Apple released macOS 10.15.5 today, bringing Battery Health Management, bug fixes, an update to FaceTime, and more.
Andrew Orr
Since 2015 Andrew has been writing about Apple, privacy, security, and at one point even Android. You can find him most places online under the username @andrewornot.
Articles by Andrew Orr
Spotify 10,000 Song Limit Goes Away in Update
Spotify has removed the 10,000 song limit it imposed on user libraries. This means that you can now save as many songs and albums as you like to the My Library section.
Apple Fixes ‘This App is no Longer Shared With You’ Bug
Over the weekend Apple fixed a bug related to Family Sharing where users saw a message saying, “This app is no longer shared with you.”
Apple Pro Display XDR Wins 2020 Display Industry Award
These are awarded to displays that “embody the profound level of innovation within the industry and exemplify how crucial displays have become to nearly every aspect of daily life.”
AirPods Ad ‘Bounce’ Wins Best of Advertising Award
Apple’s AirPods ad called “Bounce” has won a Best of Advertising award in the 99th annual Art Director’s Club awards for advertising.
Leaked Version of iOS 14 Has Been Circulating Since February
A report from Motherboard today finds that a leaked version of iOS 14 has been circulating around the hacking and security community since at least February. Sources claim someone bought a development iPhone 11 running iOS 14 from a Chinese vendor in December 2019.
“That sucks,” said a current Apple employee, who didn’t have knowledge of the leak. Another current Apple employee told Motherboard that they spoke to other employees referencing the leaks. Both employees asked to remain anonymous as they were not allowed to talk to the press. A source in the cybersecurity industry said, his team has this leaked version of iOS 14, and they are studying it.
Like Will Strafach, I too feel bad for whomever Apple rains fire upon.
How to Dig Into the Apple Photos SQLite Database
Now here’s a cool article I found last night. Simon Willison found the SQLite database that Apple Photos uses. It contains photo metadata as well as the aesthetic scoring system that the machine learning uses. Further, there are numeric categories used to label content within photos. For example, Category 2027 is for Entertainment, Trip, Travel, Museum, Beach Activity, etc. I think the quality scores are particularly interesting. There are scores for noise, composition, lively color, harmonious color, pleasant lighting/pattern/perspective, and a bunch more. I bet Apple’s acquisition of Regaind contributed to this.
New Series ‘Little Voice’ Comes to Apple TV+ July 10
“Little Voice”, a series from J.J. Abrams, Sara Bareilles, and Jessica Nelson, is coming to Apple TV+ on July 10.
The Care19 Contact Tracing App Gives Your Location Data to Foursquare
Care19, a contact tracing app used by North and South Dakota, violates its own privacy policy. Notably, the creator of the app, ProudCrowd, made sure that location data from the app is shared with Foursquare, although it claims it’s not used for commercial purposes. It’s a violation of its privacy policy because users are told their location data is private:
This location data is private to you and is stored securely on ProudCrowd, LLC servers. It will not be shared with anyone including government entities or third parties, unless you consent or ProudCrowd is compelled under federal regulations.
Apple Announces Short-Form Docuseries ‘Greatness Code’
On Wednesday Apple announced a short form docuseries called “Greatness Code featuring stories from LeBron James, Tom Brady, and others.
Some Online College Exams Don’t Support Apple’s HEIC Format
Apple’s HEIC photo format isn’t widely supported and that causes problems when students upload photos during online exams.
But the testing portal doesn’t support the default format on iOS devices and some newer Android phones, HEIC files. HEIC files are smaller than JPEGs and other formats, thus allowing you to store a lot more photos on an iPhone. Basically, only Apple (and, more recently, Samsung) use the HEIC format — most other websites and platforms don’t support it. Even popular Silicon Valley-based services, such as Slack, don’t treat HEICs the same way as standard JPEGs.
I wish more websites would support HEIC/HEIF. It should be a no-brainer since the file size is smaller than JPG and supports a wider color gamut.
How to Turn Off Group FaceTime Moving Photos
Apple added Group FaceTime calls with iOS 12.4.1, and with iOS 13.5 you can now turn off Group FaceTime moving photos.
Preorder Adobe Photoshop Camera Today
Adobe Photoshop Camera is available to preorder today on the App Store. It’s a new app from the company that gives you cool effects powered by machine learning. Add tons of filters and lenses inspired by famous artists and influencers. You’ll get content-aware recommendations, portrait controls, and social network sharing built in. “Photoshop Camera is packed with amazing AI-powered features that help you take gorgeous selfies, food and scenery shots, and more. Quick fixes like auto-tone and portrait control mean you can create high-quality photos with a simiple tap or swipe of your finger.”
Apple Celebrates Global Accessibility Awareness Day 2020
Apple is highlighting features across its products for Global Accessibility Awareness Day 2020 in the App Store and on Apple.com.
Jamf Protect Adds Malware Prevention and Unified Log Forwarding
Today Jamf is adding new capabilities to its Jamf Protect product. The update adds malware prevention and unified log forwarding.
‘Mythic Quest: Quarantine’ Was Shot With 40 iPhones
Hollywood Reporter talked with Rob McElhenney, creator and star of Mythic Quest, about the newest quarantine episode.
McElhenney pitched the idea to his bosses at Apple, who were immediately on board. To pull it off, he told a team in Cupertino, California, that the production would need 40 new iPhones and 20 sets of earbuds later that week.
“This was a Monday, and I said, ‘If we have them by Friday, I think we could pull this off. Is that possible?'” he recounts by phone. “There was a rep on the call who didn’t skip a beat. She said, ‘I already have them tracked down. They’re in L.A. and I can have them to you by this afternoon.'”
Apple’s New Austin Campus Will Have a Six-Story Hotel
According to a revised site plan approved on April 29, Apple’s upcoming campus in Austin will feature a 75,500 sq.ft. hotel.
AT&T Advised to Discontinue Misleading ‘5Ge’ Moniker
A panel of the National Advertising Review Board is recommending that AT&T stop its “5G Evolution” label for its network. If you’re at AT&T customer and notice a “5G E” label on your iPhone, that is what this is referring to. (Hint: It’s not actually 5G).
The NARB Panel agreed with NAD’s analysis and concluded that the term “Evolution” is not likely to alert consumers to the fact that the service is not 5G […] AT&T stated that it “respectfully disagrees with the reasoning and result reached by the Panel majority,” […] As a supporter of the self-regulatory process, it will comply with the NARB’s decision.
No comment from me is needed, other than surprise that AT&T is capable of self-regulating
iPadOS and iOS 13.5 Out With Exposure Notification, Face ID Update
iPadOS and iOS 13.5 have been released today by Apple. They contain the new Exposure Notification platform for public health apps.
Siri Grading Whistleblower Goes Public With Apple Dissatisfaction
The subcontractor who revealed Apple’s Siri grading program is going public. Thomas le Bonniec isn’t satisfied with what happened.
FileMaker 19 Supports Third Party JavaScript Libraries
Apple subsidiary Claris announced today the release of FileMaker 19. It adds features like Core ML, rapid app deployment, and more.
In Update to Privacy Policy, Twitter Gives More Data to Advertisers
Twitter updated its privacy policy on Monday to reflect that more of your data will be shared with advertisers.
To help us understand if these ads are effective, we share device-level data, like IP address, with our advertising partners. We don’t share things like your name, email, phone number, or Twitter username.
To help mobile app advertisers understand if the ads they run on Twitter are effective, Twitter shares some device-level data, like which ads your device may have seen or clicked on, with them. We don’t share your name, email, phone number, or Twitter username.
It doesn’t matter if they don’t share details like your phone number if it gets leaked anyway.
Please Don’t Disable FileVault Encryption Like Logitech Wants
Logitech has a support article that mentions problems customers may have with Bluetooth mice and keyboards not reconnecting under certain conditions (Brought to my attention from Reddit).
If your Bluetooth mouse or keyboard does not reconnect after a reboot at the login screen and only reconnects after the login, this might be related to FileVault encryption. When FileVault is enabled, Bluetooth mice and keyboards will only re-connect after login.
One of the potential solutions is to disable FileVault. I personally think this is a terrible idea. FileVault encryption is an important security and privacy feature. I don’t know if the bug lies with macOS or Logitech, but my potential solution is to ditch the product instead of disabling your hard disk encryption.
Google Fi Introduces eSIM Support for New iPhone Customers
First introduced last month, Google Fi is rolling out eSIM support for new iPhone customers.
This capability is tied to version 2.5 of the Google Fi companion app, which rolled out yesterday. The release notes mention how “You can now activate Fi via eSIM on select iPhone devices.”
The official help document still notes how “iOS eSIM activation only works for new users who sign up for Google Fi.”
Find the Google Fi app here.