The Xbox Series X/S and PlayStation 5 consoles have been out for quite some time now, each with a new controller. Back in November, Apple confirmed it would be bringing support for these new gamepads to iOS, now six months later, that support has finally arrived.
As part of the iOS 14.5 update, Apple has also introduced support for additional game controllers on iOS, including the Xbox Series X/S controller and the PS5’s DualSense.
Apple began expanding gamepad support on iOS in recent years in preparation for its own gaming service – Apple Arcade. These controllers can also be used for cloud gaming services, which are finally starting to open up to iOS.
Currently, Microsoft is testing Xbox Cloud Gaming on iOS via browsers on the iPhone and iPad. GeForce Now is available on iOS with a similar web-based solution and soon, Amazon Luna and Google Stadia will be joining the ranks.
KitGuru Says: Do any of you use a controller with your phone for gaming, whether it be mobile games or console/PC titles streamed via the cloud?
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Apple Silicon M2 processor reportedly already in production
Apple embarked on a journey to create its own processors several years ago, which culminated …
Matthew Wilson 4 hours ago Apple, CPU, Featured Tech News
Apple embarked on a journey to create its own processors several years ago, which culminated in the launch of the M1, an ARM-based chip that now powers Macs and iPads. A successor is already in the works though and according to sources this week, Apple’s M2 chip is already in production and could launch as soon as July.
According to Nikkei, the Apple M2 processor has gone into mass production and could start shipping in July 2021. The latest Apple Silicon processor, tentatively referred to as the M2, is being produced once again by TSMC, using the semiconductor’s 5nm Plus technology.
The Apple M2 would likely first appear in new MacBook models, which are expected to arrive in Q3 2021, before eventually ending up in iMacs and even iPads.
Unfortunately, we don’t know what sort of performance jump to expect but Apple is looking to iterate and generate more powerful SoCs at a fast pace. The company still needs to replace Intel CPUs in several of its products, including the 16-inch MacBook Pro, the iMac Pro and the Mac Pro. Publicly, Apple has stated that its plan is to shift all products to Apple Silicon by the end of 2022.
KitGuru Says: The M1-powered iPad Pro was only just announced a week ago, so it is a bit surprising to already be hearing about the M2 launch. Still, we did expect to see new Apple Silicon at some point in 2021. Now we’ll just have to wait and see how much of a performance leap the M2 brings.
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Razer’s Orochi V2 is a compact wireless mouse with up to 900 hours of battery life
Razer is back with another gaming mouse this week. This time around, the Razer Orochi …
Matthew Wilson 8 hours ago Apple, Featured Tech News, General Tech
The European Commission has launched several antitrust investigations against Apple over the years, including a big investigation over iOS App Store policies and Apple’s 30 percent revenue cut. Now, Apple will reportedly face antitrust charges in the EU later this week.
According to Financial Times (via The Verge), the European Commission is set to issue antitrust charges against Apple this week. This follows an investigation that began in early 2020, following a complaint from Spotify in 2019. Spotify took issue with Apple taking a 30 percent revenue cut from subscriptions on iOS and if sources are accurate, the EU will indeed be siding with Spotify on that.
Specific actions that the EU will take against Apple still remain unclear, but we should hear more on that in the coming days.
This is the latest development in a long saga of antitrust complaints against Apple over the iOS App Store. Apple is also set to go to trial and defend itself against a lawsuit from Epic Games next month, a lawsuit that was brought about due to App Store policies and the eventual removal of Fortnite from iOS.
KitGuru Says: While the EU may charge Apple this week, we will likely see Apple embark on a series of appeals, so this could be far from the end of this story.
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Razer’s Orochi V2 is a compact wireless mouse with up to 900 hours of battery life
Razer is back with another gaming mouse this week. This time around, the Razer Orochi …
Despite Apple’s focus on developing its own chips, it looks like the company still needs AMD’s help for higher-power workstation GPUs. That’s according to new entries on the Geekbench 5, showing an unannounced ‘Radeon Pro W6900X’ SKU powering an Apple Mac Pro 7.1.
With the launch of macOS Big Sur 11.4 Beta, Apple introduced support for Radeon consumer-grade cards on its OS. Professional Radeon cards are not yet supported, but that might change soon with the new Mac Pro 7.1.
Initially found by Benchleaks, we have spotted nine entries of a MacPro 7.1 equipped with an AMD Radeon Pro W6900X and running macOS 11.4 on the Geekbench 5 database. All the entries seem to belong to the same system, which featured a 12C/24T Intel Core i9-10920X CPU and 192GB of DDR4-2933 memory.
The entries do not show the card’s specifications, but performance-wise, it scored slightly above the Radeon RX 6900XT. It’s unclear if the card will be exclusive to Mac systems like the Radeon Pro Vega II, but compared to it, the AMD Radeon Pro W6900X scored about 66% higher.
These entries coincide with the appearance of a photo showing an undisclosed AMD graphics card. The uploader didn’t share any information about the card, but we believe it might be the AMD Radeon Pro W6900X, the OEM variant of the Radeon Pro card we have previously shared, or a combination of both.
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KitGuru says: Apple plans to become more independent from CPU and GPU manufacturers, but for now, it still depends heavily on the likes of Intel and AMD for high-powered solutions. Will Apple eventually release its own workstation-class CPUs and GPUs?
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Razer’s Orochi V2 is a compact wireless mouse with up to 900 hours of battery life
Razer is back with another gaming mouse this week. This time around, the Razer Orochi …
If you want to add video streaming services to your TV, an Amazon Fire TV Stick is a great option. But which one do you go for?
The standard option, aka the Amazon Fire TV Stick (3rd Gen)? The Ultra HD-toting Fire TV Stick 4K? Or should you save some money and opt for the stripped-down Fire TV Stick Lite?
We’re here to help you decide. On this page, we’ll run down all the things you need to consider and see how each model stacks up. Once you’ve had a read, worked out what’s most important to you (and what your budget is), it should be a lot easier to make up your mind.
Amazon Fire TV Stick Lite vs Fire TV Stick (3rd Gen) vs Fire TV Stick 4K: price
(Image credit: Amazon)
Price is one of the main considerations when weighing up which Fire TV you should buy. But with Amazon’s range, there’s not a lot in it.
The top-of-the-range Fire TV Stick 4K will set you back £49 ($49, AU$99), while the standard model (Fire TV Stick (3rd Gen)) is £39 ($39, AU$79). The entry-level Fire TV Stick Lite costs £29 ($29, AU$59).
As is always the way, spending more will get you more features. Speaking of which…
Amazon Fire TV Stick Lite vs Fire TV Stick (3rd Gen) vs Fire TV Stick 4K: design
(Image credit: Amazon)
Being streaming sticks, all of the Fire TV Sticks look very similar. They’re a bit bigger than a pack of chewing gum and plug into your TV’s HDMI port.
They are quite chunky though and can get in the way of your other HDMI sockets. Hence Amazon has bundled an HDMI extender in the box – plug your Fire TV Stick into this, and it won’t block access to any other ports.
The standard Fire TV Stick and Lite version are a little shorter than the 4K model, but otherwise, they’re nigh-on identical from a design perspective.
Both standard and 4K models come with the same remote, while the Lite’s has fewer buttons (no power or volume controls). In each case, it’s a simple, elegant design that’s much easier to use than most TV remote controls.
Amazon Fire TV Stick Lite vs Fire TV Stick (3rd Gen) vs Fire TV Stick 4K: features
Let’s start with the top model. What can the Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K do?
As the name suggests, 4K is the headline feature. That means that as long as you have a 4K TV, you can stream movies and TV shows in Ultra High Definition. 4K-compatible apps include Amazon Prime Video and Netflix, so you won’t be short of things to watch.
The Fire TV Stick 4K also supports HDR (high dynamic range) content. This enhances the difference between the light and dark parts of the picture, increasing the number of gradual ‘steps’ between and making the image punchier and more lifelike. In terms of HDR format support, the Fire Stick 4K covers Dolby Vision, HDR10+ and HLG.
On the audio front, it supports Dolby Atmos, which can give you a greater sense of immersion compared to standard Dolby Digital 5.1. You will need a compatible Dolby Atmos soundbar or home cinema system, though.
Voice controls are enabled through the Alexa Voice Remote – speak into it to find something to watch, play, pause, and so on. It can also act as a control hub for your smart home devices like heating and lighting. And it comes with the usual complement of apps like BBC iPlayer, Netflix, Prime Video, YouTube, Now, ITV Hub, All 4, Disney+ and Apple TV.
The Fire TV Stick with Alexa Voice Remote (sometimes called the Fire TV Stick 3rd Generation) offers the same basic feature set, but only streams in HD, not 4K. You do still get HDR support (excluding Dolby Vision), and Dolby Atmos is still available too.
The Fire TV Stick Lite loses a few additional features. It still streams in HD, with the same HDR support as the mid-range stick. And it still uses voice controls through the Alexa remote, but it lacks TV control buttons. That means you’ll need to use a separate remote.
All three models sport 8GB of storage, which should be plenty given that you’ll be streaming content rather than storing it locally on the device. Though you can download games to them if you want.
Amazon Fire TV Stick Lite vs Fire TV Stick (3rd Gen) vs Fire TV Stick 4K: picture and sound
(Image credit: Amazon)
4K content is much sharper and more detailed than HD – that’s because you’re seeing more pixels crammed into the same space. A 4K picture has a resolution of 3840 x 2160 pixels, whereas HD is limited to 1920 x 1080. Because both vertical and horizontal axes pack twice as many pixels, 4K offers four times the resolution of HD.
So you can, quite literally, see where your money goes if you spend the extra on a Fire TV Stick 4K.
In our review, we said the Fire Stick 4K produced “a really sharp and detailed image,” which was “terrifically bright and vibrant, too.” It’s not quite up there with the likes of a 4K Blu-ray player, however, due to a touch of judder and a lack of bright detail. Nevertheless, “this is a really impressive picture that far surpasses the prevailing stick standard,” we concluded.
It impressed us sonically, too. Dolby Atmos provides “room-filling sound with excellent placement of effects and real weight and drama.” It plays well with 5.1 and stereo, too, producing “clear, fairly detailed and spacious sound regardless of the format.” High praise.
The standard Fire Stick performs well at its HD resolution, too. HDR provides “an enjoyable picture with an easy-to-watch balance between dynamism and subtlety,” we wrote in our review, while SDR content is “a punchy effort with a lot of brightness and big contrast.” In terms of sound quality, we didn’t find there was much difference between this and the 4K model.
We haven’t reviewed the Fire TV Stick Lite yet, but given that the only difference between it and the standard model is the lack of TV controls, we’d hope to see and hear a similar level of consistency between the Lite and the standard model.
Amazon Fire TV Stick Lite vs Fire TV Stick (3rd Gen) vs Fire TV Stick 4K: verdict
There’s stiff competition for the 4K streaming stick crown from the Google Chromecast with Google TV and Roku Streaming Stick+, and if you’re happy to spend more, the Apple TV 4K is another option. Apple’s video streamer has slightly better picture and sound, but you do pay for it.
But if you want to spend less you really can’t beat a Fire TV Stick. The only tricky bit is deciding which is best for you…
If you don’t mind the inconvenience of using a separate remote for your TV/soundbar for power and volume, and you just want to add a layer of smart functionality to your current TV, the Fire TV Stick Lite should be fine. But if you want one remote to handle it all, then spend a little more and get the Fire TV Stick with Alexa Remote. Want to watch in Ultra HD? There’s only one real option and that’s the Fire TV Stick 4K. Happy streaming!
MORE:
Read our full Amazon Fire TV Stick (3rd Generation) review
The Android version of Google and Apple’s COVID-19 exposure notification app had a privacy flaw that let other preinstalled apps potentially see sensitive data, including if someone had been in contact with a person who tested positive for COVID-19, privacy analysis firm AppCensus revealed on Tuesday. Google says it’s currently rolling out a fix to the bug.
The bug cuts against repeated promises from Google CEO Sundar Pichai, Apple CEO Tim Cook, and numerous public health officials that the data collected by the exposure notification program could not be shared outside of a person’s device.
AppCensus first reported the vulnerability to Google in February, but the company failed to address it, The Markup reported. Fixing the issue would be as simple as deleting a few nonessential lines of code, Joel Reardon, co-founder and forensics lead of AppCensus, told The Markup. “It’s such an obvious fix, and I was flabbergasted that it wasn’t seen as that,” Reardon said.
Updates to address the issue are “ongoing,” Google spokesperson José Castañeda said in an emailed statement to The Markup. “We were notified of an issue where the Bluetooth identifiers were temporarily accessible to specific system level applications for debugging purposes, and we immediately started rolling out a fix to address this,” he said.
The exposure notification system works by pinging anonymized Bluetooth signals between a user’s phone and other phones that have the system activated. Then, if someone using the app tests positive for COVID-19, they can work with health authorities to send an alert to any phones with corresponding signals logged in the phone’s memory.
On Android phones, the contract tracing data is logged in privileged system memory, where it’s inaccessible to most software running on the phone. But apps that are preinstalled by manufacturers get special system privileges that would let them access those logs, putting sensitive contact-tracing data at risk. There is no indication any apps have actually collected that data at this point, Reardon said.
Preinstalled apps have taken advantage of their special permissions before — other investigations show that they sometimes harvest data like geolocation information and phone contacts.
The analysis did not find any similar issues with the exposure notification system on iPhone.
The problem is an implementation issue and not inherent to the exposure notification framework, Serge Egelman, the chief technology officer at AppCensus, said in a statement posted on Twitter. It should not erode trust in public health technologies. “We hope the lesson here is that getting privacy right is really hard, vulnerabilities will always be discovered in systems, but that it’s in everyone’s interest to work together to remediate these issues,” Egelman said.
For the first time, Spotify is letting podcasters on its platform offer subscriptions to their shows. The company announced its paid podcast subscription product for the US today, which will initially allow select partners who host their shows on Anchor to charge for content. Twelve independent shows, including Tiny Leaps, Big Changes and Mindful in Minutes, will offer bonus subscriber-only content, and NPR will launch ad-free versions of popular shows. A waitlist will open today, so podcasters can sign up to be included in the expanded rollout in the coming months, which will include international market availability. Notably, no Spotify-owned shows will go behind a subscription wall at first.
Podcasters won’t have to pay Spotify anything for the first two years. Creators will, however, have to cover the cost of transaction fees through Spotify’s payment partner Stripe. In 2023, Spotify will begin taking a 5 percent cut of total subscription revenue. That’s significantly less than Apple will charge; its new subscription service will take 15 to 30 percent of revenue. Podcasters have three monthly pricing options to choose from: $2.99, $4.99, or $7.99.
Paid content on Spotify will be demarcated by a lock icon where a play button typically shows up. To unlock the show, potential subscribers will have to navigate to the program’s dedicated Anchor landing webpage. Podcasters can choose to point them to that link wherever they want — such as their show notes, episode descriptions, or bio. Basically, they want to put the link anywhere and everywhere to ensure people can find it.
Notably, though, Spotify won’t have a big subscribe button at the top of every podcast page, and you won’t be able to subscribe directly within the app. Those limitations could make it harder for podcasts to sign up new subscribers. (This also means Spotify won’t have to pay Apple for any subscriptions sold under its App Store terms.) Apple’s subscription podcasts, on the other hand, will let you subscribe from right within its app.
The Anchor backend will allow podcasters to choose the content they want behind a paywall.Spotify
Subscribers can listen to paid podcasts inside of Spotify or in a third-party app through a private RSS feed. Podcasters will not receive the names, email addresses, or any other personal information about their subscribers. Mike Mignano, head of podcaster mission, tells The Verge that Spotify is open to feedback and considering different ways to make that subscriber / podcaster relationship stronger.
“It’s crucial to our model that we explore ways for creators to connect deeper with their subscribers, so you can anticipate us to be sharing more in the space soon,” he says. Content also does not need to be exclusive to Spotify.
All of this means that, yes, NPR will be using Anchor as a hosting service for its ad-free Spotify subscription shows, like Planet Money Plus. Planet Money is already available on Spotify for free, as it is on other podcasting apps, but Planet Money Plus will be a separate show page where the paid content lives. Anchor hosting is still free to use, and Mignano says the company plans to keep it that way, meaning some podcasters might decide to operate a separate feed off of Anchor to provide paid content within Spotify.
As for why anyone would want to make this effort, Mignano emphasizes that Spotify takes no cut of revenue at first and only a small cut starting in 2023 and that having paid content built into Spotify means a better chance of having content discovered. If people search for a type of specific show, a subscription podcast could show up and gain a paid follower. He also suggests Spotify could curate suggestions of shows that people might want to pay to hear. He also says, because this can all go through Anchor, the subscriptions shouldn’t require extra work.
“I view this as additive and in no way as an additional, or burdensome, step on behalf of the creator,” he says.
That said, it’s the only way to get subscription content onto Spotify for the time being since the app doesn’t support private RSS feeds. If a podcaster already runs a subscription business elsewhere but wants to offer their paid content on Spotify, they’ll have to start using Anchor in addition to their usual hosting provider. This also means managing a separate backend system for analytics. Apple Podcasts also just announced its own proprietary subscription service that requires podcasters to use its backend to host paid content.
Along with the subscription news, Spotify also announced plans to eventually launch a way for podcasters who already run a subscription business outside Spotify to bring it into the app. It isn’t totally clear how this will work, and when asked whether Spotify will simply support private RSS feeds, which it currently doesn’t, Mignano says, “it’s new technology that we’re building now.” The team is working with select, but undisclosed, partners to make this work and will be detailing the technology in the future.
The company also provided an update on its ad marketplace and says, on May 1st, certain Anchor users will be able to make their show eligible to receive ads through Megaphone, the company’s other hosting service and ad marketplace provider. These ads can only be inserted through Spotify’s Streaming Ad Insertion technology, meaning that the ads these podcasters receive will only populate when their listeners are streaming through Spotify. (Anchor’s sponsorships feature, which encourages hosts to read ads for products and receive a portion of the revenue, still exists, however, and works across platforms.)
The bigger podcast players are becoming increasingly interested in owning all parts of the podcasting ecosystem. Apple has historically taken a mostly hands-off role in the space, which has still somehow resulted in Apple Podcasts being the dominant listening app, but it’s now interested in making money off podcasters by taking a cut of any subscription revenue made on the platform. Spotify is not only interested in selling ads, but also subscriptions, and companies like Amazon and Google also seem to be interested in the ad-selling portion of the business. Although RSS has fueled the industry’s growth, it’s increasingly seeming like podcasters will have to operate various feeds on various hosting services and platforms to build out a full business.
Apple’s next chip, the as yet unnamed successor to the M1 has, according to Nikkei Asia already entered mass production, with ‘M2’ powered MacBooks appearing perhaps as soon as July.
(Image credit: Apple)
TMSC is the fab behind the silicon, pumping them out on its 5nm+ (N5P) process. It’s expected to appear in upcoming iPad Pro, just as the M1 did, as well as a range of Apple desktop and portable computers. As Apple and TMSC declined Nikkei Asia’s requests for comment, we don’t know anything more about the chip at the moment, but a clockspeed bump over the 3.2GHz of the M1 is likely. Other speculation and leaks have pointed to as many as 12 cores in the new chip.
The current model boasts four power cores, four efficiency cores, a GPU with up to eight cores, and a 16-core Neural Engine that accelerates machine learning tasks. The RAM is also included in the package, with up to 16GB available, and the thing overtakes Rocket Lake in single-threaded performance.
Rumors about new 14in and 16in MacBook Pros coming in 2021 are prevalent, along with a new 27in iMac to follow last week’s announcements, and if real, these seem destined to be equipped with these new chips.
Apple is currently the world’s fourth largest PC maker, after Lenovo, HP, and Dell, with a market share of 7.6% in Q4 2020. Its switch to the ARM-based M-series chips came in 2020 after 15 years of using Intel chips in its Macs. Before that, in 1994, Apple had switched to IBM’s PowerPC architecture, having used the Motorola 68000 since the Mac’s inception in 1984. The company expects to take two years to fully transition its range to the new SOCs.
The European Commission will issue antitrust charges against Apple over concerns about the company’s App Store practices, according to a report from the Financial Times. The commission has been investigating whether Apple has broken EU competition rules with its App Store policies, following an initial complaint from Spotify back in 2019 over Apple’s 30 percent cut on subscriptions.
The European Commission opened up two antitrust investigations into Apple’s App Store and Apple Pay practices last year, and the Financial Times only mentions upcoming charges on the App Store case. It’s not clear yet what action will be taken.
Spotify has previously claimed Apple uses its App Store to stifle innovation and limit consumer choice in favor of its own Apple Music service. Rakuten filed a similar complaint to the EU last year, alleging that it’s anti-competitive for Apple to take a 30 percent commission on ebooks sold through the App Store while promoting its own Apple Books service.
Known as the “Apple tax,” this 30 percent cut has long been targeted by companies like Netflix and Spotify. Apple has defended its policies, arguing that the revenue it earns contributes toward the costs of maintaining the App Store and enforcing its content, privacy, and security guidelines.
Epic Games also filed an antitrust complaint with the EU earlier this year, as part of its ongoing dispute with Apple. The Fortnite developer has publicly criticized Apple’s App Store policies around distribution and payments, resulting in Epic attempting to circumvent Apple’s 30 percent cut on in-app purchases in Fortnite. Apple quickly removed the game from its App Store, and a legal battle is now in progress.
Despite Apple’s defense of its App Store, the iPhone-maker has already sought to ease pressure from regulators and developers with App Store policy changes over the past year. Apple now lets some video streaming apps bypass the App Store cut, and it has reduced its App Store commission rate to 15 percent for any developer that earns less than $1 million in annual revenue.
These changes alone haven’t been enough to ease the fears of EU regulators if the report from the Financial Times is accurate, and we’ll now find out later this week exactly how the European Union will respond to one of the United States’ biggest tech companies.
Apple now lets you add augmented-reality lasers, confetti, and more to your Clips videos, thanks to an update to the short-form video app. The feature, called AR Spaces, will let users with LIDAR-equipped Apple devices (so far, that’s the iPhone 12 Pros and iPad Pros from 2020 or later) add room-filling effects that can interact with walls and floors. (If you watched Apple’s April 20th event, you may have spotted a brief look at the update ahead of today’s release.)
You can get an idea of what this will look like in action with this GIF taken from Apple’s demo video.
The Prism and Dance Floor effects.Image: Apple
Apple says that the AR Spaces effects should work with the other effects built in to Clips, such as the animated stickers and emoji, if you want to add even more to your videos. The update to the app can be downloaded now from the App Store.
The Clips update is Apple’s latest experiment with AR, in which the company has a keen interest. The company released an AR experience tie-in for its show For All Mankind in February, and CEO Tim Cook discussed some of his thoughts about AR tech in an interview earlier this month. There are also rumors that Apple is working on a full-fledged AR / VR headset.
Apple has just released macOS 11.3, alongside iOS 14.5. It’s probably worth updating your Mac to it as soon as you can — not only because it comes with some new features, including improvements for running iPhone and iPad apps on M1 Macs and updates to Apple Music and Podcasts, but it also fixes a major security flaw.
The update reportedly patches a vulnerability that allowed malware to bypass many of macOS’s built-in protections, like File Quarantine and GateKeeper’s opening dialog box. While Apple’s built-in anti-malware system could still block malicious programs if Apple were aware of them, enterprise software company Jamf did find evidence that the security flaw was being exploited by attackers.
Apple also details a slew of other security fixes that are included with the latest update on its security update page. Catalina and Mojave have received security patches as well, for those who haven’t yet updated to Big Sur.
Aside from security updates, one of the biggest new improvements in 11.3 (at least for owners of M1 Macs) is the ability to resize iPhone and iPad app windows. Apple’s also added keyboard, mouse, and trackpad support for games that are compatible with controllers.
The infinity symbol in the queue controls the Autoplay feature.
Apple has also added autoplay to the Music app — a feature which is either great or annoying depending on your mood. After you reach the end of a song or playlist, Apple Music will continue playing music that it thinks is similar (thankfully, it can be turned off if you’re just looking to listen to one specific song). The News and Podcasts apps also have redesigned pages to make them easier to use (with the former getting a reworked search feature — something that’s exciting to me, and possibly no one else).
The update also adds many of the features that are in iOS 14.5: the ability to track AirTags using the Find My app, new emoji and Siri voices, and support for the Xbox Series X / S and PlayStation 5 DualSense controllers. You can visit Apple’s site to see the entire list of updates and features.
Apple’s iOS 14.5 is out, and with it comes the ability to have your Apple Watch unlock your Face ID-protected phone if you happen to be wearing a mask. This will make it a lot easier to get through your day without having to enter your passcode each time you need to use your phone (because the Face ID can’t recognize you with that mask on). As long as your phone and watch are in close proximity, you will be able to unlock your iPhone just by turning on the screen.
Once you’re officially running iOS 14.5 (and watchOS 7.4), it’s easy to enable the feature that lets you unlock your iPhone with your watch.
Go to Settings > Face ID & Passcode.
Toggling Apple Watch under Unlock with Apple Watch turns the feature on. It will show you the same of the Apple Watch next to the toggle.
Go to Settings > Face ID & Passcode, and scroll down to the new Unlock With Apple Watch option.
Toggle it on to turn on the feature. (There’s nothing you have to do on the watch.)
Now that you have it installed, here’s what you can expect. First, and most important to note, is that your phone isn’t looking for your face with a mask, it’s looking for a face with a mask. With this feature on, when my wife was wearing a mask, she was able to unlock my phone with no problem if I was within three or so feet. Apple even warns you about this when you turn the feature on.
Apple warns you about the fact that your phone will only be looking for a face with a mask. (Note: “Beagle” is the name of my Apple Watch)
Apple’s mitigation to this is whenever your Apple Watch is used to unlock your phone, the watch buzzes you, along with a notification saying your phone has been unlocked and a button to lock it. Pressing that lock button immediately locks your phone and requires a passcode on next unlock.
With that caveat out of the way, so far I’ve had great success with the feature. I tried it with a variety of masks, and it worked with all of them for me. It is worth noting again that the phone is looking for a face with a mask, so this feature won’t help you if your phone is lying on the table and you try to unlock it — because the Face ID camera can’t see you.
Still, I find that not having to put in my passcode every time I want to check my grocery list while shopping is a huge benefit and worth what I consider to be a relatively minor security trade-off. The feature may not be for those with super-secret info on their phones, but for everyone else it’ll be a nice quality-of-life improvement.
Apple has begun rolling out iOS and iPadOS 14.5. The latest software update includes the new App Tracking Transparency feature, which lets users decide whether to allow apps to track their activity “across other companies’ apps and websites” for advertising purposes. A pop-up will now appear whenever apps are designed to share your activity in this way. Facebook has heavily criticized Apple over App Tracking Transparency, claiming that it presents “a false tradeoff between personalized ads and privacy.” The new option could have a detrimental impact on Facebook’s ad business.
Perhaps more important to day-to-day iPhone usage, iOS 14.5 also includes a very helpful and timely new trick: if you own an Apple Watch, you can set your iPhone to automatically unlock without requiring a Face ID match or passcode as long as Apple’s smartwatch is on your wrist. This is designed to make getting into your phone that much quicker while we’re all still wearing face masks so frequently throughout the day. Installing watchOS 7.4 is necessary for this feature to work; that update is also available as of today.
iOS and iPadOS 14.5 include a ton of new emoji with a focus on inclusivity. The update adds the ability to watch Apple Fitness Plus workouts on a TV with AirPlay 2. Apple’s Podcasts app is getting a new design and optional subscriptions. The latest video game controllers for the PS5 and Xbox Series X / S are now supported on the iPhone and iPad as of this update. And all iPhone 12 models will allow for 5G connectivity in dual-SIM mode in more countries. Starting with the 14.5 update, Apple will no longer default to a female-sounding voice for its Siri assistant. Instead, you’ll be prompted to choose your preferred voice during device setup. Apple has a post up with all of the miscellaneous improvements and additions.
iOS and iPadOS 14.5 is rolling out to iPhone and iPad users now; you can check the “software update” section in settings to begin the update process right away.
(Pocket-lint) – Apple has finally announced a refresh of its flagship streaming box, the Apple TV 4K.
The last model was released in 2017 and was decently specced for its time. The new one is faster and includes some extra bells and whistles, but does that mean you need to upgrade?
We look at the features and specifications of both to help you make that decision.
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What’s the same?
Main “puck”-style box design – measuring 3.9 x 3.9 x 1.4mm
Access to thousands of TV shows and movies
Streaming services, such as Netflix, Amazon Prime Video and, of course, Apple TV+
Apple Arcade support
Apps and games
4K HDR, Dolby Vision, Dolby Atmos support
Bluetooth 5.0
Available in 32GB and 64GB variants
If you own an Apple TV 4K already, you’ll already know much of what to expect. The box itself is identical in size and shape, for starters.
The 2017 model is 4K (2160p) capable, just like the newer version, and is capable of playing all the same content. Both offer access to a wide variety of streaming services, including Apple’s own TV+, Netflix, Amazon Prime Video and BBC iPlayer (in the UK). Movie rentals and purchases can be played equally well through them too. And they each can play the games that come with the Apple Arcade subscription.
Both devices are capable of 4K playback in HDR or Dolby Vision (depending on your TV), and can feed Dolby Atmos surround sound to a compatible AV receiver, TV or sound system.
Bluetooth 5.0 is support for connection to the included remote or other accessories. AirPlay 2 is also support by each of the machines. As too is Apple’s new TV calibration mode, which is available on the latest version of tvOS.
What’s different?
A12 Bionic processing
HDMI 2.1
High Frame Rate (HFR) support – up to 60fps
New Siri Remote
802.11ax Wi-Fi 6
While the latest Apple TV 4K model looks the same as its predecessor, there are some differences under the hood, as we detail below. There is also a brand new remote control.
Siri Remote
Perhaps the most obvious generational changes can be found on the included remote. We weren’t huge fans of the touchpanel on the previous version, so are pleased to see that’s been replaced by a new chickwheel.
There are still touch elements to it, to help with cursor use and navigation, but the Siri Remote now has clickable direction buttons on the wheel. It can also be used as a scroll wheel by running your finger around the circular edge.
The new remote comes in recycled aluminium, and the Siri button has been switched to the side – more like an iPhone. There’s a new mute button and a power button at the top that can also be used to turn on/off your TV through IR or HDMI CEC.
As before, the remote is rechargable, with a claimed battery life of “months” on a single charge (in normal use).
A12 Bionic
A new processor (upgraded from the A10X Fusion) means the latest Apple TV 4K should run more quickly than before and is capable of more powerful features – some of which could come down the pipeline at a later date. The A12 Bionic is the same processor used by the Apple iPad mini (4th generation) and 2020 iPad.
High Frame Rate
HFR is supported for the first time, with the new Apple TV 4K able to playback HDR video at upo to 60 frames-per-second. This includes 4K video.
That’s especially great for iPhone 12 Pro users who shoot videos in 60fps. You will be able to stream them to your TV in the higher frame rate over AirPlay 2. You will need an HFR supporting TV as well, of course, but most modern 4K HDR TVs are capable of 60fps playback too (ie. 60Hz and above).
HDMI 2.1
The HDMI output has been upgraded to HDMI 2.1 (from 2.0a) to enable the HFR support. Other benefits might become apparent over time.
Wi-Fi 6
With the Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax) wireless standard now supported you will be able to more seamlessly stream higher bandwidth content – including 4K 60fps video.
Conclusion
To be honest, there’s not a load of new changes, even considering the four year gap between models. However, the latest Apple TV 4K will updoubtedly be faster in operation and, therefore, more capable with processing-heavy applications. That will include games on Apple Arcade.
As is the way of such things, you might find some apps and games released in the future will only run effectively on the new model. But then, you might want to hold on from upgrading until then.
The one huge improvement comes in the shape of the new remote. It’s definitely better thought out, in our opinion. But even then, you needn’t upgrade for that alone as it’ll also be available as a optional extra and will work on the 2017 model too.
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There’s a much clearer reason to upgrade if you own the standard 1080p Apple TV, though. If you have one of those and have been holding off to see what happens, now’s a great time to consider taking the plunge.
Most importantly, the pricing remains the same between generations, so if you’ve never owned an Apple TV before, you can expect to get all the new features for the same price.
Privacy is on everyone’s mind these days, and in iOS 14.5, which is starting to roll out to the public today, there are new privacy features that may make you feel happier but are not endearing Apple to some other companies — specifically Facebook.
The new feature is aptly called App Tracking Transparency. Many apps don’t just track your movements inside the app, but they track your movements outside of the app — in other words, where you go after you’ve left the app. This is why you see ads in Facebook and other apps for products you were just looking at on Amazon or other sites.
Before 14.5, you could turn tracking off for all of your apps by going to Settings > Privacy > Tracking and turning off “Allow Apps to Request to Track.” The new version of iOS allows you to be more specific. To begin, when you install a new app, you won’t have to do anything; you’ll be automatically asked whether you want the new app to track you.
If you want to see which apps have asked for permission to track, and possibly change their tracking settings, you can just go to that same Tracking page. There, you will be able to give or revoke that permission. So:
Go to your iPhone’s settings and select Privacy > Tracking
Beneath “Allow Apps to Request to Track,” you’ll now see a list of specific apps that have asked for that permission. You can permit or revoke that permission for each specific app.
Privacy > Tracking to change the settings for specific or all apps.” data-upload-width=”3660″ src=”https://rondea.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/echo/Image_from_iOS__3_.jpg6086d936b4110.jpg” >
Go to Settings > Privacy > Tracking to change the settings for specific or all apps.
And you can still use “Allow Apps to Request to Track” to turn off permission for all of your current (and future) apps.
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