Search the Community

Google is finally bringing Material Design 3 to Gmail for iPhone. The company announced that the new Gmail interface will be available to all Workspace users and those with personal Google accounts, starting this week. Material Design 3 (also known as Material You) was launched back in 2021 alongside the Android 12 update. The design language focuses on more animations and visual customizations at the entry level, allowing users to change line thickness, size of UI elements, and more. Google gradually updated Gmail's web version and other apps with the new design language, but the iPhone's turn came after almost four years. Last year, it added a new Material You-based dark theme to the web version of Google Calendar. Another Gmail feature that has been available on Android for a year is now coming to iPhone. Google Workspace customers and users with personal accounts can create and modify birthday events in the Gmail app on iOS. However, what could be a Google announcement without the mention of artificial intelligence? The Gemini side panel in Gmail for Android and iOS is being updated with image generation capabilities. The feature is already available on the web; users can save, copy, or insert the AI-generated image into a compose draft. Google said that image generation is rolling out to select Workspace tiers, including Business Starter/Standard/Plus, Enterprise Starter/Standard/Plus, Google One AI Premium, and those with Gemini add-ons. The search giant is rolling out draggable dividers for Gmail and Google Chat users on Android devices with large screens. Users can pick between a one-pane or two-pane layout and control the width of each pane when in two-pane mode. Apart from that, a new update is coming to Google's video editor Vids, allowing users to control the height of the timeline to view more objects when working on timing for individual scenes. These new features add to the list of Workspace updates Google pushed this week, including high-quality templates for Google Slides and data classification labels for Gmail. Source Hope you enjoyed this news post. Thank you for appreciating my time and effort posting news every day for many years. News posts... 2023: 5,800+ | 2024: 5,700+ | 2025 (till end of March): 1,357 RIP Matrix | Farewell my friend

Multiple reports have indicated that with the next iOS update—iOS 19—Apple is planning for a significant UI overhaul. Reports suggest that Apple could heavily incorporate the glass-like design of visionOS's UI into iOS 19. Some information related to this was shared earlier this year with the purported new Camera app UI. Recently, Jon Prosser from the YouTube channel Front Page Tech shared some mockups of how apps and features might look in iOS 19. Prosser claimed that the mockups he showed were based on his trusted sources and were the "real deal." However, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman quickly quashed these rumors, saying the mockups aren't the actual representation of the iOS 19 UI. Now, in his latest Power On newsletter for Bloomberg, Gurman has shared some more details about the upcoming UI changes in iOS 19. He mentions that the new design project is codenamed "Solarium," which, by the way, means "a room with glass walls and ceiling that lets in natural light." The codename "Solarium" seems fitting for the glass-like design changes expected in iOS 19. Gurman previously stated that the iOS 19 redesign would be Apple's biggest visual overhaul since iOS 7. The company aims to ditch the flat appearance introduced in 2013 and adopt a more modern interface, similar to what it already implemented in visionOS. AI depiction of Solarium Apple is expected to unveil iOS 19 at the upcoming WWDC event, scheduled for Monday, June 9, this year. The first iOS 19 beta should be immediately pushed to the developers after the announcement, which is when the world will get to know what exact glass-like change Apple has made to iOS. There are rumors that Apple may have subtly hinted at these UI changes in its WWDC logo. Source Hope you enjoyed this news post. Thank you for appreciating my time and effort posting news every day for many years. News posts... 2023: 5,800+ | 2024: 5,700+ | 2025 (till end of February): 874 RIP Matrix | Farewell my friend

You can now open shared Office files on your iPhone or iPad without signing in. Microsoft has expanded the number of devices that can view a shared Office file without a Microsoft account. A recent update makes it possible to view shared files on an iPhone or iPad even if you are not signed in. It was already possible to open shared files from Word, Excel, and PowerPoint without a Microsoft account if you viewed those files on the web. Now, that same option is available on an iPad or iPhone. With this change, recipients of shared files can now open and view documents in Word, PowerPoint, or Excel more easily. Editing shared documents or leaving comments still requires a Microsoft account. Since Word, PowerPoint, and Excel are the standard for many organizations and users, receiving a shared Office document is common. The recent change to the Office apps on iOS and iPadOS increases the accessibility of those types of files. Microsoft shares the steps to share documents in a Tech Community post: Open a Word, Excel, or PowerPoint file that you want to share. Select Share > Link settings (the gear icon in the top-right corner), ensure that either the Anyone with the link can edit or Anyone with the link can view option is selected, and then select the Apply button. To share the link with others, type their email address in the Share dialog box, and then click the Send button, or click the Copy link button and paste it in a message created using an app such as Microsoft Outlook or Microsoft Teams. Anyone who uses that link on a supported device will be able to open and view the file. The new behavior rolls out with Version 2.94 (Build 25020422) of the Office apps on iOS and iPadOS. Source Hope you enjoyed this news post. Thank you for appreciating my time and effort posting news every day for many years. News posts... 2023: 5,800+ | 2024: 5,700+ | 2025 (till end of February): 874 RIP Matrix | Farewell my friend

Chrome for iOS no longer syncs solely to iCloud. Late last year, I published a long post that criticized the user unfriendliness of passkeys, the industry-wide alternative to logging in with passwords. A chief complaint was passkey implementations tend to lock users into whatever platform they used to create the credential. An example: when using Chrome on an iPhone, passkeys were saved to iCloud. When using Chrome on other platforms, passkeys were saved to a user’s Google profile. That meant passkeys created for Chrome on, say, Windows, wouldn’t sync to iCloud. Passkeys created in iCloud wouldn’t sync with a Google account. GPM and iOS finally play nice together That headache is finally over. Chrome on all platforms now uses the Google Password Manager, a tool built into Chrome, to seamlessly sync keys. GPM, as it’s abbreviated, will sync passkeys to all Chrome browsers logged in to the same user account. I’ve spent a few days testing the new capabilities, and they mostly work hassle free. The tool can be accessed by opening this link in Chrome. GPM allows me to log in to passkey-protected accounts not just in Chrome, but also in standalone iOS apps such as those from Kayak, eBay, or LinkedIn. When creating a passkey in a standalone app, I now get the option to sync it through either GPM or iCloud. That means the same passkeys I created on Chrome for Android, Windows, or macOS work out of the box on my iOS apps. These passkeys are synced using end-to-end encryption, as mandated by the FIDO specification, which is maintained by the FIDO Alliance. Creating a passkey on the Kayak app and syncing with GPM. Using GPM to log in to the LinkedIn app for iOS. When saving a passkey, Chrome allows users to choose where to sync it. Creating a passkey for Kayak. The first step to using GPM on iOS is to enable it in the iOS settings menu, specifically, Settings > General > Autofill & Passwords, and then flip on the Chrome option. The next time Chrome is invoked to work with a passkey, the user will be prompted for a PIN. Those who are already using a Pixel can enter the unlock code for that device. Those without a Pixel will have to select a PIN. “If the first passkey for Google Password Manager is created on desktop, Chrome asks to create a Google Password Manager PIN and it will be used,” a Google tutorial explains. “The user needs to sign in to their Google Account and enter their Android device screen lock or Google Password Manager PIN to decrypt a synced passkey on a new environment.” There’s no lock in with GPM. I configured an iPhone to autofill from both Apple Passwords, the new interface for working with iCloud Passwords, and Chrome. From then on, I got the option to use either when saving passkeys in both Chrome or in standalone apps. GPM provides a modest step forward in simplifying passkey storage and syncing. Third-party apps such as 1Password and Dashlane have already provided this level of convenience. Unfortunately, there are still no ways to transfer passkeys in bulk from one app to another. This is a major shortcoming, since GPM, Apple Passwords, and most other password managers already allow passwords to be imported or exported, making it easy to move from one to another. The FIDO Alliance says passkey transfer capabilities are in the works. Source Hope you enjoyed this news post. Thank you for appreciating my time and effort posting news every day for many years. News posts... 2023: 5,800+ | 2024: 5,700+ | 2025 (till end of January): 487 RIP Matrix | Farewell my friend

If you have an iPhone or iPad, you can now download Vivaldi 7.1 from the App Store. Version 7.1 for iOS, released today, introduces several new features powered by Chromium 132.0.6834.110. Here's a breakdown of what's new: First, Vivaldi Translate, which launched in June 2021 with Vivaldi 4.0, is finally coming to iOS. Vivaldi Translate is built on Lingvanex, a company that offers AI tools for translating text, documents, and speech across more than 100 languages. When you update to 7.1, you'll find the translate icon right next to the reload button. There's also an improved Speed Dial that features sections for popular sites and those you visit frequently. Speaking of improvements, version 7.1 brings a quicker way to save your favorite sites. Now, in the context menu, there's a new "Add page to..." option, allowing you to save a page to your device home screen, Start Page, Bookmarks, or Reading List. Before 7.1, the default search engine for Vivaldi on iOS was Bing, but that is changing. According to Vivaldi: Vivaldi on iOS now supports sharing tabs to another synced device with a feature called "Send Tab to Device," similar to what's available in 7.1 on Desktop. Other updates include Paste and Go/Search, which lets you navigate or search directly from your clipboard without extra steps. Custom Zoom Levels make reading on your phone or tablet more comfortable by allowing you to set a preferred zoom level for every page. You can now share links straight from the Address Bar’s context menu without disrupting your workflow. Sync settings have also improved, letting you rename devices to stay organized. Additionally, Search Suggestion Settings give you more control over how suggestions appear in the Address Bar. You can find out more on the Vivaldi Blog. Source Hope you enjoyed this news post. Thank you for appreciating my time and effort posting news every day for many years. News posts... 2023: 5,800+ | 2024: 5,700+ RIP Matrix | Farewell my friend

Google has announced that Chrome for iOS now supports passkeys, meaning you can sync your logins from other devices more easily. With support for iOS and iPadOS added Chrome now syncs this new login mechanism across all types of devices, including Android, macOS, Windows, Linux, and ChromeOS. Once you've created a passkey for a website or app, you can sign in to that service using a fingerprint, facial recognition, a PIN, or a pattern. It removes the need to use passwords to access your account, which, theoretically, makes it more difficult for hackers to breach your account. One issue with passkeys right now is that they're not exportable if you decide to change browsers, though they will be in the future. To create passkeys in the Google Password Manager in Chrome for iOS/iPadOS, you need to be on version 17 or higher of those operating systems. These are the minimum requirements for syncing passkeys from other devices as well. Explaining what problems this fixes, Google says: To start using Chrome passkeys on iOS, you'll need to set Chrome as an autofill provider in Settings. Open System Settings on your iOS or iPadOS device, then go to General > AutoFill & Passwords. Under Autofill From, toggle Chrome to enable autofill. Passkeys are quite a new login option and aren't perfect yet with their lack of exportability. If you want to try out passkeys, you can do so with a GitHub account. Wisely, GitHub lets you sign in with passkeys as a complementary option to passwords, so if you don't have a device that supports passkeys, you can fall back on your password and 2FA. Source Hope you enjoyed this news post. Thank you for appreciating my time and effort posting news every day for many years. News posts... 2023: 5,800+ | 2024: 5,700+ RIP Matrix | Farewell my friend

Apple has stopped signing iOS 18.1.1. This means that users who are currently on iOS 18.2 won't be able to downgrade to the earlier version. Apple routinely stops signing older versions of iOS after a new update is released. This practice is intended to encourage users to stay up-to-date with the latest security patches and features. Security vulnerabilities are frequently patched in newer iOS updates, and by stopping the signing of older versions, Apple effectively pushes users to update their devices to benefit from these critical security improvements. For users, the message is clear: update to iOS 18.2 to benefit from the latest security patches and features. Updating to the newest version of iOS is an effective way to ensure your device is protected against potential security threats. However, the decision to block downgrades can be a double-edged sword. Some users, particularly those who encounter compatibility issues with specific apps on newer versions, may find themselves stuck with a less-than-ideal iOS version. While downgrade to iOS 18.1.1 is no longer allowed, iOS 17 will continue to receive security updates. Furthermore, users who are currently enrolled in the iOS 18.3 beta program still have the option to downgrade to iOS 18.2. This allows beta testers to revert to a stable version if they encounter any issues or prefer to wait for the official release of iOS 18.3. Ultimately, Apple's decision to stop signing iOS 18.1.1 is a security-focused move that is likely to benefit the majority of users. While some users may be disappointed, the improved security of the iOS ecosystem is a worthwhile trade-off. Via: 9to5Mac Source Hope you enjoyed this news post. Thank you for appreciating my time and effort posting news every day for many years. 2023: Over 5,800 news posts | 2024 (till end of November): 5,298 news posts RIP Matrix | Farewell my friend

There weren’t many exclusives this year, but Apple’s subscription service still had some notable new releases. It was a bit of a weird year for Apple’s subscription gaming service. 2024 saw very few notable exclusives launch on Apple Arcade; instead, the service was fleshed out with a number of big games that you can already play on other platforms. It hasn’t been great for showcasing what makes Apple Arcade unique, but on the other hand, it’s hard to complain too much when it means your subscription now includes Balatro and Vampire Survivors. Here’s the best of what came out this year. Balatro Plus This poker game has been an unexpected hit ever since it launched on PC and consoles at the beginning of the year. It’s sort of like a solo version of poker, only with the gameplay loop of a roguelike, which means that you’ll be collecting rare joker cards to augment your hands as you create a deck capable of turning out absolutely absurd scores. It takes a moment for it to click, but Balatro is particularly well suited to mobile, where you can squeeze in a few quick rounds wherever you are… or accidentally let a few hours go by while you try to complete a run. Image: Terry Cavanagh Dicey Dungeons Plus Dicey Dungeons is a few years old at this point — it originally launched on PC in 2019 — but if you missed this excellent release from Terry Cavanagh, now is a great time to jump in. Just like Balatro, it uses a roguelike structure, where your progress resets after every death, but every run is different. Here, the goal is to explore dungeons by fighting monsters and collecting loot, which is all done through an engrossing deckbuilding mechanic. Also, for some reason, you play as a die. If nothing else, it’s a great entry point to an intimidating genre. Image: Square Enix Final Fantasy IV (3D Remake) Plus Apple Arcade is slowly becoming a pretty good place for roleplaying games, and now that includes the Final Fantasy series. First up is the 3D remake of Final Fantasy IV, one of the most beloved entries in the long-running series, along with its direct sequel, The After Years. Square Enix has done a pretty solid job of porting RPGs of late, so the mobile versions are well suited for your phone. Even better: the original Final Fantasy is coming to Apple Arcade in January, in all its pixelated glory. NFL Retro Bowl ‘25 Retro Bowl (and its soccer sibling Retro Goal) is a very straightforward experience. It’s designed to bring the joyous simplicity of old-school sports games to modern smartphones. That means pixel art graphics, streamlined gameplay, and no fussing about with always-online features. The latest edition is no different, except that it has an NFL license, so you can enjoy that classic experience while controlling real football teams composed of real football players. The developers at New Star Games have also done a great job of keeping it updated since it launched in September. Outlanders 2 Perhaps the biggest Apple Arcade exclusive this year, this sequel is the follow-up to one of the most chill and beautiful city builders around. The new version of Outlanders has more detailed visuals, an evolving story campaign, and regular challenges for when you just need a quick fix. The sequel also brings the series to Macs, in addition to iOS and Apple TV. Image: Devolver Digital Return to Monkey Island Plus It was a long wait for a proper Monkey Island sequel, but it was worth it. The point-and-click adventure sees original creative duo Ron Gilbert and Dave Grossman return, and while it has a very different visual style, the game itself is classic Monkey Island. Which is to say, it’s hilarious and full of all kinds of oddball puzzles to solve. This time, the game has also been streamlined to get rid of some of the more annoying aspects of the genre, with features like a hint system to keep you from getting really stuck. Vampire Survivors Plus You really need to play Vampire Survivors to get it — but once you do, it’s hard to put down. The survival game starts out slowly, as you attempt to kill as many undead creatures before they overwhelm you. But over time, you’ll unlock new characters and abilities, allowing you to take on ridiculously large groups of enemies. This cycle continues for a long time, with a huge number of things to unlock to progress through the many, many levels. Image: Gamious Words in Progress Daily puzzle games are everywhere now following the breakout success of Wordle, and this is Apple Arcade’s best current entry. Words In Progress is a bit like a single-player take on Scrabble. You’re presented with a vertical list of letters, which you have to combine to create words in the hope of getting a high score. It’s one of those seemingly simple concepts that has a lot of replayability, helped along by multiple modes, including multiplayer and daily challenges to take on. Source Hope you enjoyed this news post. Thank you for appreciating my time and effort posting news every day for many years. 2023: Over 5,800 news posts | 2024 (till end of November): 5,298 news posts RIP Matrix | Farewell my friend

Apple has released major updates for iOS 18 and iPadOS. Version 18.2 is now available with new Apple Intelligence features, such as Genmoji, ChatGPT integration, Image Playground, and more. It also packs improvements for Photos, Mail, Safari, and other parts of the operating system. iOS 18.2 delivers some of the previously announced Apple Intelligence features. With the latest update, users can generate images in different styles based on text prompts, photos, and concepts. Also, the update lets you generate custom emojis right from the stock keyboard. If you need a very specific emoji that is not available by default, describe it to your iPhone, and it will generate it for you. Another big part of iOS 18.2 is ChatGPT integration with Siri and Writing Tools. Siri can request information from ChatGPT to provide you with additional information or answer your questions. An important note is that you do not need an OpenAI account, albeit Apple lets you sign in with one if you want to access additional features. Besides new Apple Intelligence features, Apple is expanding the availability to more countries. English-speaking customers in Australia, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, South Africa, and the UK can now access Apple Intelligence on compatible devices. Users with the iPhone 16, iPhone 16 Plus, iPhone 16 Pro, and iPhone 16 Pro Max can now enjoy more Camera Control features. Visual Intelligence now lets you capture something with your iPhone and ask Google or ChatGPT about the subject. Also, Camera Control now supports a two-stage shutter for focus and exposure control. Other improvements in iOS and iPadOS 18.2 include Mail categorization, the ability to scrub frame-by-frame in the Photos app, new backgrounds for Safar, the option to import or export browsing data from and to Safari, natural language search in Apple Music, favorite categories in Podcasts, and more. Here is the list of compatible iOS 18.2-compatible iPhones: With Apple Intelligence Without Apple Intelligence iPhone 16 Pro and Pro Max iPhone 16 and Plus iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max iPhone 15 and Plus iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max iPhone 14 and Plus iPhone 13 Pro and Pro Max iPhone 13 and mini iPhone 12 Pro and Pro Max iPhone 12 and mini iPhone 11 Pro and Pro Max iPhone 11 iPhone XS and XS Max iPhone XR iPhone X iPhone SE 2nd and 3rd gen And here is the list of compatible iPads: With Apple Intelligence Without Apple Intelligence iPad Pro 12.9" 5th gen and newer iPad Pro 11" 3rd gen and newer iPad Air M1 and newer iPad 7th gen and newer iPad mini 5th gen and newer iPad Air 4 and newer iPad Pro 11" 1st gen and newer iPad Pro 12.9" 3rd gen and newer You can install iOS 18.2 or iPadOS 18.2 by heading to Settings > General > Software Update. Source Hope you enjoyed this news post. Thank you for appreciating my time and effort posting news every day for many years. 2023: Over 5,800 news posts | 2024 (till end of November): 5,298 news posts RIP Matrix | Farewell my friend

Get ready to see a change to the Google Maps app. The buttons and other elements on the UI found on the bottom of the app currently have a blue accent. Because Google Maps is one of the native Android apps that doesn't offer Dynamic Color theming, a change can be made by Google that will replace one color accent with another one. Dynamic Color theming is the feature that allows an app to use the same color theme that matches the dominant hue of the wallpaper selected by the user. On social media platforms Android users have noticed that Google Maps now has a teal theme for certain elements of the app's UI. Some screenshots of the app now show the new color theme used on the Directions, Start, and other buttons near the bottom of the screen. The tabs on the bottom of the display that a user selects will show up in a small teal "lozenge." The new color theme will arrive on both Android and iOS phones via a server-side update. So far, very few Google Maps users on either platform have the new color theme in place. It has not yet hit my iPhone 15 Pro Max running iOS 18.2 beta 2 and my Pixel 6 Pro running Android 15 QPR2 beta 1. Current blue theme of Google Maps on the left with the new teal look on the right. | Image credit-9to5Google You might recall that in August of 2023, Google started testing different colors and different shades for the Maps app. For example, bodies of water started appearing as a lighter share of blue coming close to the color used by Apple Maps to represent ponds, lakes, and oceans. Parks and forests were designated using a darker green color. Colors used on roads were changed from white to gray and highways became a darker gray. The changes debuted last November. The current blue theme of Google Maps on the left with the new teal look on the right. | Image credit-9to5Google It isn't clear why Google decided to make this change and why it decided to go with teal. The new look does seem to bring some vibrancy to the app. Since this update will arrive via a server-side update, users won't have to do anything to receive it. You'll probably notice it when the update hits your phone since the current blue theming brings a "heavier" feel to the app. You can install Google Maps on your iPhone by tapping on this link. Android users without the Google Maps app installed should press this link to install the navigation and mapping app on their handset. Source Hope you enjoyed this news post. Thank you for appreciating my time and effort posting news every day for many years. 2023: Over 5,800 news posts | 2024 (till end of October): 4,832 news posts RIP Matrix | Farewell my friend

Apple introduced the iOS 18.2 beta last month, bringing a suite of AI and exciting features, including Genmoji, Image Playground, ChatGPT integration into Siri, and enhanced writing tools in various applications across iOS. The update also brought back the volume slider on the iPhone's lock screen and also lets EU users delete the App Store and more native apps from their iPhones. Now, as per the Power On newsletter, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman gives an interesting detail about the upcoming stable iOS 18.2 software update, and it packs some good news. According to Gurman, the update may arrive a bit earlier than expected, potentially as early as the week of December 2, barring any expected delays. Gurman writes, "The iOS 18.2 operating system update, which includes major improvements to Apple Intelligence and is likely to arrive on the earlier side of December, I’m told. How early? The week of Dec. 2, barring any unexpected delays." Apple may be quite eager to hand over the next wave of Apple Intelligence features to as many iPhones as possible since the iPhone 16 series is already out, and they were AI-less out of the box. Gurman also noted that the next iOS update will come in April and will introduce iOS 18.4. The iOS 18.4 update is expected to bring improvements to Siri letting the "digital assistant tap into people’s data and respond to queries based on the information on their screens." Additionally, the upcoming iOS 18.2 update may begin offering Apple Intelligence to localized English in the U.K., Ireland, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa. The April iOS 18.4 update is tipped to expand to the European Union. China is nowhere on the horizon for now, and it may not happen until iOS 19. Also, the Gemini chatbot may not arrive in iOS until next year, giving OpenAI an exclusive window since "it isn’t exactly paying for the technology." Source Hope you enjoyed this news post. Thank you for appreciating my time and effort posting news every day for many years. 2023: Over 5,800 news posts | 2024 (till end of October): 4,832 news posts RIP Matrix | Farewell my friend

To comply with the Digital Markets Act (DMA) in the European Union, Apple introduced a browser choice screen in iOS that allowed users to choose a default web browser from a list of options. This new browser choice screen was displayed when a user in the EU opened Safari on their iPhone for the first time. Apple is now expanding the browser choice screen to iPads running iPadOS 18.2 or above. In addition to expanding the browser choice screen to iPadOS, Apple is also making changes to the screen based on feedback from developers. The following design changes have been made to the browser choice screen in iOS 18.2 and iPadOS 18.2: Users will be able to select their default browser directly on the choice screen, without seeing descriptive information on the App Store product page for that browser. Browser descriptions on the choice screen will include the app subtitle from the browser’s App Store product page. Users will be able to review each browser’s App Store product page by tapping on the chevron to the right. Users will be required to scroll through the full list of browser options before setting a browser as default. If the chosen default browser is already on device, that browser will automatically open once chosen. If the chosen default browser is not already downloaded on device, the choice screen will show the selected browser’s download progress on the choice screen before automatically opening. If Safari is currently in the user’s Dock or on the first page of the Home Screen and the user selects a browser that is not currently installed on their device from the choice screen, the selected browser will replace the Safari icon in the user’s Dock or in the Home Screen. If the user selects a browser that is currently installed on their device from the choice screen but not on the first page of the Home Screen or the Dock, the selected browser will replace the Safari icon in the user’s Dock or in the Home Screen. If Safari is currently in the user’s Dock or on the first page of the Home Screen and the user had previously selected another other browser as their default from the choice screen before updating to iOS 18.2, they will be prompted once upon first launch of Safari about whether they want to swap Safari’s icon with the icon of their default browser. This is only if their default browser is not on the first page of the home screen or the Dock. Developers of browsers on the choice screen will have access to a new set of data about their browser’s performance on the choice screen. Developers should contact their Apple representative or [email protected] for more information. The updated browser choice screen will be displayed for users in the following countries in the European Union: Austria Belgium Bulgaria Croatia Cyprus Czechia Denmark Estonia Finland Greece Hungary Ireland Italy Latvia Lithuania Luxembourg Malta Netherlands Poland Portugal Romania Slovakia Slovenia Spain Sweden In addition to the browser choice screen changes, Apple is now allowing users to export their browser data from Safari Settings in the Settings app. This will allow users to install an alternative browser and import their data from Safari to continue their browsing experience without any issues. Browser vendors can support Safari import through the details provided in this link. The above changes are now available for testing with the recently released iOS 18.2 beta. Source Hope you enjoyed this news post. Thank you for appreciating my time and effort posting news every day for many years. 2023: Over 5,800 news posts | 2024 (till end of September): 4,292 news posts RIP Matrix | Farewell my friend

The Digital Markets Act (DMA) has forced the so-called "gatekeepers" to introduce changes to their policies allowing users to use their devices, the way they want. The European Consumer Organization (BEUC) has been pretty strict towards Apple, urging compliance with DMA's rules. As a result, Apple announced amendments to its policies, especially for EU users, the result of which can be seen in the recently rolled out iOS 18.2 update. Apple already allows EU users to delete native apps such as Calculator, Calendar, Music, and Notes. However, with iOS 18.2, EU users can now get rid of the App Store itself. In addition, they can also delete more of the native apps from their iPhones. This allows iPhone and iPad users to own their devices and make them function as they like. Do note that the iOS 18.2 update is still in beta and it started rolling out to developers on Wednesday. Reportedly, iOS users after installing the iOS 18.2 beta update in the EU can delete the App Store, Camera, Safari, Messages, and Photos. This change is to comply with DMA'a articles requiring tech companies to allow users to uninstall any app they want. In the EU, Apple users can now download third-party app stores to replace the native App Store, based on their preference. Notably, the company has introduced a new button in the Settings app for those who would like to get back to the App Store after deletion. Additionally, with iOS 18.2, global iPhone users are also getting some changes. Apple has added a new menu within the Settings app that makes it easier to change the default apps on the iPhone or iPad. Users now get the option to set default apps for email, messages, calls, web browser, password manager, and keyboard. On top of this, iOS 18.2 is also adding multiple new features, which were teased for months. Source and images: MacRumors Source Hope you enjoyed this news post. Thank you for appreciating my time and effort posting news every day for many years. 2023: Over 5,800 news posts | 2024 (till end of September): 4,292 news posts RIP Matrix | Farewell my friend

The iOS 18.1 update introduced a feature that you will be glad to know about. For the first time, Apple is letting users set a primary email address. This means that users will be able to change the primary email address associated with their Apple account. The primary email address is visible to other people when you share or collaborate on documents and other content. Previously, there was no way to change or remove the iCloud email address that you had set. You did get an option to set an alias to send emails from, but not the option to completely change it. According to MacRumors, users will be able to change their Apple account email address directly from the iPhone's Settings app. It was possible to change the primary email address, but only if you removed the connected email address from your account. To set or change your primary email address, head to the Settings app, tap on your name, and choose "Sign In & Security." Here, tap on the relevant email address, and you will see a button called "Change Email Address." Tapping on this button will allow you to change your iCloud email address. Do note that Apple has said that you will not receive future emails on your old @iCloud.com or @me.com email addresses once you have changed them. However, you can continue to use them as your iCloud alias to send or receive emails. Also, the old emails won't be functional on Facetime or iMessage. It is a nifty feature, especially for those who might have created an Apple account decades ago or for those who aren't that happy with the email address that you might have chosen back then. Source RIP Matrix | Farewell my friend Hope you enjoyed this news post. Thank you for appreciating my time and effort posting news every day for many years. 2023: Over 5,800 news posts | 2024 (till end of September): 4,292 news posts

Gmail's summary cards provide helpful information about orders and deliveries at the top of an email, and they are supported in the Gmail app for Android, iPhone, and iPad. Today, Google announced that it is making big improvements to summary cards in Gmail. Google has refreshed the summary cards' UI and now displays new action buttons in addition to the information previously shown. Examples of action buttons include "Get directions," "Invite others," "Track package," "Check in," "Remind me," or "Mark as paid." Also, the new summary cards are dynamic, so you will always have the latest information. The updated summary cards will be displayed for the following email categories: Purchases: Track packages, view order details, and easily find what you ordered. Events: See or add upcoming events to your calendar, invite others, or find directions with ease. Bills: View and pay bills, get reminded to pay later, or add a due date in Google Tasks. Travel: Manage reservations, check in for flights, and view important travel details like the hotel's check-out time. In addition to summary cards in individual emails, Google is announcing the new "Happening soon" section at the top of inboxes. For now, only purchase summary cards are supported in the "Happening soon" section. This new section will display all purchase summary cards in a stack if you have multiple delivery emails. You can expand, dismiss, or click the cards to open the related email. Google is rolling out the updated purchase summary cards to individual emails on Android and iOS. Event, bill, and travel summary cards and the "Happening soon" feature will be rolled out in the coming months. In the future, you can expect all four card categories in individual emails, the "Happening soon" section, and even Gmail search. With these new features, users can quickly access key details and take action without having to search through their Gmail inboxes. Source: Google Source RIP Matrix | Farewell my friend Hope you enjoyed this news post. Thank you for appreciating my time and effort posting news every day for many years. 2023: Over 5,800 news posts | 2024 (till end of September): 4,292 news posts

Microsoft is reportedly working hard on a revamped version of its Copilot app for iOS [and iPadOS] and Android mobile devices. According to Tom Warren's Notepad newsletter on The Verge, according to his unnamed sources at Microsoft, one of the features of the upcoming Copilot mobile app is that it will actually read news to you as if you were listening to a radio news reporter. The email newsletter adds that the newsreader feature in the upcoming Copilot mobile revamp will even include music as the AI-based newsreader gives you the headlines. Other aspects of the upcoming Copilot app revamp, according to Warren, will include the app using a card-based user interface. This is supposed to get users to interact with the app more than the current version. The new UI will also show users a list of topics that could help to cut down the amount of typing needed to interact with the Copilot chatbot. The interface will be designed to give each user a unique experience, based not only on each user's interest but also their history with chatting with Copilot. According to the Notepad newsletter, the new Copilot mobile app is already very polished. However, there's no word on when the Copilot app will get this big update for iOS and Android. Keep in mind that Microsoft has not officially confirmed any plans to launch a new version of the Copilot app. It's possible that the company could decide to make changes to its current Copilot update plans before the app is officially announced and released. Last week, Microsoft reveals a number of new features for Copilot users, including automated Copilot Agents that can be made in Copilot Studio, a new Copilot Pages experience, and new data protection features for people who use Copilot at work or at school. Earlier this week, Microsoft stated that in October, it would add web search query citations for Copilot answers. Source RIP Matrix | Farewell my friend Hope you enjoyed this news post. Thank you for appreciating my time and effort posting news every single day for many years. 2023: Over 5,800 news posts | 2024 (till end of August): 3,792 news posts

Last week, Microsoft released Edge 129 on supported desktop platforms (Windows, macOS, and Linux). Now, version 129 is available on mobile devices, namely Android and iOS. Version 129.0.2792.58 fixes bugs, improves performance and brings other under-the-hood changes. Here are the details. Fixes bugs in Edge 129 for mobile devices include the following: There is also a separate list of "enhancements": Finally, here are general updates in Edge 129: You can download Microsoft Edge for iOS from the App Store (requires iOS or iPadOS 14 and newer). Edge for Android is available in the Google Play Store via this link (requires Android 8.0 and newer). Source RIP Matrix | Farewell my friend Hope you enjoyed this news post. Thank you for appreciating my time and effort posting news every single day for many years. 2023: Over 5,800 news posts | 2024 (till end of August): 3,792 news posts

Apple has released the latest information about the adoption rate of its mobile operating systems, giving developers precise figures about iOS 17 and iPadOS 17 performance on all iPhones and iPads with access to the App Store and helping them to tailor their projects to reach as many users as possible. According to the developer.apple.com website, iOS 17 is installed on 66% of all iPhones that transacted on the App Store as of February 4, 2024. 23% still run iOS 16, and the remaining 11% are on iOS 15 and older. Apple also has separate stats for all the iPhones introduced in the last four years (iPhone 15, iPhone 14, iPhone 13, iPhone 12, and iPhone SE Series). As expected, iOS 17 is more popular in this segment, with 76% of all devices running the most recent versions. 20% of the recent iPhones are on IOS 16, and 4% on iOS 15 and older. Judging from the official stats, iPad users are more reluctant to upgrade their tablets to the most recent iPadOS version. Only 53% of registered devices are on iPadOS 17, while iPadOS 16 has 29%, and 18% are on older releases. As for the most recent iPads (released during the last four years), 61% run iPadOS 17, 29% run iPadOS 16, and 10% are on earlier versions. Interestingly, iOS 17 performs slower than iOS 16 one year ago, while iPadOS 17 outperforms iPadOS 16. Apple has already released several feature updates for iOS 17 and iPadOS 17. The latest version, 17.3, arrived a couple of weeks ago, bringing iPhone and iPad users a new wallpaper, collaborative playlists in Apple Music, Stolen Device Protection with extra security measures, and more. You can check out what is new in iOS 17.3 in our dedicated coverage. iOS 17 is available for all iPhones released in 2018 and later. Source

What if your whole life could fit inside a calendar grid? That’s what Amie is trying to figure out — and build into a single app. There’s another company vying to be the place you go to manage your time. It’s called Amie, and it’s one of the best-looking calendar apps I’ve used. It’s available today for iOS, Mac, and the web after four years in development and many months in beta testing. I’ve been using it off and on for a long time, and I like it a lot. The first thing that drew me to Amie was that it’s set up to be a combination of a task list and a calendar. You have lists of tasks in the left sidebar, and you then drag tasks into the calendar to give them a time slot. Each calendar event is like its own task, too, and you can check them off as you go through your day. A lot of smart productivity people will tell you that time blocking is the best strategy for being productive and that the best way to make sure you get something done is to put it on your calendar. Amie incentivizes good behavior on that front, and I like having a view of my time and my tasks right next to each other. Amie’s also one of the best-designed calendar apps you’ll find. It’s clean and simple by default, hiding a lot of the ugly metadata that comes with a calendar. It’s easy to share your calendar with someone for scheduling purposes or duplicate a meeting if you want to have another one next week. The mobile app defaults to a really nice split view, with events up top and tasks on the bottom, and you can swipe up or down to see more of something. Of the apps I’ve tested, only Cron (which is now Notion Calendar) can match Amie aesthetically. But look: it’s a calendar app. It shows your days on a grid, lets you join calls, you get the idea. There are a million calendar apps out there, and odds are, you use either Outlook or Google Calendar and you’re reasonably happy with it. So I ask Dennis Muller, Amie’s founder and CEO, why he’s building a calendar app. He tells me he didn’t really mean to. What became Amie actually started with an idea about maps. “The initial spark came from this one sentence: how would Google Maps look if it was designed to reach personal goals?” (Who said this sentence, Muller doesn’t say.) “Not like ‘New York to Boston,” he continues, “but ‘I know nothing about music and I want to play the saxophone.’” In a sense, it’s simple: play the saxophone an hour a day for a year, and you’ll get good. But where do you plan and track that progress? The more he thought, the more the answer was obvious: your calendar. So Muller set out to build a calendar app. What he’s building now, he says, is a combination of calendar, journal, and full-on productivity suite. Muller wants Amie to be a place you can go back to to remember your life, to know what was going on, what you were doing, what happened at any moment on any day. And he wants to help people plan and do everything in their lives, not just the meetings they have to go to. Muller also imagines the calendar as a sort of social network. “The question we pose to ourselves is, what would happen if your 10-15 closest friends had at least free / busy access to your calendar?” he asks. What if, he wonders, you even gave your friends the ability to add stuff to your calendar without your permission? He thinks calendar sharing could help people connect and coordinate more easily and even discover new things to do together. It’s an idea much like the one Daybridge has been thinking about for the last couple of years: how do you turn calendars from a business tool into a part of everyone’s everyday lives that not only tells you where to be but also tells you something about your time there? The app already shows small bits of all this ambition. You can share your calendar with anyone you like and quickly see your favorite contacts’ calendars on something of a speed dial. You can connect Amie to Spotify and log which songs you were listening to throughout the day; you can sync it with Apple Health and log your workouts and meditations or even see your heart rate spike during a particularly stressful meeting. Amie is also launching an email client inside of its calendar app, based on the theory that a lot of your email is about time: scheduling stuff, appointment confirmations, and more. It’s not going to replace Outlook or Mimestream, but Muller sees it as another way to tackle some of your inbox. “Snoozing an email is scheduling it, right?” Muller says. So on your calendar it goes! Amie’s plan is to integrate with many more of these services you interact with all day, build some more social and tracking features into the app directly, and become a running repository of all the stuff that makes up your life. When I point out that, okay, email makes sense to have adjacent to your calendar because it’s a time-centric thing, but you could say the same for notes and spreadsheets and the Kindle app and video chat clients and basically everything else, Muller just smiles. “We try to do embarrassingly much,” he says. He thinks it might be fun to build some of those other things, integrate with others, and just sort of see what happens. Muller says a few times in our conversation that Amie’s development has been anything but linear and straightforward, that there’s a real just-try-stuff energy to the company. He uses the phrase “fuck around and find out feature” to describe a lot of the things he wants to build. Maybe that’s why Amie took four years to launch. But maybe, he hopes, that’ll also be what makes it special. For now, Amie will appeal mostly to power calendar-ers like me, who are forever looking for slightly better ways to manage their time. Amie’s charging a subscription fee, and Muller says he expects most of Amie’s revenue to come from corporate use. But ultimately, the company hopes to break out of the nine-to-five. Because it thinks your calendar should be much more than a list of meetings. Source

Microsoft has formally announced the recently spotted Copilot apps for Android and iOS. Copilot mobile apps are now official as a part of today's feature drop for Microsoft's AI-powered assistant. Microsoft says the new Copilot apps for iOS and Android give customers access to the power of Copilot on the go. You can sign in with your Microsoft account and sync chats across devices, continue conversations started earlier, and use most of Copilot's "magical capabilities" on a smaller screen. Supported features also include access to GPT-4, DALLE-3 image generator, and the ability to upload pictures from your phone into conversations with Copilot. Future additions and upgrades will be available on mobile as well. In addition to dedicated Copilot apps, Microsoft will soon launch an updated Microsoft 365 app with access to Copilot for individuals with Microsoft accounts, allowing you to interact with Copilot without leaving the app and exporting the content of your conversations into Word or PDF documents. However, if you want to use Copilot for drafting documents directly in Word or summarizing emails in Outlook, prepare to pay since those capabilities are part of Copilot Pro, a $20/mo subscription. Other Copilot-related announcements include updates for commercial users (no more minimum seat requirement), Copilot GPTs focusing on specific topics, and the upcoming ability to build your own Copilot GPT using a simple set of prompts. You can download the new Copilot app for Android from the Google Play Store. Those using iPhones and iPads can get the same app from the App Store using this link. The Microsoft 365 app is available here (Android) and here (iOS). Interestingly, Copilot is also available on mobile via the Microsoft Edge browser, which recently got the new "AI Browser" name. Now you have a new way to interact with Copilot without switching from Chrome, Safari, or other mobile browsers. Source

Apple has released a new feature update for iOS 17-compatible iPhones and iPads. Version 17.4 is now available for download, and it includes several new features, such as extra emoji, Apple Podcasts transcriptions, various fixes, and EU-specific changes that make Apple's phones and tablets compliant with the EU's Digital Markets Act. Here are the release notes: Here are the EU-specific changes that allow installing apps from alternative stores, selecting a default browser during the initial setup, using alternative payment options, and more: You can update your iPhone or iPad to iOS 17.4 by heading to Settings > General > Software Update. iOS 17 supports iPhone XS/XS and newer. Supported iPads include iPad mini 5 and newer, iPad 6th generation and newer, iPad Air 4 and newer, iPad Pro 11-inch 1st generation and newer, and iPad Pro 13-inch 3rd generation and newer. Source

Neowin recently covered the fact that Brave 1.63 brings support for Native SegWit Bitcoin accounts in Brave wallet. Another new feature in this update is the ability to enable Leo AI on the Android version of Brave. Leo is a pretty handy AI you can use to ask questions, summarize pages, translate pages, and create content right from the address bar and within the web page while respecting user privacy. The company said that Brave Leo for Android is going to be made available for all users on Brave 1.63 over the next few days. If you don’t see Leo yet, that’ll be because it’s being rolled out in phases over the next few days. To see if you have it, just open the address bar and look for the “Ask Leo” option once you’ve started typing. To have Leo interact with web pages, just press the three-dot menu and then tap Leo to begin. You can learn more about Brave Leo from its product page. Brave Leo lets you pick from three LLMs: Mixtral 8x7B, Claude Instant, and Llama 2 13B. For users on the free core tier, there will be rate limits that vary based on the model you choose (Llama has the highest rate limit). If you decide you need higher rate limits, there’s an option to subscribe to Leo Premium for $14.99 per month; this can be used on five devices. One of the biggest issues with AI is privacy; many of them, like ChatGPT, store your inputs, unless otherwise instructed, for them to be trained on. Brave, as a privacy browser, is taking a different approach with Leo: Brave Leo is now available on all platforms except iOS. Users of Brave on iPhone needn’t worry, however, because the team is hard at work and says that Brave Leo for iOS will be ready in the coming weeks. Source: Brave Source

A new iOS and Android trojan named 'GoldPickaxe' employs a social engineering scheme to trick victims into scanning their faces and ID documents, which are believed to be used to generate deepfakes for unauthorized banking access. The new malware, spotted by Group-IB, is part of a malware suite developed by the Chinese threat group known as 'GoldFactory,' which is responsible for other malware strains such as 'GoldDigger', 'GoldDiggerPlus,' and 'GoldKefu.' Group-IB says its analysts observed attacks primarily targeting the Asia-Pacific region, mainly Thailand and Vietnam. However, the techniques employed could be effective globally, and there's a danger of them getting adopted by other malware strains. Starts with social engineering attacks The distribution of Gold Pickaxe started in October 2023 and is still ongoing. It is considered part of a GoldFactory campaign that began in June 2023 with Gold Digger. Campaign timeline (Group-IB) Victims are approached through phishing or smishing messages on the LINE app that are written in their local language, impersonating government authorities or services. The messages attempt to trick them into installing fraudulent apps, such as a fake 'Digital Pension' app hosted on websites impersonating Google Play. Malicious app hosted on a fake Google Play websiteSource: Group-IB For iOS (iPhone) users, the threat actors initially directed targets to a TestFlight URL to install the malicious app, allowing them to bypass the normal security review process. When Apple remove the TestFlight app, the attackers switched to luring targets into downloading a malicious Mobile Device Management (MDM) profile that allows the threat actors to take control over devices. iOS infection chainSource: Group-IB Gold Pickaxe capabilities Once the trojan has been installed onto a mobile device in the form of a fake government app, it operates semi-autonomously, manipulating functions in the background, capturing the victim's face, intercepting incoming SMS, requesting ID documents, and proxying network traffic through the infected device using 'MicroSocks.' On iOS devices, the malware establishes a web socket channel to receive the following commands: Heartbeat: ping command and control (C2) server init: send device information to the C2 upload_idcard: request the victim to take an image of their ID card face: request the victim to take a video of their face upgrade: display bogus “device in use” message to prevent interruptions album: sync photo library date (exfiltrate to a cloud bucket) again_upload: retry exfiltration of victim's face video to the bucket destroy: stop the trojan The results of executing the above commands are communicated back to the C2 via HTTP requests. Possible bank fraud strategySource: Group-IB Group-IB says the Android version of the trojan performs more malicious activities than in iOS due to Apple's higher security restrictions. Also, on Android, the trojan uses over 20 different bogus apps as cover. For example, GoldPickaxe can also run commands on Android to access SMS, navigate the filesystem, perform clicks on the screen, upload the 100 most recent photos from the victim's album, download and install additional packages, and serve fake notifications. Face capturing interfaceSource: Group-IB The use of the victims' faces for bank fraud is an assumption by Group-IB, also corroborated by the Thai police, based on the fact that many financial institutes added biometric checks last year for transactions above a certain amount. It is essential to clarify that while GoldPickaxe can steal images from iOS and Android phones showing the victim's face and trick the users into disclosing their face on video through social engineering, the malware does not hijack Face ID data or exploit any vulnerability on the two mobile OSes. Biometric data stored on the devices' secure enclaves is still appropriately encrypted and completely isolated from running apps. Source

Apple aims to improve iPhone's AI capabilities with iOS 18. To achieve this, the company is in talks with OpenAI and Google. Recently, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman claimed that Apple is close to an agreement with OpenAI to bring ChatGPT to the iPhone. According to Mark Gurman, Apple is very close to finalizing an agreement with OpenAI. While how ChatGPT would be implemented remains unclear, this deal would enable Apple to integrate AI features into iOS 18. Sources close to Apple say that negotiations with OpenAI are progressing well. Apple wanted to reach an agreement with other artificial intelligence companies during this process. Most importantly, according to Bloomberg, there are talks with Google about licensing the Gemini chatbot. However, it has not reached an agreement so far. Apple's CEO Tim Cook has previously said that he personally uses ChatGPT. However, he emphasized that some concerns need to be addressed before implementing such technologies into Apple's ecosystem. Meanwhile, recent rumors are surfacing that iOS 18 will include AI transcription and summarization. This feature will see the primary benefit within Notes and Voice Memos. The feature will be in real-time and system-wide within iOS 18, iPadOS 18, and macOS 15. The introduction of AI power into Apple's ecosystem has been a matter of 'when' rather than 'if' given the progress that has been made by its competitors, such as Microsoft with Copilot and Google with Gemini. Apple's annual WWDC, scheduled for June 2024, is anticipated to be the stage for unveiling these new AI features. Apple will share more information about WWDC 24 in the coming weeks. On the other hand, OpenAI did announce it will be streaming some announcements on May 13 related to ChatGPT and GPT-4 updates. However, Sam Altman later posted a message on his X account that stated a search engine would not be among those announcements, nor would it be something related to GPT-5. Source: Bloomberg Source

There is a lot of buzz surrounding the AI features that are rumored to be incoming with iOS 18. Previously, it was reported that the first set of AI features, or core features, developed by Apple rather than a third party in iOS 18 will run locally on an iPhone. Now a fresh leak reveals how Apple's AI efforts will transform most of its core or first-party applications with iOS 18. In a detailed leak, Apple Insider has revealed that AI-powered upgrades that Apple is planning will be applied across all its core apps, including Safari, Spotlight Search, Siri, Mail, and Messages. These AI-powered features will elevate the user experience while preserving the one thing Apple has been known for, i.e., privacy. Correlating with the previous news of AI features running locally on an iPhone, Apple's major feature in its AI arsenal is a lightning-fast, on-device complete sentence response generation feature. Reportedly called 'Ajax' LLM, Apple's framework will analyze the text input at fast speeds and will offer multiple responses ranked by accuracy and relevancy. The Ajax LLM's feature of analyzing keywords and phrases at lightning speed will be a key element for producing text summaries for not only Safari but for Messages as well. Apple's upcoming Safari 18 update is also expected to introduce a new 'Intelligent Search' feature. This would allow users to generate concise summaries of web pages quickly and easily. Apple's AI model also features remarkable integration with the apps, allowing it to pull information from saved contacts and calendars to craft contextually correct responses, which will also benefit Siri. However, do note that higher-level tasks like creative text generation and in-depth response generation could still rely on cloud processing, which aligns with previous news where it was reported that Apple is currently eyeing a partnership with OpenAI and Google to bring AI features to iPhones. Apple Insider further notes that Apple is still developing its AI models to cut down on the dependency on cloud-based processing, showing a clear dedication to user privacy. This would ensure that private user information remains protected. Apple is expected to unveil these AI features at the WWDC event later this year. Source