Apple's iOS 17 brought a host of new features, including the option to leave video messages on FaceTime. While younger generations typically dread hearing their phones ring and seeing that someone has left a voicemail, Apple's new video version might be a hit. Now, when you call someone on FaceTime, if there's no answer you'll have the option to record and send a video message. Please note: Both you and your recipient must be running iOS 17 or iPadOS 17 to send and receive FaceTime video messages.

Step by step: How to send a FaceTime video message

Step 1: Go to the FaceTime app

Leaving a video message via FaceTime is pretty simple. All you have to do is initiate a FaceTime call like you normally would. This can be done in a few ways but the easiest way would be to go to the FaceTime app.

Step 2: Initiate the FaceTime call

Once in the app, tap the New FaceTime button, select the contact you're trying to reach then tap FaceTime at the bottom. If no picks up, you'll see "[Contact] is Unavailable" and you'll be presented with two options. You can either call them again or hit Record Video to do just that. 

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Step 3: Tap the Record Video option

Select Record Video and get ready to shoot your shot. You'll see an onscreen countdown and then you can record your message. 

Step 4: Send your video message

After you're done saying what you need to say, you can send it by tapping Send, which looks like a white button circle with a green arrow inside, or you can select Retake.

Apple

Apple has also included a Save option, which means you can save the video message you just recorded directly to your Camera Roll. Or if you'd prefer not to send the message at all, you can simply hit Cancel.

But if you do go through with sending your video message, the recipient will be able to view it in the missed call log within their FaceTime app. Once there, they'll have the option to return your call, watch the video message or save it to their Camera Roll.

Google is sending Jamboard on its way to the company's ever-growing graveyard full of products and services that didn't quite work out. It will wind down the Jamboard whiteboarding app sometime in late 2024, it has revealed in a Workspace post, and will switch to working more closely with third-party partners. Jamboard is the tech giant's home-grown whiteboarding solution that provides people the ability to collaborate in real time. Anything drawn or edited on its website or app, for instance, gets reflected on the Jamboard hardware, and vice versa. 

To continue giving teams that use its tools access to a collaborative digital whiteboard, Google is integrating FigJam, Lucidspark and Miro across its Workspace. It also promised to provide a "retention and migration path" so that users don't lose any collaborative work they've created within an organization. In its post, Google said it received feedback from customers that the advanced features offered by the aforementioned third-party partners helped their teams work better together. Based on that feedback, the company has decided to "leverage [its] partner ecosystem for whiteboarding in Workspace and focus [its] efforts on core content collaboration across Docs, Sheets, and Slides."

In addition to killing the Jamboard app, Google is also winding down support for the $5,000 Jamboard device. The 4K digital whiteboard, which originally went on sale in 2017, will stop receiving auto-updates on September 30, 2024.

As expected, Apple is making a last-ditch effort to get the Supreme Court to reverse a ruling that would force it to open up its App Store to third-party payments. The iPhone maker filed a petition with the Court Thursday, arguing that the lower court injunction was “breathtakingly broad” and “unconstitutional.”

It’s the latest beat in a long-simmering feud between Cupertino and the Fortnite developer that’s seen both sides ask the Supreme Court to reverse parts of a lower court ruling. But Apple's latest petition could have far-reaching consequences for all developers, should the Supreme Court decide to take up the case.

That’s because Apple is asking the Supreme Court to reverse an injunction that would require the company to allow app developers to offer payments that circumvent its App Store, and the fees associated with it. Such a move would be a major blow to the App Store’s business, which has used the rule to maintain strict control over in-app payments.

The rule, often referred to as an “anti-steering” policy, has long been controversial and a major gripe for developers. It not only prohibits app makers from providing links to web-based payments, it bars them from even telling their customers that a cheaper rate was available somewhere else.

Fortnite developer Epic made the issue a central part of its antitrust lawsuit against Apple in 2020, and the judge in the case ruled in Epic’s favor on the issue in 2021. Apple has spent the last two years fighting that part of the ruling.

Separately, Epic has also asked the Supreme Court to reconsider part of the lower court’s ruling in its bid to keep its antitrust claims against Apple alive.

Users will be able to edit, share and receive feedback on their Photoshop projects from anywhere on the web, Adobe announced Wednesday, regardless of whether an Adobe product is installed on their PC or tablet. The company is bringing its Photoshop on the web service out of beta and incorporating a few handy new AI features as well.

Adobe first introduced a feature-svelt online version of the popular Photoshop app in December, 2021. Originally, users could share their psd files but only if the recipient had a copy of Photoshop or Illustrator on their computer too. That changed with the introduction of Creative Cloud, which allowed for sharing without the need for a local install. The beta version of Photoshop on the web took that concept a step further by incorporating basic editing tools into the web UI geared towards "minor tweaks and quick edits" — the easy sort of stuff that took less time to fix than the program took to boot. The production version released Wednesday does all that and more.

"With this release we are starting with a focus on the needs of creators who are new to Photoshop with a streamlined user experience," Adobe VP Pam Clark wrote in a blog post. "We have brought the majority of the most commonly used Photoshop tools to the web and have streamlined the user experience, to make it easier for newer users to navigate the app."

Users will also be able to experiment with two new AI-driven tools, generative fill and generative expand. As their names' imply, these will "allow you to add, expand, or remove content from your images non-destructively, while magically matching perspective, lighting, and style of your image," Clark wrote. The features were first released as part of Firefly for the desktop edition of Photoshop. 

The Contextual Taskbar is also migrating over from the desktop. This on-screen menu will observe your workflow and suggest relevant next steps. But for all the new features to play with, a number of existing tools have yet to make the jump to the web, including the patch and pen tools, smart object support and the polygonal lasso, the the company insists that they will be added with future updates.  

Apple has quietly launched a new iPhone Wallet feature in beta that lets UK users see their current account balance, along with recent deposits and payments, 9to5Mac has reported. It's powered by the UK's Open Banking API, and follows Apple's purchase of Credit Kudos, a company that uses Open Banking to give users a snapshot of their financial health and creditworthiness. 

The new feature, which also shows users their balances after purchasing something with Apple Pay, arrives as part of the iOS 17.1 developer beta. Users must first authorize it through the Wallet app, then authenticate using their bank's app or website. All banking data will be stored strictly on users' devices and not on Apple's servers. Supported banks in the beta launch include Barclays, HSBC, Lloyds, RBS, Monzo and Starling.

The Wallet addition is a rare Apple feature that premieres in a territory outside the US. Apple doesn't even have its Apple Card available in the UK yet, so it's a relatively minor player in the region so far. At the same time, its purchase of Credit Kudos gives it major connections in Open Banking. The latter company's API taps into the UK's open banking platform to analyze bank account data, aiming to help banking providers make faster and better decisions for people seeking loans or other financial services.

Open Banking — which forces the United Kingdom's nine major banks to to release their data in a secure, standardized form — is unique to the region and doesn't exist in the US (though the government is working on it). Europe introduced a similar system called PSD2 back in 2020. The two are similar, so Apple could feasibly bring the same features to Europe, where it effectively dominates smartphone-based payment systems with Apple Wallet. 

The Vivaldi browser, which has been in beta testing for iOS devices over the past few months, is ready for a public release. Vivaldi for iPhones and iPads is now available for download from the App Store, bringing with it the features Android and desktop users have been enjoying for a while. One of the features that sets the browser apart from its peers on mobile is its desktop-style Tab Bar, which is enabled by default. It shows tabs lined up at the top of the interface, similar to how they're displayed on a computer. 

Since mobile devices have smaller screens, though, the browser does come with a Tab Switcher that will show users a snapshot of all the open tabs. The active tab will be highlighted in the switcher with a border around its thumbnail, and users can close or choose other tabs from there. Vivaldi also has a built-in Notes feature, which can automatically save text users highlight on websites if they long press on it and choose the "Copy to note" option. And if a user wants to save pages to read later without clogging the Tab Bar, they can save them to the browser's Reading List instead. 

Similar to other iterations of Vilvaldi, the browser for iOS has built in ad and tracker blocker. Users will have to enable the option under Privacy in Settings, where they can also customize it and manage blocking levels per website. 

Epic Games has asked the US Supreme Court to review a ruling from 2021 that cleared Apple of violating antitrust laws, according to a Bloomberg report. The Fortnite maker previously claimed that Apple violated California's Unfair Competition law, stating that the App Store prohibits developers from directing users to other third-party payment systems. The US Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals upheld the 2021 court’s decision back in April, finding that Apple’s practices had “a substantial anticompetitive effect that harms consumers,” but didn’t meet the bar for an antitrust case.

Should Epic win its appeal, Apple could stand to lose a substantial source of revenue. The company takes a cut of all purchases made through its App Store, which can run as high as 30 percent. Epic Games has been the loudest voice protesting this cut, though other companies like Spotify and Tile are also part of the Coalition for App Fairness, which has been pressuring Apple to change its policies. Outside of the US, Epic and its peers have had more success in changing the status quo: Authorities in both South Korea and the Netherlands have ruled that Apple must allow third-party payments, though Apple is still taking a considerable cut as a “transaction fee.” Apple is also rumored to be preparing support for third-party app stores in response to the European Union’s Digital Markets Act.

Bloomberg says the Supreme Court could decide if it will take up the case before the end of the year. In the meantime, Fortnite is still not available on the App Store. It’s been absent since August 2020, when Apple banned the game after Epic added alternative payment methods to bypass the App Store cut.

Epic is also in a legal battle with Google for similar practices. Both Epic and the Match Group, which operates dating apps like Hinge and Tinder, are alleging that Google abuses its control of Android app distribution through the Play Store by establishing unfair fees and requirements for in-app purchases. That trial is supposed to kick off in the next few weeks.

Meta is starting to make good on its promise to bring generative AI to all of its products. At the company’s Connect event, it revealed new AI image editing and sticker-creation features for Instagram.

A tool called "restyle" is a bit like a supercharged generative AI filter. It allows users to remix their existing photos into different looks. “Think of typing a descriptor like ‘watercolor’ or a more detailed prompt like ‘collage from magazines and newspapers, torn edges’ to describe the new look and feel of the image you want to create,” the company explained.

The company also previewed a new tool called “backdrop,” a generative AI-powered green screen feature. Users can type prompts like “put me in front of a sublime aurora borealis” will create a new version of the image with the relevant background applied. The company didn’t say when restyle and backdrop would be available to Instagram users, but said the tools would be arriving “soon.” 

Meta

It added that posts created using both backdrop and restyle would come with labels indicating "the use of AI to reduce the chances of people mistaking them for human-generated content." Meta didn't share what the labels will look like, but info screens saying "image generated by Meta AI" have previously been spotted in Instagram. 

Meta also showed off new AI-generated stickers, which will be available on Instagram, as wel as WhatsApp, Messenger and Facebook Stories. The feature allows users to quickly create custom stickers for their chats and Stories via text prompts. The stickers will be rolling out “to select English-language users” of the company’s apps “over the next month,” Meta said.

The features come as Mark Zuckerberg has repeatedly promised that generative AI features will be coming to every Meta-owned app. The company also announced more than 25 generative AI chatbots, including several personalities based on real-life celebrities and creators.

Apple’s macOS Sonoma update is now available. The Mac’s big 2023 software update adds a new Game Mode for Apple Silicon devices, interactive desktop widgets, videoconferencing improvements and more.

To install macOS Sonoma, you’ll need a somewhat recent computer. It supports MacBook Air, MacBook Pro and Mac mini models from 2018 and newer, iMac and Mac Pro devices from 2019 and later, the Mac Studio from 2022 onward and the 2017 iMac Pro.

Once you’ve determined that your Mac is eligible, you can head to System Settings > General > Software Update to initiate the download and installation.

Devindra Hardawar / Engadget

Many of macOS Sonoma’s top features are under the hood, and it appears to be a largely incremental update. But Apple still added plenty of interesting new features, including high-resolution screensavers of real-world locations, an updated login screen, interactive widgets, various videoconferencing enhancements (including new effects like the balloons pictured above), Safari profiles (for keeping work and personal separate) web apps you can install in the Dock, inline predictive text and more. There’s even a new Game Mode that prioritizes system resources for smoother gaming performance and improves latency for AirPods and wireless controllers.

For more on Sonoma’s features, you can review Engadget’s in-depth preview of the latest version of macOS.

While music producers typically have a favorite digital audio workstation (DAW), most creators are forced to swap between software suites to better suit different workflows and plugin options. This is easier said than done. You have to download the audio stems from one DAW and upload them to the next, and that’s just the first step. There’s more to worry about, like mix levels, plugin settings, virtual instruments and so much more. Industry veterans PreSonus and Bitwig have teamed up to try to solve these problems.

The companies have just announced a new file format intended for easy swapping between DAWs. The DAWproject file format will only be supported by Bitwig Studio 5.0.9 and PreSonus Studio One 6.5 for now, but it could theoretically be adopted by other companies in the future. Bitwig and Presonus are calling this a DAW-agnostic platform and stress that they’ve taken steps to make the technology as open to other companies as possible.

DAWproject files go much further than simple audio WAV data. The format keeps track of all relevant information across every track and channel in the entire project. This includes time data, audio information, automation, MIDI notes and plugin settings. All you have to do is save the song as a DAWproject file in one DAW and open it in another. That’s really it. The time data and automation stuff is really interesting, as this includes fades, time warping, transposition and other chores that are really annoying to re-do over and over again.

There are some limitations, as you can only transfer between Bitwig Studio and PreSonus Studio One until other software applications get on board. Also, your plugins must already be installed in both DAWs to instantly transfer settings. Luckily, both DAWs support the VST plugin format, so there shouldn’t be an issue there.

Apple has a limited version of this technology, as you can open up projects created in GarageBand right in Logic Pro X and maintain settings. The reverse, however, isn’t true, due to Logic Pro X being a much more robust application than GarageBand. Beyond that, this is the first universal project standard, well, ever. Here’s to hoping more popular DAWs like Protools, Ableton and Logic Pro X adopt this standard, or any standard, in the near future.

This isn’t Bitwig’s first foray into the world of open-source audio. The company recently teamed-up with virtual instrument experts U-he to create CLAP, an open-source plugin format. DAWproject files are available for use starting today, so long as you use Bitwig Studio or PreSonus Studio One.