In iOS 13.5, Apple has made COVID-19 Exposure Logging on the iPhone available. It can be activated through your device’s settings.
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 Looking for Exec to Lead Original Podcasts Push
Apple is reportedly looking to increases its original podcasts offering and is searching for an executive to lead the push.
Proposal: Discounted AirPods in the iPhone 12 Box
Currently, when you buy an iPhone online, there’s a “page 2” option to also purchase a set of AirPods at full price. But John thinks there’s a nifty, alternative option.
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.
iPhone Ports and Headphones – TMO Daily Observations 2020-05-21
Charlotte Henry and John Martellaro join host Kelly Guimont to discuss the future of iPhone ports, and John’s brilliant iPhone ordering idea.
Apple to Update Schoolwork App to Support Homeschooling
Apple is set to release a software update to its Schoolwork app to make it easier for teachers to manage assignments and handouts.
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.”
Spotify Employees Can Work From Home Until 2021
Spotify became the latest company to tell employees they can work from home until 2021, Music Business Worldwide reported. It joins other major tech firms in taking such a decision.
MBW understands that a memo went out earlier today (May 21) explaining that SPOT is following local guidelines on the re-opening of its offices during the current pandemic, and will be taking a “phased approach” on the matter. As part of this strategy, the company has informed its employees that they can individually decide with “full discretion” whether or not to return to company workspaces before next year. According to its latest annual fiscal report, Spotify employed 4,405 people on a full-time basis worldwide in 2019, with 2,121 in the United States and 1,437 in Sweden.
Apple’s Privacy Stance Both Helps and Hinders it
Apple regularly pushes its stance on privacy, working to turn it into a competitive advantage. In the latest in a series of pieces on the company, Wired looks at how its approach to privacy both helps and hinders the company.
Apple is able to do this because its business doesn’t rely on advertising. “Apple doesn’t have that need to have access to data,” independent security researcher Robin Wood says. Google, on the other hand, is one of the world’s biggest advertising companies and can sell ads for greater sums if it knows more about users and their interests. “Because Apple doesn’t have to have the data, they can put the effort into not having it,” Wood says. One such example is found in Apple Maps. Apple says it doesn’t collect detailed journey information: when you travel from home to work, for example, it breaks up the journey into small chunks. This way, it doesn’t hold a complete record of your route (from which it would be easy to identify you). It has also introduced a new technique it calls “fuzzing”: when you search for a destination on your phone, Apple will change the location information it stores to be less precise 24 hours later, meaning it can’t be used to identify where you have been.
iOS 13.5 Jailbreak on Its Way in Days, Hackers Claim
A jailbreak for all recent iOS versions, including iOS 13.5, is imminent, according to the hackers behind the unc0ver tool.
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.
New Emojis Face Delay Due to Coronavirus Pandemic
No corner has been left untouched by the coronavirus pandemic. Even the rollout of emojis has been delayed, from March 2021 until September 2021, The Guardian reported.
That will have a knock-on effect for OS at Apple and Google, who will struggle to implement the new designs on their normal timescale. All of which means that 2021 might see no brand new emojis. That’s more of a hit than it might seem. On an emotional level, the rollout of new emojis is important people who want to represent themselves in the lingua franca of the 21st century. And on a technical level, the pictograms are an important carrot dangled by the smartphone manufacturers to get people to go through the effort of installing software updates, which are crucial to protect users from security vulnerabilities and hacking attacks.
Google Podcasts for iPhone Gets CarPlay Support
Version 2.0 of Google Podcasts for iPhone introduces CarPlay support for the app, along with some bug fixes.
‘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 Target TV Market for Apple TV+ is What Again?
Streaming TV services have evolved, by design and content, to appeal to certain segments of the viewer marketplace. Except, it seems, Apple.
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.
Apple Siri Grading Whistleblower, Podcast Exclusivity, with Andrew Orr - ACM 530
Bryan Chaffin and Andrew Orr talk about surveillance capitalism and the former Apple employee and Siri grading whistleblower who recently went public. They also discuss the growing battle for podcast exclusivity between the tech giants and Spotify.