Apps
Apple Releases iOS 11.3 With New Battery Health Tool, New Animoji, And More
Apple has officially released iOS 11.3 for their iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch devices, packing in several security issue fixes in the process. One of the big new features with the iOS update is battery control, which is sure to put a smile on many faces.
This is a sizable update for these iOS devices, which will certainly go a long way towards ensuring that your devices are more stable. We’ve gone ahead and attached the patch notes for you to check out below, though be sure you have some time set aside as there’s a lot to sift through.
iOS 11.3 Patch Notes:
“iOS 11.3 introduces new features including ARKit 1.5 with support for more immersive augmented reality experiences, iPhone Battery Health (Beta), new Animoji for iPhone X users, and more. This update also includes stability improvements and bug fixes.
Augmented Reality
– ARKit 1.5 allows developers to place digital objects on vertical surfaces like walls and doors in addition to horizontal surfaces
– Adds support for detecting and incorporating images like movie posters or artwork into AR experiences
– Supports a higher resolution real world camera view when using AR experiences
iPhone Battery Health (Beta)
– Displays information on iPhone maximum battery capacity and peak performance capability
– Indicates if the performance management feature that dynamically manages maximum performance to prevent unexpected shutdowns is on and includes the option to disable it
– Recommends if a battery needs to be replaced
iPad charge management
– Maintains battery health when iPad is connected to power for prolonged periods of time, such as when it is used in kiosks, point of sale systems, or stored in charging carts
Animoji
– Introduces four new Animoji on iPhone X: lion, bear, dragon and skull
Privacy
– When an Apple feature asks to use your personal information, an icon now appears along with a link to detailed information explaining how your data will be used and protected
Business Chat (Beta) – US only
– Communicate with companies to easily ask questions, schedule appointments, and make purchases inside the built-in Messages app on iPhone and iPad
Health Records (Beta) – US only
– Access health records and view lab results, immunizations, and more in a consolidated timeline in the Health app
Apple Music
– Features a new music video experience, including an updated Music Videos section with exclusive video playlists
– Find friends that have similar tastes using updated suggestions in Apple Music that reveal genres people enjoy and mutual friends that follow them
News
– Top Stories now always appear first in For You
– Watch Top Videos curated by News editors
App Store
– Adds ability to sort customer reviews on product pages by Most Helpful, Most Favorable, Most Critical, or Most Recent
– Improves Updates tab information with app version and file size
Safari
– Helps protect privacy by only AutoFilling usernames and passwords after selecting them in a web form field
– Includes warnings in the Smart Search Field when interacting with password or credit card forms on non-encrypted web pages
– AutoFill for usernames and passwords is now available in web views within apps
– Articles shared to Mail from Safari are now formatted using Reader mode by default when Reader is available
– Folders in Favorites now show icons for the bookmarks contained within
Keyboards
– Adds two new Shuangpin keyboard layouts
– Adds support for connected hardware keyboards using the Turkish F keyboard layout
– Improves Chinese and Japanese keyboards for better reachability on 4.7-inch and 5.5-inch devices
– Enables switching back to the keyboard after dictation with just one tap
– Addresses an issue where auto-correct could incorrectly capitalize some words
– Fixes an issue on iPad Pro that prevented the iPad Smart Keyboard from working after connecting to a captive Wi-Fi access point
– Fixes an issue that could cause the Thai keyboard to incorrectly switch to the numeric layout when in landscape mode
Accessibility
– App Store adds accessibility support for bold and large text for display customization
– Smart Invert adds support for images on the web and in Mail messages
– Improves RTT experience and adds RTT support for T-Mobile
– Improves app switching on iPad for VoiceOver and Switch Control users
– Addresses an issue where VoiceOver incorrectly described Bluetooth status and badge icons
– Fixes an issue where end call button might not be presented in the Phone app when using VoiceOver
– Fixes an issue where in-app app rating was not accessible with VoiceOver
– Resolves an issue when using Live Listen that could distort audio playback
Other improvements and fixes
– Introduces support for the AML standard which provides more accurate location data to emergency responders when SOS is triggered (in supported countries)
– Adds support for software authentication as a new way for developers to create and enable HomeKit compatible accessories
– Podcasts now plays episodes with a single tap, and you can tap Details to learn more about each episode
– Improves search performance for users with long notes in Contacts
– Improves performance of Handoff and Universal Clipboard when both devices are on the same Wi-Fi network
– Fixes an issue that could prevent incoming calls from waking the display
– Addresses an issue that could delay or prevent playback of Visual Voicemail
– Resolves an issue that prevented opening a web link in Messages
– Fixes an issue that could prevent users from returning to Mail after previewing a message attachment
– Fixes an issue that could cause Mail notifications to reappear on the Lock screen after they had been cleared
– Resolves an issue that could cause time and notifications to disappear from the Lock Screen
– Resolves an issue that prevented parents from using Face ID to approve Ask to Buy requests
– Fixes an issue in Weather where current weather conditions may not have been updated
– Fixes an issue where contacts may not sync with a car’s phone book when connected over Bluetooth
– Addresses an issue that could prevent audio apps from playing in cars when the app was in the background”
Google is getting ready to make a big change to how its Chrome browser works. This is because new browsers from startups like Arc are making the market more competitive. The company said on Wednesday that it will be adding a new feature called “Minimized Custom Tabs” that will let users tap to switch between a native app and their web content. When you do this, the Custom Tab turns into a small window that floats above the content of the native app.
The new feature is all about using Custom Tabs, which is a feature in Android browsers that lets app developers make their own browser experience right in their app. Users don’t have to open their browser or a WebView, which doesn’t support all of the web platform’s features. Custom tabs let users stay in their app while browsing. Custom tabs can help developers keep users in their apps longer and keep them from leaving and never coming back.
If you make the Custom Tab into a picture-in-picture window, switching to the web view might feel more natural, like you’re still in the native app. People who send their customers to a website to sign up for accounts or subscriptions might also find this change useful, since it makes it easier for users to switch between the website and the native app.
After being shrunk down to the picture-in-picture window, the Custom Tab can be pushed to the side of the screen. Users can tap on a down arrow to bring the page back to the picture-in-picture window when it is full screen.
The new web experience comes at a time when Google is making it easier for Android users to connect to the web. People can find their way to the web with AI-powered features like Circle to Search and other integrations that let them do things like circle or highlight items.
The change is coming to the newest version of Chrome (M124), and developers who already use Chrome’s Custom Tabs will see it automatically. Google says that the change only affects Chrome browsers, but it hopes that other browser makers will add changes like these.
Meta’s latest social network, Threads, is launching its own fact-checking initiative after leveraging Instagram and Facebook’s networks for a brief period.
Adam Mosseri, the CEO of Instagram, stated that the company has recently implemented a feature that allows fact-checkers to assess and label false content on threads. Nevertheless, Mosseri refrained from providing specific information regarding the exact timing of the program’s implementation and whether it was restricted to certain geographical regions.
The fact-checking partners for Threads—which organizations are affiliated with Meta—are not clearly specified. We have requested additional information from the company and will revise the story accordingly upon receiving a response.
The upcoming U.S. elections appear to be the main driving force behind the decision. India is currently in the midst of its general elections. However, it is improbable that a social network would implement a fact-checking program specifically during an election cycle rather than initiating the project prior to the elections.
In December, Meta announced its intention to implement the fact-checking program on Threads.
“At present, we align the fact-check ratings from Facebook or Instagram with Threads. However, our objective is to empower fact-checking partners to evaluate and assign ratings to misinformation on the application,” Mosseri stated in a post during that period.
Apps
Mark Zuckerberg reports that Threads has a total of 150 million users who engage with the app on a monthly basis
Threads, Meta’s alternative to Twitter and X, is experiencing consistent and steady growth. During the Q1 2024 earnings call, Mark Zuckerberg stated that the social network currently has over 150 million monthly active members, which is an increase from 130 million in February.
Threads made significant progress in integrating with ActivityPub, the decentralized protocol that powers networks such as Mastodon, during the last quarterly earnings conference. In March, the firm granted U.S.-based users who are 18 years of age or older the ability to link their accounts to the Fediverse, enabling their posts to be seen on other servers.
By June, the business intends to make its API available to a broad range of developers, enabling them to create experiences centered on the social network. Nevertheless, it remains uncertain whether Threads will enable developers to create comprehensive third-party clients.
Meta just introduced their AI chatbot on various platforms like Facebook, Messenger, WhatsApp, and Instagram. Threads was conspicuously omitted from this list, perhaps because of its lack of built-in direct messaging capabilities.
Threads introduced a new test feature on Wednesday that allows users to automatically archive their posts after a certain length of time. Additionally, users have the ability to store or remove specific postings from an archive and make them accessible to the public.
Threads is around nine months old, and Meta has consistently expanded its readership. Nevertheless, Threads cannot be considered a viable substitute for X, as Instagram’s head, Adam Mosseri, explicitly stated in October that Threads will not “amplify news on the platform.” However, Meta’s social network continues to grow in popularity. According to app analytics company Apptopia, Threads now has more daily active users in the U.S. than X, as Business Insider reported earlier this week.
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