Apple releases iOS 12.3.1 and a supplemental update for macOS 10.14.5
Enlarge/ From left to right: the iPhone 8, the iPhone XS, the iPhone XR, and the iPhone XS Max.
Samuel Axon
Just a little over a week after iOS 12.3 hit iPhones and iPads everywhere, Apple has released iOS 12.3.1—a minor update that fixes a couple bugs. Earlier this week, Apple also released a supplemental update for macOS 10.14.5 to fix issues with the T2 chip on some MacBook Pros, addressing a common user complaint.
The iOS update primarily focused on fixing some issues with the Messages app. More specifically, it addresses a bug that prevented the “report junk” option from appearing on applicable threads and another one that made unknown senders appear in your main inbox when they shouldn’t. Additionally, it addresses an issue that affected VoLTE calls.
Apple’s patch notes for iOS 12.3.1 are as follows:
iOS 12.3.1 includes bug fixes for your iPhone and iPad. This update:
Fixes an issue that could prevent making or receiving VoLTE calls
Fixes issues in Messages that could cause messages from unknown senders to appear in your conversation list even though Filter Unknown Senders is enabled
Fixes an issue that could prevent the Report Junk link from appearing in Messages threads from unknown senders
As usual, the small release also includes some supplemental security updates, which are detailed on Apple’s support website.
On the macOS side, Apple’s support documentation is unhelpfully vague. It suggests the update focused on fixing an issue related to the T2 chip in newer MacBook Pro computers. A minority of members of various communities of MacBook Pro users have blamed the T2 chip for a few issues, most notably sound problems with certain pro audio devices. Music producers are among Apple’s core audience for the laptops.
It’s unclear which T2-related problems Apple has fixed here, but the update is available now, and it also has an accompanying list of security changes.
Apple is expected to reveal details about much bigger changes coming in iOS 13 and macOS 10.15 at its WWDC “special event” in San Jose on June 3.
https://arstechnica.com/?p=1510703
To protect users’ privacy, iOS 12.2 will limit Web apps’ access to iPhone’s sensors
The beta for iOS 12.2 contains a change to mobile Safari that could have implications for the advertising and marketing worlds, as well as for Web-based augmented or virtual reality more generally.
In the beta, a toggle labeled “Motion & Orientation Access” exists in the Safari privacy settings panel. This toggle determines whether sites visited in the mobile Safari browser will be able to access the iPhone, iPod touch, or iPad’s gyroscope or accelerometer. This setting currently defaults to “off,” which means users would have to have the foresight to navigate to the Settings app and enable it before being able to use AR experiences from the Web.
Two Apple employees on Twitter elaborated on the change. Apple software engineer Ricky Mondello wrote in a tweet thread recounting the various notes in the Safari 12.1 release for iOS:
Safari 12.1 (iOS): “Added Motion & Orientation settings on iOS to enable the DeviceMotionEvent and DeviceOrientationEvent events.”
We asked for the ability to gate the feature with a user permission, for privacy reasons. Apparently the answer was no. That leaves no option but to turn it off by default for browsers that care about this kind of privacy.
However, when a Digiday reporter reached out to Wilander on Twitter for confirmation and clarification, he deferred to Apple PR, which has not yet provided a statement.
It’s important to note that these discussions refer to projects in progress within Apple, and the company’s approach or plans may change in the future. Apple could decide to change the default setting to “on,” or the company could later add permission prompts within the browser to enable it for lower friction.
The addition may have been made in response to a Wiredarticle that revealed many Web apps had access to device’s motion data without users’ knowledge.
Advertisers and marketers are cited in an article on the subject on Digiday saying they are concerned that because most users will not think to enable access, this decision will cause insurmountable friction for future AR-based marketing activations. There have been several such activations for major film releases and the like, though these sorts of activations often have very low actual engagement. They are usually intended more to gain positive headline coverage from the tech and advertising press than to actually make a major dent amongst consumers.
This is far from the first time Apple has frustrated advertisers with privacy-oriented changes in Safari. But Apple has generally been bullish on the potential of augmented reality, making it a major focus in mobile hardware and software over the past couple of years. Further, reports in Bloomberg and other publications have repeatedly described a large team working within Apple on an AR glasses consumer product that could launch as soon as 2020.
Today, Bloomberg reported that that project’s lead executive has left the company, but there has nevertheless been no indication that the company has stopped working on the product. Apple still employs a large and growing AR-focused workforce.
https://arstechnica.com/?p=1451055
Bloomberg report reveals details about iOS 13, plus iPhones and iPads through 2020
Enlarge/ From left to right: the iPhone 8, the iPhone XS, the iPhone XR, and the iPhone XS Max.
Samuel Axon
Bloomberg reporters Mark Gurman and Debby Wu, who have a track record of accurately reporting major Apple product features before they are announced, published a new report today describing features in 2020’s iPhones and iPad Pros, as well as some new features expected in iOS 13 and new iPhones later this year. They also added to a growing number of reports that claim an updated base iPad and a long-awaited iPad mini follow-up are expected this spring.
Citing several people familiar with Apple’s plans, Bloomberg wrote that Apple plans to add a rear-facing 3D camera to the iPhone and iPad Pro. The 3D camera will scan the environment and create 3D models of it in a similar way to how the front-facing TrueDepth camera on recent iPhones scans a user’s face and tracks their expressions, but it would use a laser scanner instead of the dot-projection technology in current iPhones. This is because the dot-projection tech is not suitable to longer ranges; the new rear-facing 3D cameras would have a range of up to 15 feet.
The camera would add useful depth-sensing data to photos and make augmented reality applications more powerful and more accurate, which Apple has made a major priority internally and in its communications with app developers.
This new 3D-sensing array would come to both an updated iPad Pro and the 2020 iPhones, with the iPad Pro likely arriving first, in spring of 2020.
Apple has invested heavily in augmented reality, and we’ve seen well-sourced rumors that it is working hard on augmented reality glasses. Those were mentioned again in this Bloomberg article, but no new information was provided. Apple is looking for the next big device rife for innovation and market dominance, and we’ve written before that by focusing so much on AR in iPhones, the company is laying the groundwork for that eventual product rollout should it occur. Apple is putting itself in a strong position to compete if AR takes off in the future.
Per prior reports, Apple might plan to introduce 5G to the iPhone and iPad Pro in 2020 as well.
2019 iPhones and iPads
Bloomberg’s sources revealed a small number of details about the new iPhones coming in 2019, too, as well as what we can expect from the iPad line and iOS 13 this year.
The iPhone XR, iPhone XS, and iPhone XS Max will all see direct successors late this year, according to the sources. It looks like hardware updates to these products will be relatively minor, though. Predictably, a faster follow-up to Apple’s A12 system-on-a-chip is expected in the new phones. The report states that “the larger of the new high-end iPhones” will also feature “a third, more advanced camera.” But whether that means just the follow-up to the iPhone XS Max or the iPhone XR as well, as both of those phones are larger than the iPhone XS, is not clear. The company also says that smaller handsets could get that third camera after 2019.
The third camera would enable better zoom features, a larger field of view, and a higher resolution. This will likely play into Apple’s image processing technology as well. All three new phones will have an updated TrueDepth sensor with improved Face ID, but the report did not specify exactly how the feature will improve.
The biggest potential looks to be a move from Apple’s proprietary Lightning port to growing industry-standard USB-C—a shift that already occurred in last year’s iPad Pro update. This would be a welcome change, but it does not sound like it’s a certain one. The article simply says that Apple is “testing some versions of this year’s iPhone line” that use USB-C without indicating that the company has settled on that path.
The report did not say anything about a successor to the smaller, more affordable iPhone SE, which was discontinued last year.
On the iPad side of things, Gurman and Wu cited sources saying, once again, that Apple plans to update the non-Pro iPad this spring and that it will move to a 10-inch display and a faster CPU. This is not the first reputable report to say that, so it’s looking more likely. Like those other reports, Bloomberg’s story also says Apple plans to update the iPad mini, which has not been changed since 2015. No details were provided on how that device might change this time around. This report didn’t mention it, but some other stories on the Web have said that Apple will introduce an update to the iPod touch as well.
iOS 13
Finally, there’s Apple’s iOS software, which powers iPhones, iPads, and iPod touches. Apple positioned iOS 12 as an update focused on stability, performance, and bug fixes, and we generally found it met those goals in our review—even though a few worrying new bugs have been discovered since the software first launched. However, it did not add many ambitious new features. That is expected to change in iOS 13.
According to Bloomberg’s sources, Apple will deliver a long-desired revamp to the home screen in iOS 13. Except for the additions of folders and more real estate, as well as a few new gesture or 3D touch interactions, the home screen has not changed in a significant way since it was first introduced in 2007. However, the report specifically lists the home screen update under improvements to the iPad, so it’s not clear if they are also expected on the iPhone. Other planned iPad improvements in iOS 13 include “the ability to tab through multiple versions of a single app like pages in a Web browser” and file-management improvements. We’re hoping the latter addresses the serious limitation in 2018’s iPad Pro that prevents OS-wide access to files on external drives connected via USB-C.
Apple also plans improvements to CarPlay in iOS 13, as well as a macOS Mojave-like Dark Mode. iOS 13 and the new iPhones would also come with an updated version of Live Photos, which would become six seconds long instead of three seconds.
https://arstechnica.com/?p=1448875
Apple releases macOS 10.14.3, iOS 12.1.3, watchOS 5.1.3, and tvOS 12.1.2
Apple pushed software updates for macOS and iOS today. They are minor releases that simply offer a few bug fixes and security updates, with no new features—and there are no new features in any of the beta releases for these versions of the operating systems, either.
iOS 12.1.3 fixes a scrolling bug in Messages, an iPad Pro-specific audio bug, and a graphical error in some photos, and it addresses some CarPlay disconnects experienced by owners of the three new iPhone models released in late 2018. It also fixes two minor bugs related to the company’s HomePod smart speaker.
Apple’s release notes for iOS 12.1.3 are as follows:
iOS 12.1.3 includes bug fixes for your iPhone or iPad. This update:
Fixes an issue in Messages that could impact scrolling through photos in the Details view
Addresses an issue where photos could have striped artifacts after being sent from the Share Sheet
Fixes an issue that may cause audio distortion when using external audio input devices on iPad Pro (2018)
Resolves an issue that could cause certain CarPlay systems to disconnect from iPhone XR, iPhone XS, and iPhone XS Max
This release also includes bug fixes for HomePod. This update:
Fixes an issue that could cause HomePod to restart
Addresses an issue that could cause Siri to stop listening
This update improves the security, stability, and compatibility of your Mac and includes the following enterprise content: when making a file-sharing connection that uses a valid Kerberos TGT to authenticate, users are no longer prompted to enter credentials.
As always, Apple provides landing pages on its support site to dig into the specifics of security changes in its software updates—one page for iOS 12.1.3, and another for macOS 10.14.3.
The last iOS release—12.1.2—was also a big-fixing update, and it made some subtle changes related to a patent dispute with Qualcomm. The previous macOS release, 10.14.2, added real-time text support for Wi-Fi calls, fixed an AirPlay bug, and made a small UI tweak to Safari related to the Apple News app added in the initial Mojave update.
Apple also released watchOS 5.1.3 and tvOS 12.1.2 today. Like the iOS and macOS updates, these are minor updates that fix a few bugs. For example, Apple’s notes for watchOS 5.1.3 simply state, “This update includes improvements and bug fixes.”
https://arstechnica.com/?p=1444767
iOS 12.0.1 arrives with fixes for a couple of early user complaints
Enlarge/ iOS 12 on an iPhone X. (credit: Samuel Axon)
Today, Apple released a minor update to iOS 12.
iOS 12.0.1 fixes a handful of early bugs users faced with September 17’s major release, most notably problems with WiFi connectivity and charging on new iPhones.
Some users of the newly released iPhone XS and iPhone XS Max discovered slower WiFi speeds than expected on their new devices. After digging deeper, users also discovered that the iPhone XS sometimes joined Wi-Fi networks that were available in both 2.4GHz and 5GHz bands in 2.4GHz even though the phones support 5GHz.
iOS 12 on the iPhone 5S, iPhone 6 Plus, and iPad Mini 2: It’s actually faster!
Enlarge/ iOS 12 is the rare update that actually noticeably improves performance across a range of older devices. (credit: Andrew Cunningham)
When we tested iOS 11 on the iPhone 5S, it was clear that it was slower than iOS 10 had been but that the iPhone 5S’ hardware was fast enough to keep everything usable. That’s especially true if you tempered your expectations: the phone was going on four years old at the time.
But at the time, some of you asked us to test a handful of other older iOS devices, particularly the A7-equipped iPad Air and Mini 2 and the A8-equipped iPhone 6 Plus. In the iPads, the same A7 CPU and GPU that powers the iPhone 5S’ screen has to adequately support a tablet with more than three times as many pixels. And the A8 in the 6 Plus draws a 2208×1242 image which is then downscaled to the phone’s 1080p screen; that means using a CPU that was around 25 percent faster than the A7 and a GPU that was only 50 percent faster to support a phone with 277 percent as many pixels.
The upshot is that those devices can often feel sluggish or laggy compared to subsequent models. Later Apple chips—from the A8X in the iPad Air 2 and the A9 in the iPhone 6S and 6S Plus onward, approximately—remain more than fast enough to run iOS 11 without any huge degradation of performance. But with iOS 12 this year, we’re testing an iPad Mini 2 and iPhone 6 Plus in addition to the old 5S to get an idea of how well Apple was able to improve the responsiveness of these older devices, many of which are still in use as secondary phones and tablets or hand-me-downs (or by people who just see no particular reason to upgrade).
Enlarge/ iOS 12 on an iPhone X. (credit: Samuel Axon)
Apple’s iOS 12 software update is available today for supported iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch devices, and on the surface, it looks like one of the smallest new iOS releases Apple has pushed out.
This isn’t a surprise; Apple said earlier this year that iOS 12 would be more about performance and stability than adding new features. Some major additions that were originally planned—like an overhauled home screen—were reportedly delayed to a later release.
And it’s also not a bad thing. Frankly, iOS 11 had some problems. Apple released several small updates in late 2017 and throughout 2018 to fix those problems, all while battling some frustrated customers’ perceptions that the company was deliberately making older devices obsolete to encourage new sales as overall smartphone sales slowed their growth industry-wide.
CUPERTINO, Calif.—The iPhone X is the new default iPhone. Sure, the new iPhone XS, XS Max, and XR all have Apple’s new, 7nm A12 Bionic chip, and two of them come in different sizes or different materials from before. But these phones are very much the next iteration of the new vision for the iPhone that Apple introduced on exactly the same day last year.
That means a heavy emphasis on TrueDepth, the Kinect-like augmented reality sensor array that powers Face ID, which is a new way of authenticating with phones with just your face. Apple believes TrueDepth’s best days are ahead of it and its watershed moment in terms of third-party app support has yet to happen. (Apple also believes that about augmented reality more generally.)
The new phones’ similarities to the iPhone X also include a nearly edge-to-edge display with rounded corners and a notch at the top. Despite being initially mocked, that notch has now become ubiquitous in the industry. They also sport glass backs that look lovely and enable wireless charging, even if they raise concerns about durability.
Apple released the seventh beta build of iOS 12 today. The update is focused on performance improvements on older devices—a tentpole promise of iOS 12—but the beta release notes reveal something unexpected about the public release of iOS 12 later this year: the Group FaceTime feature won’t make the cut.
Demonstrated prominently in Apple’s WWDC keynote event earlier this year, Group FaceTime would allow more than two people to participate in a FaceTime video call at once, with a presentation similar to that of longtime conference-call staple Google Hangouts. Apple has said Group FaceTime will support up to 32 simultaneous participants and that it will be supported on both macOS and iOS.
Apple’s iOS 12 beta 7 release notes (PDF) note the removal of Group FaceTime from the beta (and from the eventual public release) with the following:
iOS 12 introduced, to run on everything that runs iOS 11
(credit: Valentina Palladino)
SAN JOSE—iOS 12 is official, and, as predicted, it puts a heavy emphasis on improving performance and stability. At the same time, the latest iteration of Apple’s mobile OS is poised to bring a handful of noteworthy new features to iPhones and iPads as well.
The software update was announced during a keynote presentation at Apple’s annual Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC). A developer preview is available today, with a public beta scheduled for later in the month. A full release will then arrive in the fall.
Apple says the update will be available on all the same devices as the current iOS 11 release, which includes the iPhone 5s and later, every iPad released since the original iPad Air and iPad mini 2, and the 6th-generation iPod Touch.
