Over the past ten years, Apple’s iPhone has become the company’s most valuable —and recently, somewhat volatile— asset. Since its introduction in 2007, the iPhone helped to jumpstart the smartphone revolution, and with it came some big innovations. The App Store, touchscreen gaming, the mass adoption of social media, and protecting user data with biometrics. Its product lineup is enmeshed in Apple’s ecosystem, and the impact that it continues to have around the globe is vast.
Apple is announcing the new feature at WWDC 2024 on Monday, according to MacRumors. It would work with built-in apps like Mail, Notes, or Messages, adding another layer of security to the phone in addition to Apple’s Stolen Device Protection setting that rolled out last year.
The Android 15 beta has something similar in “private space,” a lockable section of the app drawer.
Journalist Veronica de Souza had her phone stolen and immediately replaced it, but the thieves very much wanted her to unlock her old iPhone as it was effectively useless without her password.
So they asked her to unlock. Repeatedly.
Sean Fletcher, a UI designer who makes skins for the Delta emulator for iOS, announced a series of Pride-themed skins (pictured in the gallery below).
You can pay what you want, but Fletcher says June 2024 proceeds from this particular set will go to Rainbow Railroad, a non-profit devoted to aiding LGBTQI+ people around the world who face persecution. Here’s a guide for installing Delta skins.
According to Mark Gurman, noted Apple whisperer, we can expect a Settings redesign in iOS 18. Which, have you seen the settings menu in iOS recently? It’s chaos. We’d already heard that MacOS 15 might come with a settings overhaul, but news of a possible iOS cleanup is music to my ears.
I’ve been intrigued by Rabbit’s so-called “large action model” that trains an AI assistant to use your favorite apps on your behalf. That didn’t quite work out with the Rabbit R1, but now Apple’s taking a crack with Siri according to Mark Gurman’s latest scoop.
The new system will allow Siri to take command of all the features within apps for the first time [...] using AI to analyze what people are doing on their devices and automatically enable Siri-controlled features. It will be limited to Apple’s own apps at the beginning, with the company planning to support hundreds of different commands.
So, I guess my colleague Allison Johnson was right, the future of AI gadgets is just phones.
There are some disheartening drawbacks like getting teased at school and being left out of group chats. But these teens were quick to point out some benefits of being smartphone-free, like having more time to spend with family or to read lots of books. As 17-year-old Greta put it: “I think I’m better adjusted.”
We’re expecting a bunch of AI features at WWDC, but phones can only run limited AI functions on-device. How will Apple square the need to process user data off-device with privacy?
According to The Information, the answer might be a “virtual black box.” By using custom M2 chips, it could claim user data remains just as secure as if it were processed on-device. That’s one way to think different.
Shazam now supports live activities on iOS, as spotted by 9to5Mac. If you have an iPhone with the Dynamic Island, you’ll see a helpful icon there once you invoke Shazam, indicating that it’s listening. This works even without the dedicated Shazam app.
You already knew your iPhone has Shazam built in, right? Putting that shortcut in the Control Center is one of my favorite iOS hacks.
Apple supply chain analyst Ming-Chi Kuo posted that the company plans to release the iPhone 16 Pro in “black, white (or silver), grey (I think it’s natural titanium), rose.”
The non-Pro models, he predicts, will come in the same hues as the iPhone 15 and 15 Plus, though he notes the colors could “look different,” despite having the same name.
Apple retail stores will offer a little more money for iPhone trade-ins in the US and Canada for people upgrading to the iPhone 15 series of phones from May 20th to June 3rd, according to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman.
He didn’t say what the new values will be. At the moment, the most Apple offers is $630 for an iPhone 14 Pro Max.
The EU’s DMA rules have resulted in the launch of two third-party app stores for iPhone owners: AltStore PAL last month and Setapp Mobile today.
With the release of iOS 17.5, companies like Spotify and Epic now have the option of distributing apps directly from their own websites as well, assuming Apple’s rules aren’t too onerous.
With less than a month to go before Apple details its AI plans at WWDC 2024, the company is “finalizing terms” to let ChatGPT use iOS 18 features, according to Bloomberg.
The release candidate signifies that Apple is wrapping up this round of betas before the update goes to everyone. It’s fairly minor for the US, adding things like Apple’s next Pride wallpaper and a new Apple News puzzle game.
It’s much more significant for the EU, where updated iPhones will now be able to download apps straight from the web.
