Apple today released macOS Ventura 13.5.1, a bug fix update for the macOS Ventura operating system released last October. macOS Ventura 13.5.1 comes three weeks after the launch of macOS Ventura 13.5.
The macOS Ventura 13.5.1 update can be downloaded for free on all eligible Macs using the Software Update section of System Settings.
macOS Ventura 13.5.1 addresses a bug that impacts location services settings on the Mac. Mac users have complained since July of an issue with the location privacy settings, with the bug preventing them from accessing and controling location permissions for first and third-party apps.
Under System Settings > Privacy and Security > Location Services, macOS Ventura 13.5 had no apps listed, preventing users from accessing location services toggles or seeing apps that have access to their location information. Newly installed apps were also unable to be given access to location.
According to Apple's release notes, the macOS 13.5.1 update fixes the issue, so Location Services should work as expected going forward.
Amazon has numerous deals on the 2022 Apple Watch SE this week, starting at $219.99 for the 40mm GPS models, down from $249.00. Along with this model, Amazon has low prices on nearly every other configuration of the Apple Watch SE, including cellular models.
Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with Amazon. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment, which helps us keep the site running.
For the 40mm GPS model, you can get all three colors: Starlight Aluminum, Silver Aluminum, and Midnight Aluminum. Additionally, each color has both S/M and M/L sizes in stock and on sale, with delivery dates as soon as August 19 for many models. Overall, this is a solid second-best price.
The 44mm GPS model is on sale for $249.99, down from $279.00. Like the smaller model, this one is available in all three colors and various band sizes with a delivery date around August 19-22 for the fastest options. It's another second-best price.
Moving to cellular models, the 40mm cellular Apple Watch SE has hit $269.99 on Amazon, down from $299.00. Discounts on both cellular models have been more rare than the GPS versions of the Apple Watch SE, so this is a great opportunity to purchase the wearable at its lowest price.
For this week's giveaway, we've teamed up with Satechi to offer MacRumors readers a chance to win one of Satechi's brand new Dual Dock Stands and a 13-inch MacBook Air to go along with it. Satechi is also including its 200W USB-C 6-Port GaN Charger and a USB4 Pro Cable to provide a full Mac accessory setup for the winner.
Satechi's Dual Dock Stand is a docking station that includes an NVMe SSD Enclosure, allowing Mac owners to have a convenient array of ports and access to extra storage. The SSD enclosure that's at the bottom of the dock works with NVMe and SATA SSDs, so users can add in an SSD they may already have on hand.
Transfer speeds up to 10Gb/s are supported, and adding the SSD to the dock is as simple as unscrewing it, popping the SSD in, and putting the cover back on. The necessary screws and screwdriver are included.
Along with an SSD enclosure, the Dual Dock Stand features two HDMI ports and one DisplayPort to connect up to two 4K 60Hz displays. While two displays are supported, Macs with M1 and M2 chips are limited to one external display. There's a USB-C power port that provides up to 75W power delivery for charging a connected Mac, plus there are two USB-C data ports (one 5Gb/s and one 10Gb/s), two USB-A ports, and an Ethernet port.
The dock itself is made from a space gray aluminum with black accents, and it matches well with Apple's hardware. The docking station is designed to fit underneath a MacBook Pro or MacBook Air, offering an elevated angle that improves the ergonomics of the display. Satechi says the slight angled lift provides heat dissipation through strategically placed vents.
For those who need a dedicated charger for a Mac and other devices, Satechi has a 200W 6-Port USB-C Charger, which is priced at $150. It uses GaN technology for a compact size, and offers multiple charging configurations depending on the devices that you're charging up. There are two USB-C PD 3.1 ports that charge at up to 140W, and four USB-C PD 3.0 ports that charge up to 100W. One device can be charged at the full 140W, but if all six ports are in use, power is divided into 65W, 45W, 20W, 20W, 20W, and 20W.
To connect the Dock or Charger to a Mac, Satechi has a 1.2M USB4 Pro Cable, priced at $30. It supports 240W Power Delivery, 40Gb/s data transfer, and up to 8K resolution for external monitors. It has a braided design for durability, and is universally compatible with Thunderbolt and older USB versions.
For those interested in Satechi's Dual Dock Stand, Satechi is offering a 20 percent discount off of the $150 price tag with the promo code NVME20. The discount will be available until August 24. Satechi's 200W 6-Port USB-C Charger can be purchased for $150 as well, and the USB4 Pro Cable is available for $30. All of the accessories are available from the Satechi website.
We have one Dual Dock Stand, Charger, cable, and 13-inch MacBook Air to give away to a lucky MacRumors reader. To enter to win, use the widget below and enter an email address. Email addresses will be used solely for contact purposes to reach the winner(s) and send the prize(s). You can earn additional entries by subscribing to our weekly newsletter, subscribing to our YouTube channel, following us on Twitter, following us on Instagram, or visiting the MacRumorsFacebook page.
Due to the complexities of international laws regarding giveaways, only U.S. residents who are 18 years or older, UK residents who are 18 years or older, and Canadian residents (excluding Quebec) who have reached the age of majority in their province or territory are eligible to enter. All federal, state, provincial, and/or local taxes, fees, and surcharges are the sole responsibility of the prize winner. To offer feedback or get more information on the giveaway restrictions, please refer to our Site Feedback section, as that is where discussion of the rules will be redirected.
The contest will run from today (August 17) at 8:00 a.m. Pacific Time through 8:00 a.m. Pacific Time on August 24. The winner will be chosen randomly on or shortly after August 24 and will be contacted by email. The winner will have 48 hours to respond and provide a shipping address before a new winner is chosen.
Apple may not release any leather cases for the iPhone 15 lineup, according to the Twitter leaker known as "DuanRui."
DuanRui sources information from Chinese social media platforms, often revealing accurate insights into Apple's plans in the process. There is little other information about Apple's apparent move to discontinue leather cases at the current time, but "ShrimpApplePro" and 9to5Mac claim that they have heard the same information from other sources, so the rumor seems worth taking seriously at the current time.
Apple first released a series of leather cases in 2013 alongside the iPhone 5S. A refreshed selection of colors has accompanied every new iPhone model since then, featuring minor design refinements, such as the addition of aluminum buttons and MagSafe. Rather than overtly discontinuing premium case options, it seems likely that Apple could replace leather with an alternative high-end material that is vegan and has a smaller carbon footprint.
Apple in iOS 17 added new features to the Health app, introducing a mood logging function, tools for maintaining eye health, and more.
This guide highlights all of the features that are new in the Health app in iOS 17.
Mood Tracking
With iOS 17, Apple added a "State of Mind" feature to the Health app. This option is designed to allow you to track your emotions on a daily basis, to get an overall picture of mental wellbeing.
Through Health app notifications or the Apple Watch, you can log your mood at different times throughout the day and input an overall mood for the day.
Logging a mood presents a slider bar with options ranging from Very Unpleasant to Neutral to Pleasant. The options are color coded (very unpleasant is purple, neutral is blue, and very pleasant is orange), and the idea is to drag the slider to the closest representation of your current mood.
From there, Apple asks you what best describes the feeling, and presents a list of adjectives related to the mood that you can select from. The "Very Pleasant" mood, for example, has options like Amazed, Peaceful, Joyful, and Calm. The "Very Unpleasant" mood includes Angry, Sad, Drained, and Stressed, while Neutral moods include Peaceful, Indifferent, and Content.
You cannot input your own adjective, and must use one of the suggestions from Apple. There are a few dozen total options, so the idea is just to choose the closest match.
After you've selected a mood and an accompanying adjective for it, Apple asks what's causing the mood. Options include health, fitness, family, friends, partner, dating, weather, money, and current events, but again, you have to choose from Apple's list. You can, however, add context in this section, so you can write down details on why you've chosen a specific category.
Your mood over time can be viewed on a chart with breakdowns for the week, month, six months, or a year. States, Associations, and Life Factors can all be tapped into so you can see contributing factors to what has influenced how you feel.
You can see what's causing issues or making you happy with a list of every entry broken down by association, the category that includes factors like work and relationships.
Apple also logs life factors to show you patterns on actions that can influence your mood. Life factors include exercise minutes, mindfulness minutes, sleep, and time spent in daylight. Apple directly compares mood over time to exercise over time and other listed factors, so you can figure out if spending time working out or meditating has an impact on overall mood.
Mental Health Questionnaires
The Mental Wellbeing section of the Health app includes health questionnaires that screen for anxiety and depression so you can talk to your doctor if needed. These are screening tools typically used by doctors, and they ask questions related to how you have been feeling over the course of the last few weeks.
Taking these questionnaires populates anxiety and depression risk charts so you can see at a glance if you might need more self care or the help of a doctor at different periods throughout the year. Filling out the questionnaires will give you Anxiety Risk and Depression Risk readings.
Eye Health
Apple in iOS 17 is adding new tools for improving eye health, most of which are aimed at children, but can be used by anyone. In Screen Time, there's a new "Screen Distance" setting that is meant to reduce eye strain by making sure an iPhone or an iPad is not held too close to the face.
If the iPhone or iPad is too close, an alert will let you (or your child) know that the display needs to be further away. Apple recommends a viewing distance of 12 inches for the eyes, and offers a position guide to help users know where to hold the device for optimal viewing without eye strain.
Time in Daylight
The Apple Watch can measure the amount of time that is spent in daylight, and this is another feature aimed at children. There are studies that suggest spending 80 to 120 minutes outdoors can lower the risk of nearsightedness or myopia, and so paired with an Apple Watch running watchOS 10, the Health app is able to tell you how much time was spent in the daylight.
Apple says that daylight is also useful for adults as spending 20 minutes outdoors has physical and mental health benefits. Time spent in daylight is one of the metrics that Apple uses for tracking Mental Wellbeing.
Medications
Apple added Follow Up Reminders for Medications that you track using the Health app. If you don't log a medication within 30 minutes after you receive an official notification, you can opt into getting a second notification so you don't miss taking your medication.
Further, Critical Alerts can be enabled, and these will appear on the screen and play a sound even if a Focus mode is enabled or a device is muted.
Health App for iPad
The Health app has been limited to the iPhone since it was introduced, but with iPadOS 17, it's also available on the iPad. The iPad isn't collecting Health data, but it can display all of the information collected by the iPhone and other accessories on a bigger display.
It essentially shows you all of the same information that's available on the iPhone app, but it's sized for the iPad and has a navigation bar on the left side of the display.
Design
Apple has tweaked the design of the Health app. Sections like Heart, Medications, Sleep, Mobility, and more have their own background colors to add more visual interest to the data that the app presents.
Much of the Health app look is the same, but there have been small updates to colors and other tiny changes that refine the look.
Photography accessory company Moment today announced the launch of its third-generation lenses, which are its first add-on lenses that are designed for Apple's modern iPhones. T-Series lenses are compatible with both Android smartphones and iPhones, and there are multiple lenses available.
This is the first time that Moment has come out with new iPhone lenses since 2017, which was back when the iPhone 7 came out. Priced between $120 and $150, here are the new lens options:
Anamorphic 1.33x ($150) - Designed to bring a cinematic look to video capture on iPhone. There are gold flare and blue flare options for the anamorphic flare look. Gold flare provides rich golden tones, while blue flare offers an early 1960s cinematic look. 1.33x works for photos and videos with less distortion.
Anamorphic 1.55x ($150) - Both of the Anamorphic lenses have a 20 percent wider aperture compared to the M-series lenses from Moment, along with a three-element design for better low-light performance. The 1.55x lens provides the most dramatic effect for video capture.
58mm Telephoto ($150) - The 58mm telephoto lens offers 2x optical zoom, and it can be used with the built-in telephoto lens on Apple's Pro iPhones. There's also a 4x zoom option using the Moment app.
18mm Wide ($130) - The 18mm Wide lens offers a wide-angle view similar to the Ultra Wide camera on the iPhone, but with less distortion. It can be paired with the Ultra Wide camera for more zoomed out shots.
14mm Fisheye ($120) - The 14mm Fisheye is a super wide-angle lens that has a 200-degree field of view. It can use the full image sensor on the newer iPhones with no vignetting or dark corners. This is a fisheye lens, so there is some distortion.
10x Macro ($120) - The Macro lens can take zoomed-in images of small objects from an inch away. It pairs with the Wide for improved texture and detail compared to what you can get with the iPhone's built-in macro feature.
Using the lenses requires a compatible Moment case. Moment is offering cases for the latest iPhone models, and also plans to support the iPhone 15 when it launches. Pre-orders are available with an iPhone 15 case, with the case set to ship out following the launch of new iPhones.
Moment's T-Series lenses can be used with the iPhone 13 and later with a compatible Moment case. Moment is offering a trade-in program for M-Series lenses that will provide up to $50 per lens in store credit to put toward the new T-Series lenses.
Apple is expected to release iOS 17 in mid to late September as a free software update for the iPhone XS and newer. The update includes a wide range of new features, but not all of them will be available right away, according to Apple's website.
Below, we have listed three features that Apple says are "coming later this year" as part of a future iOS 17 version, such as iOS 17.1 or iOS 17.2. Apple has already been testing iOS 17.1 internally for several weeks, according to our MacRumors analytics logs, and the update is likely to be released in late October based on precedent.
Journal App
An all-new Journal app will allow iPhone users to reflect on their day and memories, complete with text, photos, music, audio recordings, and more. The app will provide personalized suggestions based on recent on-device activity.
Collaborative Apple Music Playlists
A new Collaborative Playlists feature for Apple Music will allow multiple people to add, reorder, and remove songs in a shared playlist.
AirDrop Transfers via Internet
If you send content like an image or video to another user via AirDrop, the transfer will be able to continue over an internet connection if you leave AirDrop range, so long as both you and the recipient are signed in to an iCloud account.
New York City has decided to ban TikTok from city-owned devices used by NYC employees, reports The Verge. The New York City Cyber Command said that TikTok is a "security threat to the city's technical networks."
City employees are no longer allowed to download or use the TikTok app on city-owned devices, and they are also not allowed to access the TikTok website. New York state previously banned TikTok on state-issued devices, but some employees were still able to use it for marketing purposes.
"While social media is great at connecting New Yorkers with one another and the city, we have to ensure we are always using these platforms in a secure manner," a NYC City Hall spokesperson said in a statement to The Verge Wednesday. "NYC Cyber Command regularly explores and advances proactive measures to keep New Yorkers' data safe."
U.S. government officials have been backing legislation that would result in a nationwide TikTok ban. There are concerns that U.S. TikTok data is stored in China, though TikTok owner ByteDance has said that is not the case.
As of earlier this year, TikTok is not allowed on federal devices and systems in the United States. The UK, European Union, Canada, Taiwan, Australia, New Zealand, and numerous other U.S. states also prohibit TikTok on government devices. Montana has gone as far as banning TikTok downloads and usage statewide, but TikTok has sued the state.
Note: Due to the political or social nature of the discussion regarding this topic, the discussion thread is located in our Political News 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.
Last week, we began tracking a sale at Woot that offered steep discounts on Apple's 2021 M1 iPad Pro. This sale is set to end tonight at midnight, so we're sharing it again for anyone who might have missed it the first time around. All tablets in this sale are in new condition and come with a one year Apple warranty.
Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with Woot. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment, which helps us keep the site running.
Woot's sale covers both 11-inch and 12.9-inch models of the M1 iPad Pro. Starting with the 11-inch tablets, Woot is selling these models with the Apple Smart Folio in select colors. Prices start at $659.99 (22 percent off) for 128GB Wi-Fi and rise to $849.99 (50 percent off) for 2TB Wi-Fi.
Woot has multiple 12.9-inch iPad Pro models at a discount, and these do not come with the Apple Smart Folio. Prices start at $859.99 (22 percent off) for 128GB Wi-Fi and rise to $949.99 (27 percent off) for 512GB Wi-Fi. Both the 1TB and 2TB Wi-Fi 12.9-inch models have sold out since the sale began.
In addition to Wi-Fi models, Woot still has a few cellular versions of the 11-inch and 12.9-inch M1 iPad Pro tablets on sale.
We haven't tracked discounts on the M1 iPad Pro in about a year, given that recent sales have shifted to focus on the M2 models that launched in 2022. These tablets are fairly similar to one another, with the biggest advantages in the 2022 model being the M2 chip's internal upgrades and Apple Pencil hover. You can find out more information on the tablets in our guide.
Keep up with all of this week's best discounts on Apple products and related accessories in our dedicated Apple Deals roundup.
Apple's iPhone 15 is believed to have been identified in India's regulatory database, less than a month before the device is expected to be officially unveiled.
Last August, just a few weeks before the announcement of the iPhone 14 lineup, a single iPhone 14 model was spotted in the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) database with the model number A2882. This turned out to be the standard iPhone 14 model built for "other countries and regions."
Now, MySmartPrice has spotted an Apple device with the model number A3094 in the BIS database. The iPhone 14 has the model numbers A2649, A2881, A2884, A2883, and A2882. No Apple device with the model number A3094 currently exists and with iPhone model numbers roughly increasing with each successive generation, this is likely the iPhone 15. If so, this would be the first time that the iPhone 15 has been officially seen.
Earlier today, Bloomberg reported that production of the iPhone 15 has started in India – the first time that a new iPhone model has started production outside china prior to the device's announcement. It seems likely that the device filed in the BIS is the same model being mass produced in India.
New Apple devices being spotted in regulatory databases often indicates that launch is imminent. According to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman, Apple is planning to announce the iPhone 15 lineup at an event on Tuesday, September 12.
Today we're tracking a few deals on popular Apple accessories, including the AirTag 4-Pack on Adorama, the MagSafe Charger on Woot, and the Magic Keyboard on Amazon.
Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with some of these vendors. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment, which helps us keep the site running.
AirTag 4-Pack
Adorama today has the AirTag 4-Pack for $85.00, down from $99.00. There's an estimated shipping window of 1-2 days for the accessory, and Adorama provides free shipping.
Today's deal beats the sale we saw during Prime Day by around $5 and is one of the best deals that we've seen in a few weeks. Overall, there haven't been many steep discounts on any version of the AirTag in 2023, so if you've been shopping for the device be sure to check out Adorama soon.
AirTag provides a way to keep track of your items in the iOS Find My app, with a way to play a sound on the built-in speaker to find something locally or with Precision Finding when it's farther away.
MagSafe Charger
Woot has Apple's MagSafe Charger for $28.99, down from $39.00. This is just about $1 off from the all-time low price that we previously tracked on this accessory, and it's the best price of the year so far.
The MagSafe Charger is in new condition on Woot and comes with a one year Apple Manufacturer Limited Warranty.
Magic Keyboards
Lastly, we're tracking a pair of solid discounts on the 11-inch and 12.9-inch Magic Keyboards on Amazon. You can get the 11-inch version for $249.00, down from $299.00.
The 12.9-inch model is on sale for $289.13 on Amazon, down from $349.00. This is among the lowest prices of the year so far on this accessory, and right now it's only available in Black on Amazon.
Some iPhone 15 models will be equipped with a Thunderbolt/USB 4 retimer chip for high-speed data transfer, according to ChargerLab.
Following last week's leak of alleged images of the iPhone 15's USB-C port components, ChargerLab has seen further images of the parts and believes that they show an integrated circuit (IC) for Thunderbolt data transfer speeds.
The IC, known as a retimer, rebuilds signals and mitigates jitter. It augments signal transmission stability for high-capacity data ports and extends transmission ranges. Such chips are seen in other Thunderbolt/USB 4 devices, and ChargerLab believes it is clearly identifiable on the iPhone 15's USB-C components.
All four iPhone 15 models are expected to feature USB-C instead of Lightning. The iPhone 15 Pro models with USB-C ports are expected to support higher-speed data transfers, likely up to Thunderbolt speeds, while the standard iPhone 15 models will likely continue to feature USB 2.0 speeds – the same as Lightning. For comparison, the iPad Pro features a Thunderbolt port for transfer speeds up to 40 Gbps, while the entry-level iPad's USB-C port is limited to just 480 Mbps.
Apple supplier Foxconn is starting production of the iPhone 15 in India, the first time that a new iPhone has been made outside China prior to its announcement, Bloomberg reports.
The devices are to be manufactured at a Foxconn plant in Sriperumbudur, Tamil Nadu. The facility is preparing to deliver devices just weeks after they begin shipping from factories in China, narrowing the gap between manufacturing operations in India and China even further. Prior to the release of the iPhone 14, iPhones made in India lagged operations in China by around six to nine months.
This is the first time that a new iPhone model has started mass production in India before it has been announced by Apple. Last year's iPhone 14 models started production in India in late September.
The scale of iPhone 15 production in India apparently depends on the availability of imported components and and the ramp-up of production lines. Pegatron and Wistron factories are also due to soon come on stream to assemble the iPhone 15.
In addition, DigiTimes today reports that Foxconn plans to manufacture AirPods in India by the end of 2024 at its facility near Hyderabad, Telangana.
Manufacturing in India is a key part of Apple's plan to diversify its supply chain away from concentration in China. Apple reportedly plans to produce 25% of all iPhones in India by 2025, with other products such as the iPad, Apple Watch, and AirPods set to follow.
Google today announced that it is adding updated generative AI capabilities to its search functionality, with the aim of helping users to "better learn and make sense of information" on the internet.
With the Google Search app, there is now a beta option to summarize a long article. The summary feature is able to provide "key points" from a webpage, along with a "Explore on page" section with questions and answers pulled from the content.
Google says that the new "SGE while browsing" feature is meant to help people "more deeply engage" with long-form content from creators. It shows key points on articles freely available on the web, and will not summarize articles that are paywalled.
As of now, the new AI functionality is available in the Google app on iOS and Android devices, with Google planning to expand it to the desktop through the Chrome browser "in the days ahead."
In the near future, Google also plans to add improvements to AI-generated responses that will allow users to hover over words to preview definitions and see related diagrams or images on the topic.
ZAGG today introduced the Pro Stylus 2, which is designed to be an alternative to the Apple Pencil. It comes in a range of fun colors, such as blue, pink, yellow, gray, and white, and it is compatible with all iPads from 2018 and later.
Priced at $80, the Pro Stylus 2 includes a fine tip for precise drawing and writing at one end, with a round, capacitive tip at the other end. The capacitive tip can be used in place of a finger for interacting with iPadOS, preventing smudges on the display.
Like the Apple Pencil, the Pro Stylus 2 supports tilt recognition and palm rejection. It comes with a wireless charging cradle, but it can also be attached magnetically to the iPad Pro for charging or charged with a Qi-based charger.
Pushing on the end of the Pro Stylus 2 turns it on so that it can connect to an iPad, and it will go idle after 15 minutes to save battery life. The stylus is meant to last for up to six and a half hours before it needs to be recharged.
We're likely less than a month away from the launch of iOS 17 and iPadOS 17, which means beta testing will soon be wrapping up. Apple is now providing weekly beta updates, seeding out the sixth beta today.
As we approach the end of the beta testing period, updates are getting smaller with Apple focusing on crucial refinements and polish, but there are still a few changes in the latest beta worth highlighting.
Messages App
In the Messages app, you can now long press on the "+" button to bring up the photo picker rather than tapping and having to choose the Photos option from the list.
Phone App
In an earlier beta, Apple moved the red end call button in the Phone app from the bottom middle of the interface to the bottom right. Given that people are so used to tapping in the middle, this was not a popular change.
In beta 6, Apple moved the end call button back to the middle, returning it to where it is located in iOS 16 and earlier.
Mood Tracking
Apple has further tweaked the animations that are used for the moods in the mood tracking feature. The rings around each mood now animate quicker around each shape, and there are more rings.
Photos Splash Screen
There's a new splash screen when you first open the Photos app, and it lets you know about the new features.
Display & Brightness
In the Display & Brightness section of the Settings app, the wallpaper icon has been updated to an iOS 17 wallpaper.
More iOS 17 Beta 6 Features
Know of a feature that we left out in this list? Let us know in the comments below.
Apple today seeded the sixth betas of upcoming iOS 17 and iPadOS 17 updates to developers for testing purposes, with the software coming a week after the release of the fifth betas.
Registered developers are able to opt into the betas by opening up the Settings app, going to the Software Update section, tapping on the "Beta Updates" option, and toggling on the iOS 17 Developer Beta. Note that an Apple ID associated with a developer account is required to download and install the beta.
iOS 17 is a major update that introduces a customized look for each person that calls, with the person who places the call able to customize their look. Live voicemails let you see a transcript of a message someone is leaving in real time so you can choose to pick up the phone if you want, and voice messages people send in iMessage are now transcribed into text. You can also record a video or audio message when someone misses your FaceTime call, and FaceTime works on the Apple TV through Continuity functionality.
In Messages, apps have been moved to a new tucked-away interface for a cleaner look, and there is a new Check In feature that is designed to let your friends and family keep an eye on you when you're traveling. Check In automatically notifies friends or family members when you arrive at a destination, such as home. Locations can also now be shared directly from the Messages app.
In a group chat, there's a catch-up arrow so you can see the first message you haven't seen in a conversation, and with search filters, you can more easily find what you're looking for. Stickers have been overhauled, and all emoji are now stickers, living alongside sticker packs and Memoji. Using the remove from background feature in iOS 17, you can turn the subject from any image into a sticker.
With StandBy, an iPhone placed horizontally turns into a little home hub that displays information like the calendar, time, home controls, and more, and Live Activities can be displayed in full screen too.
Widgets on the Home Screen are interactive, so you can do things like check off an item on a to-do list or turn off the lights without having to open an app. AirDrop has been improved and there's a NameDrop function for sharing contacts quickly, plus you can hold two iPhones together to start a SharePlay session. SharePlay also now works with CarPlay so passengers can play their music in the car too.
Other new features include a journaling app coming later this year, AirPlay in select hotel rooms, improvements to AirPods Pro 2 thanks to a new Adaptive Audio feature, offline Maps, Siri that does not require the "Hey" activation, and improvements to search and spotlight.
Update: There are new betas of iOS 17 and iPadOS 17 available for public beta testers, as well as a new beta of watchOS 10.
Apple today seeded the sixth beta of an upcoming watchOS 10 update to developers for testing purposes, with the software update coming a week after the fifth beta.
To install the watchOS 10 update, developers will need to open the Apple Watch app, go to the Software Update section under "General" in Settings, and toggle on the watchOS 10 Developer Beta. Note that an Apple ID linked to a developer account is required.
Once beta updates have been activated, watchOS 10 can be downloaded under the same Software Update section. To install software, an Apple Watch needs to have 50 percent battery life and it must be placed on an Apple Watch charger.
watchOS 10 adds a whole new widget-focused interface. You can access a widget stack from any watch face using the Digital Crown, swiping through them to get to relevant information. Control Center can be activated from any app by pressing the side button, and these new quick access controls are meant to let you use watch faces that support less information while still putting everything you need at your fingertips.
There are new Palette and Snoopy watch faces, updates to Cycling and Hiking workouts, and mental health integrations. Users can log their state of mind and mood using the Apple Watch, with the device providing insights into mental health over time.
Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with Amazon. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment, which helps us keep the site running.
Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with Woot. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment, which helps us keep the site running.
Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with some of these vendors. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment, which helps us keep the site running.
