iOS is Apple's operating system for the iPhone and iPad. It's also the basis for tvOS for the Apple TV and watchOS for the Apple Watch. It's even beginning to infiltrate the Mac in some ways. Apple has worked hard to keep iOS private and secure, and it has a huge ecosystem of apps via its official App Store. Some have argued that it is too locked down, but the trade-off is that it's fast and stable for most users.
RCS isn’t in the current iOS 18 developer beta but that hasn’t stopped one enterprising tinkerer from getting it working. It’s early days so what we’re seeing now likely isn’t final, but file transfers and read receipts appear to be operational. Oh, and those bubbles are definitely still green, but we knew that would be the case.
As seen in MacRumors, iOS 18 beta testers can set a new Siri wake word using Vocal Shortcuts, a new accessibility feature. Go to Settings > Accessibility > Vocal Shortcuts > Set Up Vocal Shortcuts, then find and tap “Siri” to try it.
It won’t work with HomePods. And your iPhone won’t acknowledge it unless you pause after saying the word. That’s good; otherwise, you learn just how frequently you say a word like “computer.”
The super simple gadget trying to replace your phone
Plus, in this week’s Installer: a music history doc you’ll love, the surprisingly great new Yahoo News app, Apple’s new Passwords app, and much more.
Apple Intelligence, iPhones, and the rest of WWDC 2024
On The Vergecast: Apple makes its AI move, and all the new stuff coming to your phone, tablet, laptop, watch, and TV this year.
Here’s how Apple describes the feature, per MacRumors:
A rotating Wi-Fi address helps reduce tracking by changing your Wi-Fi address at various times. Tracking can happen when your address always appears the same to other devices and people using the same network as you.
It’s coming to iOS 18, iPadOS 18, and macOS Sequoia.
They sure look like text messages on the iPhone! But the bigger image, green waveform for the audio message, and the “Text Message • RCS” in the text entry field caught my eye.
RCS support is coming with iOS 18.
Apple is announcing the new feature at WWDC 2024 on Monday, according to MacRumors. It would work with built-in apps like Mail, Notes, or Messages, adding another layer of security to the phone in addition to Apple’s Stolen Device Protection setting that rolled out last year.
The Android 15 beta has something similar in “private space,” a lockable section of the app drawer.
What to expect at WWDC 2024
WWDC 2024 kicks off at 1PM ET on June 10th, and there’s going to be AI — so much AI.
We tested Aptoide, the first free iPhone app store alternative
Aptoide is the fourth third-party iOS marketplace to launch in Europe. Will its unique model find success where others have struggled?
Will we see new hardware, or will all the news have something to do with AI? Greg Joswiak isn’t telling.
Before the event starts, however, Apple released student-targeted Mac ads promoting the power and long battery life of M-series MacBooks. They’re not responding to or even acknowledging the competition’s attacks (yet), but if Qualcomm’s promises hold up, then maybe that will change.
A better way to take video on your phone
Plus, in this week’s Installer: a Fitbit for kids, a MoviePass documentary, a better AirTag for your wallet, and much more.
Sean Fletcher, a UI designer who makes skins for the Delta emulator for iOS, announced a series of Pride-themed skins (pictured in the gallery below).
You can pay what you want, but Fletcher says June 2024 proceeds from this particular set will go to Rainbow Railroad, a non-profit devoted to aiding LGBTQI+ people around the world who face persecution. Here’s a guide for installing Delta skins.
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This walking app let me whack my co-workers with a baseball bat
Stompers is what you’d get if you mixed together step counting, Looney Tunes, and Mario Kart.
According to Mark Gurman, noted Apple whisperer, we can expect a Settings redesign in iOS 18. Which, have you seen the settings menu in iOS recently? It’s chaos. We’d already heard that MacOS 15 might come with a settings overhaul, but news of a possible iOS cleanup is music to my ears.