iCloud Cluster****, Or Why You Shouldn't Run Betas On Important Devices

iCloud features in the iOS 13 betas have been removed because of buggy issues (And is probably a big driver behind iOS 13.1 betas). Developer Craig Hockenberry says this resulted in some unhappy customers.

Entire folders were either gone or corrupted. Apple’s mechanism to recover deleted files was of no help. The customers with weird folder duplicates were the “lucky” ones…Anyone who’s not a developer, and hasn’t been burned by a bad OS, does not know the kind of trouble that lies ahead. It’s irresponsible for Apple to release a public beta with known issues in iCloud…As an Apple shareholder, I also worry about how these failures will damage the iCloud brand.

This is exactly why you don’t run beta software on mission-critical devices. It’s not irresponsible of Apple, it’s irresponsible of people who ignore the warning on beta.apple.com to make backups. These people are why there are “Caution: Product May Be Hot” labels on microwaveable food.

NSO Group Tool Harvests Targeted iCloud Data

Israel-based NSO Group claims it can harvest iCloud data in targeted attacks. It’s said to be a version of the Pegasus spyware.

Attackers using the malware are said to be able to access a wealth of private information, including the full history of a target’s location data and archived messages or photos, according to people who shared documents with the Financial Times and described a recent product demonstration.

When questioned by the newspaper, NSO denied promoting hacking or mass-surveillance tools for cloud services, but didn’t specifically deny that it had developed the capability described in the documents.

Apple Tests Biometric Login for iCloud.com

Apple is testing biometric login for iCloud.com. If you’re a beta tester for iOS 13, iPadOS, or macOS Catalina, you can go to beta.icloud.com and login with Face ID/Touch ID. Web Login So far, iPhone and iPad users haven’t been able to access iCloud web apps. If you navigated to the website you couldn’t use…

Apple Releases List of iCloud Contributors

Apple has released a list of the third-party software that it has used to make and run iCloud.

The software itself ranges from fonts used in the service to functions such as Javascript libraries, including Google’s Closure Library and the jQuery Foundation’s separate one. While Apple does not disclose which precise elements it uses from these libraries, Google’s one is intended for functions ranging from animation and user interface controls to server communication and text editing.

4 Privacy Features Apple Should Add

Apple has made a good start when it comes to privacy, but there are more private features the company can add. Here are four.

…based on Apple’s marketing focus as of late, which has centered on privacy, it’s reasonable to assume that the company will unveil additional privacy protections for users and their data in its next operating systems. What those privacy protections might be is anyone’s guess–but here are my hopes.

End-to-end encryption for iCloud backups is definitely on my wish list. But it should remain optional, because people who forget their password would be unable to access this kind of backup.

Touch Bar & The Terminal – Mac Geek Gab Podcast 748

Do you need an elbow connector? You might after listening to this episode! That, after all, is what Cool Stuff Found segments are all about: discovering stuff you didn’t know existed, and now you need! In addition to that, of course, your tips are shared and questions are answered, including some about iCloud Archives, CarPlay, and Watch Notifications. Hosts Dave Hamilton and John F. Braun guide you through all of this and more, just press play and enjoy learning at least five new things!

Apple Doesn't Treat Roger Stone Any Differently

During Robert Mueller’s investigation they discovered Paul Manafort had tampered with witnesses. How was this discovered? Unencrypted WhatsApp messages that were backed up to iCloud. Apple handed over Roger Stone’s iCloud data, and apparently some people are angry. Stephen Silver breaks the issue down and says there is no double standard.

The argument went that Apple had refused to create a backdoor for the iPhone in the case of the one of the San Bernardino shooters following the December 2015 shooting. Yet, they were perfectly willing to easily hand over Manafort’s iCloud data. Why protect the privacy of terrorists, when they won’t do it for everybody?

How to Move Notes Between Accounts

If you’ve got notes synced through several different accounts (such as through both iCloud and Google), then you might want to organize everything and move it all into one account instead. In today’s Quick Tip, Melissa Holt’s going to tell us how to get messy notes all cleaned up!