Apple Seeds Fourth Beta of tvOS 9.2 to Developers

Apple today provided developers with the fourth beta of an upcoming 9.2 update to tvOS, the operating system that runs on the fourth-generation Apple TV and powers its built-in App Store. Today’s tvOS 9.2 beta 4 comes two weeks after Apple released the third beta of tvOS 9.2 and a month after the release of tvOS 9.1.1, a minor update to tvOS 9.1. tvOS 9.2 has been in testing since January 11.

tvOS betas are more difficult to install than beta updates for iOS and OS X. Installing the tvOS beta requires the Apple TV to be connected to a computer with a USB-C to USB-A cable, with the software downloaded and installed via iTunes or Apple Configurator. Those who have already installed the first three tvOS 9.2 betas will be able to download the fourth update over the air.

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tvOS 9.2 is a significant update for the tvOS operating system and new features have been added continually throughout the beta testing process. It brings support for Bluetooth keyboards, allowing a keyboard to be paired to the Apple TV for text entry. Bluetooth keyboard support is a major feature that was missing from previous versions of tvOS and its addition should make it much easier to do tasks like entering passwords on the fourth-generation Apple TV.

Along with Bluetooth keyboard support, the tvOS 9.2 update introduces support for grouping apps into folders on the Home screen like on iOS devices, plus it includes a new look for the App Switcher interface and it brings support for iCloud Photo Library and Live Photos.

Support for dictation allows Apple TV users to dictate text and spell user names and passwords rather than typing them in. Dictation capabilities are available in all countries where Siri is available on the Apple TV. With tvOS 9.2, Siri also gains the ability to search for App Store apps, improving app discovery. Siri can search for a specific app or bring up a category of apps, such as games.

tvOS 9.2 also introduces MapKit so developers can incorporate maps into their tvOS apps, and it adds Siri support for US Spanish (in the US only) and French Canadian (in Canada only). UK English, Australian English, and US English are also now available as Siri options in the UK, Australian, and US Storefronts when English is set as the tvOS language.

We’ll update this post with any new features that are discovered in the fourth beta of tvOS 9.2.

What’s new in tvOS 9.2:

Remote – According to the release notes, there’s a firmware update for the Apple TV Remote. It includes improved motion sensor performance and support for additional sound bar and receiver hardware.

Related Roundup: Apple TV
Tag: tvOS 9.2
Buyer’s Guide: Apple TV (Buy Now)
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Apple Seeds Fourth Beta of WatchOS 2.2 to Developers

Apple today seeded the fourth beta of an upcoming watchOS 2.2 update to developers, two weeks after seeding the third watchOS 2.2 beta and more than two months after releasing watchOS 2.1, the first major update to the watchOS 2 operating system that runs on the Apple Watch. watchOS 2.2 has been in testing since January 11.

The fourth watchOS 2.2 beta can be downloaded through the dedicated Apple Watch app on an iPhone running the iOS 9.3 beta by going to General –> Software update. To install the update, the Apple Watch must have 50 percent battery, it must be placed on the Apple Watch charger, and it must be in range of the iPhone.

watchOS 2.2, along with iOS 9.3, introduces support for pairing multiple Apple Watches with a single iPhone. Both updates are required, with each watch running watchOS 2.2 and each iPhone running iOS 9.3. watchOS 2.2 also includes a revamped look for the built-in Maps app on the Apple Watch with access to the Nearby feature first introduced with iOS 9 and new buttons for quickly accessing directions to home and work.

There were no other obvious outward-facing changes introduced in the first three watchOS 2.2 betas aside from the changes to the Maps app, but the update undoubtedly includes under-the-hood performance updates and bug fixes to address issues that have been discovered since the release of watchOS 2.1. WatchOS 2.2 is expected to debut in the spring, perhaps at Apple’s rumored March event.

Related Roundups: Apple Watch, watchOS 2
Tag: watchOS 2.2
Buyer’s Guide: Apple Watch (Neutral)
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Apple Seeds Fourth OS X 10.11.4 El Capitan Beta to Developers

Apple today seeded the fourth beta of an upcoming OS X 10.11.4 update to developers for testing purposes, two weeks after seeding the third OS X 10.11.4 beta and more than a month after releasing OS X 10.11.3. OS X 10.11.4 has been in testing since January 11.

The fourth OS X 10.11.4 beta, build 15E49a, can be downloaded through the Apple Developer Center or via the Software Update Mechanism in the Mac App Store.

OS X 10.11.4 offers a couple of new features, such as Live Photos support in Messages, the ability to password protect notes in the Notes app, and an option to import notes from Evernote, but like the recent OS X 10.11.3 update, it appears to focus primarily on under-the-hood bug fixes and performance improvements. Almost all of Apple’s OS X updates to date have been smaller updates that improve performance rather than introduce new features.

We’ll update this post with any features or significant changes that are discovered in the third beta of OS X 10.11.4. OS X 10.11.4 is likely to see a spring release alongside iOS 9.3, tvOS 9.2, and watchOS 2.2.

Related Roundup: OS X El Capitan
Tag: OS X 10.11.4
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Inability to Use Apple Pencil for Navigation in iOS 9.3 Appears to be Intentional

Over the course of the iOS 9.3 beta testing period, iPad Pro users running the update have noticed a disturbing feature removal that limits the functionality of the Apple Pencil. In the current version of iOS, iOS 9.2, the Apple Pencil can be used for navigational purposes, just like a finger. It’s possible to tap on buttons, select text, scroll, swipe between apps, access menus, and access general editing controls in non-drawing apps.

With iOS 9.3, much of that functionality has been removed. The Apple Pencil is no longer able to be used for selecting and manipulating text or doing things like scrolling — it’s only available for selecting buttons and drawing, sketching, and writing within apps.

Early on, Apple Pencil users thought the feature removal was perhaps a bug, but full Apple Pencil functionality has not been restored in later betas and the release notes that accompany betas have never mentioned the Apple Pencil’s inability to be used for navigational purposes as a known issue. In a recent podcast, Relay.fm co-founder Myke Hurley said he’s heard that the decision isn’t a bug, but an intentional design decision.

Sources in the know confirm that removing the functionality of the Apple Pencil is a decision inside of Apple. It is not a bug they have overlooked for three betas. It is a decision.

Earlier today, iMore’s Serenity Caldwell wrote an opinion piece outlining the issue and calling on Apple not to remove the Apple Pencil’s existing capabilities. In her post, she points out the Apple Pencil can no longer be used for tasks like editing videos in iMovie for iOS.

But the fact remains that the Pencil’s owners use those navigation options, and frankly, the idea that Apple would take away functionality that people have come to expect and depend on is a significant hit to usability and overall experience.

Worse, it makes the Pencil useless for video and audio editing, creative pursuits that I’d hoped to explore further on the iPad Pro. I’d initially enjoyed editing and cutting several videos in iMovie for iOS with the help of the Pencil; now, you can only select and drag clips. You can’t cut a clip with the downward swipe gesture, nor can you scroll the timeline.

Many iPad Pro users have come to rely on the Apple Pencil as a finger replacement in some situations, and it is not entirely clear why Apple has opted to eliminate that functionality. iOS 9.3 is expected to be released in the spring, perhaps at Apple’s March 15 event, which means the end of the beta testing period is fast approaching. As Caldwell points out, Apple still has time to re-add the Apple Pencil features back into the operating system ahead of that date.

Related Roundup: iOS 9
Tag: Apple Pencil
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Apple TV Universal Search Gains Watch ABC, Disney Channel and More

Apple has today added four new universal search options to the fourth-generation Apple TV: Watch ABC, Disney XD, Disney Channel and Disney Jr. This allows users to easily find content like Modern Family and Star Wars Rebels after pressing the Siri button on the Siri Remote. The move brings the total number of sources in universal search to 14.

At launch, universal search only worked with iTunes, Netflix, Hulu, HBO (Now and Go) and Showtime (Regular and Anytime). Apple had promised to expand the feature and the number of sources included over time and has, thus far, delivered on that promise. Last month, Apple added FOX NOW, FX NOW and National Geographic as sources; in January, Apple added PBS and PBS Kids.

In the United States, universal search across all 14 services is available. In Australia, Canada, France, Germany and the United Kingdom, universal search is only available across iTunes and Netflix. In other countries and regions, universal search is only available across iTunes Movies.

Apple plans to continue opening up its universal search API to additional partners and apps in the future.

Related Roundup: Apple TV
Buyer’s Guide: Apple TV (Buy Now)
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Video Demo Shows Benefits of Dual-Camera Technology

While at Mobile World Congress, CNET has produced a video featuring Corephotonics’ dual-lens camera technology, which appears similar to that of Apple-acquired LinX. With Apple rumored to introduce a dual-lens camera on either the iPhone 7 or 7 Plus, the video offers an opportunity to see such technology in action, providing a glimpse at how it may work in Apple’s next iPhone.

The technology uses software to combine the images of two separate camera lenses to create a more detailed picture, including the ability to optically zoom with no moving parts. In 2014, Corephotonics was able to use the tech to offer 3 times optical zoom, but has since increased its capabilities to offer 5 times optical zoom.

The demo showcases how effectively the dual-lens camera can optically zoom into an object while retaining crisp details. It also places a zoomed-in image from a single-lens camera next to a zoomed-in image from a dual-lens camera, contrasting the sharp difference between the two. CNET notes that when they tested an iPhone 6s Plus against the dual-lens camera the results were largely identical to the Corephotonics demo, with the dual-lens camera providing a distinctly sharper image.

Image via CNET
LinX’s technology also uses multiple camera lenses to create a single high quality image, including noise reduction, better low-light quality and sharper details. Other than a dual-lens camera using LinX’s technology, rumors claim the iPhone 7 could have a more waterproof design, a flush rear camera and no antenna bands on the back and, if ready, wireless charging. The iPhone 7 is expected to be released this fall.

Related Roundup: iPhone 7
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Apple Music to Stream Live Concert by The 1975 on Thursday

Apple Music today announced that it’ll stream a concert for the band The 1975 Thursday at 9 a.m. Pacific on Beats 1. Apple Music has been teasing the announcement all day on its Snapchat account, displaying the band’s lyrics and teasing the concert’s set as preparations for the event are completed.

Apple isn’t a newcomer to live streaming concerts, as it broadcasts its annual Apple Music Festival to music fans around the world for free. It is, however, the first time the company has streamed a concert live on its new streaming service.

The concert will be streamed from a rooftop in Los Angeles, with The 1975 playing songs from its new album “I Like It When You Sleep, for You Are So Beautiful Yet So Unaware Of It,” which releases on February 26. However, it’s unclear whether the concert will be an audio stream on Zane Lowe’s Beats 1 radio show or whether it’ll be a video stream. On The 1975’s Connect page, the band only promises that fans will “hear” the songs performed live on Beats 1.

Since the launch of Apple Music, the Cupertino company has worked to secure exclusive content for the service to differentiate it from competitors. In December, singer Taylor Swift announced that Apple Music would be the exclusive home to her concert film “The 1989 World Tour LIVE.” More recently, it was reported that Dr. Dre would star in Apple’s first original television series, Vital Signs, which is being described as a dark semi-autobiographical drama about the Apple executive and Beats co-founder. The series is rumored to be distributed via Apple Music.

Tags: Apple Music, Beats 1
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Bill Gates Says Apple Should Unlock San Bernardino Shooter’s iPhone for FBI

Shortly after Apple was ordered to help the FBI recover data from the San Bernardino shooter’s iPhone, Apple quickly said they would oppose the order, garnering the support of other major tech companies like Facebook, Twitter, Google and Microsoft. In a new interview with the Financial Times, former Microsoft CEO Bill Gates has instead backed the FBI, denying that they are asking for a back door.

“This is a specific case where the government is asking for access to information. They are not asking for some general thing, they are asking for a particular case,” Mr Gates told the Financial Times.

While Apple CEO Tim Cook has consistently argued that unlocking one device would set a dangerous precedent, Gates doesn’t believe that it would. He argues that Apple has access to the information, but that they are declining to provide access to the information. Gates compares it to when a bank or telephone company is requested to give up records for a particular person.

Gates went on to say that there were benefits to governments having some access to information, but that there would have to be rules in place to limit how they can access that information. He says that he hopes people will “have that debate so that safeguards are built and so people do not opt out — and this will be in country by country — [to say] it is better that the government does not have access to any information.”

FBI Director James Comey said in an editorial yesterday that the request was “not trying to set a precedent” and that it was instead about “the victims and justice.” However, the FBI also confirmed that it had worked with San Bernardino county officials to reset the iCloud password of San Bernardino shooter Syed Farook. Apple said that, had the FBI not attempted to reset the password, the company would have been able to access the needed information as the iCloud backups would have still been accessible.

The FBI then requested a version of iOS that would remove passcode features like time limits and data erasure measures and other tools to access the iPhone. Apple has maintained that creating such a tool would open a can of worms, setting a dangerous precedent and allowing both bad guys and good guys to take advantage.

Note: Due to the political nature of the discussion regarding this topic, the discussion thread is located in our Politics, Religion, Social Issues forum. All forum members and site visitors are welcome to read and follow the thread, but posting is limited to forum members with at least 100 posts.

Tags: privacy, Encryption
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Samsung Opens Flagship NYC Store, Calls it ‘Immersive Cultural Center’

Samsung yesterday announced the opening of its new flagship store in New York City, describing it as “the flagship of the future”, but in a curious twist, one which does not actively sell Samsung products.

Named simply “837” after its address in the popular Meatpacking district, the “living lab and digital playground” is a 55,000 square-foot space that includes a three-story digital screen (made up of 96 Samsung 55-inch TV sets stitched together), a 90-seat theater, a portable demo kitchen, an art gallery, a multimedia studio, and a café. Product shelves however are nowhere to be seen.

Samsung 837 in New York’s Meatpacking district (Image: Mashable)
According to a Samsung press release, the store sets out to “reimagine the traditional store experience” and provide an opportunity for people to “experience Samsung technology and signature services in an environment that blurs the lines between live and static experiences.”

The Screen and mainstage (Image: Business Wire)
“It’s not about pushing products in people’s faces,” explained Zach Overton, General Manager of Samsung 837, speaking to Fast Company. Rather, Overton calls it “a fully immersive cultural center, featuring programming which will tap into people’s passions such as art, music, entertainment, sports, wellness, culinary, technology and fashion, all powered and enriched by technology.”

Visitors wear Samsung’s Gear VR in a dedicated VR environment (Image: Business Wire)
Mashable got a sneak preview of the store and describes an area called the Selfie Station, where users are invited to take a photo of themselves with a Samsung smartphone. A few seconds later, that photo is projected onto the huge store screen for everyone to see.

Of particular note is the store’s “Black Egg Installation tunnel”:

Before you enter the tunnel, you’re instructed to enter in your Instagram handle. Then you walk through a tunnel where all of your photos, hashtags and Instagram descriptions are projected against screens that literally cover the entire space. The floor and ceiling are mirrored, giving off a truly sci-fi effect.

The Living Room and product table (Image: Business Wire)
Despite the company downplaying the retail angle, store staff are available to guide customers through Samsung’s online purchasing portal, while in a nod to Apple’s Genius Bar concept, on-site technicians are on hand to troubleshoot tech problems.

In the first two weeks of opening, Samsung 837 will be host to exclusive programming including live DJs, Oscar-nominated movie screenings, and a private Oscar viewing party.

Yesterday, Samsung announced the Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge, the latest devices in its flagship line of smartphones. The phones will be available on all four major U.S. carriers from March 11, although it’s unclear when (or whether) visitors to 837 will have the opportunity to test them out in-store.

Tags: Samsung, retail
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How to delete a photo or video from the iOS Messages app – CNET

My brother and I often text about the shared misery we experience as Cleveland Browns fans. I recently received a Billy Manziel shirt as a joke gift from a friend (who, I should point out, is a long-tortured fan of the Buffalo Bills) and texted a picture of me wearing it to my brother.

Now that Johnny Manziel’s exploits have gone from sad and frustrating to sad and frightening, I no longer want to see that photo when I scroll through the rambling text conversation between my brother and me. Thankfully, there is a way to delete a photo or video without deleting the entire conversation to which it’s attached.

To delete a photo or video from the Messages app for iOS, open a text conversation, find the offending photo or video and tap-and-hold on it. A short tap opens the photo and video, and a hard tap-and-hold will preview it via 3D touch on supported devices. For our purposes here, you want to perform a gentle tap-and-hold.

Enlarge Image

Screenshot by Matt Elliott/CNET

Your gentle tap-and-hold will reveal a three-button menu: Copy, Save and More. Tap More, which selects the photo or video via a small blue checkmark along the left edge. Next, tap the trash can in the lower-left corner and then tap Delete Message. The photo or video will be permanently deleted, but the rest of the conversation will remain.

You can delete multiple photo and videos using this method. After tapping the More button, you can scroll through the text conversation and select other photos, videos and messages before tapping the trash can.

In related news, learn how to name a group conversation in Messages for iOS.

(Via OS X Daily)