O'Grady's PowerPage

Tag: crossword

  • Apple releases iOS 17.5, iPadOS 17.5 updates, includes EU app updates, cross-platform detection changes, other new features

    Apple releases iOS 17.5, iPadOS 17.5 updates, includes EU app updates, cross-platform detection changes, other new features

    Apple on Monday released its iOS 17.5 and iPadOS 17.5, two major updates to its mobile operating systems that emerged more than two months after the launch of iOS 17.4 and iPadOS 17.4.

    The updates include the following fixes, changes, and new features:

    • In the European Union, iOS 17.5 brings support for web-based app distribution. iPhone users can download apps directly from developer websites, without the need to use the App Store.
    • Offline mode in Apple News+ gives you access to the Today feed and News+ tab, even when you don’t have an internet connection
    • Quartiles is a new and original daily word game that is now available in Apple News+
    • Scoreboard in News+ Puzzles gives you access to new player data for Crossword, Mini Crossword, and Quartiles, including stats and streaks
    • Cross-Platform Tracking Detection delivers notifications to users if a compatible Bluetooth tracker they do not own is moving with them, regardless of what operating system the device is paired with

    Some features may not be available for all regions or on all Apple devices.

    The iOS 17.5 and iPadOS 17.5 updates can be downloaded on eligible iPhones and iPads over-the-air by going to Settings > General > Software Update.

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

    Via MacRumors

  • Apple seeds macOS Sonoma 14.5 release candidate to the developer community

    Apple seeds macOS Sonoma 14.5 release candidate to the developer community

    The next version of macOS Sonoma just hit release candidate status and a decently sized update is en route.

    Following release candidate versions of iOS, iPadOS, and other operating systems going public this week, Apple has sent its macOS Sonoma 14.5 release candidate out to its developer community for testing.

    The change list goes as follows:

    • Quartiles is a new and original daily word game that is now available in Apple News+
    • Scoreboard in News+ Puzzles gives you access to new player data for Crossword, Mini Crossword, and Quartiles, including stats and streaks

    Some features may not be available for all regions, or on all Apple devices.

    The macOS Sonoma 14.5 release should be publicly available within a matter of days. Apple is also testing macOS Monterey 12.7.5 update for older Macs. The update to macOS Monterey includes “important security fixes and is recommended for all users,” according to Apple.

    Stay tuned for additional details as they become available.

    Via 9to5Mac and beta.apple.com

  • Black Ink crossword puzzle game for iOS enters public beta

    Black Ink crossword puzzle game for iOS enters public beta

    If you’re up for being a beta tester, this is pretty cool.

    Red Sweater’s Black Ink crossword puzzle game for iOS has just entered public beta, and can be downloaded and played by anyone with an Apple TestFlight beta account. Version 2.0 is on the way, and the developer has opened the doors to anyone who’d like to test and play it before it goes live on the App Store.

    Per the developer:

    I spent a good amount of time over the next month or two on the core functionality of the crossword grid, how it would zoom in or out to fit in the relatively tiny iPhone’s screen, etc. I was pretty confident I was going to release it within the year. I think at that time the App Store interface didn’t support completely removing an app from sale, so I just set the release date really far, like a year, into the future. Surely I’d wrap it up and ship before that.

    I was walking through Brighton, England with my wife and young baby when I got a notification on my phone. I’d made a sale! Black Ink for iOS was listed for $10, and somebody had bought it. At some point I had put Black Ink on the back burner again and completely spaced out that the inevitable release date had arrived.

    Unfortunately the app was far from ready for public consumption. It had been approved, sure, but it wasn’t good yet. I scrambled to find a reliable internet source and then logged in as fast as I could to further delay the official release.

    And that’s how I left things for about ten years.

    Today I am happy to announce that Black Ink for iOS is available as a public beta release via TestFlight. It’s come a long way since 2008, but it’s still not quite ready to call complete. I’ve updated its version number to 2.0 because some of the features are, or will be, more in line with the 2.0 release of its Mac counterpart. Also, I burned the 1.0 version number on that mistaken release a decade ago.

    If you decide to give it a try, I welcome your feedback. I plan to tie up a few loose ends and (hopefully for real this time!) ship a public, for-sale release in the near future. I haven’t decided on a pricing structure yet, but in the mean time the beta version is, of course, free for anybody who wishes to test it out.

    If you’re interested, click the link below and please let us know what you think in the comments.

    Via TestFlight.apple.com and Red Sweater