While iOS 15 and iPadOS 15 are Apple's major software focus this year, there's still plenty to look forward to in macOS Monterey. And you'll be able to get your first taste of it today with the launch of the MacOS Monterey public beta. You can sign up to receive it on Apple's beta software page.
Apple's new OS features a dramatically redesigned version of Safari, which combines tabs and menu options into a single compact bar, as well as enhanced FaceTime features and the ability to enjoy media together with friends. There's also Universal Control — a feature that, sadly, isn't in this public beta — that will eventually let you control your Macs and iPads with a single keyboard and mouse.
Even without Universal Control, the public beta still gives you a sense of how Apple's latest OS feels. The new Safari, in particular, will take a bit of getting used to (though it's not as dramatically different as in iOS 15). And it's nice to see Apple finally giving FaceTime some new capabilities, even if many of them seem to mimic Zoom. You'll also be able to test out AirPlaying audio to macOS, as well as some simplified automation capabilities with Shortcuts.
Let us know what you think of the maCOS Monterey public beta below! As with most beta releases, though, be wary of throwing it onto your primary computer.
Alongside Oculus VR and livestreams, Facebook's gaming ambitions also include the cloud. Today, the company is making free game streaming available to 98 percent of the mainland US and bringing on board a major partner in Ubisoft. Facebook says it has now scaled-up its cloud computing infrastructure to the extent that it can roll out the service to 100 percent of the US by the fall. An international rollout is also underway, beginning in Canada and Mexico and expanding to Western and Central Europe by early 2022.
While its rivals Google and Amazon have opted for a standalone cloud gaming service for a monthly subscription, Facebook has built its offering into its main social network and accompanying Android app. Unlike the competition, which deliver console and PC games over the internet, the social network is focusing on smaller free-to-play mobile titles that it says are easier to host at its data centers.
After launching cloud gaming on Android in a handful of US states last October, Facebook says it has added 25 titles to the service, including newcomers Roller Coaster Tycoon Touch by Atari, Lego Legacy Heroes Unboxed and Dragon Mania Legends by Gameloft and State of Survival by FunPlus. It's also redesigned its Play section with new categories, including a list of the top games in the US, improved filtering and sorting options.
More than 1.5 million people play cloud-streamed games on Facebook every month, the company revealed. With 195 million daily users in North America and more than 1.87 billion global users, the service has a big runway ahead of it. Despite offering less games than the competition, Facebook will be hoping that its focus on mobile titles can help it to thrive in the lucrative game streaming arena. The cloud gaming market will be worth an estimated $1.4 billion this year and over $5 billion in 2023, according to research firm NewZoo.
To bolster its appeal, Facebook is partnering withFrance-based developer Ubisoft. The studio's game subscription service is already available on Google Stadia and Amazon Luna, but (for now at least) Facebook will only host its mobile gaming titles. Ubisoft games available on the service include Assassin’s Creed Rebellion, Hungry Shark Evolution and Hungry Dragon, with Mighty Quest and Trials Frontier launching in the coming months. Facebook also recently acquired Unit 2, the developer behind game creation platform Crayta, with plans to integrate its tools into its cloud gaming platform.
On the infrastructure side, Facebook is focusing on lowering latency caps to allow it to host even more game genres across multiple devices. Currently, it says its "sweet spot" is in mobile sports, card, simulation, strategy, action-adventure, and puzzle titles, but it plans to add more variety to the mix in the coming months.
Facebook says it is still working to get cloud gaming onto iOS devices. Though its gaming app is available on iPhones and iPads, it doesn't include playable games due to Apple's restrictions on third-party software.
Those who opt for the GPS + Cellular models of the Apple Watch gain the convenience of making and receiving calls even when their iPhone isn't around. It's worth paying for if you want the most "untethered" version of the Apple Watch available, and now you can save a bit of money on the Product Red version of the LTE Watch. The 44mm model is down to $429 — that's $100 off its normal price and the best we've seen it. The 40mm version is also $100 off, bringing it down to $399, although we have seen it $10 less than that in the past.
Aside from the red case and band color, the other caveat to this deal is that you'll have to wait to get your new gadget. Amazon currently estimates delivery for the 44mm model in about one month — not ideal, but a decent tradeoff for the $100 savings. If you opt for the 40mm model, your wait time will only be about two weeks.
Apple made small improvements to the overall experience of using the Apple Watch in the Series 6, while also adding some new sensors into the mix. It runs on an S6 processor that's 20 percent faster than the chipset in the Series 5, and the battery life has been slightly improved. Also, Apple sped up the charging time for the Series 6 — we got a 51-percent increase in battery life after only a half hour of charging.
The Series 6 adds a blood oxygen sensor to its array of internal trackers, which also includes an ECG sensor, a heart rate monitor, altimeter, compass and more. WatchOS 7 added new features as well including native sleep tracking (which is much easier to do now that the Watch's battery life and charge time have improved) and a hand-washing timer. While the less expensive Apple Watch SE is best for those new to wearables in general, the Series 6 is our pick for those that want the most comprehensive Apple Watch experience.
But we'd be remiss if we didn't mention that September is slowly approaching, and that's when Apple tends to release the latest Apple Watches. Holding out until the fall is probably best for anyone who wants to ensure they're getting the latest and greatest from Apple.
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Where's our flying-car future? Maybe it's finally a little closer. AirCar, a prototype car-plane-thing from Klein Vision made a trip between Nitra and Bratislava airports in Slovakia. After 35 minutes in the air, and making the landing, its inventor clicked a button, the wings tucked in and he drove the car home straight from the tarmac.
The company has worked on hybrid aircraft for more than 30 years. With 142 successful landings and 40-plus hours of test flights under its belt, Professor Stefan Klein is convinced that his third prototype is ready to go into pre-production.
What’s particularly interesting compared to other flying vehicles is this is very much a car (with a BMW petrol engine inside), not a drone or a vertical take-off and land (VTOL) machine. It’s more like a plane and requires a runway to get into the sky.
For the next stage, Klein wants to almost double the horsepower of the engine and believes the vehicle will be eligible for aircraft certification from European aviation regulators. Oh yes, along with an M1 road permit for when the wheels hit the ground.
The iOS 15 public beta is live today, which means a lot of us can now check out the latest features coming to iPhones later this year. (Warning: If you’re thinking of trying the public beta, make sure you’ve considered the risk of running preview software.)
Some of the updates getting the most buzz are the new Focus modes and FaceTime sharing tools, but there are also changes across Messages, Maps, Weather, Safari, Photos and more. Reviews Editor Cherlynn Low has been testing the developer beta ahead of wider testing: Here’s what she thought.
Volvo's electric vehicles to date have been offshoots of existing car platforms, but that’s soon to change. The brand has unveiled a Concept Recharge design that shows the direction for the company's "pure" EV future — both in aesthetics and technology.
The Concept Recharge ditches the usual engine bay and tucks a large battery into a flat floor. That makes more interior space, of course, but also leads to shorter overhangs, a lower hood and a new roof profile. This also gives Volvo an excuse to streamline everything. Continue reading.
Thanks to the billions Disney spent adding Marvel, Lucasfilm and assets from 21st Century Fox, it’s time for the Simpson family to meet Marvel’s favorite cinematic villain: Loki. Fans of Loki have more than just a new episode of Marvel’s live-action series to look forward to next Wednesday. On July 7th, Disney will also release to Disney+ The Good, The Bart, and The Loki, a new Simpsons short, guest starring Tom Hiddleston. Continue reading.
While the next watchOS might not represent as significant a change as iOS 15, it does bring new health and fitness tools, along with tighter iPhone integration. Apple's new health-centric features could interest those looking for a more holistic approach to wellbeing. The company has renamed its Breathe app ‘Mindfulness,’ adding Reflect to the existing breathing exercises. There’s also the introduction of Tai Chi and Pilates classes to the workout stable. Once again, Cherlynn takes a look at what’s new. Continue reading.
LG's lineup of QNED 4K and 8K TVs unveiled late last year will arrive in the US in July, the company has announced. They'll sit just below LG's flagship OLED and consist of two 8K models (the QNED99 and QNED95) along with the 4K QNED90, in sizes from 65 to 85 inches. The TVs will launch first in North America and arrive in other regions in the coming weeks.
Mini LED tech attempts to blend the characteristics of OLED and LED. Unlike regular LED models, Mini LED uses thousands of tiny LEDs, up to 30,000 for the 86-inch 8K QNED99. With so many more dimming zones, it should offer contrasts better than LED sets as well as brightness levels that go beyond OLED TVs.
LG didn't reveal pricing, but B&H Photo Video already has most of the lineup available for pre-order. Prices start at $1,997 for the QNED90 65-inch 4K model, with the 75- and 86-inch 4K QNED90 sets at $2,997 and $3,997, respectively. The flagship 86-inch model, meanwhile, is a heady $6,497. Continue reading.
Slack is adding real-time audio features. The messaging app is launching a new, Discord-like chat feature called Huddles. The feature, along with new collaboration tools for sharing pre-recorded audio and video, is, according to the company, meant to provide an alternative to the “endless stream of meetings” that have dominated many of our calendars over the last year and a half. Continue reading.
All three major US carriers have met the deadline to implement the FCC's new anti-spoofing protocol designed to protect users from scam caller impersonation. Both Verizon and T-Mobile announced yesterday that all calls originating on their networks are 100 percent compliant with the FCC's "STIR/SHAKEN" technology designed to show a caller's true phone number. AT&T, meanwhile, confirmed with The Verge that it's also in compliance with the new rules.
The FCC had set a deadline of June 30th for the major carrier's to implement the STIR/SHAKEN protocol developed under the Ajit Pai regime. For now, smaller carriers have until June 30th, 2023 unless the FCC decides to shorten that timespan, something that's currently under consideration.
The STIR/SHAKEN standards serve as a common digital language used by phone networks, allowing valid information to pass from provider to provider which, among other things, informs blocking tools of possible suspicious calls.
So what does the new protocol do? Without it, scam or spam callers can spoof their phone numbers to show up as local numbers, making it more likely that you'll pick up. STIR/SHAKEN deals with that by using public key encryption digital certificates sent by the originating telephone service provider, with the keys verified by the terminating service provider. If everything matches, then the calling number hasn't been spoofed.
The FCC is hoping that carrier implementation will reduce the volume of spam, scam and robocalls that have made answering your phone a game of whack-a-mole. The commission said that over 1,500 voice providers have filed to be in its robocall mitigation database with over 200 of those being fully certified. "Beginning on September 28, 2021, if a voice service provider’s certification does not appear in the database, intermediate and voice service providers will be prohibited from directly accepting the provider’s traffic," the FCC stated.
The protocol will help reduce but not totally eliminate scams or robocalls. Legacy phone systems that don't use IP protocols are exempt from the rules, and the system won't work with international calls. Still, if a local pops up on your phone going forward, you can have more confidence that it's not a fake number coming from a scammer.
Google has updated its Pay app's "Passes API" to enable a simple way to store and display a digital card on Android showing users' COVID-19 test and vaccination details. The tech giant has given healthcare organizations, government agencies, as well as organizations authorized by public health authorities to distribute COVID vaccines access to the API. That means their developers can now easily create digital COVID vaccine and test cards that users can store on their device.
As 9to5Google notes, Passes is a Google Pay API used to store non-payment cards like retailer membership cards. However, there's no need for users to download the Pay app if they don't have it to be able to store the COVID digital cards created using the Passes API. Once they get the digital card, they'll be able to access it via a shortcut on their home screen even without an internet connection. That said, their devices must run Android 5 or later.
In the interest of assuaging users' privacy fears, Google says it doesn't retain a copy of people's COVID-19 vaccine and test information. The company also says it doesn't share data on the card with third party services and that it doesn't use the information for ad targeting. Users can show the card to anybody they want, of course, though they'll be required to have a lock screen on their device before they can store the card for their own safety. The Passes API update is only available in the US at the moment, but the tech giant promises that it will also roll out to other countries in the future.
Opera has optimized its web browser for Chromebook, with the aim of giving users a full-featured alternative to Chrome. Opera for Chrome OS is based on the Android version of the browser. The company has made some laptop-focused tweaks, such as the addition of keyboard shortcuts.
The browser has a free, built-in VPN and ad and tracker blockers to bolster privacy. There are also baked-in messaging apps, including WhatsApp, Telegram, Instagram, Twitter and Facebook Messenger. Opera can thwart those irritating cookie dialogs that pop up when you visit certain websites, too.
Opera
Additionally, there's a built-in cryptocurrency wallet and you can pick from one of five color themes (in both light and dark modes) to match your aesthetic. On top of that, the browser includes a night mode that reduces blue light to help you sleep better.
You can sync Opera for Chrome OS with versions of the browsers on other platforms — all you need to do is scan a QR code. You'll then be able to take notes, save images and small files and share links between your desktop and mobile versions of Opera.
Opera claims many people prefer to use separate browsers for different needs, one for work and another for leisure, for instance. So Chromebook users might welcome another option with all the bells and whistles one would expect from a modern browser. You can download Opera for Chrome OS now.
With the iOS 15 and watchOS 8 public betas now available for testing, it’s time for us to get an early look at some of the features coming to Apple’s biggest platforms. While the next watchOS might not be as big a change as iOS 15, it still introduces new tools that promise better integration with your iPhone, along with some health and fitness updates.
If you’re thinking of checking the public beta out for yourself, make sure you’ve thought twice about the risk of running preview software instead of a stable release. Those who simply can't wait for a stable public release of the upcoming platform can sign up for Apple's beta program and install the builds now, provided you have an Apple Watch Series 3 and newer, as well as an iPhone running the iOS 15 beta. Either way, we've checked out the watchOS 8 beta so you can see from a safe distance or decide if the changes are worth the trouble right now.
Mindfulness, health and fitness
Though there aren't huge updates coming to watchOS 8, Apple's new health-centric features could interest those looking for a more wholistic approach to wellbeing. The company has renamed its Breathe app to Mindfulness, adding a meditation guide to the existing breathing exercises. You can set each Mindfulness session's duration to 1, 2, 3, 4 or 5 minutes before starting. A prompt appears before each session to help you focus your thoughts, along with a button to begin.
So far, I've seen typical meditation prompts that tell you to be aware of your thoughts and let them pass without judgement. Some other examples include "Think of someone you care about. Imagine you can feel your connection with them" and "Consider the values that matter to you in something you’re focused on."
Then, a colorful swirling animation takes up the screen. I usually just lean back and close my eyes at this point, but if you continue to stare at your watch, the animation is a nice distraction that's almost hypnotizing. At the end of your set time, the watch vibrates and shows a closing thought tied to the opening prompt, like "Bring this sense of open awareness with you." You'll also see your total Mindful minutes for the day (which includes time spent doing Breathe exercises) and your heart rate. After two Mindfulness sessions, my Apple Watch SE said my pulse plummeted from 67 to 47bpm, which is great I guess.
On its own, this feels like a glorified timer meets fortune cookie meets Magic 8 Ball, all set to Windows Music Player-style visualizations. But combined with reminders throughout the day that you can customize, Mindfulness could help remind you to check in with yourself periodically to assess your state of mind.
A few other health-centric additions to watchOS include two new Workout categories: Tai Chi and Pilates. I've yet to have a session of either exercise so I can't say how accurately Apple tracks these yet. There are also a couple more features I need more time to get a better sense for, like respiratory rate tracking overnight and walking steadiness. The latter requires about two weeks of walking with your iPhone stashed somewhere on your body, so it'll take some time before I get results.
Messaging, watch faces and new apps
A big part of the watchOS 8 update is improved communications tools and integration with your iPhone. Notably, the Messages app now allows you to compose via Scribble, Dictate and Emojis all within the same screen. I scrawled out part of a message, dictated longer parts of it, and added emoji from one page easily. Editing is also less of a hassle than before, thanks in large part to being able to use the Digital Crown as a cursor controller now. Hallelujah! Scrolling back to insert a space or fix a stray "v" got so much better.
There's also a new option now to send GIFs in Messages, from the same place you'd send a Digital Touch (just hit the search glass button and type in your keyword).
Communicating with people is also made easier thanks to the new Contacts app, which lets you find specific friends more quickly. If you've set one of iOS 15's new Focus modes on your iPhone, the same settings will apply to your watch. People and apps that have been blocked will remain muted on your wrist, and it was helpful to see a symbol at the top of the screen indicating which Focus mode is active.
Contacts isn't the only new app for watchOS 8. Apple's also redesigning Home to make interacting with your connected appliances easier, and bringing Find Items, Find Devices, and Tips to your wrist. The new OS will also add support for ultra wideband to enable more precise car key functions like spatial awareness.
This story is developing, please refresh for updates.
AT&T is the latest carrier to make Messages by Google the default messaging service for all customers on Android devices. The move will replace the default messaging system, SMS, with Rich Communication Services technology, an open standard that prioritizes media, eliminates character limits, and generally upgrades the traditional texting experience.
RCS unlocks the ability to share full-resolution photos and send larger media files than SMS can handle, it streamlines group chats, enables end-to-end encryption for one-on-one conversations, and it works over Wi-Fi or data. The transition for AT&T customers will take place soon, according to Google.
Google has been nudging the mobile industry toward RCS for years, and it's finally catching on. T-Mobile is making the switch to Messages by Google, and therefore RCS messaging, by the end of the year, and now AT&T is doing the same.
However, Verizon hasn't announced plans to adopt RCS — and neither has Apple, for that matter.
The iOS 15 public beta is live today, which means a larger swath of people can now check out the latest features coming to iPhones later this year. Despite being a beta, it’s surprisingly complete, with most of the coming changes already available. Some of the updates getting the most buzz are the new Focus modes and FaceTime sharing tools, but there are also changes across Messages, Maps, Weather, Safari, Photos and more to check out.
So far, the preview software seems largely stable. But as always with betas, think twice about how willing you are to risk bricking your phone in exchange for early access to new features. Regardless of whether that's you, we've put together a detailed preview of how iOS 15 will work when it launches in the fall.
FaceTime: SharePlay, screen sharing and spatial audio
Though it would have been a lot more helpful if Apple had launched this feature during the throes of the pandemic, FaceTime’s SharePlay feature will still be useful for many of us. Whether you want to watch an episode of Ted Lasso with your long-distance buddy or provide remote tech support to your relatives, SharePlay and screen sharing over FaceTime will make your life a little easier.
Screenshots of iOS 15 beta
Unfortunately, my colleague Mat Smith and I had to futz around for ages before we figured out how to SharePlay something. While screen sharing is more straightforward — just press a button at the bottom right of a new control panel at the top of FaceTime calls — SharePlay options only show up when you have a compatible media app open during a chat. Mat and I are seasoned tech journalists and we still spent some time looking for a SharePlay-specific button, which seems like the more intuitive way.
Once we figured it out, things went a little more smoothly. When you try to play an episode or video while on a FaceTime call, a window pops up asking if you want to use SharePlay. From there, you can choose to stream with your caller (or callers), play it only for yourself, or cancel.
As a reminder, depending on the app, both you and your friend will need subscriptions to watch stuff together on SharePlay. For Apple’s services like TV+ and Music, you’ll both need a subscription or trial. Other streaming apps like HBO Max, Hulu and Disney+ will be the ones that decide whether all parties need accounts to watch shows together on SharePlay, but it’s highly unlikely they allow it some other way.
On our attempts to stream episodes of Mythic Quest and Central Park on SharePlay, though, Mat and I kept getting a failure notice saying “Unable to SharePlay. This title isn’t available to SharePlay with people in different countries or regions.” It’s odd, since both those shows are available in both our regions. It’s also sad that you wouldn’t be allowed to watch it with someone abroad. Apple hasn’t said if this limit will be in place when iOS 15 launches, but if it is it’ll be disappointing for anyone that was looking forward to SharePlaying with their overseas partners, families and friends. We’ll update this article if Apple confirms this either way.
Screen sharing worked better. I was able to show Mat my dubious shopping list on Instagram though, as it does with other video chat apps, my camera automatically turned off whenever I shared my screen. When Mat streamed his display, his camera stayed on. We suspect this has something to do with the fact that he’s using a more capable iPhone 12 mini while I was on an aging iPhone XR that was burning up from my testing. This is a known issue with SharePlay that has been detailed in the iOS 15 developer beta release notes, so it may get fixed in time.
Screenshots of the iOS 15 beta
Two other FaceTime features that are also live in this beta: links to join calls from non-Apple devices and spatial audio. The latter lets you hear each person in a call from the direction where they’re positioned on your FaceTime grid. Since it required multiple people running the beta to work, I couldn’t fully experience this. I got on a call with Mat and our former colleague Chris Velazco, and while Mat and I were able to hear each other from different directions, Chris wasn’t on the beta and did not notice the effect.
I also sent FaceTime web links to Chris, as well as Engadget staffers Nathan Ingraham and Valentina Palladino. The URL brought us to a page that prompted us to enter our names, and as the host I could choose to allow or block each would-be participant. Chris was able to join my call from a non-Apple laptop, while Valentina and Nate went through the browser on their Macs. Meanwhile, I was using an iPhone. Everyone looked and sounded great… to me.
Valentina and Nate couldn’t hear each other until they used the FaceTime app on their MacBooks. Chris also couldn’t hear other people on the call — all anyone heard was my beautiful voice. (As it should be.) But really, this appears to be an issue with how browsers handle audio input devices or a possible bug in the beta.
It’s not yet clear whether the region-specific SharePlay restrictions will also work this way in the stable release. But so far, barring some glitches, the updates to Apple’s video calling app appear meaty and potentially very useful.
Focus modes
I’ve spent too much time talking about FaceTime, so I’m going to try to succinctly describe the other iOS 15 features I’ve tested thus far. One of these felt incredibly relevant as I spent time finishing this article on deadline: Focus modes. Here, Apple allows you to customize profiles that will allow notifications from specific apps or people when enabled.
Screenshots from the iOS 15 beta
Three placeholders are available at the start: Work, Bedtime and Personal. On your first time trying to enable each, you’ll have to set up which contacts and apps to allow. You can also choose to enable your Focus Status so people who try to reach you will see that you’re away when they’re using a compatible app. Developers of messaging apps will have to use Apple’s API to enable this, so that your friends who hit you up on, say, Telegram or Facebook Messenger will see your status too.
For now, only Apple’s own Messages supports it and I was able to see below our conversation that Mat had silenced notifications. I sent a message anyway, and the app showed my text was “delivered quietly.” Just like you can on Slack, you can choose to “notify anyway” so your message breaks through the wall of silence. (I’m not an awful person so I didn’t, poor Mat had already put up with my relentless testing and FaceTiming all day.)
With each Focus mode, you can also pick a home screen showing just the apps you want. To do so, you’ll have to first create each page as an additional panel on your main screen, then select the relevant one when customizing your Focus mode. I created a barebones page with just four apps and designated it as my main Personal screen. I also made a different option for Work and was able to have apps appear on multiple pages — Instagram and Twitter could be placed on every page, for example. When each mode was enabled, I couldn’t see any other page; swiping sideways only showed the apps drawer and the Today view.
I haven’t spent enough time with the beta to know how useful these customized views will be, but I’m already in love with the ability to pick different notifications profiles. You can also set them to automatically activate based on the time of day, your location or app usage. Again, this is something I’ll need to use for more than a few days, but I appreciate the concept. Unfortunately, I haven’t encountered Notifications summaries in the beta yet.
Live text (aka Apple’s version of Google Lens)
Many other iOS 15 updates are similar to features that competitors already offer, and the most obvious of these is Live Text. This tool scans the photos on your device for words and turns them into text you can actually use, whether it’s copying and pasting a phone number to another app or translating foreign words on a menu. This is basically Apple's answer to Google Lens, which has been around for years.
Screenshots of the iOS 15 beta
Similar to Lens, Apple’s version will show a small symbol at the bottom right of each image in the Photos app to indicate it’s found something. Tap that icon, and all the characters in that picture will be highlighted, and you can select the portions you need. I snapped a picture of my bottle of moisturizer and was able to copy all the words on the label and URLs also got identified as links I could click through. You can also use Live Text via the Camera app’s viewfinder without snapping a shot, by the way. When your phone detects words in the scene, the same icon will appear in the bottom right and you can hit it to pull up the snippets that Live Text noticed.
So far, this generally performed as expected, though it's worth noting that as its name suggests, Live Text only works on images that have a lot of words in them. But even a photo of my dinner, which included a container of yogurt with a brand name prominently displayed on it, didn’t trigger Live Text. Google’s Lens, meanwhile, will identify buildings, pets, furniture and clothes in pictures with nary a letter in them.
Maps, Photos and generally tighter integration
Elsewhere in iOS 15 you’ll find updates to Maps, Weather and Photos. In some cities, Apple’s maps look richer and more detailed than before, thanks to meticulous drawings of individual trees, lanes, traffic lights and more. I was able to explore a golf course in San Francisco, as well as the Conservatory of Flowers and Dutch Windmill in the Golden Gate Park in surprisingly detailed 2D and 3D views. I was disappointed when I zoomed super close to the Penguin Island in the San Francisco zoo and there were no cute little feathered friends. But I guess that’d be too much to ask.
Screenshots of the iOS 15 beta
Memories in Photos has also been updated to give you greater control over who shows up in them and what music plays in the background. You can now edit your pictures’ descriptions to create richer alt text that stays with each image as you forward them to friends. I liked using this to identify people and places in a photo for contacts who are blind or have low vision. Even though I added keywords like “sunset” and people’s names to some pictures’ descriptions, searches for those words in my iPhone’s Spotlight didn’t return those images. It would be nice, but the descriptions aren’t currently being indexed for that.
But that’s another update in iOS 15: Spotlight searches for all things in your phone will now include your photos in results, too. It uses Apple’s own machine learning to detect things in your library though, and this is still sometimes inaccurate. I searched for “Cherlynn” and “Sunset” and was shown screenshots with my name in them and an image of a red-hot map of New York from the Weather app that Apple thought was a sunset. This isn’t perfect, but at least photos are better integrated into Spotlight now.
Another update that provides better integration across iOS is the consolidation of media that your friends send you. Apple calls this Share With You, and things from your recent interactions with each person will show up there — pictures that Mat sent me of his adorable baby niece, as well as the screenshots he shared from our FaceTime adventures, were all in his page in the Phone app.
Screenshots of the iOS 15 beta
There’s still a ton more to explore not only in the public beta but in iOS 15 when the final release is ready. The Weather app has new maps that appropriately show just how scorching hot it’s been in the New York area these last few days. And we still have to test more things like Safari mobile extensions and ID and keys support in Wallet. For now, this has been an intriguing taste of what to expect in the software update. Despite a few snags, it looks like iPhone users will have plenty to look forward to later this year.
