iOS

With iOS 14.5 released to the public earlier this year, iPhone and iPad users now have the ability to easily opt out of cross-site and cross-app tracking and targeting. New data from analytics firm Branch indicates that just 25% of users are opting in to tracking, which is causing panic in the advertising industry.

Over the last several weeks, a flaw has emerged in iOS that means a handful of network names can actually disable Wi-Fi on your iPhone altogether. In the latest beta of iOS 14.7, which Apple released to developers and public beta users yesterday, Apple has seemingly fixed this bug.

The initial iOS 15 developer beta has been available for two weeks, and I have a lot to share after some extended hands-on time with this massive release. iPhone users are in for a treat thanks to such features as tag support for the Notes app, Focus modes with customizable Home screens, and major updates to Accessibility. Watch our hands-on video walkthrough as we explore more than 300 of the top iOS 15 features, and be sure to subscribe to 9to5Mac on YouTube for lots of additional iOS 15 coverage in the coming days and weeks.

Apple is upgrading the CarPlay experience with an update coming to the iPhone this fall. iOS 15 introduces new features for drivers, including Announce Messages with Siri, Driving Focus for handling notifications, new wallpapers for personalizing appearance, and even more.

Mozilla has officially launched Firefox 89 today for Mac, Windows, and Linux with the changes also applying to the latest iOS and Android builds. The update sees Firefox gain a fresh new design, easier to use tabs, streamlined toolbar, optimized iOS experience, and more.

We’re only two weeks away from WWDC 2021, when Apple will announce the next major versions of iOS, watchOS, tvOS, and macOS. While few details about the updates have leaked so far, a new sketchy rumor suggests that Apple is working on improved notifications, new food-tracking features, and more for iOS 15.

Surprisingly, Apple has just released the first iOS 14.7 beta to developers even before iOS 14.6 became available to the public. Apple has also released watchOS 7.6 beta and tvOS 14.7 beta. We don’t yet know what’s new in today’s updates.

Update May 20: Apple is now releasing the first public beta of iOS 14.7 to registered users.

Along with a host of new accessibility features announced today, iOS is set to gain a new Background Sounds feature to help reduce distractions and promote focus, calm, and rest.

You may not remember, but a modified copy of Xcode that surfaced on the web in 2015 was responsible for injecting malware into several iPhone and iPad apps that were subsequently uploaded to the App Store. Now, thanks to the Epic vs. Apple trial, internal Apple emails have revealed that more than 128 million iOS users were affected by the “XcodeGhost” malware.

A new study published today takes an in-depth look at how apps used in schools are sharing children’s data with third parties. The research found the majority of school apps transmit data and that Android is 8x more likely to be sending that data to “very high-risk” third parties than iOS.

Apple started testing iOS 14.5 almost three months ago. With the final version being released to the general public today, there are a lot of reasons to update your iPhone right now.

Apple has officially released iOS 14.5 and watchOS 7.4 to the public, bringing a major change to the integration between iPhone and Apple Watch. For the first time, you can now use your Apple Watch to unlock your iPhone when you’re wearing a face mask. Here’s how it works.

Apple today released the first beta of iOS 14.6 to developers even though it hasn’t yet released iOS 14.5 to the public. And while we still don’t know exactly what’s new in this update, the iOS 14.6 release notes confirm that the company has made some changes to make it easier to leave the beta program after the release of an official build.

Following today’s event, Apple has just released iOS 14.5 RC to developers and public beta users. The update brings loads of new features including two new Siri voices, strong protection against app tracking, a redesigned Podcasts experience, and much more.

iOS 14.5 will be available for iPhone and iPad next week after an extended software beta period that started in February. The latest software update brings loads of new features including two new Siri voices, strong protection against app tracking, a redesigned Podcasts experience, and much more.