iOS 12.1.4 Delayed Until Next Week, Apple Apologizes

Apple issued an apology to MacRumors, saying that a software update to fix the Group FaceTime bug won’t arrive until next week.

We have fixed the Group FaceTime security bug on Apple’s servers and we will issue a software update to re-enable the feature for users next week. We thank the Thompson family for reporting the bug. We sincerely apologize to our customers who were affected and all who were concerned about this security issue. We appreciate everyone’s patience as we complete this process.

iOS 12.1.4 Could Fix FaceTime Bug and will Drop Soon

Apple should fix the group FaceTime bug in iOS 12.1.4 which the company says will appear later this week. If we don’t see it today then that means tomorrow (via Macrumors). [Apple Sued Over Group FaceTime Eavesdropping Bug] Group FaceTime Bug As was widely reported, the FaceTime bug was originally discovered by a teenager, whose…

Users Reported iOS 12.1.3 WiFi Issues

When it first launched, iOS 12.1.3 stopped some users accessing cellular data, something that had already happened with the rollout of iOS 12.1.2. The situation was so bad, provider Sprint put out a warning. This emerged after iOS 12.1.1 caused 4G issues. Now, it seems, the latest version of the operating system is also causing WiFi issues. Gordon Kelly rounded up the situation for Forbes.

Apple’s pledge with iOS 12 was to focus on performance and reliability. It actually fulfilled its promise on speed, which makes iOS 12 a very appealing upgrade, but its failure with reliability is twofold. Not only are major bugs still occurring, what’s worse (since bugs are inevitable), is they not being fixed as a priority from release to release.

#10YearChallenge: How iOS Apps Have Changed

Here’s a 10 year challenge I can get behind. Valia Havryliuk demonstrates how iOS apps have changed.

Just last year App Store celebrated its 10th birthday. In 2008 it launched with 552 apps and some of them are still live inside your iPhones. Time has passed and design trends have changed dramatically. #10yearchallenge is a good opportunity to see how fast the evolution is and notice changes in the oldest iOS apps.

iOS 7 was definitely the biggest visual overhaul to iOS. iOS 11 introduced UI changes but it was more along the lines of refinement.

Features Coming in iOS 12.2, Like Apple News in Canada

The first iOS 12.2 developer beta was released today, and we got a sneak peak into the features that will be coming.

Apple today released the first beta of iOS 12.2 for developers, and while it doesn’t bring as many new changes as we might have hoped for in a 12.x update, there are still quite a few minor tweaks to be aware of.

Some updates coming include Apple News for Canadian users, HomeKit TV Support, Safari search arrows, and more.

How to Use Precise Times in iOS Calendar

David Murphy shared a cool tip that lets you set more precise times in iOS Calendar. Instead of times that increment by five minutes, go deeper.

Open the Calendar app and pull up an existing event or create a new event. Your pick. Once you’ve confirmed (or entered in) the title and/or location, tap on the start or end time. You’ll see the little section expand that allows you to scroll up and down to set the date, hour, and minute (in five-minute increments), as well as AM or PM. Double-tap anywhere in this section, and the minute increments will change from five minutes to one minute. It’s that easy.

It’s a handy tip, although I’ll never use it because my calendar events don’t need that much precision. But if you’d like yours to have it, then you’ll like this tip.

Long Press Shortcuts for iOS Safari

I’ve covered iOS 12 tips and tricks that you might have forgotten. Now I’d like to resurface a tip from 2017 about shortcuts for iOS Safari.

You might not know it, but Safari has some hidden shortcuts tucked behind some of the icons. This will let you perform certain actions a little faster, like quickly access the desktop version of a website, add a bookmark, and even close multiple tabs at once.

Using iPad, Apple Original TV Shows, and Macs with Jim Dalrymple: ACM 490

Bryan Chaffin and guest-host Jim Dalrymple talk about how they use their iPads, and it turns out they’re pretty different use cases. They try to talk about where Apple TV might go but venture into a much deeper conversation about Apple’s original TV shows and videos. Spoiler: one of them is a pessimist. They close the show by examining the state of the Mac. Another spoiler: one of them is a pessimist!