The last security update for iOS 14—iOS 14.8.1 (along with iPadOS 14.8.1)—rolled out in October, but this week 9to5Mac reported that iOS 14 users could no longer update to that version. The only option that appears now is 15.2.1. Apple then confirmed to Ars Technica that this is intentional, and that the ongoing security updates for iOS 14 were only meant as a temporary...
Apple has deprecated the insecure Transport Layer Security (TLS) 1.0 and 1.1 protocols in recently launched iOS and macOS versions and plans to remove support in future releases altogether. TLS is a secure communication protocol designed to protect users from eavesdropping, tampering, and message forgery while accessing and exchanging information over an Internet connection using client/server applications. The original TLS 1.0 specification and its...
There’s a real chance you’ll need proof of a COVID-19 vaccination to enter certain venues, and Apple is hoping it can save you the hassle of digging up an email or carrying a physical card in your pocket. The company is bringing verifiable COVID-19 vaccination cards to Wallet as part of a future iPhone software update. The feature will take advantage of the international...
Privacy has been a renewed focus with Apple’s next operating system update. One new iOS 13 privacy feature could have sweeping consequences for messaging and online call apps. In iOS 13, Apple will not allow apps to run voice over Internet protocol (VoIP) in the background when the programs are not actively in use. Many apps that offer VoIP services currently run in the background,...
Smartphone batteries degrade over time. In an iPhone, as the battery ages, Apple throttles the speed of the device and degrade performance, which caused a huge uproar when it was discovered by users in 2017. The United Kingdom’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) announced Wednesday that Apple would change its ways by telling customers when it was pushing software updates that would affect the...
Apple has reportedly updated the rules of its strict repair program to be a bit more lenient toward iPhones with aftermarket batteries. Internal company documents reportedly instruct its Genius Bars and Apple Authorized Service Providers to repair iPhones with third-party batteries, something that the iPhone maker has never allowed before. The change was first spotted by iGeneration, and MacRumors reportedly obtained the documents from...
The beta for iOS 12.2 contains a change to mobile Safari that could have implications for the advertising and marketing worlds, as well as for Web-based augmented or virtual reality more generally. In the beta, a toggle labeled “Motion & Orientation Access” exists in the Safari privacy settings panel. This toggle determines whether sites visited in the mobile Safari browser will be able to...
Ahead of its big iPad Pro and Mac event, Apple just announced that iOS 12.1 will be released tomorrow. It’s the first significant update to iOS 12 and includes the Group FaceTime feature that was removed from the initial release. Group FaceTime allows you to video chat with up to 32 people simultaneously and supports stickers, video filters, and Animoji/Memoji. The feature was held...
Earlier this year, Apple updated iOS to block passcode cracking tools like GrayKey (used by police and government law enforcement officers). But the original iOS 11.4.1 patch wasn’t perfect, with researchers still finding ways around it. That seems to have changed with the release of iOS 12 last month, which a recent Forbes report notes appears to have completely blocked the GrayKey tool, preventing...
Apple has updated its rules to restrict app developers’ ability to harvest data from mobile phones, which could be bad news for a Facebook-owned data security app called Onavo Protect. Onavo ostensibly provides users with a free virtual private network (VPN) which, it claims, helps “keep you and your data safe when you browse and share information on the web”. What is not immediately...
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