Reviews for the new Apple Watch Series 4 models went live this morning ahead of Friday's launch, and in a new press release, Apple has highlighted reviews from several members of the media who were able to spend some hands on time with the new Apple Watches.
Apple shared key review passages from a variety websites focused on tech, health, fitness, fashion, and lifestyle, including The New York Times, Women's Health, USA Today, Hodinkee, Men's Journal, TechCrunch, Vogue, Refinery29, The Independent, Wareable, MobileSyrup, Best Health, The Straits Times, and Vogue Australia.
Women's Health, for example, said features in the Series 4 make it a powerful device for overall well being that could save your life one day.
"The new Apple Watch health and fitness features make it a powerful device for your overall well-being. That's because game-changing bells and whistles have elevated the Apple Watch Series 4 from an investment-worthy health accessory to a sleek and beautiful device that actually might save your life."
The New York Times said the new model, which can take an ECG reading, is "one of the most significant developments in wearable gadgets in years," while The Independent said the speed improvements and new health features are noticeable "at every level."
"The design is just gorgeous and the bright, vivid display with its narrow, curved bezels, looks sensational. The uptick in performance power is noticeable at every level and the increased health qualities and fitness monitoring are hugely welcome. If you've held back from getting an Apple Watch because you thought it wasn't quite there yet, well, it is now."
Apple, of course, only focused on pulling out positive commentary on the Apple Watch Series 4 models, but reviews for the device were largely positive. Some reviewers didn't think it offered enough to entice Series 3 owners to upgrade, but said that it's more than worthwhile for anyone upgrading from an earlier Apple Watch model.
Anyone who has been considering holding out on purchasing an Apple Watch due to a lack of features or slow performance should also consider checking out the Apple Watch Series 4, according to reviewers, because it is faster, more efficient, and more feature rich than previous models.
Apple's full list of review selections can be seen in the article shared via Apple Newsroom, and more reviews can be found in our review roundup, shared this morning.
The Apple Watch Series 4 will be available starting this Friday, September 21. Customers who pre-ordered a device last week will begin receiving their orders on that day, and those who were not able to secure a pre-order may be able to purchase an Apple Watch from a retail store on launch day.
At this point in time, new Apple Watch Series 4 orders will not begin shipping out until October.
One of the new features in iOS 12 is an augmented reality app called Measure, which Apple has designed to make it easier for you to measure various real-world objects using 3D spatial detection techniques.
Open up the Measure app.
Follow the on-screen instructions and move your iPhone around the room so that it can get the dimensions of various objects.
Once it's calibrated, denoted by a white dot in a circle, you're ready to start measuring.
To take a measurement, line the white dot up with the corner of an object and then press the "+ button to create an anchor point.
From the anchor point, pan the iPhone over to the other edge of the object.
Press the "+" button again to get the final measurement of the line.
You can continue using this method to get the full dimensions of different objects in your room, with the ability to set multiple anchor points if desired.
Haptic feedback is included in the Measure app, so you'll feel little haptic taps whenever you set an anchor point, for physical feedback. Haptic taps are also included whenever the app detects an obvious stopping point for a measurement, such as the end of a wall.
To clear your anchor points and start over at any time, tap the "Clear" button.
Once all of your measurements are in place, tap the white camera button to take a photo that displays all of the measurements overlaid on the object you're measuring.
You can also tap on the arrow of one of the measurements to get a pop up with the current readings that you can copy and paste into another app like Messages or Notes.
Measurement Automatic Detection
For certain square-shaped objects that the Measure app detects, the detection of the dimensions will be automatic. To get an automatic measurement, choose a square or rectangular object and hold the iPhone in front of it.
If it's going to take an automatic measurement, you'll see a yellow square appear, which you can then tap to get dimensions. If it's not going to do automatic detection, you're going to need to use the tap method to draw individual lines.
Accuracy
The accuracy of the Measure app depends heavily on the precision of where the end points are placed, so there's room for error.
It's great for quick measurements to get an idea of size, but where precise measurements are required, it's probably best to double check with a physical measuring method.
Level Feature
In iOS 12, the Measure app is also home to the Level feature that lets you use the iPhone to detect whether a surface is level. Prior to iOS 12, the Level feature was in the Compass app, so it's not new, just relocated.
To use it, tap over to the level portion of the app, which is located at the bottom. Hold the iPhone in either portrait or landscape orientation with no case and balance it on an object such as a picture frame to get a reading.
If you tap the screen when using the level app, you can set a 0 degree reference angle to make measurements from, and laying the iPhone flat allows it to be used as a bubble level.
In iOS 12, Apple has introduced some new features to the Photos app that aim to make it easier for you to search, share, and enjoy your photo collection. Here's how to make the most of them.
The most prominent addition in the Photos app is a new For You tab, which replaces the old Memories and Shared tabs and brings together their features – along with any iCloud Shared Albums you may have – in a single scrolling panel.
Top of the For You tab is where your latest Sharing Suggestions appear. If the app recognizes someone in the photos it will ask if you want to share the collection with them, otherwise an option to "Share with friends?" is shown.
The great thing about sharing photos this way in iOS 12 is that if your friends have any pictures that are from the same event, time, or location, they will also be prompted to send those back to you, allowing you to fill any holes in your collection.
Tap the Sharing Suggestions card and you'll be taken to a screen where you can choose the pictures you want to share. Tap Select and then tap any photos you don't want to include, or choose Deselect All and then tap the ones you want to share.
Choose Next to select people in your contacts that you want to share the pictures with. Tap Share in Messages when you're done – just note that anyone with access to the shared photo link will be able to view the photos.
For You Tab: Memories
Immediately below Sharing Suggestions you'll find Memories, which curates various photos and videos you've taken in the past into specific memory collections. Without any steps required on your part, Memories gives you an automatic homemade movie from these past family gatherings or vacations.
Tap a memory and you'll see a list of all the photos and videos contained in the memory (tap Show More to see more than a summary), the geographic location the pictures were taken, nearby photos, and related memories you might be interested in.
If you press the play button to begin viewing a memory, you can also use a number of customization options to edit it. For more on editing memories in Photos, see our dedicated tutorial.
Note that tapping Select on this page and deleting a photo doesn't just remove it from the memory, but also deletes it from your iPhone and iCloud Library. The last two options at the very bottom of the screen let you favorite the memory or delete it permanently.
If your device supports 3D Touch, you can also hard press on any memory in the For You tab to get a preview of its contents, and then swipe up for options to add it to your favorite memories, delete the memory, or block it.
For You Tab: Shared Album Activity
At the bottom of the For You tab is any Shared Album Activity related to your iCloud account.
This lists iCloud albums shared by you as well as albums shared with you by other users. From here you can view photos and videos, "like" them with a thumbs up, and read comments or add your own.
How to Use Enhanced Search
In iOS 12, the Photos search function in the Search tab is more intelligent than before, so it's easier to find the most relevant photos to you from events, people, or places.
You can also combine multiple search terms to narrow down your results. Simply start typing a person's name, a date, a place, or a word like "cat", "beach", "waistcoat", or "selfie", and the Photos app will offer up similar or identical indexed search terms that you can tap to add to the search field.
Apple's newest operating system, iOS 12, is installed on just over 10 percent of devices 48 hours after it launched according to data collected by analytics company Mixpanel. The data suggests customers are adopting iOS 12 at a slower rate than iOS 11 and iOS 10.
Last year, iOS 11 was installed on 10 percent of devices just 24 hours after launching, and in 2016, iOS 10 was installed on 14.45 percent of devices within 24 hours.
Customers may be reluctant to adopt a new operating system after all of the bugs and issues that were seen with iOS 11 software updates, but Apple made an effort to focus on the underlying code of iOS 12 and thus far, the update has been stable.
As should be no surprise, MacRumors readers are early iOS 12 adopters. Over 80 percent of readers queried so far have installed iOS 12 just two days after it launched. Follow us on Twitter and vote to let us know if you've upgraded to iOS 12.
Did you install iOS 12 yet?
— MacRumors.com (@MacRumors) September 19, 2018
iOS 12 is an update that brings significant speed and performance improvements to older devices, so most customers installing the software should see notable speed improvements over iOS 11 after updating.
On the iPhone 6 Plus, for example, apps launch up to 40 percent faster, while the keyboard can appear up to 50 percent faster. Opening the camera on the Lock screen to take a photo can be done 70 percent faster.
Apple has made animations smoother and more responsive across the operating system, so accessing Control Center, scrolling in apps, or swiping up when multitasking feels more fluid.
iOS 12 also includes optimizations for when the operating system is under load. Apps launch up to twice as fast under a heavy load, as does the Share Sheet.
With iOS 12 installed on 10 percent of devices, iOS 11 adoption has dipped to 82 percent and will continue to fall as more people adopt iOS 12. Installation could jump this weekend as some people wait until they have a free block of time to complete a major software update.
iOS 12 is a free download that's available for the iPhone 5s and later, iPad mini 2 and later, and the 6th-generation iPod touch. In addition to noticeable and useful speed and performance improvements, the update introduces Screen Time for monitoring device usage, Memoji and new Animoji, ARKit 2.0, and a new Shortcuts app for creating customized automations. For more on what's new in iOS 12, make sure to check out our roundup.
Apple's watchOS 5 update, out now for all Apple Watch models with the exception of the original Apple Watch, introduces a fun new feature that mimics old school walkie talkies. With Walkie-Talkie, you can connect to your friends and family and have push-to-talk conversations right on your wrist.
The video below demonstrates Walkie-Talkie in action, while the post explains the steps to set it up and use it.
Walkie-Talkie is an app on the Apple Watch with an icon that looks like a little walkie talkie on a field of yellow. Whenever you want to use Walkie-Talkie to communicate with someone, you'll need to open up the Walkie-Talkie app. The first step, though, is adding a friend to chat with.
Open the Walkie-Talkie app.
Turn the Digital Crown to scroll through your contacts.
Choose a friend who has an Apple Watch and watchOS 5.
Tap on the person's name in the contacts list.
When a yellow card with their name appears on your Apple Watch in the Walkie-Talkie app, tap on the card.
Press on the "Talk" button to initiate a connection.
You'll need to wait for your friend to receive your message and approve the Walkie-Talkie connection. It will say "Connecting to [Your Friend's Name].
When a connection is established, it will go back to the Talk button and you will be able to have a Walkie-Talkie conversation with your friend.
If a connection cannot be established, you'll see a popup that says "[Your Friend] is not available." If this happens, it means the person on the other end did not answer the incoming Walkie-Talkie notification.
If the Walkie-Talkie connection screen hangs indefinitely on the connecting screen, it means the person does not have an Apple Watch or does not have watchOS 5 installed.
When a friend adds you to Walkie-Talkie, you'll see an incoming notification that your friend wants to establish a connection with you. To chat, you will need to tap on "Always Allow."
Talking With a Friend Using Walkie Talkie
Once a connection has been approved between you and your friend, you do not need to get approval for each and every message. You can just push to talk and whatever you say will be beamed to your friend's Apple Watch.
Open up the Walkie-Talkie app.
Tap on the card for the friend you want to talk to.
Hold down the "Talk" button for the entire time that you're speaking. You will see little concentric circles flashing, which means your message is being relayed to your friend.
When you're done speaking, stop pressing on the Talk button. This will allow your friend to press the Talk button on their end to send a response to you.
You can have multiple Walkie-Talkie connections with your friends, but you can only communicate with one friend at a time because Walkie-Talkie is a one-on-one feature. Group chats between multiple people are not supported.
Accessing Walkie-Talkie Quickly
Once you have a Walkie-Talkie connection established with at least one person, a little Walkie-Talkie icon will be displayed at the top of the Apple Watch's main screen. If you tap it, it will take you right into the Walkie-Talkie app.
This icon also serves as an indicator that you're available for Walkie-Talkie conversations and that any friends you've established a connection with can message you at any time.
Adjusting Walkie-Talkie Volume
Open the Walkie-Talkie app.
Choose a Walkie-Talkie contact card.
At the talk interface, turn the Digital Crown.
A downward turn lowers the Walkie-Talkie volume, while an upward turn makes it louder. Turning it all the way down effectively mutes the conversation.
Using Walkie-Talkie With AirPods or Bluetooth Headphones
If you have AirPods or other Bluetooth headphones connected to your Apple Watch, you will hear incoming Walkie-Talkie messages through the accessory rather than directly through the Apple Watch. You will also be able to speak into the microphone of the AirPods, keeping your conversations more private.
Turning Off Walkie-Talkie and Removing Contacts
If you want to shut off Walkie-Talkie conversations and refuse incoming messages, you can do so by setting yourself to unavailable.
Open up the Walkie-Talkie app.
Scroll all the way to the top to see the "Available" toggle.
Toggle "Available" to off.
When your Walkie-Talkie availability is disabled in the Walkie-Talkie app, people who attempt to connect to you will see the message "[Your Name] is Not Available" and you will get a notification that someone attempted to reach you but you were unavailable with an option to go to the Walkie-Talkie app to resume the conversation.
To remove a contact from Walkie-Talkie, at the main contact card interface, swipe to the left on a name in the list to bring up a red "X" button. Press on the X to remove the contact.
Walkie-Talkie Warnings
Walkie-Talkie takes precedence over other settings on your Apple Watch. You will hear your friend speaking even if your Apple Watch is set to silent, but it does not ignore Do Not Disturb settings.
After installing the 12.1 beta, the iOS Simulator in Xcode appears to offer support for virtualized 4K external displays, according to developer Steven Troughton-Smith.
That's not a feature that's possible with existing iOS devices using a Lightning to HDMI adapter, which suggests it could be a new option targeted at upcoming iPad Pro models that are rumored to be getting USB-C ports instead of Lightning ports.
New in iOS 12.1: the iOS Simulator supports virtualized 4K external displays. This is not possible on any existing iOS device via the Lightning HDMI adapter — lends credence to iPad perhaps getting a USB-C port for 4K video-out? pic.twitter.com/WfNBerHIrb
— Steve Troughton-Smith (@stroughtonsmith) September 19, 2018
According to well-respected Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, who is well-connected to the Apple supply chain, Apple is planning to replace the Lightning port on the upcoming iPad Pro models with a new USB-C interface.
Apple has been transitioning to USB-C in its Mac lineup since 2016, but despite a rumor here and there, has not adopted USB-C ports for any devices in its mobile lineup. An iPad Pro with USB-C would bridge the gap between the Mac and the iPad, making Apple's pro-level tablet even more viable as a computer replacement.
Kuo believes the USB-C iPad Pro models will ship with an 18W power adapter with a USB-C port, which would enable faster charging.
We may not have to wait long for Apple to unveil new iPad Pro models. There are new iPad Pros and Macs in the works for fall, and in years when Apple has a lot of fall devices to unveil, it's held two events, one in September and one in October.
For that reason, we could soon hear news of an October event where new iPad Pro models and new Macs will be introduced.
Along with a USB-C port, new iPad Pro models are expected to have edge-to-edge LCD displays with a TrueDepth camera system for Face ID and no Home button.
Apple's HomePod was updated this week to version 12, which debuted alongside iOS 12 for iPhones and iPads. The HomePod update brings about a handful of new abilities for Apple's smart speaker, including support for multiple timers, lyric search, find my iPhone, making and receiving phone calls, and more.
Because of all the useful and handy new additions arriving on HomePod this week, we've written this guide to provide quick steps that can help you figure out each new feature, and added in some tips as well.
On previous HomePod software you could only make one timer and not name it, but with the new software Apple is letting you create and name as many as over 20 timers at once (our testing reached about 23). This should greatly help out HomePod owners, especially those who have placed the speaker in their kitchen.
Note: Because HomePod relies entirely on voice controls for timers (and other features in this guide), there may be other sentence patterns that result in the same responses as the ones we've discovered. With that being said, below you'll find a few examples of Siri commands for multiple timers on HomePod. To create multiple timers, simply begin listing one timer after the other to Siri:
Setting Timers
"Hey Siri, set a 15 minute timer for food."
"Hey Siri, set a burger timer for 20 minutes."
"Hey Siri, set a 25 minute french fries timer."
"Hey Siri, set a 45 minute timer for the laundry."
"Hey Siri, set a 3 hour timer for the sprinklers."
Checking Individual Timers
"Hey Siri, what's left on the food timer?"
"Hey Siri, how's the french fries timer?"
"Hey Siri, what's the sprinklers timer at?"
"Hey Siri, how long until the laundry is done?"
"Hey Siri, is the burger timer almost done?"
Checking All Timers
"Hey Siri, where are the timers at?"
"Hey Siri, how much time is left?"
"Hey Siri, list the timers."
The limit of any timer is a maximum of 23 hours (as it was previously). If you create a timer but don't give it a name, Siri will name the timer by its original length, saying something like "There is 1 minute left on the 10 minute timer."
When you have multiple timers running and one ends, the usual timer ending chime will sound, but it will now be interspersed with Siri stating which timer is completed. As usual, you can tap the top of HomePod to silence the timer, or ask Siri to shut it off. If you have numerous timers running simultaneously and want to end them all, you can say "Hey Siri, stop/cancel all of the timers."
In iOS 11, Apple introduced animated emoji characters called Animoji, which are designed to mimic your facial expressions. As of iOS 12, Animoji have grown to encompass Memoji, which are customizable humanoid Animoji characters that you can design to look just like you.
Memoji can do all of the same things that Animoji can, mimicking your facial expressions to allow for cute videos, photos, and interactions with friends and family. In iOS 12 and iOS 13, you can also use Memoji and Animoji in photos through the Messages camera and in live FaceTime chats. And in iOS 14, Apple added new Memoji customization options, including the ability to select new hair styles, headwear, or masks, and more age options.
Animoji live in the Messages app, so creating a Memoji is also done in Messages.
Open up the Messages app.
Choose a conversation.
Tap on Animoji Messages app from the Messages app bar, which looks like a little monkey.
Swipe right until you see the "+" button and tap it.
Customizing Your Memoji
Memoji start out as a blank face, and it's up to you to customize it to look like you. The Memoji interface will open up to a display that lets you choose skin tone to begin with. Tapping buttons and sliders will let you customize features and choose options like freckles or no freckles.
To move on from skin tone to other features, tap the labels at the top, cycling through Hairstyle, Head Shape, Eyes, Brows, Nose & Lips, Ears, Facial Hair, Eyewear, and Headwear.
During this entire process, your Memoji is active so you can see what all of the features look like when animated. Sometimes it will pause when changing a feature, but you can resume the animation by tapping on the Memoji.
There are dozens of facial feature options and accessories to choose from when creating a Memoji, allowing for many different looks.
When your Memoji is all finished, just tap "Done" in the upper right hand corner.
You can save as many Memoji as you want, so you can make Memoji for yourself, your friends, family, celebrities, characters, and more.
Editing and Deleting Memoji
You can edit an already-created Memoji or delete a Memoji at any time.
Open up the Messages app.
Choose a conversation.
Tap on the little monkey icon in the Messages app drawer to open up the Animoji Messages app.
With a Memoji in frame, tap on the three little dots in the left hand corner.
Choose "Edit" to make changes to your Memoji, choose "Delete" to remove it, or choose "Duplicate" to use it as a base for a new Memoji.
New Animoji Features in iOS 12 and later
In iOS 12 and later, facial recognition capabilities let your Animoji and Memoji mimic both your tongue sticking out and winks. All Animoji and Memoji have tongues, with some special touches like a glitter tongue for the unicorn, a green tongue for the alien, and an articulated tongue for the robot.
Recording a Memoji or Animoji Video in the Messages App
Recording a message, song, or facial expression in a video that can be sent to family and friends is done in the same way that it was done in iOS 11.
With the Animoji app open in Messages and an Animoji or Memoji selected, tap on the red record button to start recording a message. When finished, tap the red stop button, and then tap the blue up arrow to send.
Tapping on the arrow sends the Animoji or Memoji recording automatically to the person you're conversing with.
Using a Memoji or Animoji as a Sticker
Your Memoji and Animoji can also be used as stickers if you just want to send a quick photo reaction but not a full video. To do this, make the desired face and then tap on the Animoji itself rather than the record button to create a quick little screenshot that can be sent using the blue up arrow.
If you want to use the Animoji or Memoji as a sticker to react to another message or to decorate a photo, press a finger on the Animoji and then drag it upwards into the iMessage conversation.
While the sticker is attached to your finger, you can use gestures to rotate it and resize it to get the perfect position.
Animoji in the Messages Camera and in FaceTime
iOS 12 and later include a new Effects camera in both Messages and FaceTime, which includes support for Animoji and Memoji. You can use Animoji and Memoji to create photos in Messages and to entertain friends and family while in FaceTime conversations.
Animoji in the Messages Camera
Open the Messages app.
Choose a conversation.
Tap on the Camera icon that's next to the iMessage chat bar.
Tap on the star-shaped icon in the bottom left corner.
Select the Animoji icon, which looks like a little monkey.
Choose an Animoji or Memoji and it will pop up over your face.
After applying an Animoji, tap the small "X" in above the Animoji menu to exit out of the Animoji interface. Your Animoji will still be displayed, but you will also be able to add other camera effects.
When all of your desired effects are applied, tap the photo button to snap a photo that can then be edited, marked up further, or shared.
With the Messages camera, you can add Animoji, filters, text, shapes, and stickers to your images.
Animoji in FaceTime
Initiate a FaceTime call.
After the call has started, tap on the star-shaped Effects icon.
Choose an Animoji or Memoji, tap it, and it will be displayed over your face.
As in the Messages Effects camera, tap on the "X" above the Animoji menu and you can also apply other effects while in the FaceTime call.
The person on the other end of the FaceTime call will see the Animoji and any other effects that you have applied, such as filters. You can complement your Animoji FaceTime calls with the aforementioned filters, stickers, text, and all of the other Effects camera options.
Animoji and Memoji only work with the front-facing camera in both Messages and FaceTime, because the TrueDepth camera system is required.
Memoji and Animoji Compatibility
You need a device with a TrueDepth camera system to create Memoji and Animoji, which includes the iPhone X, iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max, and iPhone 11 series. The iPhone XR and 2018 and later iPad Pro models also TrueDepth camera systems.
While it's just devices with a TrueDepth camera that can be used to create and display Animoji, others can still see them in FaceTime calls (including Group FaceTime calls) and in photos created with the Messages camera.
While the HomePod did not rank among the top five smart speakers in worldwide shipments last quarter, it is dominating the premium end of the market, according to research firm Strategy Analytics.
Among smart speakers of any price, the HomePod accounted for just six percent of the market, as Strategy Analytics estimated last month. If accurate, the data shouldn't come as much of a surprise, as the top five best-selling smart speakers are all regularly priced between $49 and $129 in the United States.
The world's most-shipped smart speakers last quarter were the Google Home Mini, Amazon Echo Dot, Amazon Echo, Chinese company Alibaba's Tmall Genie, and the Google Home, according to Strategy Analytics. As always, it's important to remember that shipments don't necessarily reflect sales to customers.
David Watkins, Director of Strategy Analytics' Smart Speaker Service:
Unsurprisingly, Amazon and Google models dominated the best-selling list of smart speakers in Q2 2018. The Google Home Mini and Amazon Echo Dot accounted for a combined 38% of global shipments although they contributed just 17% towards the value of the market due to their low price.
Apple on the other hand has focused its smart speaker efforts at the premium end of the market, promoting the HomePod's audio prowess ahead of the device's voice control capabilities.
As noted by Watkins, Apple has marketed the HomePod's premium audio quality more than its Siri capabilities, as justification for its $349 price. Reviews do agree it sounds a lot better than offerings from Google and Amazon.
All in all, the smart speaker market is shaping up to be a lot like other product categories Apple operates in. Apple dominates the premium end of the smartphone market with the iPhone, for example, whereas Samsung and many other Android smartphone makers offer a variety of devices at a wide range of price points.
Apple in iOS 12 introduced Screen Time, which is designed to provide you with information on how you're using your time on your iPhone and iPad.
With Screen Time, you can see how often you pick up your iOS device, which apps you're using, which apps are sending the most notifications, and other details.
There's no dedicated app for Screen Time, so it might not be immediately obvious how it's accessed when you first install iOS 12. All Screen Time features are actually available in the Settings app.
Open up the Settings app.
Scroll down to the "Screen Time" section that's grouped with Notifications, Sounds, and Do Not Disturb.
Tap on "Screen Time" to see your usage statistics.
Screen Time Syncing
Screen Time statistics are collected from all iOS devices running iOS 12 where you're logged in with your iCloud account. That means it will aggregate data from all iPhones and iPads that you use during the course of a day.
You can view your data across all devices or on a per device basis. To view other devices, tap on the "All Devices" label on the main Screen Time screen and then choose "Devices" from the upper right hand corner.
Info Available in Screen Time
When you open up Screen Time, a chart is displayed with information on your last 24 hours of iPhone usage, organized by each individual app or which app category you've used the most, such as Productivity, Games, Creativity, or Messages.
If you tap on that chart, you can see even more information from either the last 24 hours or the last 7 days, including your longest usage setting, the number of times you picked up your device during the day, and how many notifications you got, along with details on which apps are sending you the most notifications.
Other Screen Time Features
In the Screen Time section, you can set scheduled Downtime for yourself to restrict yourself (or a child) from using apps outside of those that have been allowed with App Limits, you can set specific time limits on app categories like social networking or games, and you can access Content & Privacy Restrictions, useful if you're managing a child's device.
If you use Family Sharing with a spouse, friend, or child, and you're the family manager, you'll also see family members' names listed under "Family" and will be able to see and control their app usage.
These features are relatively simple to use, but we'll be looking into them in more depth in future how tos.
Disabling Screen Time
If you don't want to use Screen Time, you can turn it off in the Settings app.
Open the Settings app.
Tap "Screen Time."
Scroll down to "Turn Off Screen Time" and tap it.
Turning off Screen Time on your device will delete all app, website, and notification history. You can re-enable Screen Time at any time, but it does not save data nor does it begin collecting data until enabled.
While the iPhone X and iPhone XS have identical overall dimensions, a new report suggests that iPhone X cases may have a slightly imperfect fit on the iPhone XS due to very slight changes to the camera bump dimensions.
iPhone X in Apple's new iPhone XS Leather Case
No, the camera bump is not any thicker, as Daring Fireball's John Gruber confirmed in his iPhones XS review on Wednesday. However, eagle-eyed Japanese blog Mac Otakara has discovered that the camera bump is ever so slightly longer and wider on the iPhone XS than the one on the iPhone X.
Head over to the translated report for specific numbers, but the gist is that the iPhone XS camera bump is up to a millimeter or two longer and wider than the one on the iPhone X, potentially affecting case compatibility.
We expect that most iPhone X cases will more or less fit the iPhone XS without issue, but Mac Otakara provided a photo of an iPhone X in Apple's new iPhone XS Leather Case, and you can see that it isn't quite a perfect fit. The camera bump should be flush with the opening in the case, and it's off just a bit.
In other words, the camera cutout on the iPhone XS Leather Case is a bit larger, to accomodate for the new iPhone XS camera bump dimensions. In reverse, the camera cutout on an iPhone X case may be a bit too small for the iPhone XS.
All in all, treat this as a warning that some iPhone X cases, especially ones with a very tight fit around the camera bump, might have an imperfect fit on the iPhone XS. It's not really a big deal, but something to keep in mind.
Just over two years after the European Commission ruled that Apple was receiving illegal state aid from Ireland -- where it had reportedly paid less than 2 percent in taxes compared to the country's headline 12.5 percent corporate tax rate -- Apple has now paid back the entire 13.1 billion euros ($15.3 billion) it owed in back taxes (via Reuters).
The European Commission confirmed the payment this week, and furthermore said that EU antitrust regulators now plan to drop all legal action against Ireland. The EU had originally taken Ireland to court for failing to recover the $15.3 billion in tax due from Apple.
The confirmation of the withdrawal of litigation came from an email sent by European Commission spokesman Ricardo Cardoso:
“In light of the full payment by Apple of the illegal State aid it had received from Ireland, Commissioner Vestager will be proposing to the College of Commissioners the withdrawal of this court action,” Commission spokesman Ricardo Cardoso said in an email.
Although the EU gave its final ruling in August 2016 regarding Apple's tax loophole in Ireland, the regulatory body had first kicked off an investigation into Apple's tax arrangements back in 2014. The ruling eventually found that Apple was allowed to pay an effective corporate tax rate of 1 percent on its European profits in 2003, down to 0.005 percent in 2014. Specifically in 2014, Apple paid 0.005 percent tax on EU profits, which means that "For every million euros in profits, it (Apple) paid just €500 in taxes," said European Competition Commissioner Margrethe Vestager at the time.
Apple and CEO Tim Cook were adamant that the ruling was based on "fundamental errors" and Cook referred to the tax avoidance accusations as "total political crap." He elaborated, stating that Apple pays all of the taxes it owes based on the laws of each country in which it operates. Likewise, the Irish government said it did not give favorable tax treatment to Apple and added that it "does not do deals with taxpayers."
Apple and Ireland eventually moved to appeal the ruling, but as things escalated the European Commission decided to open litigation against Ireland in October 2017 for its failure to procure Apple's back taxes. Eventually, Apple began paying the back taxes it owed around March 2018, and in a report from earlier in the year sources stated that payments were expected to finish around September.
Note: Due to the political nature of the discussion regarding this topic, the discussion thread is located in our Politics, Religion, Social Issues forum. All forum members and site visitors are welcome to read and follow the thread, but posting is limited to forum members with at least 100 posts.
The battery capacities and RAM inside the new iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max, and iPhone XR have surfaced in regulatory filings Apple is required to submit to China's Ministry of Industry and Information Technology.
China's Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, often shortened to TENAA, is sort of like the FCC of China. Apple has filed many products with the regulatory body over the years, as required, and there is a track record of them being factually accurate, so there's no reason to doubt these latest ones.
Chinese website MyDrivers was first to share the filings, but only provided screenshots. MacRumors uncovered direct links to the filings below.
The filings reveal that the iPhone XS has a 2,658 mAh battery, around 2.2 percent less capacity than the 2,716 mAh battery in the iPhone X that it replaces, despite both being 5.8-inch devices. Nevertheless, with continued performance and power optimizations, Apple's tech specs indicate that the iPhone XS gets up to 30 minutes longer battery life than the iPhone X per charge cycle.
As the largest iPhone ever, the iPhone XS Max naturally has the largest battery capacity of any iPhone ever at 3,174 mAh, according to the filings. That's roughly 16.8 percent larger than the battery in the iPhone X, and 19.4 percent larger than the battery in the iPhone XS. Apple's tech specs indicate that the iPhone XS Max lasts up to 1.5 hours longer than the iPhone X per charge cycle.
iPhone XS Max regulatory filing in China
Last, the iPhone XR is listed with a battery capacity of 2,942 mAh, roughly 8.3 percent larger than in the iPhone X, 10.6 percent larger than in the iPhone XS, and 7.3 percent smaller than in the iPhone XS Max.
Despite having a smaller battery than the iPhone XS Max, the iPhone XR has the longest battery life of any iPhone ever, according to Apple's tech specs. A big reason may be that the iPhone XR has a smaller 6.1-inch display with a lower resolution compared to the iPhone XS Max. Less pixels, less power consumption.
The filings also appear to confirm that the iPhone XS and iPhone XS Max each have 4GB of RAM, while the iPhone XR has 3GB. That's exactly in line with information shared by Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo and Taiwanese research firm TrendForce earlier this year, so the filings are very likely accurate. By comparison, the iPhone X and iPhone 8 Plus have 3GB of RAM, and the iPhone 8 has 2GB.
iPhone XS and iPhone XS Max launch this Friday, so it won't take long before iFixit teardowns and Geekbench benchmarks confirm these battery capacities and RAM for good measure. iPhone XR launches October 26.
The first reviews of the Apple Watch Series 4 have been published online today, just a couple of days before the new smartwatch is available in stores.
The Apple Watch Series 4 features a new design with a slimmer body, a 30 percent larger display, and electric sensors for taking ECG readings. Despite the larger displays, the Series 4 has a thinner, smaller case.
All Apple Watch Series 4 models feature a black ceramic and sapphire crystal backing, and the Digital Crown includes haptic feedback for what Apple says is a more mechanical, responsive feel. Inside, the Apple Watch features a faster, more efficient S4 chip that offers twice the speed.
With all that in mind, several reviewers have been trying out Apple's new smartwatch for five days, and most of them agree that while the Series 4 model is a great smartwatch, it "isn't the kind of refresh that justifies upgrading from the last generation," as TechCrunch's Brian Heater puts it.
Likewise, iMore's Rene Ritchie thinks Series 3 owners looking to vindicate the purchase will "have to really want the new capabilities, never mind the new design," although he thinks that upgrading from a Series 0 or Series 1 is a "no brainer" and Series 2 owners will also find the new model "compelling".
In terms of design and wearability, Heater found that the Series 4's larger, wider case was "not really noticeable unless you happen to have two side-by-side," although for those who have used an earlier model with any regularity, "the increase in surface area is pretty readily apparent."
The Verge's Dieter Bohn found that the difference between a 42mm Series 3 and the Series 4's 44mm size is "only subtly bigger" and "feels about the same." However, Wired's Scott Rosenfield found more of a difference when actually interacting with the device:
The watch still looks like a watch. But in practice, the larger screen feels as significant as going from the iPhone 5 to the iPhone 6. The rounded edges and thinner bezel give you substantially more screen space, which make it easier to read and tap.
That changed how I used the watch: I crammed in more complications on each watch face, and I found myself scrolling through texts, looking at heart rate and workout data, and even playing with the News and Photos apps in a way that I hadn't since the watch first launched.
TechCrunch's Heater took particular liking to the watch's new haptic Digital Crown, which "feels like turning a mechanical dial... And when there’s nothing on screen to move by spinning it, the feedback simply shuts off." iMore's Ritchie concurred, noting that "the new clicking absolutely feels more precise and more fun to use."
The new watch faces were also a hit with Ritchie, who called the new Infographic (analog) and Infographic Modular faces "informational escalations that manage to be denser without sacrificing legibility."
You can fill them with communications apps and contacts, if you're running around playing secret agent. You can fill them with world clocks and trackers if you're traveling. You can fill them with fitness features if you're off to a workout. Or you can mix and match to best suit your average activities.
Elsewhere, Wired's Rosenfield came away impressed by the accuracy of the watch's new optical heart-rate sensor as well as the automatic workout detection, while noting that "runners will love the new rolling mile measurement, cadence, and target pace notifications."
The improvement in the Series 4's speaker was also particularly noticeable. The Verge's Bohn called it "way louder," while iMore's Ritchie said "everything from Siri to calls now boom... I can make out conversation from a good dozen feet away."
Speed-wise, Wired's Rosenfield felt the Series 4 was generally faster than previous models, although not as big a jump as with past iterations:
In everyday life, the Series 4 does feel snappier, but it doesn't feel to me to be as significant as the jump from the Series 2 to Series 3. The exception: I found the initial watch pairing process to be much faster with the Series 4 than with prior models.
Despite the speed improvements, the reviewers agreed that general battery life is largely unchanged from the Series 3 – TechCrunch's Heater felt that most users would be able to get through a day's use without worrying about finding a charger.
Reviewers were unable to test the ECG feature, which won't be available until later this year. Likewise, when it came to Fall Detection, Apple advised against trying to trick the Apple Watch Series 4 into thinking they have accidentally fallen, although Wired's Rosenfield couldn't resist: "I tried to trigger a false warning by tripping onto a yoga mat, jumping on the bed, and flailing around while attempting to powerlift. No dice."
Summing up, The Verge's Bohn concludes: "The Apple Watch has earned its place as the best-selling watch" and is "at least an order of magnitude better than other smartwatches and fitness trackers."
Other publications have shared Apple Watch Series 4 reviews that are worth a read. We've rounded up some links below and will add more when we find them.
Spire, a company that makes small Health Tags that are designed to clip on to your clothing, is now selling its products in Apple retail stores.
The Spire Health Tag, available as a single tag for $50, a 3-pack for $129, or an 8-pack for $299, tracks sleep, stress, and activity. It's meant to be an activity tracker that you can forget about, clipping it onto a shirt or pajamas and then not worrying about it again.
It's sold in multiple packs so you can keep one attached to each of the clothing items that you use most often. It's small enough that it can clip into the waistband of a pair of pants or attach to the strap of a sports bra.
The Health Tags can be washed, so you can clip one to a piece of clothing and leave it there permanently if desired, for no-hassle tracking and no device to worry about. Health Tags feature a 1.5-year battery and don't need to be recharged.
Spire Health Tags measure activity, heart rate and heart rate variability, sleep quality, breathing patterns, and stress levels to offer up an overall picture of a person's health.
According to TechCrunch, Apple retail stores will be offering the Spire Health tags in one, three, and eight pack configurations, with stores set to get the new accessories soon. The Spire Health Tags will also be available on Apple's website, but aren't showing up just yet.
Apple also sells Spire's Mindfulness and Activity Tracker, a $130 activity tracker that clips to your clothing and senses respiratory patterns to detect changes in your state of mind.
If you live in Canada and haven't pre-ordered an iPhone XS or iPhone XS Max yet, you might still be able to score one on launch day.
Apple has activated its Reserve and Pickup system in Canada, allowing customers to place an in-store pickup reservation for an iPhone XS or iPhone XS Max at an Apple Store across the country, subject to availability.
The page often says Apple is "not taking reservations to buy an iPhone right now," but limited supplies are added each day, at which point the page becomes functional. When live, the page allows you to reserve an iPhone XS or iPhone XS Max in whichever colors and storage capacities are available at the time.
The best part is that the reservations are for Friday, September 21, the day the iPhone XS and iPhone XS Max launch in stores, so if you missed out on middle-of-the-night pre-orders, this is a good second chance.
Instead of constantly refreshing the page, we recommend following Robinhood Monitor on Twitter. The account parses the backend of Apple's reservation system and automatically tweets when an iPhone XS or iPhone XS Max in any color or storage capacity becomes available to reserve at any Apple Store in Canada.
Since inventory runs out very quickly each time an iPhone XS or iPhone XS Max reservation becomes available, the key is to enable push notifications on the Robinhood Monitor account to receive real-time alerts. As soon as more stock is added, head to Apple's reservation page as soon as possible.
Placing a reservation allows you to pick up an iPhone XS or iPhone XS Max at an Apple Store within a designated 30-minute window. Apple recommends bringing a government-issued photo ID with you for verification.
Note that payment for the iPhone is not collected online in advance, but rather upon arrival to the Apple Store for the in-store pickup.
I used the Reserve and Pickup system to buy an iPhone X at the Eaton Centre in Toronto last year, despite not placing a pre-order, so I can vouch that it works. Another option is to simply wait until Friday, line up at an Apple Store, and make a walk-in purchase, but lines are often long and stock runs out.
Another benefit to the Reserve and Pickup system is that, at some Apple Stores, there is a dedicated queue for customers with reservations.
Unfortunately, the Reserve and Pickup system is currently only working in Canada. The page eventually went live in Australia, Hong Kong, and the United Kingdom as well last year, so it may be worth keeping an eye on those links. In the United States, the page simply says that reservations are no longer required.
iPhone XS and iPhone XS Max launch in stores this Friday, September 21, with most locations in Canada opening early at 8:00 a.m. local time.
Reviews for the iPhone XS and the iPhone XS Max went live this morning ahead of Friday's launch, and in a new press release, Apple has highlighted reviews from several members of the media who were able to spend some time with the new iPhones.
Apple shared key passages from sites that include Mashable, TechCrunch, Daring Fireball, The New York Times, Best Products, Hypebeast, Tom's Guide, Dailymail, TechRadar, Hardwarezone, Sydney Morning Herald, and photographer Austin Mann.
Daring Fireball's John Gruber, for example, praised the iPhone's custom silicon and software and its always-in-your-pocket convenience for photography.
"iPhones can't compete with big dedicated cameras in lens or sensor quality. It's not even close. The laws of physics prevent it. But those traditional camera companies can't compete with Apple in custom silicon or software, and their cameras can't compete with iPhones in terms of always-in-your-pocket convenience and always-on internet connectivity for sharing. In the long run, the smart money is to bet on silicon and software."
The New York Times praised the way Apple increased the iPhone XS Max's screen size without adding bulk or compromising usability, while Tom's Guide did some benchmarking on the A12 and declared the iPhone XS models the fastest iPhones available.
"[To transcode a 2-minute 4K video to 1080p,] iPhone XS and iPhone XS Max knocked it down further to 39 seconds. ... The Galaxy S9+ took 2 minutes and 32 seconds to complete the task, and that's the fastest we've seen from an Android phone. ... Based on our testing, the A12 Bionic processor inside the iPhone XS and iPhone XS Max make these the fastest phones you can buy."
Apple, of course, focused on the positive elements in these reviews and while reviewers did generally offer praise for the iPhone XS and iPhone XS Max, especially for the camera improvements and the larger screen size, most agreed that iPhone X users may not be tempted to upgrade just for a new processor and a better camera.
Customers who pre-ordered an iPhone XS or iPhone XS Max will be able to get their hands on the new devices starting on Friday, September 21, the official iPhone XS and XS Max launch date.
With the release of iOS 12, tvOS 12, and watchOS 5 yesterday, Apple made some quiet changes to its iTunes and App Store privacy policy on iOS devices and the Apple TV.
Newly updated language in the iTunes and App Store privacy policy states that Apple is using a new device trust score to help identify and cut down on fraud.
Apple says that information about how you use your device, including the approximate number of phone calls or emails you receive is used to compute the device trust score when you make a purchase.
To help identify and prevent fraud, information about how you use your device, including the approximate number of phone calls or emails you send and receive, will be used to compute a device trust score when you attempt a purchase. The submissions are designed so Apple cannot learn the real values on your device. The scores are stored for a fixed time on our servers.
This warning shows up on both iOS devices and the Apple TV, which can’t send emails or make phone calls, so it appears to be blanket wording Apple is using for all of its iTunes and App Store privacy updates.
Apple has always been committed to protecting users from fraud, and the trust score is a new anti-fraud technique introduced in iOS 12. Like many of Apple’s data collection practices, the trust score has been designed with user privacy in mind.
Data used to calculate the trust score is on-device and related to usage patterns rather than the content of communications (Apple won’t know who you called or emailed or what you talked about), and when sent to Apple, the trust score is encrypted and stored for a short period of time.
Apple does not receive information beyond the score itself because the data used to determine the trust score is stored on device, as previously mentioned. A single trust score number Apple uses actually contains data from thousands of accounts, which protects your individual data and prevents Apple from seeing a single user’s device usage patterns.
Apple says the new iTunes and App Store trust scores are used solely to identify and prevent fraud and have no other purpose.
Apple uses many anti-fraud techniques, but malicious entities are always aiming to circumvent fraud measures, so Apple has to develop new fraud detection methods to protect customers and assess overall transactions for potential fraud. The trust score will help Apple better separate legitimate transactions from fraudulent transactions, cutting down on the number of false positives.
According to Apple, a lot of work went into building a trust score that provides the company with the tools to detect fraud while also protecting user privacy.
Apple’s iTunes Store & Privacy documentation was updated on September 17, just after the iOS 12 release, and prior to then, it did not include the bit about creating a trust score.
There are few other changes that have been made to the document, and the new section joins a pre-existing policy where Apple says that it collects device information, location information, download and purchase history and other interactions with its stores to prevent fraud.
Just over two years after the European Commission 
