O'Grady's PowerPage

Tag: status

  • Upcoming Windows 11 update allows for quick iPhone access via the Start menu

    Upcoming Windows 11 update allows for quick iPhone access via the Start menu

    At long last, your iPhone is as accessible inside the Windows 11 operating system interface as it is on your Mac.

    Microsoft has announced an update to Windows 11 that allows iPhone users to access their devices directly from the Start menu, bringing feature parity with its existing Android phone integration.

    The functionality allows you to quickly view the iPhone’s battery status, cellular connectivity, and recent activities. Users can also access messages, calls, and file-sharing capabilities directly from the Start menu interface. Once the update has been installed, open the Start menu and select “iPhone” from the right-side pane, then follow the on-screen instructions to establish the connection between your iPhone and PC.

    The feature has been released to Windows Insiders in both the Dev and Beta channels, and can be installed via the Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 4805 or higher in the Beta Channel, or Build 26120.3000 or higher in the Dev Channel. Additional requirements include Phone Link version 1.24121.30.0 or higher and a PC with Bluetooth LE capability.

    Note that not all Windows 11 users will have immediate access to the feature. Microsoft says the integration is not supported on PCs running Windows 11 Pro Education or Education SKUs.

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

    Via MacRumors and blogs.windows.com

  • COVID-19 vaccination records can be added to Apple Health app under iOS 15

    COVID-19 vaccination records can be added to Apple Health app under iOS 15

    You can now add your COVID-19 vaccination status to your Apple Health data.

    Beginning with iOS 15, the Apple Health app now allows iOS users to store verifiable health records on their devices. These can include medical records and lab tests from healthcare providers as well as your COVID-19 vaccination status. In a future update, iPhone users will even be able to add their vaccination information to Apple Wallet.

    The Apple Health app currently only supports verifiable records that follow the SMART Health Card specification. This is a standard several states have already adopted. California, Louisiana, New York, Virginia, Hawaii, and some Maryland counties support SMART Health Cards, and so do Walmart, Sam’s Club, CVS, and Rite-Aid, among others.

    If you received your COVID-19 vaccine from one of the supporters providers, you can follow up with them to learn how to generate the necessary QR code.

    Apple has stated that this process will become much easier over time:

    Organizations that issue SMART Health Cards will soon be able to use a new button to let users know that they can securely download and store their vaccination information in the Health app and quickly add and present it from Wallet. Artwork and usage guidelines will be available soon.

    To import your COVID-19 vaccination record into Apple health, it needs to be part of a SMART Health Card. Many states issue these for vaccinations, as do a number of healthcare providers. Depending on where you received your vaccine, you might even find that your pharmacy participates in the SMART Health Card program. For example, Walmart, CVS, and Rite Aid all issue SMART Health Card QR codes.

    Once you have the SMART Health Card QR code for your vaccine, you can open your iPhone’s Camera app or the QU code scanner app of your choice and point it at the QR code. A window should open asking if you want to add the data to the Health app. Tap on the blue “Add to Health“ button, and you are done.

    From now on, if you go into the Health app, you can locate your COVID-19 immunization record to display as needed.

    Stay tuned for additional details as they become available.

    Via The Mac Observer and developer.apple.com

  • Some users note that their M1-based 24-inch iMacs have shipped, are slated to arrive on May 21st

    Some users note that their M1-based 24-inch iMacs have shipped, are slated to arrive on May 21st

    While the new M1-based 24-inch iMac is officially more than a week away from launching, a few customers have begun to see their orders marked as “shipped” on Apple’s online store, complete with a May 21 delivery date.

    Two Canadian users alerted MacRumors that their orders had moved to “shipped” status as of Wednesday.

    For customers who still see their iMac order in the “processing” or “preparing to ship” stages, this is still normal at this time. Many of the initial orders that are now shifting to “shipped” status are likely custom built-to-order configurations from Apple’s online store, with shipments coming directly from China following assembly.

    Apple’s M1 chip features an 8-core CPU and an up to 8-core GPU. The desktop can be configured with 16GB of unified memory as well as 2TB of SSD storage. There’s also a minimum of two Thunderbolt 3/USB 4 ports, with an additional two USB 3 ports on higher-end models. The updated iMac is 11.5mm thick and available in up to seven colors, including green, yellow, orange, pink, purple, blue, and silver.

    The new iMac became available to order via Apple’s online store as of April 30, with pricing beginning at $1,299 in the United States.

    If you’ve seen this status change on your end, please let us know in the comments.

    Via MacRumors

  • Apple releases statement that iPhone Battery Warning utility might not function as intended

    This probably calls for a software update in the near future.

    Following news that a new iOS feature warned users if an iPhone battery can’t be verified as genuine, Apple released the following statement defending its stance.

    “We take the safety of our customers very seriously and want to make sure any battery replacement is done properly. There are now over 1,800 Apple authorized service providers across the US, so our customers have even more convenient access to quality repairs. Last year, we introduced a new feature to notify customers if we were unable to verify that a new, genuine battery was installed by a certified technician following Apple repair processes.

    This information is there to help protect our customers from damaged, poor quality, or used batteries that can lead to safety or performance issues. This notification does not impact the customer’s ability to use the phone after an unauthorized repair.”

    The warning indicates that users can’t check their iPhone’s battery health upon going to Settings > Battery > Battery Health. This is due to Apple batteries featuring a special chip that allowed for it to run diagnostics.

    Batteries that don’t come from an Apple authorized service provider or from Apple itself may feature this chip. The warning appears in iOS 12 and iOS 13, affecting the iPhone XR, iPhone XS, and iPhone XS Max.

    Stay tuned for additional details as they become available.

    Via The Mac Observer

  • iPhone 6s Smart Battery Case arrives to mixed reviews

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    The first iPhone 6s Smart Battery Case reviews are in and the results are mixed.

    While the accessory adds a good amount of battery life to your iPhone 6 and 6s models and integrates with iOS to show a battery status icon, a number of complaints have surfaced about its “hunchback” design, complete with a protruding battery on the back.

    “The battery juts out as if your phone will soon give birth to a rectangular alien,” says Joanna Stern of the Wall Street Journal in her review, which may just be accurate.

    (more…)