O'Grady's PowerPage

Tag: AirDrop

  • Apple distributes iOS 26.2 Release Candidate build as both a public beta and a developer beta

    Apple distributes iOS 26.2 Release Candidate build as both a public beta and a developer beta

    Just a day after the public release of its iOS 26.1 update, Apple released the first iOS 26.2 beta. Now in the Release Candidate stage, and thought to be released on December 8 or 9, the update is expected to feature the following according to Macworld’s Jason Cross:

    AirDrop code: A new section in the AirDrop Settings allows you to “Manage Known AirDrop Contacts” and specifies that you’ll appear for 30 days for those you have shared a one-time code with. There does not appear to be a way to generate such codes yet, though.

    Measure app: The Measure app gets a new Liquid Glass design.

    Games app: New library filtering, improved controller navigation, and challenge scores that update in real time.

    Updated Sleep Score ranges: Apple has adjusted what the various Sleep Score ranges mean, making it require higher scores for the better descriptions. For example, “High” used to be a score of 70-89, and is now 81-95.

    Lock Screen Liquid Glass slider: The clock control for the Lock Screen how has a slider to adjust how transparent/glassy the time readout should be. This replaces the old “clear or tinted” toggle.

    Apple News design: The design of Apple News has been tweaked, with four quick-select categories at the top. These appear to be based on your previous activity.

    Podcasts improvements: The Podcasts app gets auto-generated chapters along with the ability to more easily follow mentioned podcasts or follow up on links mentioned in a podcast episode.

    A.I. Search: Set Alarms and Timers for Reminders: If you set a reminder as “urgent” you will be asked if you wish to create an alarm or timer for it.

    Freeform app: You can now insert tables into your boards.

    The Release Candidate is available both as a public beta and a developer beta.

    If you’d like to test the iOS 26.2 beta but are not a registered Apple developer, follow these steps:

    iOS 26.2: How to install

    • Click Sign Up on the Apple Beta page and register with your Apple ID.
    • Log in to the Beta Software Program.
    • Click Enroll your iOS device.
    • Open the Settings app, tap General, then Software Update.
    • In the Beta Updates section, select the iOS Public Beta.
    • It may take a few moments after registering for the beta option to appear in Software Update.

    If you’re registered as an Apple developer, or want to create a free developer account to test the iOS 26.2 beta, you can create the account in Xcode or use the Apple Developer app in iOS.

    Here’s how to install the beta through the Apple Developer app:

    • Download the Apple Developer App from the App Store.
    • Open the app.
    • Tap on Account.
    • Sign in using your usual Apple ID.

    If you’ve had a chance to try the beta, please let us know about your experience in the comments.

    Via Macworld, beta.apple.com, and developer.apple.com

  • Google announces Quick Share, allows for interoperability with Apple’s AirDrop feature

    Google announces Quick Share, allows for interoperability with Apple’s AirDrop feature

    If you love AirDrop as a feature, it now plays nice with Google’s Quick Share and vice versa.

    Google on Thursday announced that its new cross-platform feature allows for sharing between iPhone and Android devices. With AirDrop on the ‌iPhone‌ and QuickShare on Pixel 10 devices, there is a new file transfer function available.

    The file sharing option bridges devices that include ‌iPhone‌, iPad, and Mac, along with the Pixel 10, Pixel 10 Pro, Pixel 10 Pro XL, and Pixel 10 Fold.

    Per Google, Apple device users will need to change their AirDrop visibility settings to “Everyone for 10 Minutes” in order to accept a file transfer from a Pixel 10 device. Once the setting has been enabled, a file coming from an Android user looks identical to an AirDrop file from an ‌iPhone‌ user, featuring the same notification and tap to accept option.

    Where Pixel 10 users are concerned, just change the setting to “Everyone for 10 Minutes” or enter into Receive mode on the Quick Share page. Files are saved in the Files app.

    Google also stated that the features were designed around a multi-layered security approach and there’s a secure sharing channel, built-in platform protections for Android and iOS, and a consent requirement before a file is received.

    The connections themselves are direct and peer-to-peer and aren’t routed through a server. For file transfers in both directions, the Apple device or the Pixel 10 device displays the other person’s device name for verification purposes.

    As of right now, the feature only works in the Everyone for 10 Minutes AirDrop sharing mode, but Google says that it would like to work with Apple to support “Contacts Only” mode in the future.

    AirDrop and Quick Share interoperability is available now.

    Stay tuned for additional details as they become available.

    Via MacRumors and blog.google.com

  • Apple cites six additional improvements to be found in the M5 iPad Pro

    Apple cites six additional improvements to be found in the M5 iPad Pro

    While the upcoming iPad Pro’s headline feature is its M5 chip, Apple has included a number of other upgrades, including its new N1 and C1X chips as well as faster storage speeds.

    Per the mighty Geekbench, the M5 chip offers a 20 percent faster CPU and up to a 40 percent faster GPU compared to the previous model with the M4 chip. The 256GB and 512GB configurations have a 9-core CPU, while 1TB and 2TB configurations have a full 10-core CPU.

    Here are six other upgrades:

    • An increased 12GB of RAM for models with 256GB or 512GB of storage. 1TB and 2TB configurations still have 16GB of RAM.
    • Apple’s custom N1 chip for Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 6. However, the chip only supports up to 160 MHz channel bandwidth for Wi-Fi 7, short of the standard’s 320 MHz maximum. Apple says the chip also improves the overall performance and reliability of features like AirDrop and Personal Hotspot.
    • Apple’s custom C1X chip for cellular configurations. With this modem, Apple says the new iPad Pro achieves up to 50 percent faster cellular data performance than its predecessor, and power efficiency is also improved.
    • Apple says the new iPad Pro offers up to 2× faster SSD read and write speeds compared to the previous generation.
    • The new iPad Pro can drive external displays at up to a 120Hz refresh rate, and Adaptive Sync is now supported, resulting in smoother scrolling and gameplay with lower latency on the external display.
    • The new iPad Pro supports fast charging. Apple says up to a 50 percent charge can be reached in around 30 minutes for the 11-inch model, and in around 35 minutes for the 13-inch model. Apple has not shared similar figures for previous iPad Pro models, so it is unclear how much of an improvement this is.

    Apple’s tech specs report has also indicated that the M5 iPad Pro can drop down as far as 1 nit of display brightness, which can come in handy in environments such as a bedroom at night. Apple’s previous tech specs did not list this ability for previous iPad Pro models.

    The new 11-inch and 13-inch iPad Pro models are available to pre-order now, and the devices will begin arriving to customers and launch in stores on Wednesday.

    Stay tuned for additional details as they become available.

    Via MacRumors, Geekbench, and Apple

  • Apple announces M5-based iPad Pro, offers fast charging, additional features

    Apple announces M5-based iPad Pro, offers fast charging, additional features

    If you’ve been hankering for an M5-based iPad Pro, you’re going to like this.

    Apple on Wednesday announced its next-generation iPad Pro tablet, complete with the company’s custom-designed M5, C1X, and N1 chips.

    The M5 chip utilizes a 10-core CPU with four performance cores and six efficiency cores. The unit offers a next-generation Neural Accelerator, which allows the iPad Pro to offer 3.5x the AI performance than the previous model, and a third-generation ray-tracing engine. A faster 16-core Neural Engine also delivers more energy-efficient performance. Apple’s updated C1X modem is cited as offering up to 50 percent faster cellular data performance than its predecessor with greater efficiency.

    The update iPad Pro also boasts Apple’s N1 chip, which was designed in-house and handles Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 6, and Thread functionality. Apple has stated that the N1 offers better performance when connected to 5GHz networks, and improves the overall performance and reliability of features like Personal Hotspot and AirDrop.

    Where other specs are concerned, the M5 iPad Pro offers over 150GB/s of unified memory bandwidth, which is almost a 30 percent increase compared to the previous generation. It also offers up to 2x faster storage read and write speeds, and the 256GB and 512GB models start with 12GB of unified memory.

    For the road warriors, the M5 iPad Pro can drive displays up to 120Hz and now supports Adaptive Sync, which provides the lowest possible latency in external display performance.

    Other features include fast charging, which allows the unit to charge to 50 percent battery capacity in about 30 minutes using a 40W adapter or higher.

    The M5 iPad Pro became available for pre-order on Wednesday, and will be available in stores on Wednesday, October 22 with the base model starting at $999.

    Stay tuned for additional details as they become available.

    Via MacRumors and Apple

  • Some iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Pro, iPhone 17 Pro Max, and iPhone Air owners cite Wi-Fi connectivity issues

    Some iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Pro, iPhone 17 Pro Max, and iPhone Air owners cite Wi-Fi connectivity issues

    There’s a reason iOS patches come out.

    A number of iPhone 17 users have commented that their new handsets experience sporadic Wi-Fi connectivity errors. At present, hundreds of comments have been posted on the MacRumors Forums, Reddit, and the Apple Support Community over the past few days citing the issue with the iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Pro, iPhone 17 Pro Max, and iPhone Air units. It is unclear how widespread the problem is.

    Specifically, affected users said Wi-Fi briefly disconnects and then reconnects after they unlock the iPhone. And since Apple’s CarPlay system in vehicles relies on a Wi-Fi connection, the issue can result in CarPlay disconnecting too.

    A number of users have stated that the issue occurs while they’re wearing an Apple Watch that is paired and unlocked, although it’s unclear if this is a contributing factor.

    It is unclear if this is a hardware or software problem, but Apple is often able to fix these sorts of issues with a software update. iOS 26.0.1 is coming soon, but it is unclear if Apple will have identified and implemented a fix in time for that version.

    Each of the new iPhone models arrives equipped with Apple’s first-ever custom-designed N1 chip for Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 6, and Thread connectivity, whereas previous iPhone models rely on a Broadcom chip for wireless networking.

    In its press releases for the new iPhones, Apple said the N1 chip also improves the performance and reliability of features like Personal Hotspot and AirDrop.

    If you’ve seen these errors on your end with your new iPhone 17, please let us know in the comments.

    Via MacRumors, Reddit, and discussions.apple.com