Many iOS apps ask your permission to access things like the camera and microphone. But which of those permissions do they really need? | Continue reading
As of 24 October 2021, seven-digit dialing for local calls won’t work in parts of the US due to the need to use 988 for the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline. Here’s how to find and update your stored seven-digit numbers. | Continue reading
Chipolo previously offered trackers that operated only via its own network. The company’s new Chipolo ONE Spot instead relies entirely on Apple’s Find My network—with all its advantages and limitations. | Continue reading
After his LastPass Chrome extension disappeared in Brave, Adam Engst discovered that it had been corrupted and was easily repaired. | Continue reading
If you’re a T-Mobile customer, you are likely eligible for a free year of Apple TV+. The deal may not be related to the company’s recent security breach, but it feels like a decent apology if it is. | Continue reading
With these utilities from different developers, you can extract text from any image on the Mac or search for text in your photos on either the Mac or iPhone. Text in images is no longer just pixels. | Continue reading
Major upgrade for the popular virtualization software brings speed enhancements and support for macOS 12 Monterey and M1-based Macs. ($79.99 annual subscription for standard edition or $99.99 perpetual license, 311 MB, macOS 10.13.6+) | Continue reading
Which MagSafe-compatible portable battery pack should you buy? Julio Ojeda-Zapata put Apple’s MagSafe Battery Pack and three of its competitors through their paces and found pluses and minuses across the board. Though Apple’s product is the only MagSafe-certified option, you shou … | Continue reading
Introduces a new PSD engine for improved support of Photoshop PSD files. ($39.99 new, free update, 352 MB, macOS 10.14.4+) | Continue reading
We have many choices now for boosting coverage and throughput on our home Wi-Fi networks. The main determinants on the path you might pick? Cost, complexity, and installation hassle. | Continue reading
Another big tech company has been hacked. Again. This time it was T-Mobile, with personal information on 100 million customers stolen. | Continue reading
Adds comprehensive logic for clearing cookies and makes it easier to see which Web sites are storing local information. (Free, 127 MB, macOS 10.12+) | Continue reading
Renames "tasks" to "time entries" to reduce the potential for confusion. ($42 annual subscription, free update, 34.6 MB, macOS 10.13+) | Continue reading
Adds support for the new Magic Keyboard with Touch ID on M1-based Macs. ($64.99 new, free update, 75.8 MB, macOS 10.13+) | Continue reading
In an interview with Joanna Stern of the Wall Street Journal, Apple software chief Craig Federighi said the company would be applying “multiple levels of auditability” to its controversial child sexual abuse material (CSAM) detection system. What are they? Another new Apple docum … | Continue reading
What better day than Friday the 13th to check that your backups are actually working by restoring some critical files? | Continue reading
If you’re putting up with slow or unreliable Internet connectivity and are willing to pay for better service, the Speedify VPN promises to combine multiple Internet sources into a single connection that’s faster and more reliable. | Continue reading
Faced with a need to drive to as many as 43 different spots in the same trip, Adam Engst found a mapping solution that calculated the optimal route and provided stop-by-stop voice navigation on the iPhone. | Continue reading
Apple has released macOS 11.5.2 but isn’t saying what’s in it or what it does. | Continue reading
An Italian man has procured a prototype of Apple’s infamous AirPower—a multi-device wireless charging mat the company canceled two years after its announcement without ever shipping it. | Continue reading
Introduces a new investment dashboard to the personal financial management app. ($35.99/51.99/77.99 annual subscription, free update, 97 MB, macOS 10.13+) | Continue reading
Introduces the Universal Actions feature, including over 60 default actions to get you started. (£23 new, free update, 4.9 MB, macOS 10.11+) | Continue reading
Refines blog publishing features and brings a reworked writing session history. ($49.99 annual subscription, 31.3 MB, macOS 10.14.4+) | Continue reading
Introduces new vector drawing tools for improved logo design. ($29.99 new, free update, 748 MB, macOS 10.14+) | Continue reading
Apple is piercing the privacy veil on our devices to protect children. The company claims its efforts won’t open up a Pandora’s Box in the interests of averting sexual exploitation of children or recognition of sexual material handled by children under 18 when a parent wants over … | Continue reading
Faced with the inability to gather signatures in person on a commemorative certificate for a departing friend, Adam Engst simulated the process by collecting messages with Google Forms, turning them into text graphics with handwriting fonts, and arranging them in a layout program … | Continue reading
One of the few downsides to Macs powered by Apple silicon is that they have not been able to control brightness and contrast on most external monitors, until now. | Continue reading
Parker Ortolani of 9to5Mac has created concept art of Mac OS 9-based phones, watches, and tablets. Imagine what might have been if the hardware technology of the day had been up to the task. | Continue reading
The Intel-based Mac Pro may be around for a good while yet, given that Apple has just released new graphics card modules for the high-end workstation Mac. | Continue reading
The social media service TikTok is known for how it algorithmically decides which videos you want to watch. The Wall Street Journal created dozens of automated accounts to see how it works so well, or rather, how it tends to send people down rabbit holes that may not be healthy. | Continue reading
Maintenance update following the recent major upgrade to the screencast recording and video editing app. ($149 new, free update, 85.4 MB, macOS 10.15+) | Continue reading
With the return of Steve Jobs, Apple became a titan of the tech industry, but the COVID crisis has proven that Tim Cook’s Apple is truly “antifragile,” in that it grows stronger under adversity. | Continue reading
Apple has rolled out the watchOS 7.6.1 to fix a severe security exploit that was patched in iOS 14.7.1, iPadOS 14.7.1, and macOS 11.5.1. | Continue reading
Apple once again shattered records with its Q3 2021 financial results, but the uncertainties of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and a global chip shortage cast a shadow, albeit small, over the company’s celebrations. | Continue reading
Users of Apple TV Channels have had subscriptions spontaneously canceled over the past week, including HBO and the Paramount+/Showtime bundle. | Continue reading
Apple has completed its latest cycle of operating system updates with the release of iPadOS 14.7 and macOS 11.5. Along with them come security notes for all recent releases. Apple later followed with iOS 14.7.1, iPadOS 14.7.1, and macOS 11.5.1 to address a serious security vulner … | Continue reading
Revises a large number of plug-ins to restore or improve their capabilities as well as renames some for clarity. (Free/$4.95/$49.95, free updates, various sizes, macOS 10.10+) | Continue reading
When Apple unveiled its AirTag tracker, many wondered why the company failed to build Find My technology into its second-generation Siri Remote, introduced at the same time. Now a couple of accessory makers are solving this issue with silicone Siri Remote sleeves that incorporate … | Continue reading
Responding to President Biden’s executive order, the Federal Trade Commission has voted 5-0 to go after companies that make repair difficult. | Continue reading
Patches three WebKit-related security vulnerabilities. (Free, various sizes, macOS 10.15+ and 10.14+) | Continue reading
Patches security vulnerabilities in Catalina and Mojave. (Free, various sizes, macOS 10.15.7 and 10.14.6) | Continue reading
Consolidates the Search and Jump To bars into a single unified search. (Free, 25.3 MB, macOS 10.10.9+) | Continue reading
Apple has completed its latest cycle of operating system updates with the release of iPadOS 14.7 and macOS 11.5. Along with them come security notes for all recent releases. | Continue reading
Bare Bones Software has released BBEdit 14 with a new Notes feature that recognizes the extent to which many users keep numerous untitled documents open in BBEdit at all times. The release also provides significant enhancements to source code editing thanks to support for Microso … | Continue reading
iOS 14.7 brings support for the MagSafe Battery Pack and shared Apple Card credit limits. Apple also released watchOS 7.6, HomePod Software 14.7, and tvOS 14.7 with minor changes. | Continue reading
Choosing Apple earbuds or headphones becomes more complicated when you factor in gear from Apple subsidiary Beats by Dre. To wrap his head around all the options, Julio Ojeda-Zapata constructed a huge comparison chart. This companion article separates the various Apple and Beats … | Continue reading
Anyone using FTP or SFTP to connect to their Web site or other servers should consider a tweaky but significant security upgrade that swaps passwords for encryption keys. | Continue reading
Improves support for M1-based Macs and the Magic Keyboard with Touch ID. ($9.99 new, free update, 28.9 MB, macOS 10.11+) | Continue reading