Along with Monday’s Update-O-Rama, Apple also released iTunes 12.8.
The new version, a 287 megabyte download, adds the following fixes and changes:
Tag: AirPlay 2
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Apple releases macOS High Sierra 10.13.6 update
Rounding out Monday’s Update-O-Rama, Apple also released macOS High Sierra 10.13.6.
The latest macOS revision introduces long-awaited compatibility with Apple’s AirPlay 2 protocol, enabling multi-room audio streaming on Mac to compatible speakers. For now, it appears support is limited to iTunes, though future versions of the operating system could expand access to all system audio.
AirPlay 2 allows users to stream music, movies and other audio to multiple speakers or Apple TV hardware running tvOS 11.4.
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HomePod to arrive in Canada, France, and Germany on June 18th
Apple will finally release its HomePod smart speaker in Canada, France, and Germany on June 18th per an official announcement on Tuesday.
The HomePod is currently available only in the U.S., U.K., and Australia. Apple hasn’t said what pricing in the new regions will be.
The HomePod will arrive loaded with iOS 11.4 and multi-room audio enabled, allowing people play music in multiple rooms simultaneously or shift content from one room to another. iOS 11.4 also includes built-in controls within apps and the Control Center, but users will also be able to issue Siri commands, something of course essential for HomePod owners.
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iOS 11 “Messages in iCloud” feature touted, release date unknown
This may be another case of having to wait a little bit for an iOS 11 feature that was shown in a demo but not released as of yet.
Apple’s “Messages is iCloud” feature, which was touted at the 2017 Worldwide Developers Conference event, was removed during the beta cycle and will return at some undisclosed point in the future.
The “Messages in iCloud” feature synchronized a user’s Messages “stack” between devices seamlessly. With the feature set implemented, deleting a message on one logged-in device would strike it from all, plus only the newest messages would be stored on-device with the rest held in iCloud and loaded only when needed.
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Apple unveils iOS 11 at WWDC
iOS 11 is around the corner and it looks like Apple is planning some pretty meaty changes along with it.
Over at WWDC, the company announced the following changes to the mobile operating system, which will also include an augmented reality kit as well as CoreML, which gives developers access to on-device machine learning capabilities.
Apple offered the following list of forthcoming changes: