After teasing Apple Intelligence features at WWDC 2024 in June, Apple is finally releasing a developer preview with the first betas of iOS 18.1 and macOS Sequoia 15.1. However, today’s betas won’t be available for devices other than those compatible with Apple Intelligence.
iOS 18.1 and macOS 15.1 betas
As we previously reported, Apple Intelligence won’t be available with the first release of iOS 18.0 and macOS Sequoia 15.0 this fall. Because of this, Apple is now rolling out betas of iOS 18.1 and macOS 15.1, so that developers can try out Apple Intelligence in advance.
But some users may be confused when it comes to updating to today’s betas. That’s because not everyone will have this option.
iOS 18.1 beta and macOS 15.1 beta will only be available for iPhones, iPads, and Macs compatible with Apple Intelligence. This includes:
Macs with M1 chip or later
iPads with M1 chip or later
iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max
If you have an older device (or a non-Pro iPhone 15), you won’t get the latest betas for now. Instead, your device will remain on iOS 18.0 beta or macOS 15.0 beta. For supported devices, developers will have the option of staying in the current beta or upgrading to betas with AI.
If you have a compatible iPhone, iPad or Mac running iOS 18 beta or macOS 15 beta, you can install the latest update by going to Settings > General > Software Update.
More about Apple Intelligence
Apple Intelligence is what the company is calling its new AI-based features. For example, users can now ask the system to rephrase a text, summarize messages or emails, generate images and even emoji. Siri has also been updated with AI, so that it now understands the context of what’s on the screen and lets users control more aspects of the device.
It’s worth noting that although today’s betas include Apple Intelligence, some features such as the more advanced Siri won’t be available for now.
All of the hype around WWDC this year has centred around two letters: AI.
Even though a large portion of Apple’s keynote is expected to highlight AI-related features, there will certainly be a variety of other improvements on deck for iOS 18, visionOS 2, and Apple’s other software platforms.
Mark Gurman reports that one such change will be a redesigned Settings app across the iPhone, iPad, and Mac.
New cross-platform design for Settings app
Last week reported on an expected redesign coming to macOS 15’s System Settings app, but Mark Gurman has confirmed on X that the revision will also impact the Settings app on iPhone and iPad.
A lot of people using macOS 15 and iOS 18 keep mentioning the revamp to Settings. Obviously not a huge deal, but it’s getting a new UI with a reorganized, cleaner layout that’s more simple to navigate. It also has much improved search. There are also updates to Control Center.
Details are scarce, but it sounds like Settings will receive a UI refresh on all platforms, improved search, and perhaps most significantly, a reorganization of its various settings categories.
These updates should ultimately provide a more consistent experience across iOS 18, iPadOS 18, and macOS 15.
Verdict
The biggest change at stake here is how Apple’s Settings app organizes its various categories. On that front, We have a hard time seeing how Apple can create an ideal setup that pleases everyone. We all interact with settings differently based on our different device habits.
As a result, it wouldn’t surprise us if Apple bakes some intelligence into Settings’ layout, offering up certain suggested categories based on your personal use patterns. There’s a lot the system could infer, too, from what you were doing right before opening Settings. For example, if we were using the Music app before opening Settings, there’s a decent chance we want to tweak Music’s settings. Or if we get a pop-up in an app saying Cellular is disabled for that app, surfacing that toggle in the Settings app would be great.
It sounds less drastic than the visual changes seen in the iOS 6 to iOS 7 transition, though. He writes “the company is indeed working to update the design of iOS as early as this year, but I don’t believe it will be a total overhaul that mirrors visionOS”. While Gurman says we can expect to see changes in iOS 18 this summer, the work on macOS has only just started and won’t be ready until 2025 or 2026.
Since Apple Vision Pro operating system was first unveiled, many people have wondered whether Apple will update the design of its other operating systems to match the visionOS aesthetic of 3D buttons and and glassy background textures. This doesn’t necessarily hold, as the visionOS design is specific to a platform that revolves around passthrough video. Being able to see the context of the world around you ‘through’ the open app windows is a concept that doesn’t really apply to iOS.
However, it has been a while since we’ve seen major design changes come to the iPhone and iPad. A visual refresh of any kind would make for an exciting release, that is also set to include significant AI-powered features.
Indeed, Mark Gurman previously said that Apple sees iOS 18 as its “ambitious and compelling” with major new features and designs. The company will officially unveil its next-generation operating systems at the annual WWDC conference in June. iOS 18 will be in beta over the summer and release for everyone in September, assuming Apple follows its usual traditions.
Apple on Wednesday began rolling out the second betas of iOS 17.3, macOS Sonoma 14.3 and other software updates to developers. The first betas of these versions were released on December 14, before the holiday break. The company is now resuming the beta program – and we’re about to find out what’s new in today’s updates.
iOS 17.3 beta brings Secure Device Protection and more
iOS 17.3 is a major update. The first beta introduced Secure Device Protection, which is an “additional layer of security” that protects users’ data in case someone steals their phone and gets their password. When Secure Device Protection is enabled, you can only access saved passwords using Face ID or Touch ID, for example.
This feature also makes it harder for crooks to change the Apple ID password of the owner of that device. There’s also a delay in removing Find My from an iPhone with Secure Device Protection enabled. In addition to this feature, iOS 17.3 also re-enables collaborative Apple Music playlists, now with emoji reactions.
Today’s build number is 21D5036c, compared to the number 21D5026f of the first build. Developers can update their devices by going to Settings > General > Software Update.
It’s worth noting that although iPadOS 17.3 is also available for iPads, Secure Device Protection is an exclusive feature for iPhones at this point.
macOS 14.3 and more
In addition to iOS 17.3 beta 2, the second betas of macOS 14.3, watchOS 10.3, and tvOS 17.3 are now available to developers. The first beta of these updates had no significant changes apart from potential bug fixes.
Following over a month of beta testing, iOS 16.5 is now available to the general public. This update includes changes to Apple News, the addition of a new “Pride Celebration” wallpaper, and more. Head below for the full release notes with details on bug fixes, new features, and more.
What’s new in iOS 16.5?
Here are Apple’s official release notes on iOS 16.5 new features and bug fixes. The build number for today’s update is 20F66.
A new Pride Celebration wallpaper for the Lock Screen to honor the LGBTQ+ community and culture
Sports tab in Apple News gives easy access to stories, scores, standings, and more, for the teams and leagues you follow
My Sports score and schedule cards in Apple News take you directly to game pages where you can find additional details about specific games
Fixes an issue where Spotlight may become unresponsive
Addresses an issue where Podcasts in CarPlay may not load content
Fixes an issue where Screen Time settings may reset or not sync across all devices
Earlier iOS 16.5 betas included the addition of a new Siri command for starting and stopping a screen recording. Apple removed this feature in subsequent iOS 16.5 betas, and it’s not included in the final version of the update.
iOS 16.5 will be the final major point-release update to iOS 16 before WWDC in June. This is where Apple will debut iOS 17 and release the first developer betas.
Apple is, however, expected to continue releasing updates to iOS 16 through the summer and likely even alongside iOS 17. iOS 16.6 is expected to enter beta testing soon.
You can update your iPhone by going to the Settings app, choosing General, then choosing Software Update.
watchOS 9.5 debuts with new Pride Celebration watch face
Alongside iOS 16.5, Apple has also released watchOS 9.5 for Apple Watch users today. The headlining change in this update is an all-new Pride Celebration watch face to honor the LGBTQ+ community and culture.
What’s new in watchOS 9.5?
watchOS 9.5 is rolling out now to all users. You can update your Apple Watch by going to Settings, choosing General, then choosing Software Update. You can also install the update via the Apple Watch companion app on your iPhone.
Here are Apple’s release notes for watchOS 9.5:
watchOS 9.5 includes new features, improvements and bug fixes, including a new Pride Celebration watch face to honor the LGBTQ+ community and culture.
And some more details on the new Pride Celebration watch face:
Inspired by multiple pride flags, this new watch face combines colors to represent the strength and mutual support of the LGBTQ+ movement. Mirroring the woven loops of the Sport Loop, each strand of vibrant thread contributes to the overall composition of the watch face. The colorful threads move as the Digital Crown on Apple Watch is rotated, the display is tapped, or the user’s wrist is raised.
The new Pride Celebration face included in watchOS 9.5 pairs with the similarly-designed wallpaper for iPhone users. The new wallpaper is included with iOS 16.5, which is also available starting today.
macOS Ventura 13.4 with new sports-related features
After months of beta testing, Apple has finally released macOS Ventura 13.4 to the public. The update, which is now available for macOS users, comes with new sports-related features, as well as a new system for installing beta software. Read on as we detail what’s new with macOS Ventura 13.4.
One big change coming with macOS Ventura 13.4 is the new system for installing betas that was introduced with iOS 16.4. The operating systems now asks for the Apple ID to show and download beta software updates.
macOS checks whether the account is associated with a developer or user registered in the public beta program. It then shows the beta update available for that program. With this change, regular users will no longer be able to install developer betas, for example.
macOS 13.4 full release notes
Sports feed in the sidebar of Apple News gives easy access to stories, scores, standings, and more, for the teams and leagues you follow
My Sports score and schedule cards in Apple News take you directly to game pages where you can find additional details about specific games
Resolves an issue where Auto Unlock with Apple Watch does not log you into your Mac
Fixes a Bluetooth issue where keyboards connect slowly to Mac after restarting
Addresses a VoiceOver issue with navigating to landmarks on webpages
Fixes an issue where Screen Time settings may reset or not sync across all devices
You can install macOS Ventura 13.4 by going to the Software Update menu in the System Settings app. It may take a while before the update shows up on your computer; make sure that your Mac is compatible with macOS Ventura.
The update build number is XXXXX.
OpenAI launches free ChatGPT for iPhone app with Whisper support and more
OpenAI has announced that it is releasing a dedicated iPhone app for its ChatGPT service. The app, which is available via the App Store, gives users the ability to use ChatGPT through a native app on their iPhone. The app is free to download and includes no ads. It’s currently only available in the United States, but OpenAI says availability will expand “in the coming weeks.”
ChatGPT for iPhone now available
As announced by OpenAI in a blog post, ChatGPT for iPhone will offer the same set of features as the web version of the service. This will include ChatGPT Plus support, which lets users subscribe to pay for more advanced versions of the service.
The app will also sync your ChatGPT history across all your devices, including the web. It also includes support for Whisper, OpenAI’s open-source speech-recognition system. This integration with Whisper enables voice input for the ChatGPT app on iPhone. The ChatGPT app is also completely ad-free.
As ChatGPT has gained popularity over the last six months, a number of copycat and scam apps have surfaced on the App Store. Apple has cracked down on these apps, in part by blocking apps that use “GPT” in their name. By releasing its own version of ChatGPT for iPhone, OpenAI hopes to directly control the experience of using the service on an iPhone.
Additionally, Microsoft’s Bing app for iPhone has seen a major boost in popularity since it added ChatGPT integration.
ChatGPT for iPhone is rolling out starting today to users in the United States. OpenAI availability will “expand to additional countries in the coming weeks.”
Apple is continuing to push into health care, this time striking a deal with Epic Systems for a Mac-friendly version of its health records app. As reported by Axios,the deal will see Epic Systems create a version of its health records tool that “is easier to run on Apple devices.”
Apple had reportedly pushed for Epic to create a “native version of the service” for Apple devices, but the two companies settled on this compromise of a version that is “easier to run on Apple devices” instead. Apple hasn’t acknowledged this deal, but Axios says it was confirmed by a “source inside Epic.”
The deal comes despite previous disagreements between Epic and Apple over health records and data sharing, Axios explains. Apple has pushed for easing health record sharing requirements, something that Epic is firmly opposed to. Epic argued that rule changes focused on “interoperability” will be “overly burdensome on our health system and will endanger patient privacy.”
Epic Systems is the largest electronic health records vendor in the United States, with “roughly half the population’s medical records” being stored in a system powered by Epic software and technology. The lack of well-developed Mac, iPad, and iPhone software from Epic has put inhibited Apple’s ability to tap further into the health records industry.
Given the pace at which things in the healthcare industry move — especially around medical records technology — it’ll likely be awhile before we see any results of this new deal. None the less, it could end up being good for the industry and consumers, particularly if it improves data integration with other Apple platforms and services.
One day after seeding iOS 15.6 beta 1 to developers, Apple is now releasing the public beta version to users enrolled in the Apple Beta Software Program. Alongside the first public beta of iOS 15.6, Apple is also making available the new versions of tvOS 15.6, macOS 12.5, and watchOS 8.7.
Today’s iOS 15.6 beta 1 build is 19G5027e. Different from past versions, Apple hasn’t made available any important features so far. This will likely be the latest iOS 15 major update before the release of iOS 16 later in the fall.
Here’s what Apple announced with iOS 15.5 early this week:
Wallet now enables Apple Cash customers to send and request money from their Apple Cash card
Apple Podcasts includes a new setting to limit episodes stored on your iPhone and automatically delete older ones
Fixes an issue where home automation, triggered by people arriving or leaving, may fail.
Alongside iOS 15.6 beta 1, Apple is also seeding macOS 12.5 beta 1 (build 21G5027d), tvOS 15.6 beta 1(build 19M5027c), and watchOS 8.7 beta 1 (build 19U5027c) to public testers.
In a few weeks from now, Apple will hold its WWDC 2022 event, where the company will announce the next milestone for iOS, macOS, iPadOS, tvOS, and watchOS. Rumors so far believe iOS 16 will bring nice improvements.
According to recent rumors, iOS 16 is expected to bring significant improvements to notifications as well as a new interface for iPadOS multitasking. Reported earlier this year that Apple has been working on adding expanded settings for Focus Mode in iOS 16.
With the latest version of macOS, dubbed Monterey, one of the apps that saw a handful of upgrades was Reminders. A once rather basic task and to-do application, Reminders is now a powerhouse application with new features include Smart List, tags, and more. Head below for a deeper look at these new features.
The new features in Reminders
First off, the Reminders app in macOS Monterey is the first version to support tags. As the name implies, tags allow you to organize and categorize your reminders and tasks. This means you can tag tasks with bits of information to help you keep track of categories, groups, and more.
Tags are a fast and flexible way to organize your reminders. Add one or more tags, like #errands, to your reminders to make them easy to search and filter for across your Reminders lists.
In macOS Monterey, you can add tags to your tasks when you create them. Simply look for the “Add Tags” field when creating a new reminder.
But while tags themselves are a notable addition to the Reminders application, they are really powerful when combined with Smart Lists.
Without a doubt, the biggest new addition to the Reminders app in macOS Monterey is a new feature that Apple is calling Smart Lists. Essentially, Smart Lists are a way to create custom lists that include reminders that meet certain criteria.
Here’s how Apple explains the feature:
Create your own Smart Lists to automatically include reminders that matter most to you by selecting for tags, dates, times, locations, flags, and priority. Choose more than one tag (such as #gardening and #errands) and combine them with other setting filters for more specific lists.
So how does this work in practice? It’s actually not as complex as it might sound. In the Reminders app on your Mac, you can start by clicking the “Add List” button, just like you would for creating any sort of to-do list. While you’re creating your list, look for the “Make into Smart List” checkbox.
Once you select this checkbox, you can select criteria for your Smart List. The criteria can be different tags, the due date for the task, the time, the priority, the location, and whether or not the task is flagged. Once you’ve done this, the Reminders will automatically create a Smart List of the tasks that meet your defined criteria.
Once you’ve created a custom Smart List in the Reminders app, it will sync to your other Apple devices and be added to the app’s sidebar. In the sidebar, it will be denoted with a small gear icon in the bottom-right corner, indicating that it is a Smart List.
And while Smart Lists and tags are the top new features of the Reminders app in macOS Monterey, there’s more to try out:
A Tag Browser in the sidebar lets you click any tag or combination of tags to quickly view tagged reminders.
Access quick options to easily delete your completed reminders.
Choose tags, flags, priority, and people you message with from the Quick Toolbar when creating a reminder.
Type more advanced phrases to create reminder settings. Try something like “Jog every other morning” for a specific, recurring reminder.
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