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As part of its WWDC keynote, Apple dedicated an entire section to AirPods features. This includes the ability to share the same audio between two pairs of AirPods, and the ability for Siri to announce messages automatically as they come in. It left some Powerbeats Pro customers wondering if they had been left behind.
The Robin ProLine Video Doorbell is still the only HomeKit doorbell actually to be available on sale in the market. Other HomeKit doorbells are apparently launching later this year. ProLine today announced that they will support the upcoming HomeKit Secure Video recording features launched in iOS 13.
There have been rumors for a while that the iPhone 11 will not include a pressure-sensitive 3D Touch screen. iOS 13 certainly supports that direction as 3D Touch gestures in iOS 13 are effectively non-existent.
The good news is that the features provided by 3D Touch, like Peek and Pop or Home Screen Quick Actions, are now available with long-press gestures. The bad news is that owners of 3D Touch phones, i.e. all iPhones since the iPhone 6s apart from the SE and the XR, lose out on functionality that existed in previous OS versions.
iOS has a lot of small changes in addition to the headline features like Dark Mode. This includes updates to Control Center. In addition to toggling WiFi and Bluetooth, you can now switch networks and connect to new devices from within the Control Center platter.
As part of iOS 13, the new Maps app includes better organization of favorite places. It also adds support for what Apple calls ‘Look Around’, an Apple take on the popular Google Maps Street View feature.
You can jump into this mode by tapping a binoculars button in the Maps app. The binoculars only appear when Apple has imagery for the current area — right now the easiest way to find somewhere to try this is to search for the Columbus Tower in San Francisco.
Apple upped the iPhone cellular limit from 150 MB to 200 MB just last week .. and now that limit is being removed altogether.
With iOS 13, Apple will warn users when they attempt to start a large download on a mobile network but you are allowed to override it.
Apple has added various new configuration options for Memoji and three new Animoji characters: you can now animate an octopus, a cow and a mouse.
iOS 13 comes with four new wallpaper options, each with a tweaked variant for dark and light appearance themes.
The wallpapers are four different color twists on the close-up image of ‘lava lamp’ bubbles.
iOS 13 finally includes a redesigned volume HUD. The new volume slider sits on the left side of the screen where the volume up and down buttons are. It first shows as a big bulbous slider, but then shrinks down to a more discreet thin line.
macOS Catalina will be available this fall as a free software update this fall for Macs introduced in mid-2012 or later.
Apple surprised the developer crowd with the unveiling of a brand new SwiftUI framework, a modern UI interface coding structure that is built from the ground up to take advantage of Swift.
The new framework uses declarative paradigms to let developers write the same UIs in less code.
Apple has just announced the latest version of its desktop operating system, macOS Catalina.
macOS 10.15 Catalina brings the death of iTunes and brand new Music, Podcasts and a TV app. iOS device sync has moved to the Finder.
Apple has rebranded iOS for the iPad as iPadOS. The homescreen is denser with more icons per page, and you can slide out a permanent widgets column on the left of the screen.
You can now have multiple windows per open application, in split views. There’s also new link previews when long-pressing. The iPad now supports external disk drives and SD cards natively; just plug in and access from the Files app.
In iOS 13, Apple has several new features dedicated for AirPods. First, incoming messages from Apple Messages or compatible third-party apps will be automatically played in your ear, and you can reply with your voice.
Apple is also adding new multi-user sharing features. If you are listening to music with AirPods, you can start sending music to another nearby iPhone owner.
Apple announced a new Sign in with Apple button as part of its iOS 13 announcements. The button offers Apple ID single-sign on functionality similar to sign-in buttons from Twitter, Facebook or Google.
Apple is marketing this as a privacy-secure sign-in option. Apple will mask user email addresses and other personal information, whilst still allowing the apps to contact users indirectly.
The ever-popular Philips Hue smart home lineup is continuing to expand this fall, according to a report from iCulture. The site lists all the new Hue products set to be announced later this year.
Benjamin Geskin has tweeted a leaked screenshot of the iOS 13 Reminders app running on an iPhone in the new Dark Mode theme.
This week, Benjamin and Zac break down the latest iOS 13 leaks and rumors, as well as give their last minute takes on what they are most excited to see at WWDC. (Editor’s Note: Unfortunately, audio on this episode is not quite up to our usual high standard … but we didn’t want to to leave it on the cutting room floor. Cheers and thanks for listening as always.)
9to5Mac Happy Hour is available on iTunes and Apple’s Podcasts app, Stitcher, TuneIn, Google Play, or through our dedicated RSS feed for Overcast and other podcast players.
Apple’s Powerbeats Pro totally wireless headphones are now on sale in the United Kingdom, France, and Germany, as expected. Despite only launching in a single color, supply appears to be severely constrained.
This week, Apple has upped the cellular download limit for iPhone and iPad that prevents users from downloading large files from Apple’s stores, including apps, games, video podcasts, iTunes Store films and more.
The cellular download limit has been increased from 150 MB to 200 MB. This means more apps and games are now allowed to be downloaded over cellular networks.
As we discussed earlier this month, iOS 12.3 expands the reach of Express Transit, allowing users to pay for public transit just by tapping their iPhone or Watch, no Face ID or Touch ID authentication required. This feature was only available for the Portland metro … until now.
Later this week, the New York City subway is adding Apple Pay with Express Transit for select lines (via TechCrunch). Travelers will be able to skip buying tickets and just walk up to a turnstile and tap their iPhone or Apple Watch to pay and go.
Apple has just announced a new iPod touch featuring an Apple A10 Fusion chip. The new iPod looks the same as the previous generation, with a 4-inch screen flanked by large bezels and a non-Touch ID physical home button.
In addition to the new chip, the device comes in a 256 GB model for the first time. The 2019 iPod touch is available to order online now at $199 for 32 GB storage, $299 for 128 GB and $399 for the 256 GB configuration.
This morning, Pegatron signed a letter of intent to announce that it will invest up to $1 billion dollars to make a factory in Indonesia, via Reuters.
The factory will make chips for Apple smartphones and may make components for MacBooks in the future.
Apple has announced that it will start ground truth surveys in Canada from today. Apple will be driving sensor-equipped car fleets around the country to collect road details, signage and landmarks throughout the year to improve Apple Maps in Canada.
Apple will incorporate this information into its modern Apple Maps dataset, which is being rebuilt literally from the ground up.