After a few weeks of leaks, Sony has today formally announced its latest flagship true wireless earbuds. The new WF-1000XM4 earbuds cost $279.99, and the previous WF-1000XM3s, released in 2019, will remain in the company’s lineup at $229.99. The new headphones will be available in either black or light gray — both with gold accenting. They’re available starting today from retailers including Amazon and Best Buy.
Featuring a completely revamped design that’s 10 percent smaller than their predecessors, the 1000XM4 buds also have a new processing chip that results in improved noise cancellation “at all frequencies,” according to Sony.
Image: Sony
Battery life has been upped to eight hours of continuous playback when NC is enabled, which soundly beats competitors like the Apple AirPods Pro, Bose QuietComfort Earbuds, and Samsung Galaxy Buds Pro. The charging case has been significantly downsized and is 40 percent smaller than before. Aside from plugging in over USB-C, it also supports Qi wireless charging.
Sony has also addressed a disappointing omission from the 1000XM3s: these new earbuds are rated IPX4 for water and sweat resistance. The 1000XM4s also have an updated voice call system that uses both beamforming mics and bone conduction sensors to improve performance. But here’s the one standout disappointment: there’s still no support for multipoint Bluetooth connections.
If you’re wondering how all of this shakes out, I’ve been using Sony’s new premium buds for several days. You can read my full review of them right now.
Apple’s WWDC event always feels like roulette when it comes to whether or not the company will announce any new devices or big software updates. For the past few weeks, rumors have been swirling that Apple might announce new MacBooks or the follow-up to its successful M1 chip today, but that didn’t turn out to be the case. We did get news on the latest incarnation of MacOS, called Monterey, but the rest of today’s stream was mostly spent on new iOS and iPadOS features (many of which are already present in Android).
(Image credit: Apple)
Monterey, the latest version of MacOS, was today’s biggest announcement outside of the mobile space, although it’s not shaping up to be as major of an update as last year’s Big Sur. It mostly focuses on bringing continuity across your MacBook and other Apple devices, including the ability to control an iMac, iPad and iPhone all with your MacBook’s keyboard and touchpad (or vice versa, presumably). It’ll also introduce new features that are coming to iOS and iPadOS to MacOS devices, but these are the most concrete details we know for now.
Apple did discuss that it’s going to be moving away from Automator and towards interspersing manual task shortcuts throughout the OS. Sort of like Windows Tiles, these shortcuts will let you open different apps from panels, but they’ll also take the form of buttons that show up in other programs and let you easily perform certain tasks. For instance, you might be able to make a gif straight from a photo editing program with a shortcut. It’s unclear exactly how intrusive or useful these shortcuts will be, especially since Apple said Automator would still be supported.
Safari is also getting tab groups, similar to the latest versions of Chrome and Firefox, and will also add Chrome Sync-like features to allow you to browse more easily across your MacBook and your iPhone (which will also get a tab redesign).
(Image credit: Apple)
Speaking of iPhones, iOS 15 is adding a bunch of new features to the device, mostly focused around sharing content. These include spatial audio that tries to cancel ambient noise around you on video calls, plus grid and portrait mode options for FaceTime. FaceTime is also getting links you can send to participants that they can click on to join future calls, much like Zoom or Google Meet.
What’s more interesting are the new content-sharing features. Facetime will now let users watch content from a streaming app together, each having control of the play and pause functions for perfect, automatic syncing. This also applies to music, plus FaceTime will be adding screensharing support as well. While we don’t normally cover phones, these functions are worth nothing as they will be coming to MacOS, too.
Aside from these features, there was a lot of talk about privacy promises, more niche updates like changes to iCloud (iCloud+) and the health app, and sections covering Apple Watch and smart home devices. Plus, iOS will be introducing translation features and other quality-of-life changes that are similar to what’s already on other platforms.
But if, like me, you were hoping for more substantial information on what’s next for Apple Hardware, you’re going to have to wait a little longer. Still, if you want to check out any of these OS changes, a limited developer beta starts today and a public beta starts next month.
The Google Stadia could gaming service is finally branching out to more devices. It will arrive on the excellent Google Chromecast with Google TV streaming dongle on 23rd June, as well as a number of TV sets running the Android TV operating system. And, all you’ll need to enjoy the service is a compatible Bluetooth controller (and a Google Stadia subscription, of course).
Here’s the full list of supported devices, as of 23rd June:
Chromecast with Google TV
Hisense Android Smart TVs (U7G, U8G, U9G)
Nvidia Shield TV
Nvidia Shield TV Pro
Onn FHD Streaming Stick and UHD Streaming Device
Philips 8215, 8505, and OLED 935 / 805 Series Android TVs
Xiaomi MIBOX3 and MIBOX4
If your Android TV isn’t supported, you might be able to sign up for Google’s experimental support – this lets it run on a wider range of devices, though the experience won’t have been optimised, so “not every Android TV OS device will work perfectly”, Google warns. To do so, install the Stadia app from the Google Play Store, and opt in when asked.
Many have seen the lack of Stadia support on Chromecast with Google TV a major oversight – though it didn’t stop the streaming dongle earning five stars in our review – so this wider rollout will be welcome news for many. And as well as adding some much-needed gaming skills to a handful of Android TVs, it makes an already excellent media streamer even better.
MORE:
Read our guide to the best video streamers
Check out the competition: Amazon Fire TV 4K review
Find out how to watch Apple TV on your Android TV device
We’ve had not one, but two big Apple Spatial Audio announcements during today’s 2021 WWDC keynote. The first is that Dolby Atmos Spatial Audio for Apple Music is rolling out now.
The second is that Apple is bringing spatial audio to tvOS and MacOS. This means you’ll be able to use your AirPods Pro and AirPods Max wireless headphones to take advantage of surround sound and 3D audio from the new Apple TV 4K and any Macs equipped with Apple’s high-tech M1 chip. You’ll also be able to experience dynamic head tracking which means that the sound always stays relative to the screen, even when you move your head.
Apple said that Spatial Audio for tvOS and MacOS will arrive “this Fall”, so we’re assuming it will be September, around the same it’s expected that Apple’s new iOSv15 will roll out.
MORE:
Apple spatial audio: what is it? How do you get it?
Apple Music’s spatial audio with Dolby Atmos launches today
Apple Music lossless: which devices will (and won’t) play lossless and Spatial Audio
Adobe is now shipping new versions of more Creative Cloud apps that run natively on Apple silicon Macs. Lightroom Classic, Illustrator, and InDesign have all been updated for the M1 processor, and Adobe says that you can expect average performance boosts of up to 80 percent across the suite when compared to an equivalent Intel-based Mac.
Adobe released an M1-native version of Photoshop back in March, while an update for Lightroom came in December. Many photographers (like me) still prefer to use Lightroom Classic, however, which Adobe maintains as a separate app within the Creative Cloud suite, so it’s good to see it get a performance boost to match the newer version.
Based on the results of a third-party benchmarking report commissioned by the company, Adobe says “most operations in Lightroom Classic on an M1 Mac,” including launching, importing, and exporting will be “about twice as fast” as they were on an equivalent Intel Mac. A new Super Resolution image-enhancing feature that’s also been added in this update is “more than three times as fast,” meanwhile. The benchmarks were run on 13-inch MacBook Pro laptops, one with an M1 processor and the other with an Intel Core i5. Both laptops had 16GB of RAM and were hooked up to an Apple Pro Display XDR.
Other Lightroom updates include the ability to specify custom aspect ratios when cropping (as opposed to using the freehand tool) and a set of new premium presets created by pro photographers. The collection includes options for styles like “cinematic” and “futuristic,” as well as portrait presets for various skin tones. They’ll be available in both Lightroom and Lightroom Classic on all platforms.
The best moment of this year’s WWDC keynote was a straightforward demo of a macOS feature, Universal Control. The idea is simple enough: it allows you to use the keyboard and trackpad on a Mac to directly control an iPad, and even makes it simple to drag and drop content between those devices.
What made the demo so impressive is how easy and seamless it all seemed. In a classic Apple move, there was no setup required at all. The segment happened so fast that it even seemed (incorrectly, as it turns out) like the Mac was able to physically locate the iPad in space so it knew where to put the mouse pointer.
After Zaprudering the clip and asking Apple a few questions, I now have a better understanding of what’s going on here. It turns out that the entire system is actually simpler than it first appears. It’s essentially a new way to use a bunch of technologies Apple had already developed. That’s not a knock on Universal Control — sometimes the best software features are a result of clever thinking instead of brute force technological improvements.
So here’s what’s happening in that demo.
First, you need to get the iPad and Mac relatively close to each other. Universal Control is built off the same Continuity and Handoff features that have long been a part of iOS and macOS. When the devices are close enough, their Bluetooth modules let each other know. Of course, all the devices here need to be on the same iCloud account for this to work.
Then, you start up Universal Control by dragging your mouse pointer all the way to the left or right edge of your Mac’s screen, then a little bit beyond that edge. When you do, the Mac will assume that you’re trying to drag the mouse over to another device, in this case the iPad.
So there’s no UWB location detection, just good old assumption. One note is that if you have lots of compatible devices, Monterey assumes that you’re dragging towards the last iPad or Mac you interacted with.
At this point, a Wi-Fi Direct connection is made and the iPad will show a small bar on the side with a little bump. It’s a sort of indicator that the iPad is aware you’re trying to drag a mouse into it. Keep dragging and pow, the bump breaks free into a circular mouse pointer. When the mouse is on the iPad screen, both it and the keyboard on your Mac control the iPad. Move it back to the Mac, and you control the Mac.
But there’s a clever little affordance built into that strange bar. There are a couple of arrows inside it, a hint that you can slide that bump up or down before it breaks free into the iPad itself. Doing that is how you line up the iPad’s screen with your Mac’s, so that dragging the mouse between the screens doesn’t result in a weird jump.
You go through the same process to set up a second device with Universal Control — it maxes out at three. If all this automatic setup sounds like a hassle, you can just go into system preferences and set a device as your preferred Universal Control buddy gadget.
However you set it up, you can drag and drop content between devices and it’ll use either Wi-Fi Direct or USB to transfer the files. Of course, if you’re dragging files into the iPad, make sure you have an app open (like Files) that can accept it.
That’s pretty much the long and the short of it. There are still some details to hash out, Apple tells me, and it isn’t available in the first developer preview. If you put your dock on the left or right edge of the screen, for example, it’s unclear if this whole setup will work.
What’s fascinating to me about this system — as I discuss in the video above — is that it’s only really possible because of a long series of software enhancements that have been built into the iPad over the years, including:
Continuity, Handoff, and AirDrop. Universal Control isn’t technically AirDrop, but it’s the same basic idea. All of these are the basic ways that Apple devices communicate directly with each other instead of through the cloud.
Multitasking. I’m not referring to split-screen, but the support for drag-and-drop that came along with the improved windowing options on the iPad.
Keyboard and mouse support. That’s an obvious pre-requisite, but it wasn’t always obvious that Apple would put mouse support into the iPad.
Sidecar. Sidecar’s the tool that lets you use an iPad as a second Mac monitor. I don’t think that Universal Control uses the same bits of software as Sidecar, but I do think that there were probably lessons there about latency that would prove useful here.
I had a hunch that there would be a similar story of evolution on the Mac side of this story. I figured that all the iPad and iOS technologies finding their way into the Mac with the last few releases played a part. Catalyst apps turned into native iPad apps for M1 Macs. Control Center, Shortcuts, and Focus mode all are iOS things that are also on the Mac.
Nice idea, but wrong. Apple tells me that the foundation on the Mac side is as simple as it seems, based on Continuity and Handoff.
I hope that Universal Control works as well in the real world as it did in this staged demo — and I know that’s no sure thing. But what I like about the feature is how it’s just a clever recombination of existing technologies that Apple had already built for other purposes.
Inside the Apple ecosystem, you expect that the trade you’re making for only using Apple devices is getting synergistic integrations like this. They’ve actually been rarer than I would have guessed the past few years. But as the Mac and the iPad start trading more and more features with each other, I expect we’ll see more of them going forward.
Apple announced iOS 15, macOS Monterey, watchOS 8, and iPadOS 15 software at WWDC 2021. The public beta period will begin in July, and whether you’re curious to download them then, or just waiting for the final release, you’ll need to have the right hardware to do it. Apple usually eliminates support for a few devices each year as it leaps ahead with major software releases, so you’ll want to check below to see if your iPhone, Apple Watch, iPad, or computer makes the cut.
For iOS 15 and iPadOS 15, Apple is extending support for all iPhone models that currently have iOS 14, along with the seventh-generation iPod Touch.
Here’s the list of supported devices for iOS 15:
iPhone 12, iPhone 12 Mini, iPhone 12 Pro, iPhone 12 Pro Max
iPhone 11, iPhone 11 Pro, iPhone 11 Pro Max
iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max
iPhone X, iPhone XR
iPhone 8, iPhone 8 Plus
iPhone 7, iPhone 7 Plus
iPhone 6S, iPhone 6S Plus
iPhone SE (first and second generation)
iPod Touch (seventh generation)
Image: Apple
Now, for iPadOS 15 support, it’s the same story as iOS 15. All iPads that have iPadOS 14 will get the next iteration. Here’s the list:
iPad Pro 12.9-inch (first through fifth generation)
iPad Pro 11-inch (first through third generation)
iPad Pro 10.5-inch
iPad Pro 9.7-inch
iPad (fifth through eighth generation)
iPad Mini (fourth and fifth generation)
iPad Air (second through fourth generation)
Apple’s watchOS 8 upgrade will bring the same level of device support as the ones above, leaving behind no generations that received the previous operating system update. Sensing a pattern here?
These watches will get the update:
Apple Watch Series 3 (maybe Apple should reconsider this)
Apple Watch Series 4
Apple Watch Series 5
Apple Watch Series 6
Apple Watch SE
Now for the computers that will get the update to macOS Monterey: a few models that got the Big Sur update last year have been left out in terms of support for the new software, including the 2015 MacBook, the 2013 MacBook Air, the late 2013 MacBook Pro, and the 2014 iMac. Here’s the full list that’ll get support:
Apple just wrapped up its WWDC 2021 keynote, and it was jam-packed with news and announcements, including our first looks at iOS 15, the new macOS Monterey, big improvements to FaceTime, and more.
Our live blog has moment-by-moment commentary on what Apple announced from Nilay Patel and Dieter Bohn. But if you just want to know the big-ticket items from the show, we’ve got you covered right here.
iOS 15 brings big improvements to FaceTime, updates to notifications, and more
Apple announced iOS 15, which brings improvements to FaceTime such as spatial audio, a new “SharePlay” feature that lets you share media with people on FaceTime virtually, updates to Messages, a new look for notifications, the ability to set different “Focus” statuses, updates to Memories in Photos, a redesign to the weather app, and much more.
Apple is building video and music sharing into FaceTime
Apple’s new SharePlay feature will let you watch or listen to content with others virtually. Apple is also introducing a SharePlay API so that other developers can build apps that support the feature.
Apple is going to use AI to read all the text in your photos
Apple’s new Live Text will digitize text in your photos, which can let you copy and paste text from a photo, for example, or call a phone number that’s in a photo. Apple says it uses “on-device intelligence” for the feature.
You’ll soon be able to use your iPhone as your ID at the airport
Image: Apple
Apple’s Wallet will soon let you store your ID in a digital form (in participating US states), which you’ll then use as identification in US airports.
iPadOS 15 lets you drop widgets on the homescreen and brings changes to multitasking
With iPadOS 15, Apple will let you add widgets to the homescreen and access to the app library, which debuted last year on iPhone with iOS 14. Apple is also introducing improvements to multitasking, with new controls that make it easier to manage your apps, and you’ll be able to build apps with Swift Playgrounds.
Apple adds welcome privacy features to Mail, Safari
Apple announced new privacy-focused features at WWDC, including that Apple Mail will block tracking pixels with Mail Privacy Protection and that Safari will hide IPs. Apple is also introducing a new section in settings called the “App Privacy Report.”
Apple’s Siri will finally work without an internet connection with on-device speech recognition
Apple will let Siri process voice requests on device, meaning audio won’t be sent over the web, and Siri can accept many requests while offline.
Apple lets users see family members’ Health data
Apple is introducing a number of new health-focused features, such as the ability to share health data with your families and with healthcare providers.
Apple is making AirPods easier to hear with and find
Apple is making some new changes to AirPods, such as making it easier to find them on the Find My network and the ability to announce your notifications.
Apple’s iCloud Plus bundles a VPN, private email, and HomeKit camera storage
Apple’s iCloud is getting a new private relay service and the ability to create burner emails called “Hide My Email.” These will be part of a new iCloud Plus subscription, which will be offered at no additional price to current iCloud paid users.
Apple announces watchOS 8 with new health features
Apple’s upcoming watchOS 8 has new health features, including a new Mindfulness app, improvements to the Photos watchface, and more.
Siri is coming to third-party accessories
Apple will let third-party accessory makers add Siri to their devices, Apple announced during WWDC. The company showed it on an Ecobee thermostat in its presentation.
macOS Monterey lets you use the same cursor and keyboard across Macs and iPads
Apple’s next big macOS release is called Monterey. One big new feature is the ability to use the same mouse and keyboard across your Mac and your iPad. Apple’s Shortcuts app is also coming to the Mac. And Monterey adds improvements to FaceTime, SharePlay, and Apple’s new “Focus” statuses that are coming to Apple’s other software platforms.
Apple redesigns Safari on the Mac with a new tab design and tab groups
Apple is redesigning Safari with a new look for tabs and tab groups. And on iOS, the tab bar will be at the bottom of the screen to be in easier reach of your thumb. Web extensions are also coming to iOS and iPadOS.
Apple is bringing TestFlight to the Mac to help developers test their apps
Apple announced that it will let developers use TestFlight to test their apps on the Mac. The company also announced Xcode Cloud, which lets you test your apps across all Apple devices in the cloud.
Siri is finally coming to third-party devices. Apple announced at its WWDC keynote that HomeKit accessory makers will be able to integrate Siri voice control into their products starting later this year. The voice assistant will be routed through a HomePod if the devices are connected to your network.
Apple hasn’t released a comprehensive list of devices and brands that will support Siri. The company demoed it on an Ecobee thermostat during its WWDC keynote presentation. It also announced support for Matter — a new interoperability standard that has big players like Amazon, Google, and Samsung on board — will come with iOS 15.
Apple also revealed a number of smaller smart home features. Home Keys, which allow you to remotely lock and unlock doors by tapping your iPhone or Apple Watch, are coming to Wallet app, as are work keys and hotel keys.
Image: Apple
The HomePod Mini will support lossless audio in Apple Music later this year and will be able to function as a speaker for the Apple TV 4K (as does the discontinued full-size HomePod). Apple also announced that the HomePod Mini will ship to more countries this month — including Austria, Ireland, and New Zealand — as well as Italy by the end of the year.
HomePods also now support commands for the Apple TV (so you can ask Siri to play shows), and SharePlay now works with Apple TV, which will enable you to watch shows synchronously with friends over FaceTime.
Speaking of Apple TV, tvOS now includes a “Share with You” row, where friends can share shows with each other via text messages. Another new row called “For All Of You” is intended to help families find shows to watch together — it will curate suggestions that combine every user’s viewing history.
Apple
And the Apple Watch now supports the HomePod’s intercom feature, which will allow you to talk to HomeKit-enabled doorbells and access package detection from your wrist. You’ll be able to control nearby HomeKit accessories in camera view.
Apple will let people share the data from their Health app with family members or others, the company announced. It’s one of a new slate of health features for iPhone.
With permission, someone can share access to their overall heart rate and movement data. They’ll also be able to share access to alerts, which will ping authorized users when the feature notices things like a high heart rate or change in mobility. The person they’re sharing the data with can message them directly about any changes.
“Many people around the world are caring for someone, and we want to provide a secure and private way for users to have a trusted partner on their health journey,” said Jeff Williams, Apple’s chief operating officer, in a statement.
The feature could be useful to caregivers who may be keeping tabs on the health of their loved ones, like elderly parents, from a distance. Older adults, though, tend to be less comfortable with this type of monitoring than their caregivers are. Monitoring tools can give peace of mind to caregivers while feeling invasive to the people tracked.
Apple is also adding another health metric, called walking steadiness, to the Health app. It will use mobility data already collected by the iPhone to monitor for any changes to factors like balance or walking patterns, and will tell users if they’re at an increased risk of falling. The app will also include some exercises to help increase steadiness. The company says it built the system using data collected through a clinical study that included over 100,000 participants of all ages.
Falls are a major public health challenge. Each year, around 30 million adults over the age of 65 fall, and many falls lead to injuries or other health issues. Falls are responsible for $50 billion healthcare costs a year, one study estimated.
Users will now also be able to share their Health app data with their doctors. Physicians already regularly have patients bringing readouts from their devices into appointments. The integration will let people transfer that data more directly. Apple said the feature will start off with support from six electronic medical record companies in the United States, including Cerner and Athenahealth. Doctors using those platforms would be able to see the data in the medical record.
Apple has announced the next version of macOS at its WWDC keynote, after showing off iOS, iPadOS, and watchOS.
The company is promising even more interoperability with iOS, including the ability to share a keyboard and mouse between a Mac and an iPad. The feature is similar to the one found on Logitech keyboards and mice, letting you seemingly move your cursor and files between a Mac and iPad. Macs are also getting the ability to act as an AirPlay target, allowing you to use your Mac’s screen and sound to play content from your iPhone and iPad (or even other Macs if you’re feeling spicy).
Apple has also announced that Macs would be getting its Shortcuts automation application.
In addition, Safari is getting a bit of a redesign, with tab groups and a cleaner toolbar.
A look at the new Safari interface.
This is the first version of macOS that’s being announced after the rise of Apple’s M1-powered Macs, the first of which was announced in November 2020. Apple’s plan is to have its entire line switch over to its custom chips by the end of next year, so it seems that macOS Monterey will be the operating system shepherding Macs through much of the rest of the transition.
Spatial audio is coming to Apple Music today, Apple has confirmed at its WWDC (Apple Worldwide Developers Conference).
Last month, Apple announced that Dolby Atmos-powered spatial audio tracks would soon be coming to its music streaming service alongside CD-quality and hi-res lossless audio for no additional cost, and while we patiently await a release date for lossless quality, “thousands” of spatial audio songs will be available to Apple Music subscribers from today.
Spatial audio with Dolby Atmos is designed to deliver surround sound and 3D audio via your headphones; to put “multidimensional sound and clarity” between your ears. This experience works with Apple’s AirPods, as well as any headphones. That’s right, Apple Music’s spatial audio tracks will play on all headphones (and here’s how to enable it).
Unlike the spatial audio feature that initially launched as part of iOS 14 and iPadOS 14, the new Spatial Audio with Dolby Atmos for Apple Music doesn’t require the sensors in Apple’s own headphones to enable head-tracking (which helps position the sound accurately). The implementation for Apple Music of spatial audio is sound-only, and this opens it up to more devices. For example, while the Apple TV can’t output spatial audio to a pair of headphones (a feature we’d very much like to see added in the future), it will support Dolby Atmos tracks from Apple Music when connected to an Atmos-capable sound system.
So keep your eyes peeled for today’s update, Apple Music subscribers, because this is sure to be a freebie worth checking out. And when will lossless audio quality follow? Very soon, we expect. Last week, some users reported seeing lossless and hi-res icons appear on the service, suggesting its arrival is imminent.
MORE:
With Apple and Amazon offering lossless streaming for no extra charge, what now for their rivals?
Apple Music lossless: which devices will play lossless and Spatial Audio
Apple spatial audio: what is it? How do you get it?
Apple has just announced watchOS 8, the latest version of the company’s smartwatch platform for the Apple Watch. The new software succeeds last year’s watchOS 7 and is going to be first available for developers to test their apps with. A public release is expected later this fall.
Apple is debuting a new Mindfulness app, an extension of the Breathe app that nags you to breathe throughout the day. It’s adding new animations and other features to help you relax.
The Fitness app is getting more workout types for tai chi and pilates. The Apple Watch’s Health app will explicitly track your respiratory rate and notify you if it’s outside of your normal patterns.
Developing… we’re adding more to this post, but you can follow along with our WWDC 2021 live blog to get the news even faster.
Apple has always stressed user privacy as part of its core mission. At its WWDC 2021 event, it announced it would be adding a spate of powerful new functions to Mail and Safari, as well as giving users broader insight into what their installed apps are doing with their information.
First, Apple’s Mail appears to have declared war on tracking pixels, which can be included in some emails to give third parties insight into if or when their messages have been opened — though it didn’t provide much detail on how it will win said war. Mail will also, according to Apple’s manager of user privacy software Katie Skinner, now hide user IP addresses by default. Safari, likewise, will hide IPs.
More surprisingly, Apple announced it’s adding an App Privacy Report, which will live in settings and provide an overview of, as you might have guessed, privacy-related matters as they related to installed apps. For example: how often apps use your contacts, microphone, location, or other data and identifiers. The App Privacy Report will also show which third-party domains are receiving your information.
Developing… we’re adding more to this post, but you can follow along with our WWDC 2021 live blog to get the news even faster.
Apple is amping up iCloud with a new set of features called iCloud Plus. The cloud storage service will now come with access to a VPN, burner email addresses, and unlimited storage for HomeKit-enabled home security cameras.
The VPN, called Private Relay, will route your internet traffic through two relays in order to mask who’s browsing and where that data is coming from. The burner email feature, called Hide My Email, lets you create single-use email addresses that will forward to your actual account; that way, you can provide a junk email to a service you don’t trust in case it starts spamming you. Apple already offers a similar feature through Sign In With Apple.
Apple will also include unlimited storage for video from HomeKit-enabled home security cameras. You currently need to pay for at least 200GB of iCloud storage to record video from one camera, and you need to pay for a higher tier to support more streams.
The features are all supposed to be included with existing iCloud plans at no additional cost. Apple didn’t say if the feature would be available through its cheapest plans, though, which don’t currently support HomeKit video storage.
Apple’s Digital Legacy feature for iCloud.Image: Apple
Apple is also introducing new features to help manage your iCloud account. There’s a new recovery feature that allows Apple to message security codes to your friends or family if your own device is lost. There’s also a “Digital Legacy” program that lets you choose who can access your files after you die.
Unfortunately, Apple didn’t announce the iCloud update we were all hoping for: a free storage tier that starts above a paltry 5GB. Maybe next year.
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