Apple today seeded the third betas of upcoming iOS and iPadOS 13.3 updates to developers, one week after seeding second betas and three weeks after the release of iOS 13.2 and iPadOS 13.2 with new emoji, Siri privacy controls, Deep Fusion, and more.
iOS and iPadOS 13.3 can be downloaded through the Apple Developer Center or over the air after the proper developer profile has been installed.
iOS 13.3 introduces Communication Limits for Screen Time, a feature that Apple promised would be coming in an iOS 13 update. Communication Limits allow parents to control who their children are able to contact both during downtime and during Screen Time.
Communication Limits include FaceTime, Phone, and Messages, along with iCloud contacts. Calls to emergency numbers are always allowed and will turn off communication limits for 24 hours when placed.
The update includes support for NFC, USB, and Lightning FIDO2-compliant security keys in Safari. That means physical security keys like the Lightning-equipped YubiKey can be used for more secure two-factor authentication in place of a software-based two-factor authentication option.
In the Keyboards section of the Settings app (under General), there's a new toggle that prevents Animoji and Memoji stickers from being displayed as an option on the Emoji Keyboard, and when editing a video, there's an option to save the edited version as a new clip rather than saving over the original.
Apple has also tweaked the Apple Watch app icon, changing the color of the Digital Crown from black to gray.
While the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are not expected to launch until September, there are already plenty of rumors about the devices.
iPhone 17 Pro's alleged design via Front Page Tech
Below, we recap key changes rumored for the iPhone 17 Pro models as of March 2025:
Aluminum frame: iPhone 17 Pro models are rumored to have an aluminum frame, whereas the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone...
Apple today announced refreshed 13- and 15-inch MacBook Air models, now featuring the M4 chip, an upgraded camera, and a new "Sky Blue" color option.
"Sky Blue" is an all-new blue finish that joins Midnight, Starlight, and Silver. Apple describes it as a "beautiful, metallic light blue that creates a dynamic gradient when light reflects off of its surface." Space Gray is no longer available. ...
Apple today announced the 11th-generation iPad, now featuring the A16 chip and more storage.
The announcement came alongside the debut of the new iPad Air, which now features the M3 chip. From Apple's press release:
The A16 chip provides a jump in performance for everyday tasks and experiences in iPadOS, while still providing all-day battery life. Compared to the previous generation, the...
Apple today introduced new 11-inch and 13-inch iPad Air models with the M3 chip, along with an updated Magic Keyboard for the device.
With the M3 chip, the new iPad Air should offer up to 20% faster performance compared to the previous-generation model with the M2 chip, which was released in May 2024. In addition, the M3 chip brings hardware-accelerated ray tracing to the iPad Air for the...
The upcoming iOS 18.4 update for the iPhone includes two smaller but meaningful improvements for Apple's in-car iPhone mirroring system CarPlay.
First, CarPlay now shows a third row of icons, up from two rows previously. However, this change is only visible in vehicles with a larger center display. For example, a MacRumors Forums member noticed the change in a Toyota Tundra with a 14-inch...
Wednesday March 5, 2025 11:29 am PST by Joe Rossignol
The new MacBook Air has a useful upgrade: it natively supports up to two external displays, in addition to the laptop's built-in display.
In other words, the latest MacBook Air can be used with a pair of external displays without needing to keep the laptop's lid closed.
Apple's tech specs for the new 13-inch and 15-inch MacBook Air:Simultaneously supports full native resolution on the...
Wednesday March 5, 2025 6:01 am PST by Joe Rossignol
Apple today announced that it has updated the Mac Studio with M4 Max and M3 Ultra chip options, Thunderbolt 5 ports, and more.
The M4 Max chip was already released last year in the 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro. It can be configured with up to a 16-core CPU, up to a 40-core GPU, and up to 128GB of unified RAM. Geekbench 6 benchmark results indicate that the M4 Max is up to 75% faster than...
Wednesday March 5, 2025 1:47 pm PST by Joe Rossignol
Apple today updated the MacBook Air with the M4 chip, and the laptop is also available in an all-new Sky Blue finish alongside Silver, Starlight, and Midnight.
YouTuber Andru Edwards has showed off the Sky Blue color in a few real-world photos.
Keep in mind that the Sky Blue finish is not very saturated. However, the color's appearance will vary based on lighting conditions.
View ...
Apple today announced a completely redesigned Magic Keyboard accessory for the iPad Air.
The new keyboard features a larger built-in trackpad, a 14-key function row, and a new aluminum hinge. From Apple's press release:
The all-new Magic Keyboard for iPad Air expands what users can do at an even lower price. The larger built-in trackpad brings greater precision for detail-oriented...
Why do you have to type in your iPhone password when starting the software update? I mean, isn't FaceID secure enough???
Apple explains this in their security white paper:
In the case of an Over-The-Air (OTA) software update, the user is prompted for their passcode when initiating the update. This is used to securely create a one-time Unlock Token, which unlocks the user keybag after the update. This token can’t be generated without entering the user’s passcode, and any previously generated token is invalidated if the user’s passcode changed.
There's more details there, if you're curious. Look for Escrow keybag. I pulled the text from the iOS 12.3 white paper. If there's one for 13 I haven't seen it yet.
so after all the fuss about animoji & memoji and emojis, someone came to their senses over there and now we can turn the whole bloody show off via a keyboard toggle. Thank goodness. Granted a couple of the emoji are useful (red dot, green check etc) but it has become so overwhelming that I never wanted to open up that Pandora's box anymore.
Why do you have to type in your iPhone password when starting the software update? I mean, isn't FaceID secure enough???
FaceID can handle 2 faces. Let's say I decide to give my child one of those slots so they can play on my phone. Do I really want a 5 year old deciding to install an update? Probably not. Or the other face belongs to my wife. Again, I wouldn't want her to install an update on my phone without my knowledge.
My boys are actually 17 and 22 and have their own devices and I don't let ANYONE else into my phone. But it's a possibility that ought to be considered. Especially with the older TouchID system where you could in theory have 4 other people who could unlock your phone.
The other explanation I've heard is that your passcode is your security. FaceID is a quick and easy way to bypass that security. It's a biometric convenience, not the actual security itself. Which is why you need to enter your passcode after a reboot or when doing something as important as updating the entire OS.
There's some (possibly) lame excuses that may or may not satisfy your curiosity. Honestly, it's a question I've asked myself and I all I could come up with was "extra security". Like asking "Are you sure?" before deleting a file.
