In the News

There was a fascinating story in the New York Times this week that I encourage you to read.  The title contains much of the story, researched and written by Kashmir Hill:  A Dad Took Photos of His Naked Toddler for the Doctor. Google Flagged Him as a Criminal.  (That's a gift link, so you can read it even if you don't subscribe.)  Concerned about pain and swelling in his toddler's private area, a father took a picture with his Android phone and sent it to the pediatrician, as instructed by the doctor.  But because an Android phone, like an iPhone, will typically upload every picture to a server, that means that Google's AI saw the picture and flagged it as child pornography.  (Apple doesn't do that right now, and the system that it announced a year ago but has not yet implemented will only scan pictures on your device by comparing them against known Child Sexual Abuse Material (CSAM), so this would not have happened if the father had been using an iPhone—at least the way things are working now.  It is ironic that Apple got negative feedback for its proposed system as a privacy invasion even though Google already does much more.)  Google immediately deactivated all of the father's accounts, which meant that the father lost more than a decade of contacts, emails, and his phone number.  It also resulted in a police investigation.  And while the police eventually cleared him, Google still has not—even though he clearly did nothing wrong, and even though this incident happened back in February 2021.  Of course, nobody wants to make CSAM easier, but this incident highlights how a user's personal privacy is often the last consideration.  There are lots of additional and interesting details in this story, so I encourage you to read it.  John Gruber of Daring Fireball also offers an interesting take on the story.  One of the lessons that you should learn is that the next time you take a sensitive picture with your iPhone–or especially with an Android phone–consider taking it in a way that does not add it to your regular Photos library (such as using a third party app that has its own photo library) because of the potential for unintended consequences.  And now, the other news of note from the past week: Apple CEO Tim Cook was interviewed by Popular Mechanics.  And if you don't subscribe, you can get some highlights in this article by Sami Fathi of MacRumors.  Jason Snell of Six Colors reviews the Encode Plus from Schlage, a smart look that works with HomeKit and is better than almost all of its competitors because it works with Apple's Home Key feature.  This means that you can simply tap your Apple Watch to open the door without needing to open any special app first.  It is sold on Amazon, but as I type this it is out of stock. Andrew O'Hara reviews the new honeycomb version of the Serena Shades by Lutron, which are HomeKit compatible.  I'm seriously considering getting Serena Shades for my home.  They are expensive, but I keep hearing good things about them, such as in this review. Brent Dirks of AppAdvice describes a new iPhone game called Pitch Black.  The twist is that nothing is shown on your iPhone screen.  The entire game takes place using audio, like an interactive, audio-only, Choose-Your-Own-Adventure sort of story/game.  I haven't heard of something like this before on the iPhone.  Neat idea. Speaking of games, I continue to love playing Wordle every day on my iPad.  Andrew Romero of 9to5Google notes that the New York Times Crossword app for iPhone now lets you play Wordle. Apple confirmed this week that iPadOS 16 will not release at the same time as iPhoneOS 16.  I presume that iOS 16.0 will come out soon after Apple's iPhone announcement on September 7.  But Brian Heater of TechCrunch reports that Apple announced that it will wait until iPad 16.1 before releasing the operating system update for the iPad, which I presume will be in October or possibly November. Last week, I linked to a story by Ed Hardy of Cult of Mac in which he announced the Adonit Neo Pro, a third-party stylus that can charge when it is magnetically attached to an iPad.  This week, Ed Hardy posts a review based on his own use of the Adonit Neo Pro. Benjamin Mayo of 9to5Mac notes that you can get three months of Apple TV+ free if you use a Samsung smart TV. If you haven't yet finished watching Season 3 of the amazing Apple TV+ series For All Mankind, skip to the next item now.  OK?  All good?  Jodi Balfour, who plays Ellen Wilson on the show, wrote a wonderful article for The Hollywood Reporter about coming out on that show and what it meant for her personal life.  I love that character on the show. And finally, as we contemplate what new features might be included in the 2022 version of the iPhone, why not design the new iPhone yourself?  Neal Agarwal created a great website called Design the Next iPhone.  You can drag-and-drop all sorts of features onto an iPhone mock-up such as cameras, a home button, and more.  And I do mean more.  When you are done, click the Present button at the top right and make sure that you have your volume turned up to hear the iPhone introduction.  This site is clever and fun.

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Apple to announce new iPhones on September 7

A few days ago, I discussed a rumor from Mark Gurman of Bloomberg that Apple would introduce the 2022 version of the iPhone on September 7.  Yesterday, Apple confirmed that date.  On September 7, 2022, at 10am Pacific / 1pm Eastern, Apple will hold an event at the Steve Jobs Theater on Apple's campus in Cupertino, CA.  And while Apple hasn't revealed what will be introduced, the event will surely feature the next version of the iPhone.  I'm sure we will see a few other items too, such as perhaps a new Apple Watch.  My personal hope is that Apple also introduces a new version of the AirPods Pro, but that is mainly because the one that I started using in late 2019 is sometimes having some issues with charging in the case, so it seems like time for me to replace them. This is the first time that Apple has invited the press to the Steve Jobs Theater since September 10, 2019, when Apple announced the iPhone 11.  But as of now, it is unclear whether Apple is returning completely to a pro-COVID approach.  For example, will the product announcements occur on stage with live presenters, or will we just see people on stage introduce the same (fantastic) videos of new products that Apple has been using for the last two years?  Will the theater be packed, or will it be a smaller crowd that is socially distanced? The invitation for the event uses the tagline "Far out."  I'm not sure what that means.  Maybe Apple will explain how to get the pictures from the James Webb telescope on the beautiful iPhone screen.  Chance Miller of 9to5Mac suggests that it could indicate a satellite radio for the iPhone "to allow users to connect to a satellite when they lose cellular service to communicate with first responders in emergency situations," a rumor surfaced by Mark Gurman of Bloomberg earlier this year, or it could indicate a camera that is so improved that it can better take pictures of space at night.  Leander Kahney of Cult of Mac jokes that it could mean that the "iPhone 14 Pro will be a total black hole for your money."  Feel free to come up with your own speculation on what the phrase suggests. For an animated version of the invitation graphic, click here.

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Podcast episode 64: Suppressing Photos and Scribbling Words

This week's episode of the In the News podcast starts with a public service announcement: update your iPhone, iPad, and Mac to fix a security flaw that Apple considers critical. Next, we discuss the possibility of the iPhone 14 coming out in about 14 days.  We also talk about ways to protect your private photos, a new iPad stylus, a new use for a stylus in Microsoft Word, and more. In our In the Know segment, Brett shares a tip for using the built-in Weather app on the iPhone. I share one of my favorite tips: using the VIP function so that you only get notified of important new emails. Click here to listen to the audio podcast, or just use your podcast player of choice.  You can also watch the episode on YouTube:

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In the News

Are you ready for some iPhones?  Mark Gurman of Bloomberg—who has a pretty good track record for this sort of information—reports that he has been told by a source that Apple will introduce the new iPhone 14 line and the next versions of the Apple Watch on Wednesday, September 7.  Apple historically introduces a new iPhone on a Tuesday or Wednesday during the first or second full week of September.  There was an exception in 2020 due to the pandemic when the introduction was instead in October, but otherwise, the introductions have occurred in the first week for three years (2014, 2015, 2016) and in the second week for six years (2012, 2013, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2021).  With that record, I would have predicted Tuesday, September 13, 2022, but Gurman's sources tell him otherwise.  What will the next iPhone include?  Apple loves to improve the camera every year so that is probably the safest bet.  There have been some rumors that 2021 was the last year for a "mini" version of an iPhone (other than the SE) and that in 2022 we will instead see an iPhone 14, iPhone 14 Max, iPhone 14 Pro, and iPhone 14 Pro Max with familiar designs—i.e., no radical new iPhone look this year.  And there are rumors that the prices will be about $100 higher this year given the state of the world.  It doesn't take a crystal ball to predict that a product will become more expensive in 2022, but as for the other rumors, who knows?  Whatever we will see, I'm certainly looking forward to Apple's next announcements.  And now, the news of note from the past week: With new announcements presumably around the corner, this is not a good time to buy an iPhone.  Joanna Stern of the Wall Street Journal recommends what Apple gadgets you should, and should not, buy right now. If you decide not to upgrade to whatever new iPhones Apple announces next month, Nicole Nguyen of the Wall Street Journal has recommendations for making your current iPhone last even longer. Andrew Cunningham of Ars Technica reports that iOS 15.6.1, which came out Wednesday, fixes a vulnerability that may have been actively exploited.  So this is not a drill, please update your iPhone (and Mac, and iPad) for your protection. Chance Miller of 9to5Mac shares another story about an AirTag being used to track stolen luggage.  A traveler's whose luggage was lost when she flew into the Destin-Fort Walton Beach Airport in Florida notified police that her AirTag tracked the luggage to a neighboring town.  The police then checked the list of airport workers in that town and figured out who the thief was.  Unfortunately, they didn't recover the items stolen out of the AirTag owner's suitcase, but they did recover $15,000 in jewelry that had been reported stolen from another suitcase. If you have sensitive photos on your iPhone, it can be dangerous keeping them in the normal places in the built-in Photos app because they might pop up and be seen by someone else when you least expect it—such as on a widget on the home screen, on an Apple TV, etc.  Tatum Hunger of the Washington Post recommends places to hide sensitive photos on your phone.  He describes one app that I had never heard of before called Private Photo Vault.  It has been around for a decade, and it has all sorts of extra features, like a decoy password (so if someone pressures you to unlock the app, you can show them something other than the real photos) and a break-in report (which logs the GPS location and takes a front-facing photo of the person who uses the wrong password). Speaking of photos on the iPhone, one of the big changes coming in iOS 16 is the new iCloud Shared Photo Library, which makes it easier to share photos with others.  Michael Potuck of 9to5Mac has a good explanation of how it will work.  Unfortunately, there are some limitations in this version—for example, you can only have one shared photo library—but hopefully this feature will improve in the future. How many stand hours do you have on your Apple Watch today?  I doubt it is more than 28.  New Orleans-native and Apple VP Lisa Jackson took a souvenir screenshot of her Apple Watch when she flew home from Australia and picked up a few extra hours in the day. I've seen lots of reports of folks saying that an Apple Watch saved their life, but this one shared some new reasons.  Justin Eastzer of CNet explains that he uses a continuous glucose monitor to measure his blood sugar levels because he has Type 1 diabetes.  It sends a notice to his Apple Watch if something seems off.  A few months ago, his Apple Watch reported that his blood pressure was very low, so he quickly drank some orange juice ... and then passed out.  But fortunately, a few minutes later, his blood sugar level returned to normal because of the juice, and he woke up.  He has lots of other advice for how an Apple Watch can help in an emergency in that post, so check it out. Bradley Chambers of 9to5Mac recommends the Fibaro Multi-Sensor.  It works with HomeKit and can detect motion, temperature, and light.  Thus, it is a versatile device to trigger other actions, and it costs less than $50 ($49.28 on Amazon). Ed Hardy of Cult of Mac reports that Adonit will release the first third-party iPad stylus called the Adonit Neo Pro that can attach to the side of an iPad and charge, just like the second-generation Apple Pencil.  The Neo Pro lacks pressure sensitivity, but unlike the Apple Pencil ($99 on Amazon), the Neo Pro will only cost $44.99.  Note that you can also purchase the Adonit Neo ($39.99 on Amazon) which attaches magnetically to the side of an iPad but which requires a USB-C cord to charge.  (I think that getting a charge from the iPad without needing a cord is easily worth the extra $5.00.) Speaking of a stylus, Joe Rossignol of MacRumors reports that you can now insert and edit text in a Word document on an iPad using the stylus.  In either the Microsoft Word app or the Microsoft Office app, tap on the Draw tab and you will see a number of pen options.  The second one—the one with a letter "A" on the top of the pen—is the Scribble Pen.  Select that tool and then you can just handwrite words on the iPad screen to enter text.  And you can use other gestures too.  For example, if you see a scratch up and down on a word, you will delete it.  Tap a word with your finger to select it and then write another word to replace text.  This all works rather well when you are in Track Changes mode; it is a nice way to edit a document.  Give it a try and see what you think. And finally, Michael Schneider of Variety reports that the show Severance on Apple TV+ was one of the top winners of the Hollywood Critics Association's awards a few days ago.  One of the fans of the show is Stephen Colbert, and he recently filmed a funny video showing the deleted scenes of Severance Season 1 that he was in (ahem):

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Reivew: 1Password 8 -- password security with an improved interface

I'm excited about what Apple and others are doing to move us into a future in which we no longer need to use passwords, but it is going to be a long transition.  For now, you cannot avoid passwords.  And that means that you need a system for managing your passwords.  Sure, you could just use the same password everywhere to make it easy to remember, but I don't need to tell you how dangerous that is.  Sure, you could write them down on a piece of paper, but that has security risks and it isn't very convenient because you may need a password when you are far from that paper.  The best solution is to use password manager software.  And for almost a decade, I've been extremely happy with 1Password, which I believe is the best password manager on the iPhone and iPad and an excellent password manager on the PC and Mac. Last week, a new version of 1Password for the iPhone and iPad was released: version 8.  This is a brand new app, so you will need to download it from the App Store even if you are already using the (prior) 1Password app. But since 1Password is now a subscription product, you don't have to pay anything extra to use the new app.  You can even keep the 1Password version 7 on your device if you want, but you should set the Safari browser extension and autofill (in the Settings app) to point to 1Password 8 instead of 1Password 7.  (If you use the 1Password app on the Apple Watch, you will want to keep 1Password 7 on your iPhone because 1Password 8 does not yet have an Apple Watch app.) New look The app has a new interface.  The new look is great.  Layouts are improved, text is easier to read and, in some cases, larger, and everything has a modern look to it.  Here is an entry in 1Password 7, followed by an entry in 1Password 8:   Note that in 1Password 8, just like 1Password 7, you can choose whether you want to have a password visible or protected by dots that you can remove by long-pressing on the entry. One nice addition in the individual item view concerns icon images.  1Password has long been able to automatically associate an icon image with an entry when your entry includes a website and 1Password can determine the icon from the website.  A new feature in 1Password 8 is that you can add a picture for any 1Password entry.  This makes entries stand out more whenever shown in a list. Vastly improved Home screen The navigation bar at the bottom of the app now provides easy access to the Home screen, Items screen, Search screen, and Watchtower.  The real hero is the brand new Home screen. In prior versions of 1Password, instead of a Home screen there was a Favorites screen.  In 1Password 8, the Home screen is much more versatile because it can show lots of different types of information, and you get to select what you want to see and in what order.  First, you can show your favorites, just like before.  Second, you can show pinned items.  A pinned item is a part of an entry—the part that you really need.  For example, I frequently need to use my Apple ID password.  In the old 1Password, I would tap on that entry in my favorites and then tap on the password field to copy that password.  In the new 1Password, I can pin that specific password so that it shows up right on the Home screen.  When I want to copy that password, it is right there, so I can just tap to copy it.  Thus, this saves me a step.  And you can pin whatever you want.  Do you want an easy way to copy your credit number?  Pin it.  You can customize the Home Screen to show or hide any of the following: pinned fields, favorites, recently created items, frequently used items, recently used items, and recently modified items.  And you can arrange those in any order that you want.  As a result, for most of your 1Password use, you can likely just stay on the Home screen.  On the rare occasions that you want to get a password or other information that you rarely use, then you can go to your Items screen to see everything listed or your Search screen to search for something. Easter to read notes Although the built-in Notes app is sufficient for most of my notes, for information that is more private, I prefer keeping it in the 1Password app.  That way, even if someone else was using my iPhone (which is rare), they wouldn't be able to snoop around and see my secure note.  I like that the text in notes is larger and much easier to read in 1Password 8.  Here is the same entry first in 1Password 7, then in 1Password 8:   As before, you can use Markdown to format text if you want to have parts of text in bold, underline, italics, bulleted, etc. The improvement in note legibility is going to encourage me to use the notes feature in 1Password more often. Improved large passwords Often, I can copy a password from 1Password and paste it where I need it.  But sometimes, I need to type a password by hand for one reason or the other.  When I have done that in the past, I enjoyed taking advantage of 1Password's large password feature which displays the numbers, letters, etc. in a large text.  In 1Password 8, there is a new interface that uses the entire iPhone screen to make it even easier to see a password in the large password mode.  Here is 1Password 7 on the left, then 1Password 8 on the right:   1Password 7 did a nice job with a large password display.  But 1Password 8 is more clear and, thanks to the numbered grid, easier to use. Faster Face ID and more Using Face ID to open 1Password 7 takes me almost three seconds.  I didn't consider that to be slow until I started using 1Password 8, where Face ID now works in just over one second.  And when using the app, everything has a lot more pep to it—which I presume is a result of the app using a lot of SwiftUI, Apple's new and faster programing language. Watchtower The Watchtower feature is new to the iPhone/iPad app, but it has been around on the Mac for a while.  Tap this feature to get advice on how to improve your passwords.  For example, the app will warn you if you are using the same password on multiple websites, if there is two-factor authentication available for a service that you haven't used yet, etc.  It is nice to be able to scroll through all of the suggestions. iPad The pictures above are from the iPhone, but the new interface on the iPad is also fantastic.  With the large increase in screen real estate, you can see even more items at once.  I'm not sharing an image here because I would have to redact so much of it, but trust me when I say that it works quite well. Conclusion If you have been waiting for a good excuse to purchase a password manager, I recommend that you let this update be your impetus to download the 1Password app and subscribe to the service.  A subscription costs as little as $2.99/month, or for a better deal go with the $4.99/month family plan that covers five family members.  As I've noted in the past, the family plan is not just cheaper, but it is also more useful because you can share designated information with other family members so that, for example, everyone always has the latest password for Netflix.  1Password has always been a fantastic app, but with the new interface and other improvements in 1Password 8, it is better than ever. Click here to get 1Password 8 (free, but requires subscription): 

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Podcast episode 63: Sharpening the Apple Pencil and Submerging the Apple Watch

This week's episode of the In the News podcast starts with a discussion of what might be coming in a future version of the Apple Pencil.  But after that, it is pretty much all tips in this episode.  First, we discuss how to get Apple TV+ free for a limited time, and provide some tips on some of the best Apple TV+ shows.  Next, we discuss tips for customizing an Apple Watch, tips for adjusting the microphone on an iPhone, tips for coming up with new uses for the Shortcuts app, and tips for taking photos.  In our In the Know segment, the tips keep on coming. Brett shares tips for swimming with an Apple Watch.  I share tips for monitoring your battery use on an Apple Watch. Click here to listen to the audio podcast, or just use your podcast player of choice.  You can also watch the episode on YouTube:

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Podcast episode 62: Buggy Betas and Apple Cubes

This week's episode of the In the News podcast starts with a discussion of the possibility that iOS 16 will come out sooner than iPad OS 16 and whether this is a good or bad thing.  Next, after a brief discussion of a new charging solution from Anker, we then discuss the iPhone as a replacement for a high-end camera.  We also discuss new HomeKit devices and the best shows on Apple TV+.  We end with a very fun discussion of Apple Store opening days, and I share some never before seen pictures of the opening day at Apple Store Fifth Avenue in New York back in 2006.  (You'll have to watch the video version of the podcast to see those!) In our In the Know segment, Brett shares a tip for controlling access to information on the lock screen—the eternal debate between utility and privacy.  I share a tip for migrating from an old Mac mini to a new Mac mini when you don't have a second keyboard and/or a second mouse. Click here to listen to the audio podcast, or just use your podcast player of choice.  You can also watch the episode on YouTube:

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Podcast episode 61: Sleepy Maps and Multi-Stop AirTags

This week's episode of the In the News podcast starts with a discussion of some of the best new features coming to iOS 16, iPad OS 16, and CarPlay this Fall.  We also talk about sleep tracking with an Apple Watch, new options for charging your devices, and clever uses for AirTags.  Finally, we discuss some great sales at Amazon on Apple products. In our In the Know segment, Brett shares a useful tip for using Focus mode when you are exercising.  I share a non-useful, but fun, tip about figuring out how many of you there are. Click here to listen to the audio podcast, or just use your podcast player of choice.  You can also watch the episode on YouTube:

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