Apple pushes modest, but handy updates for watchOS, tvOS and HomePod

Apple is updating nearly all of its operating systems today. Alongside the newest iOS 11.3, the company has released new versions for its tvOS, WatchOS and HomePod, which is getting its first post-launch update. Unfortunately, the hotly-anticipated AirPlay 2 is nowhere to be found.

For tvOS 11.3, users can add rating-based content filtering and frame rate matching for Apple TV 4, which was previously only available on the 4K model. AirPlay 2 was also present in the beta version of 11.3 but removed before release, and sadly, the same is true for the new HomePod, which won’t be getting the multi-room audio feature. Instead, Apple’s fancy speaker gets some vague improvements. This isn’t just a bummer: The company forecasted it would release AirPlay 2 now, long after they announced it at WWDC 2017, but it seems users will have to wait even longer.

The latest watchOS may be getting the most in this wave of updates. Version 4.3 adds a slew of small improvements and one big one: The ability to parse through your connected iPhone’s music list, which was yanked off the operating system with last September’s watchOS 4. The device update also includes refreshed graphics and a new battery-charging animation as well as a portrait view for Nightstand, which orients the screen correctly when the device is placed on a vertical stand. We’ve personally confirmed that these are live, so download away.

Via: 9to5Mac, AppleInsider

Source: Apple

iOS now informs you when it wants your personal data

In iOS 11.3 (and macOS 10.13.5), Apple has introduced a new data and privacy feature where users can get a better understanding of how their data is used. Now whenever Apple asks for access to information to enable certain features or experiences, a privacy icon will appear — two blue silhouettes shaking hands — along with detailed privacy info for those who want to learn about what’s being done with their data.

One of the major fallouts from Facebook’s Cambridge Analytica scandal is that everyone is now suddenly aware of just how much data Facebook and similar apps and sites collect about you. Since Apple has often been critical of these practices, it seems fitting that it’s brought that philosophy to its latest iOS update as well.

According to Apple, this privacy feature has been in the works for months, mostly in response to the EU’s new General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) that is in effect starting May 25th. Apple also says that you won’t see this icon and information pop-up with every new feature; it’s just when Apple needs your information to enable services and personalization.

In addition to the privacy icon, Apple will also start providing privacy management tools in compliance with the new GDPR ruling. Starting in May, you will be able to get a copy of your data, request a correction to your data, deactivate your account as well as delete your account entirely.

Instagram restores Giphy stickers now that racist GIFs are gone

Instagram and Snapchat completely removed Giphy stickers from their apps after finding racist GIFs, but the feature is now ready to come back… on Instagram, that is. The photo-centric social network has restored stickers after Giphy said it “made specific changes to our [moderation] process” to prevent a repeat incident. Snapchat hadn’t made a similar move as of this writing (it reiterated its earlier position in a statement to TechCrunch), but it may be just a matter of time if the company is satisfied with Giphy’s response.

The offensive imagery was gone from both social services within hours of being found. All the same, this underscores one of the problems with outsourcing your media to a service with user uploads: it’s only as good as the content filtering from that service. If vile material slips through the cracks, it can be embarrassing for both sides.

Source: TechCrunch

Apple now lets you access medical records in Health app

Apple released iOS 11.3 today, and along with a slew of other fun additions, the update includes a new feature: Health Records. If you’re a patient within certain health systems — like Duke, NYU Langone, Stanford and Yale — you can view your medical records on your iPhone.

Apple announced the new feature months ago, but now we know how Health Records will work. Predictably, it’s located within the Health app for easy access. Ideally this keeps the info handy for the patient to view and hand over to doctors — which is easier than carrying around an entire medical file. All data contained will be encrypted and protected with the user’s iPhone passcode.

Patients from nearly 40 health institutions across the US (listed here) can view their records after updating to iOS 11.3, but it wouldn’t be surprising if that list continued to grow.

Source: Apple, Apple | Health Records feature

Richard Branson: Government regulation of Facebook ‘makes sense’

By JP Mangalindan

Virgin Group founder Richard Branson is joining the growing chorus of top executives calling for government regulation to restrict Facebook (FB) and other companies’ ability to use customer data.

“I think some sensible regulation most likely makes sense,” Branson told Yahoo Finance during an interview on Wednesday at the Adobe Summit, held in Las Vegas, Nevada. “As the CEO of Apple said recently, you don’t want to kill the companies, but some sensible regulation here is probably needed. I mean, obviously, it’s best the companies can regulate themselves. Let’s see what ideas they come up with, but possibly some government regulation may be needed as well.”

Branson would obviously know. As Virgin Group has evolved over more than four decades, so has the sheer amount of customer data it manages and keeps private. Since co-founding Virgin Group in 1970, the British multinational corporation now controls over 400 companies around the world covering a range of industries, from health care (Virgin Care), hotels (Virgin Hotels) to space travel with Virgin Galactic.

Branson’s comments come on the heels of controversial remarks made by Apple (AAPL) CEO Tim Cook over the last week over revelations earlier this month that Cambridge Analytica, a voter-profiling company, had abused Facebook’s terms of service and harvested the data of some 50 million Facebook users as part of a targeted advertising campaign to help elect Donald Trump. Cook stated in no uncertain terms that the situation had become “so dire” and “so large” that “well-crafted regulation” was likely necessary.

“We could make a ton of money if we monetized our customers, if our customers were our product,” Cook said in an interview with Recode and MSNBC that will air on April 6. “We’ve elected not to do that … We’re not going to traffic in your personal life. Privacy to us is a human right, a civil liberty.”

Likewise, Ginni Rometty, CEO of IBM (IBM), has also come out swinging, stating at a Beijing event earlier this week that companies dealing with customer data have to be transparent in how they use — and allow third-parties to use — that data so “they should never be surprised.”

“(We have to let) people opt in and opt out and be clear that ownership of the data does belong to the creator,” Rometty added.

—

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• Facebook’s ‘Downvote’ is the closest we’ll ever get to a Dislike button
• Facebook, Airbnb and HP talk about the future of AI

‘Serial’ podcast subject Adnan Syed is granted a retrial

When last we heard about Adnan Syed, subject of the breakout hit podcast Serial’s first season, a judge ruled he should be given a new trial based on his previous attorney’s failings. Today, Maryland’s court of special appeals has affirmed it will grant him one.

Today, Adnan Syed’s appeal in his case was affirmed by the Court of Special Appeals of Maryland. https://t.co/kMALyCmTGq

— Serial (@serial) March 29, 2018

Prosecutors had appealed the ruling, but a panel upheld the grant for retrial, Variety reported. Syed had been convicted in 2000 of murdering his girlfriend Hae Min Lee and served a life sentence in prison thereafter until Serial extensively investigated his case in its 2014 first season. Two years later, a lower court judge ruled that Syed’s previous attorney hadn’t cross-examined a cell tower expert acting as key witness about the reliability of phone location data, which had placed him near the victim’s burial site, which had been the basis of his appeal.

“Accordingly, Syed’s murder conviction must be vacated, and because Syed’s convictions for kidnapping, robbery, and false imprisonment are predicated on his commission of Hae’s murder, these convictions must be vacated as well. The instant case will be remanded for a new trial on all charges against Syed,” the panel wrote in its statement.

Source: Variety

Google Play now offers speed control and bookmarks for audiobooks

In January, Google launched its Play Store audiobook category and today, the company has released a handful of updates that will improve the user experience. Now, you’ll be able to bookmark parts of your audiobook that you’d like to return to. Just tap the Bookmark icon and you can easily come back to it whenever you’d like. You’ll also be able to control the speed at which your audiobook plays. Slow it down to as low as half the speed or bump it up as much as three times faster.

Additionally, Google is introducing Smart Resume. Whenever you jump back into an audiobook after pausing it, Smart Resume will rewind back to the start of the word or sentence you left off on, so you can more easily get back into the story rather than wonder what’s going on. And now, you can incorporate your audiobook into your Google Assistant-managed Routine. Whatever you have your Routine set to do, you can add audiobooks to it through the Google Home app.

Lastly, Family Library allows users to share audiobooks and ebooks with up to five family members. Now, 13 additional countries will have access to this feature. Users in Belgium, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Russia, Spain, Switzerland, Chile, Mexico and South Africa can now share audiobooks and ebooks through Family Library and those in Japan can share audiobooks.

Audible already has most of these features, so working them into its own audiobook service is necessary if Google wants to compete with its already-established rival. These features are available now on Android, iOS and Google Assistant devices.

Source: Google

Deals: MacRumors Exclusive Twelve South Sale Ending, Anker Discounts on Amazon, and More

A few weeks ago MacRumors announced a partnership with accessory maker Twelve South, offering spring break travelers the chance to get five vacation-friendly items discounted by 15 percent. That sale will end tomorrow, March 30, so be sure to head over to TwelveSouth.com and use the promo code MacRumorsSpringBreak on any of the items listed below before the code expires.

• CableSnap – $16.99, down from $19.99

• Compass 2 – $25.49, down from $29.99

• PlugBug World – $38.24, down from $44.99

• BookBook CaddySack – $42.49, down from $49.99

• TimePorter – $42.49, down from $49.99

Customers browsing Twelve South this week should also note that the company has discounted its BookBook case for iPad and iPad Pro by $20 following the launch of the sixth-generation iPad on Tuesday. The case fits the new 2018 iPad as well as the 9.7-inch iPad Pro first released in 2016, and comes in Brown ($59.99, down from $79.99) and Rutledge ($79.99, down from $99.99).

RAVPower also has a sale ending tomorrow, this one on a pair of Qi-compatible wireless chargers at Amazon, with savings of 20 percent hitting both the HyperAir stand and HyperAir pad. We reviewed both stands recently and came away impressed with each device, although the HyperAir stand just beat out the HyperAir pad in our charging time tests.

If you’re still on the lookout for a new charging mat for an iPhone 8, 8 Plus, or X, head over to Amazon and use promo code MACRPC69 to bring the stand down to $39.99, from $49.99, and use promo code MACRPC66 to bring the pad down to $30.59, from $39.99.

Anker typically has numerous sales on Apple-related accessories happening at Amazon, and this week the company is offering 30 percent off USB-C charging and power accessories that should make nice companions with Apple’s recent line of MacBooks. There’s also a collection of portable chargers, power strips, and iPhone cases up for sale.

Below you’ll find a list of Anker’s latest deals, including the dates they expire and the promo codes needed for each sale. Note that prices exclude shipping and handling fees, but Amazon Prime members will get the usual 2-day free shipping.

Expires April 8, use code ANKEBEST

• Anker Powerline+ USB-C to USB 3.0 Cable 3ft – $7.69, down from $10.99

• Anker Powerline+ USB-C to USB 3.0 Cable 6ft – $9.79, down from $13.99

• Anker Powerline II USB-C to USB-C Cable 3ft – $6.99, down from $9.99

• Anker Powerline II USB-C to USB-C Cable 6ft – $8.39, down from $11.99

• Anker PowerPort Wireless 10, Qi-Certified Charging Pad – $18.19, down from $25.99

• Anker Premium 5-Port 60W USB Wall Charger, USB-C with Power Delivery – $37.79, down from $53.99

• Anker Quick Charge 3.0 39W Dual USB Wall Charger – $16.79, down from $23.99

Other Anker Sales

• PowerCore II 20,100mAh Portable Charger – $35.99 with code ANKERPC2, down from $49.99 (exp. 4/20)

• 12 Outlets + 3 USB Ports Surge Protector – $26.99 with code SUPERPWR, down from $34.99 (exp. 4/13)

• iPhone 7/8 Plus Breeze Case – Gunmetal – $6.99 with code BLCK9015, down from $8.99 (exp. 4/10)

• iPhone 7/8 Plus Breeze Case – Rose Gold – $7.99 with code PINK9015, down from $9.99 (exp. 4/10)

• iPhone 7/8 Plus Silicone Case – Black – $8.99 with code BLCK9027, down from $15.99 (exp. 4/10)

• iPhone 7/8 Plus Silicone Case – Pink – $8.99 with code PINK9027, down from $15.99 (exp. 4/10)

• Slim Profile Wireless Bluetooth Keyboard – White – $17.99 with code ANKER721, down from $21.99 (exp. 4/1)

Head over to our full Deals Roundup for more sales information, including a free $25 e-gift card from Best Buy with the purchase of the new 9.7-inch iPad, along with the retailer’s ongoing discounts on MacBook Air, iPad mini 4, and more.

Related Roundup: Apple Deals
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Zendesk Announces Support for Business Chat in Messages

Zendesk is partnering with Apple to introduce support for the Business Chat beta feature that’s available in the Messages app on iOS devices running the new iOS 11.3 update.

With Business Chat integration, retailers who use Zendesk tools for customer support will be able to interact with customers using the Messages app, providing more prompt and responsive support.

“Today’s customer expects to communicate with businesses in the same way they do with friends, on whatever channel is most convenient for them.” said Caitlin Henehan, VP & GM of Zendesk Chat. “Zendesk’s integration with Apple Business Chat Beta will allow customers to engage with businesses on a much more personal level through Message. Companies will be able to provide timely responses and interact on the channel that is familiar and accessible to the consumer.”

First announced when iOS 11.3 was previewed in January, Business Chat is designed to allow iPhone, iPad, and macOS users to communicate directly with businesses right within the Messages app. Business Chat allows users to chat with businesses, schedule appointments, and make purchases.

As with most of its services, Apple focused on privacy with Business Chat. No business is provided with a user’s contact information and chats can be ended at any time.

In addition to Zendesk support, several major companies are supporting Business Chat at launch, including Lowe’s, Discover, Hilton, and Wells Fargo. Additional businesses are likely to begin adopting the feature in the near future.

Business Chat is currently in beta and is available to users who are running iOS 11.3 in the United States.

Related Roundup: iOS 11
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Apple Releases iTunes 12.7.4 With New Music Video Section for Apple Music

Apple today released an updated version of iTunes, iTunes 12.7.4, which introduces a new music video experience for Apple Music.

A music video section is available in the browse menu, and music videos can be added to a music video playlist so you can watch multiple videos in a row.

Apple’s full release notes for iTunes 12.7.4 are below:

iTunes now includes a new music video experience for Apple Music. Find what’s new and popular in Music Videos within Browse, and play videos back-to-back with music video playlists.

Today’s iTunes update can be downloaded from the Mac App Store for free using the Software Update function.

iTunes 12.7.4 follows iTunes 12.7.3, a January update that introduced support for HomePod. iTunes 12.7, released last September, was the last major update to iTunes, eliminating the built-in App Store to focus solely on music, movies, TV shows, podcasts, and audiobooks.

Tags: iTunes, Apple Music
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