While most of the big news at WWDC comes during the keynote, there are always newsworthy bits that follow over the next couple of days. Here is s roundup of some of those newsworthy items
iOS 14 Will Continue to Receive Security Updates After iOS 15 is Released
This is a pretty big shift for Apple. In prior years, once an iOS version shipped, the company would stop issuing updates for the previous version, even security updates. That meant users were forced to upgrade even to get small security updates. The only exception to that rule was on devices that were not able to run the newest version. For example, Apple has issued security updates to iOS 12 for the iPhone 6 since that phone was not upgraded to iOS 13, most recently in May of 2021. But iOS 13 has not seen any updates since the release of iOS 14 un September 2020.
Now, starting this year, Apple is committing to providing security updates to iOS 14 after iOS 15 ships. This means users will not need to upgrade to iOS 15 right away to ensure they get security updates. Apple will never say for sure but I wonder if this is a response to the fact that recent iOS releases have had a tendency to be more buggy. iOS 13 especially was a mess at launch, with Apple issuing 9 updates in roughly 14 weeks to fix bugs. Buggy releases over time cause users not to upgrade as quickly, which makes keeping older versions secure for longer. This is good for everyone, and a welcome move. I’m very curious to see what it means for adoption of iOS 15, especially in the first month.
https://www.engadget.com/ios-update-stay-on-14-010224197.html
iOS 15 Includes Find My Feature, Even When iPhones Are Off
Finding a lost iPhone using the Find My network could become a lot easier with a new iOS feature that may prove to be controversial. When a user turns off an iPhone running iOS 15, the phone will not completely turn off. Instead it will be put into a low power state that will essentially behave like an Apple Air Tag, allowing it to be located on the Find My network. Users will be warned that the phone will remain on when they turn it off for the first time after updating to iOS 15, and users can change that setting in the Find My app.
While I think this is a feature that will definitely help some people, I’m curious to know how much battery it will drain, and how quickly. If a user turns off their iPhone and then 4 hours later it gets turned on and 10% of the battery has been drained…. That’s not ideal. I’m sure the battery impact will be tested once iOS 15 becomes available, and I’ll be very interested to see the impact.
https://9to5mac.com/2021/06/07/ios-15-find-my-network-can-find-your-iphone-when-it-is-powered-off/
Some macOS Monterey Won’t Work on Intel Macs
It begins. When Apple announced the switch from Intel Processors to Apple designed processors the company said that it would continue to make Intel Macs for 2 years, and support intel Macs for “years to come,” However, we are already seeing exactly what “support” means. macOS Monterey on Intel Macs will be missing some key features compared to Macs with M1 processors. The big standout feature that won’t be seen on Intel Macs is the Live Text feature, which lets the system read text in any image. That seems quite arbitrary since there are many applications that can do image recognition on Windows computers, almost all of which run Intel processors.
So, while Apple will continue to update Intel Macs, which still make up the vast majority of the userbase, and will for quite some time, it is now less than a year from the first M1 Macs and we are already seeing Intel users starting to be left behind a little bit, and that is disappointing.
https://www.theverge.com/2021/6/9/22526224/macos-monterey-best-features-macs-intel-m1-exclusive
Apple Music Launches Lossless Audio
Apple has turned on the new lossless audio feature in Apple Music. This feature was in iOS 14.5 but has now been turned on for users on supported phones. Lossless audio is much higher quality audio that comes at a cost of bigger files, and more data usage. It also requires the right equipment to use. Lossless audio does not work with any Apple AirPods product, including the $780 AirPods Max. Listening to lossless audio requires wired headphones, which is amusing because most Apple products don’t come with headphone jacks anymore. Users who do want to try lossless audio can plug a dongle into any iPhone 7 or newer, and all supported iPads, some of which do have headphone jacks still! Lossless music also works on the Apple TV 4k. An update for the Homepod and Homepod mini is coming in he future.
https://www.theverge.com/2021/6/7/22523228/apple-music-lossless-spatial-audio-dolby-atmos-features
IOS 15 locked Siri Apple Watch
Lastly, Apple is allowing Siri to work on a locked iPhone for the first time… if you own an Apple Watch. The feature uses the security of an unlocked Apple watch on the user’s wrist to authenticate the iPhone to allow Siri to work. This is similar to how Apple enabled users wearing masks to unlock their phones with FaceID. That also required an Apple Watch. Interesting, if expensive solution to the problem.