statuses from "Preparing to Ship" and likely will not do so until later this week when packages begin hitting their destination locations, but customers who pre-ordered a new device in the United States may be able to track their order using UPS tracking features.
iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max, and Apple Watch Series 4 orders that are shipping via UPS in the United States are in transit and can be tracked using a UPS My Choice account or a reference number on the UPS website.
Customers with UPS My Choice accounts can visit the scheduled deliveries section of the website to see a list of Apple orders that are set to be delivered on Friday, which can be clicked to reveal full tracking details.
Tracking by reference requires a phone number and a zip code, or an order number minus the last two digits of the number. Many customers are already seeing their orders on the UPS website, but not every order has been transitioned to UPS as of yet.
Most orders right now are still in various parts of China, but should be departing for the United States and other countries in the near future.
Apple began accepting pre-orders for the iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max, and Apple Watch Series 4 on Friday, September 14 at 12:01 a.m. Pacific Time. By the time a half hour had passed, many iPhone XS Max models had sold out and were no longer available for launch day delivery.
iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max, and Apple Watch Series 4 orders placed today will not ship out until October, but some models are still available for in-store pickup on September 21 in select stores. Retail stores are also expected to have supplies available for walk-in purchases on launch day.
Apple Stores, carrier locations like Verizon, T-Mobile, Sprint, and AT&T, and big box retailers like Best Buy and Target are likely to have the new products available for purchase on launch day in the United States.
Apple CEO Tim Cook will appear on Good Morning America tomorrow morning, where he will be interviewed by Robin Roberts live in Times Square in New York City.
Good Morning America announced Cook's appearance on the show on Twitter this afternoon and asked its Twitter followers to reply to the tweet if they have questions for Cook.
Cook is likely to discuss the newly announced iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max, iPhone XR, and Apple Watch Series 4, and other topics like tariffs and new iOS 12 features could potentially come up.
Cook last appeared on Good Morning America in 2016, where he spoke about the launch of the AirPods, the iPhone 7, and the iPhone 7 Plus.
Ahead of his Good Morning America interview, Cook spent today in New York City, where he visited Apple employees at the Apple SoHo store.
Thanks Apple Soho and to our team around the world for the hard work you’re doing this week and all year round! Can’t wait for Friday. pic.twitter.com/E7Eisyyu1j
— Tim Cook (@tim_cook) September 17, 2018
Good Morning America's interview with Tim Cook will air on Wednesday, September 18, from 7:00 a.m. to 9:00 a.m. Eastern Time.
Apple today published an updated version of its iOS security white paper [PDF] for iOS 12, with information on new features and updates introduced with the iOS 12 software.
According to Apple's Document Revision History, the updated guide covers iOS 12 features like Siri Suggestions, Siri Shortcuts, the Shortcuts app, Screen Time, Password AutoFill Student ID cards, and more.
On Siri Suggestions, for example, Apple explains that suggestions for apps and shortcuts are generated using on-device machine learning, with no data going to Apple except info that can't be used to identify the user.
On the Shortcuts app, Apple explains that shortcuts can be optionally synced across Apple devices using iCloud or shared with other users. Apple protects against malicious JavaScript within shortcuts by updating malware definitions to identify malicious scripts at run-time.
Custom shortcuts can also run user-specified JavaScript on websites in Safari when invoked from the share sheet. In order to protect against malicious JavaScript that, for example, trick the user into running a script on a social media website that harvests their data, updated malware definitions are downloaded to identify malicious scripts at run-time. The first time that a user runs Javascript on a domain, the user is prompted to allow Shortcuts containing javascript to run on the current webpage for that domain.
Screen Time, meanwhile uses CloudKit's end-to-end encryption to protect usage data. Apple only collects Screen Time statistics if iPhone and Apple Watch analytics is turned on, with Apple monitoring whether Screen Time was turned on during Setup Assistant, whether Screen Time is turned on, whether Downtime is enabled, the number of times the "Ask for more" feature is used, and the number of app limits applied.
One interesting bit in the document relates to the new feature that lets a second appearance be added to Face ID in iOS 12. Adding a secondary appearance, says Apple, will decrease the probability that a random person can unlock the iPhone from 1 in 1,000,000 to 1 in 500,000.
The probability that a random person in the population could unlock your iPhone is 1 in 50,000 with Touch ID or 1 in 1,000,000 with Face ID. This probability increases with multiple enrolled fingerprints (up to 1 in 10,000 with five fingerprints) or appearances (up to 1 in 500,000 with two appearances).
Apple's security document explains in detail how each and every iOS 12 feature works and how it's protected. The guide is filled with many small but significant details on iOS 12 features, and for anyone interested in the security of the iPhone and the iPad, the full document is worth checking out.
Instagram today announced two major updates to the shopping feature in the Instagram app that's designed to allow users to make purchases directly from Instagram.
Shopping within Stories, a feature that began rolling out in June, is expanding to businesses across 46 countries. When watching Stories from brands, items that are featured can be tapped so you can learn more about them.
Instagram is also adding a new Shopping channel in the Explore section of the Instagram app that's personalized to each individual user. The Shopping channel is located alongside other topic channels, and it will feature brands you follow and brands you might like.
The Shopping channel in Explore is rolling out to Instagram users starting today and will expand globally "over the coming weeks."
Instagram can be downloaded from the App Store for free. [Direct Link]
Photographer Austin Mann, who often goes hands-on with new iPhone models in exotic locations to test their capabilities in real world situations, has taken a first look at the iPhone XS and shared some images captured with the new device.
Mann took the iPhone XS to Zanzibar to test it out, and shared the images with PetaPixel.
The iPhone XS and iPhone XS Max are using the same 12-megapixel dual-camera system that was in the iPhone X, with an f/1.8 wide-angle lens and an f/2.4 telephoto lens, both of which feature optical image stabilization, but Apple has made some serious improvements that result in better-than-ever iPhone photos.
Apple has introduced a new image signal processor that integrates with the Neural Engine to introduce Smart HDR, a feature that offers up more detail in the highlights and shadows of images. The image signal processor also offers up more sophisticated bokeh (aka background blurring) to better match the results you can get from high-end DSLRs, and there's a new Depth Control feature.
Depth Control is a new Portrait Mode option that lets you adjust the depth of field after you shoot, an impressive function that allows you to choose just the right amount of blur to bring out the subject of your photo. The Depth Control feature is available for both the front and rear-facing iPhone XS and iPhone XS Max cameras.
A bigger sensor with deeper, larger pixels lets in more light, which leads to better low-light photos, and sensor improvements paired with Smart HDR and no shutter lag result in sharper action shots.
We'll get a better look at what the new cameras are capable of when iPhone XS and iPhone XS Max reviews hit later this week, and customers who pre-ordered the device will also be able to try it out when shipments start arriving this Friday.
The full range of images captured by Mann can be seen in high resolution via a Flickr album, which can be accessed here.
Apple today updated its suite of iWork apps for iOS devices, introducing iOS 12 support for Pages, Numbers, and Keynote. All three of the apps now support Siri Shortcuts, a feature designed to let you create automations with first and third-party apps that can be activated via Siri voice command.
Several other new features have also been introduced in each of the three apps, as outlined in Apple's release notes.
Pages
Animate your drawings and watch them come to life in a document or book.
When using Smart Annotation, lines connecting text to annotations in the side margins stretch and move with edits.
Annotations now anchor to table cells.
Easily save drawings to Photos or Files, or share them with others.
Support for Siri Shortcuts. Requires iOS 12.
Adjust the line spacing before and after a paragraph, and set the width for columns of text.
Pages now supports Dynamic Type.
Enhance your documents with a variety of new editable shapes.
Performance and stability improvements.
Keynote
Adjust text size in presenter notes and invert colors while presenting.
Easily save drawings to Photos or Files, or share them with others.
Support for Siri Shortcuts. Requires iOS 12.
Keynote now supports Dynamic Type.
Enhance your presentations with a variety of new editable shapes.
Performance and stability improvements.
Numbers
Use Smart Categories to quickly organize and summarize tables to gain new insights.
Group your data based on unique values and date ranges, including day of week, day, week, month, quarter, and year.
Instantly show count, subtotal, average, maximum, and minimum values for columns in each group.
Create charts of your summarized data.
Easily reorder categories to see your data in a different way.
Easily save drawings to Photos or Files, or share them with others.
Support for Siri Shortcuts. Requires iOS 12.
Numbers now supports Dynamic Type.
Enhance your spreadsheets with a variety of new editable shapes.
Performance and stability improvements.
Pages, Numbers, and Keynote are all available for free from the iOS App Store. The macOS versions of the iWork apps have also been updated ahead of the release of macOS Mojave with support for Dark Mode and Continuity Camera for easily inserting images into Keynote, Pages, and Numbers for Mac.
Many third-party apps are also gaining support for Siri Shortcuts today following the release of iOS 12, and we've been keeping a running list. Shortcuts requires the Shortcuts app and the iOS 12 update.
Multiple popular password management apps for iOS devices have been updated with support for a convenient new iOS 12 feature, Password AutoFill.
With Password AutoFill, logins and passwords stored in third-party password management apps will be available throughout the iOS 12 operating system right alongside iCloud Keychain, letting you log into websites, apps, and more much more quickly.
Setting up a password management app to work with Password AutoFill will require you to go to Settings > Passwords & Accounts > AutoFill Passwords to toggle on the AutoFill Password option while also making sure your password management app of choice, such as 1Password, is selected.
How it Works
The Password AutoFill feature lets a third-party app function just like iCloud Keychain, with your sensitive data protected but easily accessible within apps when you need your login information.
When you encounter a login field in an app or on the web, tapping in the entry field will display the stored username and password from your password management app if you've saved one right above the keyboard.
From there, you can tap the information to enter it into the app or website's login window, such as in the Spotify example below.
There are instances where your password management app does not have saved information entirely right or where you have multiple logins, like if you have multiple Twitter or Instagram accounts.
With Instagram, for example, when logging into the Instagram app, I see my two Instagram accounts listed in 1Password (my password app of choice) and I can tap either one to enter my login information.
For apps that your password management app cannot automatically identify, you will be able to access your entire password vault to find the login information that you need.
Where it Works
What's great about the Password AutoFill API is that it does not require developers to implement any kind of integration with your password management app to function, as was required in previous versions of iOS for this kind of functionality.
It works automatically in most apps and websites, with your password archive available no matter where you're logging in.
One-Time Passwords
When logging into apps and websites that require two-factor authentication, using a one-time password is also simplified.
If your two-factor authentication setup is linked to a password management app like 1Password, when you log into an app or website that requires two-factor authentication, your password is entered in the field and your one-time authentication password is automatically copied to the clipboard for easy pasting.
For apps that use your phone number for authentication purposes, iOS 12 introduces a feature that takes a code from an incoming iMessage and copies it to the clipboard, so two-factor authentication is simplified no matter the method.
Password AutoFill on Apple TV
Password AutoFill extends to the Apple TV using the continuity keyboard that permits the iPhone to be used to enter passwords and login information on the Apple TV.
For this to work, both the Apple TV and the iOS device need to be signed into the same iCloud account, and from there, the process is identical to using Password AutoFill on the iPhone.
In a text entry field, when prompted to use the iPhone to enter login information, passwords stored in a password management app and linked to Password AutoFill will be able to be entered on the Apple TV.
Note: tvOS 12 and iOS 12 are required for Password AutoFill to work on the Apple TV.
The Password AutoFill feature in 1Password, Dashlane, LastPass, and Keeper is available starting today so long as you've downloaded and installed iOS 12 and updated your apps.
Have you tried Password AutoFill? What do you think of the new feature? Let us know in the comments.
Apple this morning released iOS 12, and following the update, hundreds of apps are introducing support for the new features, including Siri Shortcuts. Siri Shortcuts let you create multi-step automations using first and third-party apps that can be activated through Siri voice command.
Below, we've rounded up some of the more notable apps that have been introducing support for Siri Shortcuts. Siri Shortcuts can be created in the Shortcuts app in iOS 12, but are available for use in iOS 12, in watchOS 5 and on the Siri watch face, on HomePod, and with CarPlay.
ETA - ETA is a navigation app that offers up directions, traffic conditions, and travel time. With the new update, ETA introduces shortcuts for adding a location, calculating and displaying travel time, and getting turn-by-turn directions.
TripIt - TripIt, a travel organization app, is introducing Siri Shortcuts that let users access flight information and upcoming travel plans that are stored within the app.
Bear - Note taking app Bear includes Siri Shortcuts designed to let you create new notes on iOS and use Siri to search through your notes without opening the Bear app. There are also new navigation options, enhanced header linking, new iMessage stickers, and more transparency surrounding syncing. Bear for macOS has also been updated with features like Dark Mode support.
Halide - Photography app Halide is introducing Siri Shortcuts support that's designed to let you trigger a shot using a Siri voice command. With the Shortcuts integration, Halide can also show up as a contextual suggestion if you take photos at specific times or places. Halide's latest update also includes support for iPhone XS Max, wide color, and a new feature called "Technical Readout" that creates a report with system-level details about the iPhone's camera. There are performance improvements.
Sky Guide - Sky Guide has introduced Siri Shortcuts for identifying objects in the sky with commands like "Hey Siri, what star is that?" with the iPhone pointed at a specific star or planet. Sky Guide's shortcut will let Siri tap into Sky Guide's info to provide the answer, with no need to open up the Sky Guide app.
Things 3 - To-do app Things is gaining full support for Siri Shortcuts, which will also enable Siri suggestions for Things tasks. There's are Shortcuts integrations for adding new items to a Things to-do list, opening up a list you refer to often, and creating repeat lists for tasks you do more than once, such as packing for a trip. Password AutoFill, Landscape Mode, and Dynamic Snooze Notifications are also included. Things will now appear on the Apple Watch on the Siri watch face thanks to Shortcuts integration.
Pandora - Pandora includes support for Siri Shortcuts, with a new option that lets you ask Siri to play a favorite station. Siri is also able to keep track of your favorite Pandora stations and present them as suggestions on the Lock screen.
PCalc - Popular calculator app PCalc introduces support for Siri Shortcuts with options like rounding to a certain number of decimal places when making a calculation or converting currencies or measurements. All of PCalc's app features can be turned into shortcuts that are designed to run in the background or open up PCalc to perform an action. PCalc users should read MacStories' complete overview of the PCalc shortcut update for details.
WaterMinder - With WaterMinder's new Siri Shortcuts, you can create shortcuts for logging a drink, showing the last logged drink, showing your remaining hydration goal for the day, or showing your current daily hydration level.
Carrot Weather - With Siri Shortcuts support, you can get weather reports and forecasts without needing to open the Carrot Weather app. There are options for current weather, weather forecast, rain reports, and more. Today's Carrot Weather update also supports Apple's new iPhones and complications on Apple Watch Series 4, and it shows as a data source on the Siri watch face.
Day One - Day One's iOS 12 update brings Siri Shortcuts that can do things like create a new entry, camera, or audio recording specific to an individual journal, so you can create new content for each of your journals via voice command. The update also introduces a new filter for checklist entries and it includes support for typing Markdown links.
Focus 5 - Pomodoro-based time management app Focus 5 includes Siri shortcuts for doing things like adding new tasks or accessing the app through Siri predictions. The app also includes a new task lit feature for better organizing tasks and it offers a Dark Mode.
Monster Job Search - The app for job search site Monster now supports Siri Shortcuts for your favorite search queries, preventing you from needing to repeatedly type in the same search terms.
For those who are just getting started with Shortcuts, Apple has shared a detailed Shortcuts User Guide, which is a great way to get acquainted with all of the things that the Shortcuts feature is able to do.
The user guide is organized into sections that include Shortcuts basics, creating and using Shortcuts, managing Shortcuts, using advanced Shortcuts, and frequently asked questions.
Know of other apps that have introduced support for Siri Shortcuts and other iOS 12 features? Let us know in the comments. We'd also love to hear the most useful Siri Shortcuts features you've found so far in iOS 12.
Apple today released Safari 12 for macOS Sierra and High Sierra, introducing the same Safari improvements that are coming to macOS Mojave in the Safari 12 software bundled with that update.
Safari 12 is recommended for all macOS High Sierra users and can be downloaded from the Software Update function in the Mac App Store.
Safari 12 brings support for creating and storing strong, unique passwords, flagging reused passwords in Safari Preferences, preventing social media buttons and embedded content from tracking you across websites, and suppressing ad retargeting by limiting the amount of information available about your Mac.
Apple's full release notes for the update are below:
The Safari 12 update is recommended for all macOS High Sierra users and contains improvements to privacy, compatibility, and security. This update:
Adds the ability to view website icons in tabs
Automatically suggests and fills a strong, unique password when creating an account or changing a password
Flags reused passwords in Safari Preferences
Adds support for allowing or blocking pop-ups on specific websites
Prevents embedded content and social media buttons from tracking cross-site browsing without permission.
Suppresses ad retargeting by reducing advertisers' ability to identify Mac devices uniquely
Automatically turns off Safari extensions that negatively impact browsing performance
Improves security by only supporting legacy Safari Extensions that have been reviewed by Apple
Improves security by discontinuing support for most NPAPI plug-ins
The update also includes several fixes for security vulnerabilities, outlined in an Apple support document on the security content of Safari 12.
macOS Mojave with Safari 12 built in will be released to the public on Monday, September 24.
MacRumors has received confirmation that the names of Apple's latest iPhone models are to be stylized with a capital X, followed by the S or R in 
Twitter recently confirmed that it is bringing back the classic reverse chronological timeline as an option for its users. 
Apple today released Safari 12 for macOS Sierra and High Sierra, introducing the same Safari improvements that are coming to macOS Mojave in the Safari 12 software bundled with that update.
