Heena Sharma Blog

  Apple has released iOS 15.0.2 , the second update to the iOS 15 operating system that was released in September. According to Apple's release notes, the updates address several issues, including bugs in the Find My app that prevented the iPhone Leather Wallet with MagSafe as well as AirTag from connecting or appearing in the app. The update also adds fix for a CarPlay bug that could cause CarPlay to fail to open audio apps, and an issue that could cause device restore or updates to fail on iPhone 13 models. In addition, there is also a fix for a glitch that saw photos saved to your library from Messages deleted after removing the associated thread or message. One can update an iPhone or iPad right now by going to Settings > General > Software Update and following the prompts. Read More

  The certainty and uncertainty abounding Apple’s September launches are constant. Nearly everyone knows that the new phone would look and feel like the older one — as they say, if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it — still, there’s always the expectation that Apple might throw a surprise with a feature or two. This year’s Apple iPhone 13 launch has been no different. Apple was consistent with its design and presentation style, promising 20 per cent more something and 30 per cent higher another thing. Consumers demand a new model every year, and if a company were innovative every year, it would also be forever out of the market. Design A common feature of Apple’s announcements is that the new iPhone is the fastest, newest and “more adjectives” ever. While that is indeed true, one of the things that can be surely attested to is that the new iPhone 13 is certainly the prettiest ever. While it looks much like the Apple iPhone 12, the colour selection this year is much better. Pink, the...

  Apple has delivered the next big update iOS 14.5 that will help iPhone users unlock the device with Apple Watch when attempting to use Face ID while wearing a face mask in the pandemic times, along with requiring apps to get the users permission before tracking their data. The iOS 14.5 also brings exciting new features to iPhone like more diverse Siri voices, skin tone options to better represent couples in emoji, and much more. Apple said in a statement late on Monday that iOS 14.5 is now available as a free software update. "With Apple Watch on the wrist, unlocked, and in close proximity to iPhone, users can simply glance at their iPhone and they will receive haptic feedback from Apple Watch, indicating their iPhone has been unlocked," the company informed. The new feature works with iPhone X and later and Apple Watch Series 3 and later. With iOS 14.5, Siri no longer has a default voice, allowing users to choose the voice that speaks to them when they first s...

  Google has announced to shut down its mobile shopping app for both iOS and Android devices by June this year. The mobile shopping app will, however, be available on the desktop (web) version. It means that shopping.google.com website will remain active. The company confirmed the decision to 9to5Google on Sunday. "Within the next few weeks, we'll no longer be supporting the Shopping app. All of the functionality the app offered users is available on the Shopping tab," the company said in a statement. "We'll continue building features within the Shopping tab and other Google surfaces, including the Google app, that make it easy for people to discover and shop for the products they love," it added. The mobile shopping app allowed users to choose from among thousands of online stores and make purchases using their Google accounts. Read More

  Apple has announced to fix battery drain and other performance issues with iPhone 11 series devices via an upcoming iOS update . According to an Apple support document, the recalibration process will happen when you update an iPhone 11, 11 Pro, or 11 Pro Max to the upcoming iOS 14.5 update. "Recalibration for maximum capacity and peak performance capability will happen over time with regular charge cycles. If the process is successful, the recalibration message will be removed and your maximum capacity percentage will be updated," the iPhone maker said on its support page. The process is currently being tested in the latest release of the developer beta. If you see this message on your iPhone 11, it means the battery health reporting system on your iPhone is recalibrating. "Your battery health reporting system is recalibrating Maximum Capacity and Peak Performance Capability. This process may take a few weeks," the message will read. Read More

  Twitter has announced it is running a test with select iOS and Android users to give people an accurate preview of how their images will appear when they Tweet a photo. Currently, Twitter algorithms automatically crops images to make them display in a more condensed way in the timeline. Going forward, people in the test will see that most Tweets with a single image in standard aspect ratio will appear uncropped when posted. "People will see exactly what the image will look like in the composer tool before it's posted. Very wide or tall images will be center-cropped," Dantley Davis, Chief Design Officer at Twitter said late on Wednesday. Twitter's automatic image cropping has been a problem for photographers and artists. "With this test, we hope to learn if this new approach is better and what changes we need to make to provide a 'what you see is what you get' experience for Tweets with images," Davis said in a tweet. Read More

  Google has updated its YouTube iOS app for the first time in over two months, becoming one of the highest-profile Google apps to see an update since early December. Although there's been speculation that the reason for the lack of updates to iOS versions of Gmail, Docs, Search, and Photos is an attempt to avoid Apple's new privacy labels, Google has explicitly denied that was the case. Last month, the company said in a blog post that it would add the labels to its apps when updates were available, reports The Verge. As Google's iOS apps are updated with new features or to fix bugs, users will see updates to our app page listings that include the new App Privacy Details. These labels represent the maximum categories of data that could be collected -- meaning if you use every available feature and service in the app, the report said. The data you provide to Google products delivers helpful services to users, and users can always control your privacy settings by visi...

  The upcoming Apple iOS update will let users select a third-party default music service like Spotify when they ask to play a song using Siri. When you ask Siri to play a song on the upcoming iOS 14.5 , you would be prompted to select which app you want to use to play it, reports MacRumors. Apple last week released beta versions of upcoming iOS 14.5 and iPadOS 14.5 updates to developers and public beta testers. Apple has now added the ability to set a default music streaming service when using Siri to play songs. First spotted by users on online discussion platform Reddit, Apple will let you ask ?Siri? to play a song in iOS 14.5 from installed third-party music streaming apps in addition to Apple Music. Apple Siri? will also set a music streaming service as the default if you ask it to play from that particular app for the first time. Read More

  Apple has released iOS 14.4 , the fourth major update to the iOS 14 operating system , that fixes three bugs affecting iPhones and iPads that "may have been actively exploited," by the hackers. According to a new support document released by Apple, the update patches three security vulnerabilities that may have been exploited. Two of the bugs were found in WebKit, the browser engine that powers the Safari browser, and the Kernel, the core of the operating system. Apple said additional details would be available soon on the three bugs so the iPhone and iPad users should update to iOS 14.4 as soon as possible. iOS 14.4 adds a new ability to scan smaller QR codes from the device's camera, adds Bluetooth device categorisation for headphones and other audio devices. It will also notify iPhone 12 series users if the device camera is not genuine and fails to be verified after a repair. Read More

  Apple is planning to release the iOS 15 operating system in June and now a new report has revealed that it may kill support for older devices like the iPhone 6, iPhone 6s Plus as well as 2016 iPhone SE. According to the report from the French news website iPhoneSoft, Apple's iOS 15 update will seemingly drop support for devices with an A9 chip when it launches later in 2021. iOS 15 will run on the iPhone 7, iPhone 7 Plus, and all newer iPhones that have been released, making it compatible with devices that have an A10 chip or newer. The seventh-generation iPod touch has an A10 chip, so it should be able to run iOS 15. In addition to the iPhones, iPhoneSoft also says a number of iPads will no longer be supported by iPadOS 15. iPadOS 15 may drop support for the iPad mini 4 (2015), iPad Air 2 (2014), and iPad 5 (2017), equipped with A8, A8X, and A9 chips, respectively. Read More

  A federal judge in Florida on Tuesday dismissed Apple Inc's copyright infringement claims against a Florida startup whose software helps security researchers find vulnerabilities in Apple products including the iPhone. U.S. District Judge Rodney Smith ruled in favor of Corellium LLC, saying its software emulating the iOS operating system that runs on the iPhone and iPad amounted to "fair use" because it was "transformative" and helped developers find security flaws. Apple accused Corellium of essentially replicating iOS to create "virtual" iOS-operated devices, whose "sole function" was to run unauthorized copies of the system on non-Apple hardware. But the Fort Lauderdale-based judge said Corellium "adds something new to iOS" by letting users see and halt running processes, take live snapshots, and conduct other operations. Read More  

  Apple has released iOS 14.2.1 , addressing a number of bugs, fixing a key display problem some iPhone 12 mini owners had reported. The iOS 14.2.1 update can be downloaded for free and is available on all eligible devices over-the-air in the Settings app. To access the new software, go to Settings, then General and Software Update. In addition to the touch issues, Apple has also fixed problems with MMS messages and some audio problems. iOS 14.2.1 also resolves commonly-reported problems with Made for iPhone hearing devices paired with the iPhone 12. Read More

  Apple has started rolling out the new macOS Big Sur update for Mac computer. The software update is now available for Apple’s MacBook line-up, including MacBook Air (2013 and later). The macOS Big Sur brings a redesigned user interface with new icons, Safari browser, and some major changes to Messages and Maps applications with emphasis on privacy features. The MacOS Big Sur also has a new menu bar. Besides, Apple has also integrated a control centre, similar to the one available on iPhones. Optimised for Apple’s newly announced M1 system-on-chip for Mac, the macOS Big Sur enables some iOS and iPadOS apps to work on the Mac computers. macOS Big Sur compatible devices: iMac: 2014 and later MacBook Air: 2013 and later iMac Pro: 2017 and later MacBook Pro: 2013 and later Mac Pro: 2013 and later MacBook: 2015 and later Mac mini: 2014 and later Read More

  Twitter has expanded its new voice tweet feature to more iOS users that allows them to record an audio clip and send that via a tweet. Voice tweets on the platform will come to Android and the web in 2021. Twitter also has plans to add transcriptions to voice tweets to improve accessibility, reports The Verge. Twitter last month said it's planning to add automated captions to audio and video on the platform by early 2021, a feature that would help people with disabilities access the service in a much meaningful way. It's, however, unclear when transcriptions might be available in voice tweets. Read More

Apple has added a few smart features to the latest version - iOS 14 - intended for use by people with vision and hearing impairments. According to TechCrunch, though the new features are intended to help specially-abled people, some of them could be helpful to everyone. A striking feature is that of sound recognition which notifies the user whenever the iPhone detects any of the long lists of common noises that the user wants to be aware of. The notifications of the new feature can also go to the Apple Watch of the user connected to the phone. Read More

Apple on Monday kickstarted its worldwide developers conference (WWDC) with a keynote speech where the technology giant previewed its upcoming operating system and software features for iPhones, iPads, Watch, TV, Airpods and Macs. In a major move, the company also announced its plan to shift its Mac computers to ARM-based Apple Silicon from Intel processors. From iOS 14 to iPadOS 14, macOS Big Sur and watchOS 7, the Apple WWDC 2020 keynote event had a rich assortment of announcements. Here are the key announcements from the WWDC 2020 keynote session: The Mac's transition to Apple Silicon This is a major announcement that might set the future direction for Apple Mac computers. After shifting to Intel chips in 2006, the company is now ready to power its Mac computers with its own ARM-based chips. In the keynote address, Apple previewed a Mac powered by Apple A12Z Bionic chip. The early look reveals that Mac on ARM chips is ready to replace the Intel powered Macs. Apple has ...

Apple has released the first developer beta of iOS 13.3 for all compatible iPhones, just a week after the launch of iOS 13.2 . The latest builds can be obtained from the Apple Developer Centre for participants in the Developer Beta programme, as well as via the usual over-the-air update for the devices already used for testing beta software. The new update introduces Communication Limits for Screen Time, a feature that iPhone maker promised was coming to iOS 13 in a future update, MacRumors reported on Wednesday. With this new feature, parents can control who their children are able to contact. It applies to the Phone, FaceTime, and Messages apps, along with iCloud contacts. The beta appears to fix the iOS 13.2 issue that was causing apps to refresh more frequently than normal. Additionally, there's a new option to prevent Animoji and Memoji stickers from being displayed on the Emoji keyboard. Read More

Google Android and Apple iOS are two operating systems that power most current-generation smartphones. While the iOS gets sequential updates that improve its user interface, the Android OS gets two-layer upgrades – first issued by Google and then optimised by original equipment manufacturers for their respective smartphones. Business Standard lists five smartphone user interfaces that have the best user experience and are the easiest to use: 1. iOS 12 iOS 12 iOS is a mobile operating platform limited to Apple devices. Designed for Apple iPhone and iPad, the iOS 12 is undeniably one of the most responsive mobile operating systems with an intuitive and easy-to-use graphic interface. Compatible with the iPhone 5S and above and iPad mini 2 and above, this OS is fun to use, especially because of all the value-added features that come with it. These features include group FaceTime calling feature, which allows up to 32 people to join a video or voice conversation together. The op...

Apple's iOS 12 , the latest version of advanced mobile operating system (OS) and the successor to iOS 11 which is said to make daily tasks faster and more responsive, is now available globally. The latest OS promises to bring performance improvements across the system and to more devices than any previous version, thus, supporting iPhone 5s that was introduced in 2013. ALSO READ: iOS 12 for iPhone, iPad, iPod goes live: Know compatible devices, features A few new tools like "Screen Time" built into the iOS 12 help users understand and take control of the time they spend interacting with their devices. This feature provides users with detailed information and tools to help them manage the time they spend with apps and websites and better understand and control where their child spends time. Read Complete Article