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Apple is expanding its personal safety features in iOS 16 with Safety Check, a new feature meant to make it easier to lock down privacy and security settings. Safety check allows users to quickly review which contacts may have access to their location or calendar info, as well as the permissions being used by individual apps.

The feature is formatted into a checklist to make it easy to review and revoke access on an app-by-app or contact-by-contact basis. The company said the feature could be particularly impactful for people trying to flee an abusive relationship.There's also "emergency reset" that allows people to reset their Apple ID password and revoke access to specific apps and personal information. 

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Apple is reinventing the driving experience with a new generation of CarPlay features, deeply integrating the functions of the vehicle with your iPhone. The new system is reportedly capable of controlling the entirety of the vehicle's infotainment systems, regardless of the system that it is being run on, effectively making your phone the "core" of the in-cabin systems. The company is not sharing many additional details about what specific features and functions will be arriving first —those announcements will be teased out later in the year.

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During the WWDC 2022 developers conference on Monday, Apple executives announced that that its Maps app will be receiving a number of feature updates, including one long sought after by users: the ability to add multiple stops to a route.

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Apple is adding Pay Later functionality to its Wallet app, the company announced today during WWDC 2022. The feature will allow you to split the cost of Apple Pay purchases into four equal payments with no interest and late fees. 

Reports that Apple was working on a pay later service first came out in 2021.

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Apple will soon allow you to take back messages you didn't really want to send. The upgraded Messages app in iOS 16 is getting a new "undo send" feature, as well as the ability to edit chats you've already sent and mark threads as unread. 

The company is also giving dictation a serious upgrade, which should make it easier to send messages on the go. With the updates, dictation can automatically add punctuation to longer messages, and can even add relevant emoji characters. 

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Ahead of its official release sometime later this fall, today at WWDC 2022 Apple announced a number of exciting new features heading to iOS 16. 

One of the most important new changes in iOS 16 is a revamped lock screen, which features a wide range of customization options and layouts. There will even be new templates that let you choose different fonts and accent colors, in addition to support for widgets — all of which can be accessed without needing to unlock your phone. Additionally, there's also a new wallpaper feature that lets you select from a range of categories including dynamic wallpapers that change based on the time or even the weather.

Another big update is revamped notifications, which will now roll up from the bottom of the screen. Meanwhile, the new Live Activities features is designed to help you keep track of current events and appointments like live game scores. 

iOS's Focus Mode is also getting an upgrade that works with the new lock screen, so you can use widgets or things like to-do lists to stay on target. 

This story is still developing, so check back soon for updates...

Follow all of the news from WWDC right here!

Google's newest Pixel feature drop is meant as much for spur-of-the-moment creativity as it is everyday conveniences. The company is rolling out a June feature update that, with a separate download, offers a free music-making tool from Teenage Engineering. The Pocket Operator for Pixel app (shown at middle) turns your videos into music and video "cut-ups" with a mix of sounds, patterns and visual effects. You'll need a Pixel 5 or newer to get started, but It could be worth a try if you'd like to craft beats during your downtime.

The feature drop also lets you see imagery from your Nest Doorbell on your Pixel phone's lock screen (pictured at left). You'll know right away if it's worth answering the door. And if you need to show proof of your COVID-19 shots, you can now take a screenshot of your digital vaccine card and create a shortcut for your home screen (right). This will only be available in Australia, Canada and the US, but could be helpful if you still need to show proof of vaccination to hop on a flight or enter a venue.

Other upgrades include a previously beta-only Conversation mode in the Sound Amplifier app (to enhance chats for people with hearing loss), a reminder to turn off your flashlight and (soon) air quality alerts for Australia, India and the US. You'll also find a trio of new Pride-themed wallpapers from Yann Bastard, while skin tone-friendly image filters are now active in Google Photos.

The update starts rolling out today to Pixel 4 and later devices. You can also expect broader support for existing features, including Car Crash Detection in Canada as well as new languages in Messages' chat translation (Dutch, Korean, Thai, Traditional Chinese and Turkish).

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Facebook isn't the only one compensating Illinois residents over alleged privacy violations. The Vergenotes Google has agreed to pay $100 million to settle a class action lawsuit accusing the company of violating Illinois' Biometric Information Protection Act (BIPA) through Photos' "Face Grouping" feature. The settlement will let you claim between $200 and $400 if you appeared in a picture on Photos between May 1st, 2015 and April 25th, 2022.

Google supposedly broke the law by collecting and analyzing faces without appropriate notice, asking for "informed" consent or sharing data retention policies with the public. Face Grouping is meant to help you find photos of given people by detecting faces and automatically organizing them into collections.

You have until September 24th to submit a claim, and can object to the settlement terms before August 10th. The final approval hearing is slated for September 28th.

We've asked Google for comment. In a statement to The Verge, the company defended Face Grouping by stressing that collections were only visible to you and can be disabled.

The settlement is relatively modest. In 2021, Facebook agreed to pay $650 million to settle a lawsuit over its defunct face-based Tag Suggestions feature. This might not be the last big payout in the near future, though. Snap is dealing with a class action suit over purportedly illegal collection of face and voice data for its augmented reality effects, and it might face a similar expense if the plaintiffs prevail.

It’s that time once again. Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference kicks off today. As ever, the proceedings will commence with a keynote that will contain the majority of the biggest news. Apple has invited a small number of guests to attend the keynote at Apple Park, though most folks will need to tune in virtually. The event starts at 1PM ET and you can watch it below.

You'll get your first proper look at features coming to iOS 16, iPadOS 16, watchOS 9, tvOS 16 and the next macOS. The updates should arrive later this year, though you can try the new OS versions early if you're willing to install the various developer betas.

We have an inkling of what to expect from WWDC thanks to a melange of reports and leaks. Health, Messages, notifications and the lock screen are all said to be in line for updates on iOS 16 and iPadOS 16. Improved multitasking is believed to be on the way to iPad, while it's expected that iOS will gain support for always-on displays ahead of that feature coming to some of the next-gen iPhones.

There are also rumblings that Apple will announce a refreshed MacBook Air running on an M2 processor. In any case, we won't need to wait long to find out what Apple has in store.