iOS

The updates fix two WebKit vulnerabilities that “may have been exploited against versions of iOS before iOS 16.7.1,” according to an Apple support page. macOS Sonoma 14.1.2 is out, too, with fixes for the same vulnerabilities.

Apple iOS 17.2 beta 4 update adds a feature that will finally allow you to change the default notification sound on your iPhone, as reported by MacRumors. The update includes a new “Default Alerts” option under Sounds and Haptics, meaning that app sounds that aren’t ringtones, text messages, voicemails, emails, calendars, reminders, or otherwise pre-assigned can be changed.

And for the silent phone fans, you can change the default haptic feedback for notifications, too.

Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman wrote for Power On newsletter subscribers today that “highly controlled” iOS sideloading is coming “in the first half of next year.”

Europe requires that “gatekeepers” like Apple make such changes by March 2024. It’ll be interesting to see what “highly controlled” means. I wouldn’t be surprised if sideloading is no walk in the park.

Gurman also mentions changes are coming to Messages, but it’s important to keep in mind that Messages the app and iMessage the service are different things. The EU is currently investigating whether iMessage counts as a “core platform service” under the regulation.

If you ever wondered what those symbols mean — and, like me, never bothered to look them up — now you can get that info right from your iPhone. (Thanks to 9to5Mac’s Fernando Silva for alerting me of the feature)

iOS’s Lock Screen weather widget is apparently showing some users a file icon instead of snow, as reported by 9to5Mac. Are you seeing this, too? I’ve asked Apple what might be going on.

The Dutch Authority for Consumers & Markets (ACM) ruled in July that Apple is charging “an additional and inexplicably higher fee,” to companies that offer in-app subscription services, such as Tinder and Match, according to a confidential decision seen by Bloomberg.

Last year, Apple proposed decreasing the in-app commission it charges dating apps in the Netherlands from 30 percent to 27 percent. But the ACM’s decision reportedly stated that isn’t enough, potentially forcing Apple to lower its fees further.

I had been optimistic about the new sticker reactions, but based on Jason Snell’s writeup about them in the iOS 17.2 beta, they don’t sound great.

Emoji reactions are one area where Google Messages has Apple beat.

In iOS 14, Apple introduced a privacy feature that was supposed to hide iPhone MAC addresses whenever you joined a network. As Ars Technica points out, that’s important since MAC addresses can be used to track individuals across networks. But while the feature partially obscured your MAC address, the real one was still broadcast to other connected devices on a network. The good news is the bug appears to have been fixed in iOS 17.1, which was publicly released on Wednesday.

There’s not likely to be a lot of fall out, but it’s a good reminder why updating your software is important.

The iOS 17.2 beta adds a new translate option for the Action Button on the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max. According to 9to5Mac, using the shortcut lets you translate a spoken conversation via Apple’s Translate app. That makes for a total of 10 different Action Button options so far.

A feature that’s been exclusive to the newest HomePod is coming to the Mini and original models. According to MacRumors, the HomePod software 17.1 update will give those speakers the Enhance Dialogue feature for hearing clearer dialogue when paired with an Apple TV 4K.

Wonderful, now my kid can get crystal-clear audio from the HomePod Mini behind our living room TV while she’s watching Catch! Teenieping.

Unrelated: Send help.

It’s annoying when you have to update your new smartphone right after you buy it, right?

Mark Gurman wrote in his Power On newsletter for Bloomberg today that Apple Stores will start getting a “proprietary pad-like device” this year that, when employees put a box of unopened iPhones on it, will prompt the phones to turn on, update themselves, then turn off.

Neat!

France’s ANFR says that iOS 17.1, which will make the iPhone 12 legal in the country again, will be released by October 24th, according to a machine translation of a notice on its website. iOS 17.1 is set to add a bunch of new features as well.

According to code in the latest iOS 17.1 beta found by 9to5Mac, when your iPhone is in your pocket, it will sense that and require a longer press on the Action Button to do whatever you’ve set for the button. That seems like a decent change, though I hope Apple focuses more on ways to customize what you can do with the button in future updates.

The second beta of the upcoming iOS release adds options for a StandBy display to shut off automatically, after 20 seconds, or never, as reported by MacRumors. There are a handful of other additions, too, and watchOS 10.1 beta users can now try Double Tap.

Apple acknowledged over the weekend that the iPhone 15 Pro can run a little hot, but said it’s an iOS 17 software issue and it would be fixed soon.

Today, MacRumors reported that Apple is testing iOS 17.0.3 internally; perhaps, as the outlet speculates, that’s the software update that ends our hot iPhone 15 summer. Perhaps.

Inspired by X CEO Linda Yaccarino flashing her home screen during her Code Conference interview, many of my colleagues at The Verge have been sharing their own home screens on Threads.

The fools! Now I’ve collected them and put them into a gallery here for all to see. (Don’t worry, I included my own.)

Anyway, did you get in on this bit? Share a link to yours in the comments! Or don’t. I’m not your boss.

Drummer James Edge got down on Apple’s “Marimba” ringtone in this TikTok, and it’s now the soundtrack for the rest of my work day.

And as a bonus, here he is doing Toe Jam & Earl, too.