9to5Mac reports that a new version of iOS has silently added a system, “countryd,” that uses GPS, cellular and Wi-Fi data to verify which country you’re in. Apple may soon be forced to allow third-party app stores onto the iPhone in Europe, but not necessarily elsewhere. This could be a way to put location spoofers in their place — so to speak.
It’s really frustrating when your phone or laptop hits that 15 percent mark halfway through the day. But don’t always blame the battery — the responsibility may lie with the apps you’re using. Here’s how to check to see which apps are pulling the most power, and how you can (maybe) fix things.
Get your fresh and (mostly) security updates, both for anyone with a Google Pixel phone on Android 13, as well as folks running Apple devices on previous-generation software, like iOS 15 and macOS Big Sur or Monterey.
Google’s Android security notes are here, while Apple’s security notes for iOS / iPadOS 15.7.5, macOS 11.7.6, and macOS 12.6.5 show it addresses flaws fixed in last week’s iOS 16.4.1 update, which Apple says “may have been actively exploited” so you should update ASAP.
iOS 16.4 was a big update, but the follow-up seems mainly focused on minor fixes. The release notes say it squashes bugs that made it so the new “pushing hands” emojis (🫸 ) didn’t show skin tone options, and kept Siri from responding in some cases.
You can install it by going to Settings > General > Software Update.
