Apple’s Rapid Security Response will push faster updates that install on Macs without a reboot

Image: Apple

As part of today’s announcements at WWDC 2022, Apple briefly mentioned a new addition to its security tools that will apply to iPhone, iPad, and Mac platforms called Rapid Security Response. It didn’t go into a lot of detail about what Rapid Security Response is, but Apple is promising to have important security updates that get to your devices even faster. Currently, iOS and macOS users get their security updates rolled in with full system patches, usually with .1 or .0.1 version numbers, which can take quite some time for users to download and install.

Now, Apple says its Rapid Security Response updates include important security improvements that “can be applied automatically between standard software updates.” MacRumors reports that...

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Your iPhone’s hidden photos are getting extra protection in iOS 16

Photo by Amelia Holowaty Krales / The Verge

Apple is adding a new feature to iOS 16 to make the Hidden and Recently Deleted albums in Photos much more private. Starting with iOS 16, those albums will now be locked by default, and you’ll be able to unlock them using Face ID, Touch ID, or a passcode, according to Apple’s iOS 16 features page.

In iOS 15, those albums are hard to find, but they they aren’t behind any protection. That means somebody who might have unwanted access to your phone can easily see what’s there if they know where to look — which somewhat defeats the purpose of the Hidden album in particular. With the change in iOS 16, people won’t be able to see photos in either album unless you unlock them. This new feature will also be available in iPadOS 16 and macOS...

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Apple will make USB-C accessories ask for your permission to pass data

Photo by Vjeran Pavic / The Verge

Are you the kind of person who’d hesitate to charge gadgets from a public charger — like the ones coming to the seat of your plane? Apple’s first beta of the just-announced macOS 13 Ventura includes a feature seemingly designed to address tampering fears. It’ll make USB-C and Thunderbolt accessories explicitly ask for your permission before they can communicate with MacBooks powered by Apple’s M1 or M2 chips.

Here’s the full description of the feature from Apple’s release notes:

On portable Mac computers with Apple silicon, new USB and Thunderbolt accessories require user approval before the accessory can communicate with macOS for connections wired directly to the USB-C port. This doesn’t apply to power adapters, standalone displays,...

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Costco members can buy a PlayStation 5 bundle right now

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge

If you’re a Costco member, you now have another chance at nabbing Sony’s PlayStation 5 console. Right now, the retailer is selling the disc-based PS5 console in a bundle with an extra DualSense controller, a Pulse 3D wireless headset, a DualSense charging station, and four $25 PlayStation Store gift cards all for $789.99. If you want to take part but are not a member, you can also buy the $60 annual Costco membership here.

As always, double-check your billing and shipping address details are both correct, add the bundle to your cart, and try to check out as soon as you can. While there’s no guarantee that you’ll be able to land the console today, doing so will reduce the time it takes to check out in the future and thus increases your...

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How the M2 MacBook Air compares to the latest MacBook Pros

The MacBook Air gets its own MagSafe revival in 2022. | Image: Apple

Ever since the MacBook Air and 13-inch MacBook Pro debuted with Apple’s own M1 silicon tech powering them in 2020, Mac laptops have experienced a small renaissance. The MacBook Air has returned to being an easy recommendation or de facto “no brainer” kind of purchase for most people, while the 13-inch MacBook Pro has become the final Touch Bar holdout once Apple revitalized its MacBook Pro line in 2021 with new 14- and 16-inch models. But now, after Apple’s recent WWDC announcements, we have a newly redesigned MacBook Air and a spec-bumped 13-inch MacBook Pro, both releasing in July.

The new 2022 MacBook Air brings a fresh design with a larger 13.6-inch notched display as well as some nice quality-of-life upgrades like MagSafe charging...

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Apple is finally adding some of Gmail’s best features to its own email apps

You’ll be able to schedule an email to send it later. | Image: Apple

Apple announced some major new features for Mail that finally bring the email app closer to parity with Gmail and other popular email clients. I personally rely on Mail on Mac for my work emails, and I think I’ll be taking advantage of many of these updates once they’re available.

Perhaps the most useful will be an undo send feature, which will let you call back an email within 10 seconds of hitting the send button. It’s a feature that I’m a big fan of in Gmail, and I’ve used it more than I care to admit to save myself from sharing an embarrassing typo.

A “remind me” feature will let you set a time for an email to come back to the top of your inbox. I already use Gmail’s similar snooze button quite often to earmark emails for the...

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The best Sonos speaker and soundbar deals

The Sonos Roam launched last year is now available at its lowest price ever at Best Buy. | Photo by Chris Welch / The Verge

Most would agree that Sonos offers some of the best speakers and soundbars currently on the market. That’s because Sonos makes speakers that — more often than not — boast great sound quality, support for all the major streaming platforms, and simple multi-room functionality. Unfortunately, however, all of those perks often come at a high price. Sonos products aren’t cheap, and, outside of the occasional rogue discount, they rarely go on sale. However, that doesn’t mean there aren’t ways to save at least a few dollars on Sonos gear.

If you’re comfortable buying refurbished, for example, you could save a decent amount. We also occasionally see sales on Sonos’ collaborative series with Ikea and discounted bundles that include Sonos...

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iOS 16 lets you turn on haptic feedback for your iPhone’s keyboard

Photo by Amelia Holowaty Krales / The Verge

Apple announced Monday that iOS 16 will let you switch on haptics when you type, meaning you’ll feel a tiny vibration every single time you press a key on your iPhone’s virtual keyboard. Apple’s haptics — powered by the company’s Taptic Engine — are some of the best out there on mobile phones (though many Android devices have caught up), and now you’ll get to feel a satisfying pulse while you’re chatting with your friends or composing an email.

Previously, if you wanted haptic feedback on your keyboard, one option was to turn to... Google. The search company added haptic feedback to its Gboard keyboard for iPhone in 2019. I personally gave up on using third-party keyboards years ago because it’s a lot easier to just use Apple’s stock...

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Apple is finally putting the Apple Watch Series 3 out to pasture

watchOS 9 will not support the Series 3. | Photo by Amelia Holowaty Krales / The Verge

It’s been five years since Apple debuted the Series 3, and at WWDC 2022, it effectively laid the smartwatch to rest. watchOS 9 will not support the Series 3, and that likely means the Apple Watch SE will officially take over as Apple’s budget smartwatch.

The Series 3 introduced cellular calling when it launched in 2017, and at the time, it was a great smartwatch. (Though, the battery life could’ve been a bit better.) While Apple continued to support the watch over the years, it became increasingly clear that the Series 3’s days were numbered. Since the release of watchOS 7 in 2020, many users have reported the Series 3 struggles to update to new software. And watchOS 9 introduced a lot of new health and fitness features.

When the Apple...

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Face ID for iPhone will work in landscape in iOS 16

Photo by Vjeran Pavic / The Verge

There were a whole lot of exciting announcements that came out of WWDC, but one update Apple didn’t mention onstage is that iOS 16 will bring support for using Face ID in landscape mode.

As noted on Apple’s iOS 16 preview page (thanks @ParkerOrtolani for spotting), Apple states that you’ll soon be able to unlock your iPhone, make payments, autofill your passwords, and more with Face ID when your phone is tilted horizontally. You can already use Face ID when your iPad is in landscape mode, so expanding the feature to iPhones is overdue. When the feature is out, you’ll no longer have to ensure your phone is in portrait position to use Face ID, which can be somewhat of an annoyance if you frequently have your phone turned to the side.

A...

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Ted Lasso’s next season might be its last

I’m also crossing my fingers it will the final season. | Photo: Apple

Ted Lasso’s upcoming third season is being written as if it’s the final one, Brett Goldstein, who plays the foul-mouthed Roy Kent and writes for the show, told The Sunday Times (via Variety). “We are writing it like that,” he said. “It was planned as three. Spoiler alert — everyone dies.” (I’d wager that last part isn’t true.)

Ted Lasso is arguably Apple TV Plus’ biggest hit, but it hasn’t been clear when it might end. As Variety noted, Ted Lasso co-creator and star Jason Sudeikis has spoken about the story taking place over three seasons. “That three-season arc is one that I see, know, and understand,” he told Entertainment Weekly. It’s also unclear when this third season might debut, but it seems like it might arrive later than the...

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Apple announces all-new Home app

Apple’s HomeKit gets a new Home app. | Image: Apple

Apple announced an all-new Home app for its HomeKit smart home platform at WWDC this week. The new app will arrive with iOS 16 later this year and has a completely new design. Apple said that architecturally the app has been rebuilt from the ground up making it more efficient and reliable, especially for homes with multiple accessories.

The navigation has also been redesigned to make it easier to find, organize, and control devices, and a new Categories section for climate, lights, speakers and TVs, water (sprinklers and faucets), and security will let you access those devices in one place. This should make it simpler to turn off all the lights or lock all the doors, even though they are in different rooms.

You can now see your entire...

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Etsy will refund buyers for missing, damaged, and inaccurate items

Etsy is launching a purchase protection program for shoppers and sellers, the company announced today. The program, which begins August 1st, will refund customers when an item arrives damaged, is missing, or doesn’t match the listing description.

Purchases under $250, including shipping and taxes, are covered by the program, according to the updated seller handbook. The company says it will put $25 million per year into the program to cover refunds and that it’s free for sellers to participate in the program.

“Easy issue resolution is a critical part of the e-commerce shopping experience, and our new Etsy Purchase Protection program aims to help make shopping on Etsy even more worry free,” Raina Moskowitz, Etsy’s chief operating...

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StockX hits back at Nike in legal battle over NFTs and counterfeit sneakers

Photo by JEFF KOWALSKY/AFP via Getty Images

Back in February, Nike sued StockX, a popular online sneaker reseller, for launching a non-fungible token (NFT) series based on Nike’s shoes. It then accused StockX last month of knowingly selling counterfeits — a thing that shouldn’t be possible since StockX claims it authenticates the shoes sold on its site. Now, StockX is hitting back. In a court filing, the sneaker reseller says that Nike’s complaint is “nothing more than a failed attempt to bolster its still meritless claims.”

StockX introduced its Vault NFT series in January. In the company’s own words, the idea was to allow customers to buy NFTs tied to a physical product akin to a digital receipt. According to the company, the benefit would be more efficient trading as a buyer...

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Hands-on with the new, more colorful, M2-powered MacBook Air

The MacBook Air has been an iconic laptop design since Steve Jobs slid it out of a manila envelope in 2008. This year’s model, which Apple just announced at WWDC and is also the first Apple laptop to come with an M2 chip, abandons the famous wedge shape but also improves almost everything else about the Air.

The first thing you notice? Colors! The new design is 11mm thick and weighs 2.7 pounds, and while it is now a more traditional slab-shaped design, it comes in a very handsome dark blue called “midnight” and a light gold called “starlight” in addition to the familiar silver and space gray.

The display is now larger at 13.6-inches and gets closer to the edge of the lid because the 1080p camera has been...

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Apple WWDC 2022: the 16 biggest announcements

Apple revealed a ton of exciting news at WWDC 2022, giving us a glimpse at the highly-anticipated macOS Ventura, iOS 16, the M2 chip, a new MacBook Air, and much more.

If you weren’t able to catch the conference live, here’s a list of Apple’s biggest announcements.

Apple introduces iOS 16 with customizable lock screen, updated notifications, and more

Apple has announced iOS 16, and the update brings a totally revamped and customizable lock screen interface. This lets you add custom wallpapers, change the date and time’s font and color, as well as add new widgets for weather, activity rings, calendar events, and more. Apple is also pushing updates to notifications and its Focus feature.

iOS 16’s Live Activities let you...

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Apple demos Safari’s ‘passkeys’ support in macOS Ventura that will help bring an end to passwords

Image: Apple

At its WWDC 2022 event, Apple just demonstrated how Safari in macOS Ventura will support “passkeys,” a sign-in standard that’s built with cross-platform support to enable logins that don’t use passwords at all. Apple isn’t alone in this effort either, as last month Google and Microsoft joined with Apple to announce their new step forward for a long-in-development plot to kill passwords once and for all.

By avoiding the use of passwords entirely, they should prevent users from falling victim to phishing attacks, social engineering, or bot attacks that plug in passwords snagged from databases of leaked passwords. Instead, you can use a device (like your phone or computer) as your primary authentication device, so using Face ID or Touch ID...

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Apple’s Weather app is finally coming to iPad

It only took 12 years. | Image: Apple

Apple is finally bringing its first-party Weather app to iPad as part of iPadOS 16. Finally. The first iPad launched in 2010, and it hasn’t had the official Weather app that whole time.

The company shared a few screenshots at WWDC 2022, and if you’re familiar with the app on iPhone, it will look pretty familiar. The app’s background reflects the weather, and there’s a big dashboard of statistics. It’s basically the iPhone app but blown up to tablet size.

Image: Apple

Here’s a screenshot of the weather in Seattle in the new iPadOS Weather app.

Image: Apple

And here’s the weather in San Carlos de Bariloche.

It’s unclear exactly why it took Apple 12 years to add a weather app to iPad,...

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You’ll soon be able to use an iPhone as a Mac webcam

Image: Apple

Apple is planning to allow macOS users to use their iPhone camera as a webcam. The new Continuity Camera feature comes as part of macOS Ventura, an upcoming update to macOS. Apple envisions MacBook users clipping an iPhone to the top of their laptops and using the camera to improve video calls in FaceTime, Microsoft Teams, WebEx, and more.

Continuity Camera simply takes the rear camera feed from your existing iPhone and converts it into a webcam that can be used in macOS apps. Continuity Camera even includes Center Stage and Portrait Mode support, so there are plenty of video modes for a variety of calls.

Image: Apple

Continuity Camera will be available later this year.

Apple says it’s working with Belkin on...

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The iPhone 6S, 7, and first-gen SE won’t get iOS 16

No lock screen widgets for you. | Image: Apple

Apple released details about iOS 16 today at its Worldwide Developers Conference, including which phones will be eligible for the update — and which didn’t make the cut. To download iOS 16, you’ll need an iPhone 8 or later, meaning Apple is more or less ending support for the iPhone 6S, iPhone 7, and original iPhone SE.

The iPhone 7 and SE were released in 2016, while the 6S was released in 2015, meaning they received nearly six and seven years of software support, respectively. That is, frankly, a very impressive run. It’s also much longer than Android devices have historically had access to software updates, though Samsung and Google have recently made significant strides in that department. Their midrange and flagship devices now get...

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Apple announces the iPadOS 16 features coming later this year

The refreshed iPad Air, released earlier this year. | Photo by Amelia Holowaty Krales / The Verge

Apple has officially announced iPadOS 16, the latest version of its iPad operating system launching later this year. It shares some of its new features with iOS 16 and macOS, like a redesigned Home app and support for Passkeys in Safari, but it’s also getting some improvements of its own. There’s a new weather app and new collaboration features for Apple’s office productivity suite.

Apple’s first demo focused on collaborative work. You can start collaborating directly from the share sheet in office apps like Pages, allowing other users to jump in and start making edits to a central document. It sounds similar to what Google’s been offering in services like Docs and Sheets for years. Apple is also building collaboration features into...

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All the biggest news from Netflix Geeked Week 2022

The Umbrella Academy. | Image: Netflix

Sandman, Umbrella Academy, Resident Evil, and much more

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Netflix’s The Sandman wakes and dreams of freedom in new trailer

Netflix’s upcoming adaptation of The Sandmantells the tale of a timeless, anthropomorphic being who lords over a realm of dreams, the titular being in question isn’t the only supernatural power player with an important role in shaping this story. In The Sandman’s latest trailer that dropped as a part of this year’s Netflix Geeked Week, Dream of the Endless (Tom Sturridge) is finally on the verge of breaking free from his 75 years of imprisonment on the mortal plane at the hands of human occultists.

Though time means little to people like Dream, his absence from the Dreaming — a reality made of all the dreams living creatures create — comes with consequences that only those touched by magic like Johanna Constantine (Jenna Coleman) can...

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Apple adds medication tracking feature to the Health app

Apple is adding a new tool to remind people to take medications to the iPhone health app, the company announced today. Apple Watch is also getting additional sleep tracking features.

The new medications app will let users add any drugs they take by either scanning a label on a medication bottle or searching through a list of medicines. People can create custom schedules for each drug they are taking and receive alerts to remind them when it’s time to take one.

In the United States, the app will also alert users if there are any dangerous interactions between the drugs that they take.

watchOS 9 also includes upgrades to the sleep feature, which the company says can now track when users are in different sleep stages like REM or deep...

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Apple’s tiny charger for the new MacBook Air has an extra USB-C port

Image: Apple

Alongside a redesigned MacBook Air powered by the company’s new M2 processor, Apple also introduced a charger for the laptop with an unexpected perk: a spare USB-C port. The charger has two USB-C ports, giving you the freedom to charge another device alongside the laptop.

Apple says the small charger can juice the 2022 MacBook Air up to 80 percent in just 20 minutes. An unannounced dual-port 35-watt charger from the company was leaked back in April, so it’s likely that’s exactly the product we’re seeing today. The M2 MacBook Air starts at $1199. But Apple is also selling the charger standalone for $59. It’ll be available in the US, Canada, China, Japan, Mexico, Philippines, Taiwan, and Thailand.

You can choose from a plethora of...

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Apple’s macOS Ventura with new Stage Manager organization tool announced at WWDC

David Pierce/The Verge

Apple revealed a new version of macOS at its Worldwide Developers Conference. The new operating system, macOS Ventura, includes a new Stage Manager organization tool and updates to Spotlight.

Activated from the Control Center, the utility will automatically organize your open apps on the side of your screen while centering the one you’re working on. Users can also drag icons from the desktop to the sidelined app icons to import them quickly.

Spotlight comes with new updates as well: It can now find images in your photo library, and, find text inside images, and pull up Shortcuts. Spotlight has also been added to the bottom of the iOS homescreen.

Search in the Mail app has received tweaks, including more complete previews, instant...

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Apple announces redesigned MacBook Air with M2 chip and MagSafe

From left to right: silver, space grey, starlight, and midnight. | Apple

Apple’s WWDC isn’t an event that traditionally packs in several hardware announcements, but nevertheless, a new MacBook Air took the stage during the keynote. The new 2022 model has been designed around the more powerful M2 processor, and its design comes closer to that of the 14-inch MacBook Pro, with a more squared-off look than the traditional wedge shape. It features MagSafe charging, two Thunderbolt ports, and a headphone jack. It’s 11mm thick and comes in at 2.7 pounds. It will be available in silver, space grey, and new “starlight” gold and “midnight” blue colors.

This MacBook Air will be available in July starting at $1,199. The M1-based Air will continue to be available for $999.

Apple announces redesigned MacBook Air with M2...

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Apple adds new atrial fibrillation feature to watchOS 9

watchOS 9 includes a new feature that will let people with irregular heart rhythms track the amount of time they spend in atrial fibrillation, Apple announced today.

The Apple Watch heart rhythm monitor already runs in the background to flag any irregularities that could be signs of atrial fibrillation. Now, users will get a weekly alert about the amount of time they spend in atrial fibrillation. They can also look in the Health app to see a breakdown of how other factors like sleep and exercise might be interacting with the heart rhythm. Users will be able to share a readout of their atrial fibrillation history with their doctors.

The company got Food and Drug Administration clearance for an “Atrial Fibrillation History Feature” last...

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Biden will pause solar tariffs and invoke Defense Production Act for clean energy

Racking systems to hold solar panels at the site of solar farm under construction on top of an old strip mine in Portage, Pennsylvania, U.S., on Monday, April 25, 2022. | Justin Merriman/Bloomberg via Getty Images

In an executive action on Monday, President Joe Biden announced a number of measures aimed at boosting solar energy in the US, including a two-year “bridge” meant to alleviate a squeeze on the flow of solar equipment imports from Cambodia, Malaysia, Thailand, and Vietnam.

The moves come after a federal investigation into whethersolar manufacturers had been evading tariffs on goods from China by exporting them through other countries. The Department of Commerce says it will levy penalties on companies that it finds are evading taxes as part of its investigation, but only after the two-year reprieve from tariffs on imports from Southeast Asia ends.

Alongside the tariff holiday, the executive order includes two measures meant to boost...

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iOS 16 will let you edit and even unsend texts in Messages

Image: Apple

During its WWDC 2022 event, Apple announced a bunch of new features on the way for its software platforms, including the ability to edit messages you’ve already sent in its Messages app. Apple software engineering senior VP Craig Federighi announced the changes while discussing iOS 16 updates, adding that users will be able to unsend messages, and mark threads unread to easily revisit them later, covering three of the most requested features from iMessage users.

Of course, you may not have as many typos to fix once the new features launch, since there’s a new Dictation experience that “lets you fluidly move between voice and touch.” The keyboard will stay open while you use voice dictation, and it supports emoji detection while you’re...

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