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Tag: Safari

  • WWDC: Apple announces macOS Sonoma, highlights new features and changes

    WWDC: Apple announces macOS Sonoma, highlights new features and changes

    macOS Sonoma is coming this fall, was demonstrated on Monday at WWDC, and once again, the company has promised widespread changes and new features to its desktop operating system.

    The company highlighted the following major fixes and changes:

    • Interactive widgets which can be placed on the desktop: Widgets blend into your desktop wallpaper to not be obtrusive when you’re working, and with Continuity you can use the same widgets from your iPhone on your Mac.
    • Enhanced videoconferencing features: This includes Presenter Overlay, which allows the user to display themselves in front of the content they are sharing. Reactions let users share how they feel within a video session. Screen Sharing has been improved with a simplified process.
    • Private Browsing: This has been updated within Apple’s Safari web browser and provides greater protection from trackers and from people who might have access to the user’s device.
    • Profiles within Safari: Offers a way to separate browsing between topics, like having one for work and one for personal browsing. There’s also a new way to create web apps that work like normal apps and let you get to your favorite website faster.
    • Screen Savers: These feature slow-motion videos of various locations worldwide. They shuffle between landscape, Earth, underwater, or cityscape themes, similar to what you’ll see on tvOS.
    • Game Mode: As the name suggests, this is optimized for gaming and delivers an optimized gaming experience with smoother and more consistent frame rates. It dramatically lowers audio latency with AirPods and reduces input latency with game controllers, and it works with any game on Mac.

    The developer beta version was released on Monday, and Apple has stated that a public beta will launch in July.

    Please let us know what you think in the comments as we’ll have additional details as they become available.

    Via MacRumors

  • Rumor: Apple currently building app suite to accompany launch of mixed-reality headset at WWDC 2023

    Rumor: Apple currently building app suite to accompany launch of mixed-reality headset at WWDC 2023

    Apple is said to be working on apps for nearly everything it offers for the iPhone for its anticipated mixed-reality headset ahead of its rumored launch at WWDC 2023.

    It’s been stated that the headset could be the main focus of the conference. The device is expected to provide Apple customers with virtual and augmented reality experiences or a combination of the two.

    According to Bloomberg, Apple has begun working on a launch library of apps that will run on the device, suggesting that the unit is in the final stages of preparation. Sources have indicated that it will include services for watching sports, new iterations of Apple’s current iPad capabilities, gaming, fitness, and collaboration tools.

    The device is also said to offer access to millions of existing apps through a new 3D interface. Along with apps from third-party developers, Apple is working on optimized versions of Safari, Apple News, Apple Music, Stocks, Weather, Mail, and more. Apple is also said to be working on a headset-compatible version of Apple Books that will let customers read in virtual reality in addition to the company’s core app and a camera app that can snap pictures via the headgear is also being tested.

    Other significant ports include a wellness app that will assist wearers in their meditation with a collection of peaceful pictures, noises, and voice-overs, likely similar to the Mindfulness app on Apple Watch, and a version of the Fitness+ service, along with the Freeform collaboration app. The Freeform app will let users work on virtual whiteboards together in mixed reality.

    FaceTime may also be a primary feature that will generate 3D versions of users in virtual meeting rooms.

    Finally, the headset will offer the ability to view sports on the device. Apple already offers games from Major League Soccer and Major League Baseball on Apple TV+, and virtual reality might provide a more immersive experience for those services.

    I dial on the headband will allow viewers to choose between virtual and augmented reality modes, similar to the digital crown on the Apple Watch. Users will be immersed in their apps when using VR.They will also experience the real world around them similarly to ARKit experiences on iPhones and iPads if AR is enabled. It’s also rumored to run multiple apps simultaneously, each floating inside the 3D interface.

    Sources have also indicated that users will be able to control the headset using their hands and eyes. In one instance, they may squeeze their fingers to pick things and navigate menus after detecting where people are looking. The headset is also rumored to offer an in-air virtual keyboard that can be connected to a physical keyboard as well as offer access to Siri’s voice control as a means of controlling the headset.

    As mentioned before, it’s thought that the first version of the headset will retail for around $3,000. The launch date has yet to be specified, and it’s thought that Apple may be scaling back production.

    It’s also thought that the overall design and perhaps size of Apple’s debut headset would be similar to ski goggles. Each eye reportedly has a 4K OLED display, while an outside panel displays the user’s facial emotions for the headset.

    Stay tuned for additional details as they become available.

    Via AppleInsider and Bloomberg

  • Apple addresses more than 30 security exploits in macOS Ventura 13.3, iOS 16.4, iPadOS 16.4, and other system updates

    Apple addresses more than 30 security exploits in macOS Ventura 13.3, iOS 16.4, iPadOS 16.4, and other system updates

    You might want to snag the new updates.

    Apple on Monday released its macOS Ventura 13.3, iOS 16.4, iPadOS 16.4, watchOS 9.4, and tvOS 16.4 updates to the public. While they come with multiple new features, such as new emoji, notifications for web apps, and accessibility improvements, today’s updates also bring security patches. More specifically, they patch more than 30 security exploits.

    One of the exploits repaired related to accessibility features could lead to third-party apps accessing information about users’ contacts. Another more serious exploit could let apps access sensitive user data. Other exploits affected could possibly affect system components like Apple Neural Engine, Calendar, Camera, CarPlay, Bluetooth, Find My, iCloud, Photos, Podcasts, and Safari. Apple also fixed exploits found in the kernel, which could lead to arbitrary code execution without the user’s knowledge.

    One of the exploits addressed was detailed as follows:

    Kernel
    Available for: iPhone 8 and later, iPad Pro (all models), iPad Air 3rd generation and later, iPad 5th generation and later, and iPad mini 5th generation and later
    Impact: An app may be able to execute arbitrary code with kernel privileges
    Description: A use after free issue was addressed with improved memory management.
    CVE-2023-27969: Adam Doupé of ASU SEFCOM

    The updates also include a patch for an exploit found in WebKit, the engine behind Safari and other web browsers on iOS. The exploit could allow for the tracking of sensitive information from users. According to Apple, the problem has been fixed by “removing origin information.”

    Users can install iOS, watchOS, and tvOS updates by going to the Settings app, while macOS updates can be found in the System Settings app.

    Stay tuned for additional details as they become available.

    Via 9to5Mac

  • Apple releases iOS 16.4, iPadOS 16.4 updates

    Apple releases iOS 16.4, iPadOS 16.4 updates

    You’ve been waiting for these updates and they’re here.

    Apple on Monday released iOS 16.4 and iOS 16.4, the fourth major updates to its mobile operating systems.

    Apple today released iOS 16.4, the fourth major update to the iOS 16 operating system that initially came out last September. iOS 16.4 comes two months after the launch of iOS 16.3, an update that added Security Keys for Apple ID.

    iOS 16.4 adds 21 total new emoji characters including shaking head, pink heart, blue heart, gray heart, donkey, moose, black bird, goose, wing, jellyfish, hyacinth, and more.

    This update includes the following enhancements and bug fixes:

    • 21 new emoji including animals, hand gestures, and objects are now available in emoji keyboards
    • Notifications for web apps added to the Home Screen
    • Voice Isolation for cellular calls prioritizes your voice and blocks out ambient noise around you
    • Duplicates album in Photos expands support to detect duplicate photos and videos in an iCloud Shared Photo Library
    • VoiceOver support for maps in the Weather app
    • Accessibility setting to automatically dim video when flashes of light or strobe effects are detected
    • Fixes an issue where Ask to Buy requests from children may fail to appear on the parent’s device
    • Addresses issues where Matter-compatible thermostats could become unresponsive when paired to Apple Home
    • Crash Detection optimizations on iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Pro models

    iOS 16.4 and iPadOS 16.4 may be some of the last updates that we see to the ‌iOS 16‌ and iPadOS 16 operating systems as Apple shifts its focus to iOS 17 and iPadOS 17, software that will be announced at the Worldwide Developers Conference that’s expected in June.

    The updates can be downloaded on eligible iPhones and iPads over-the-air by going to Settings > General > Software Update. Apple has also released iOS 15.7.4 for iPhone users who have older devices, with the update offering security improvements.

    If you’ve had a chance to try either iOS 16.4 or iPadOS 16.4, please let us know about your experience in the comments.

    Via MacRumors

  • Developers begin work on Google Chrome’s Blink engine running on iOS

    Developers begin work on Google Chrome’s Blink engine running on iOS

    A series of screenshots have surfaced documenting Google’s development effort to bring Chrome’s full Blink browser engine to iOS against current App Store rules.

    Last month, Google quietly unveiled a new effort to port the Blink browser engine — used by Chrome and other Chromium-based browsers like Edge and Opera — to iOS. Under Apple’s current App Store policies, all web browsers for iPhones and iPads are required to use the built-in version of WebKit, essentially making all browsers act like Safari.

    While these rules are still in effect, Google has made it clear that it does not have plans to launch any type of Blink-based browser onto the App Store. Even so, there’s been a recent groundswell of support for Apple to ease its restrictions on the App Store and on browsers. Google could potentially push such a shift if it ports Blink to iOS, thereby showing the benefits of Blink/Chrome versus WebKit/Safari on iOS while also making a potential switch to a full-fledged Chrome browser easier down the line.

    In the weeks since the project was announced, Google and Igalia (an open source consultancy and frequent Chromium contributor) have been developing a simplified “content_shell” browser up and running in iOS and fixing issues along the way.

    As part of the bug hunt process, a group of developers have released screenshots of the minimal Blink-based browser running on an iPhone 12. The images show the browser working as expected, with no obvious issues in the site’s appearance. Above the page contents, you can see a simple blue bar containing the address bar and typical browser controls like back, forward, and refresh.

    From these work-in-progress screenshots, it seems clear that the Blink for iOS project is already making significant progress, but it’s clearly a prototype not meant to be used like a full web browser. The next biggest step that Google has laid out is to ensure this version of Blink/Chromium for iOS passes all of the many tests that ensure all aspects of a browser are working correctly.

    For users who might want to get a headstart on figuring out what changes a website may need to get prepared for a potential Blink/Chromium browser for iOS, or if they simply want to try it out for themselves, Google offers official instructions on how to build the prototype for yourself, though they’ll need a Mac to do so.

    Stay tuned for additional details as they become available.

    Via 9to5Google and chromium.googlesource.com