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The Bugs-Addressing Edition Friday, September 25, 2020

macOS 10.15.7 Catalina, iOS 14.0.1, iPadOS 14.0.1, watchOS 7.0.1, And tvOS 14.0.1 Squash Bugs, by Josh Centers, TidBITS

Apple released macOS 10.15.7 Catalina, which resolves a problem that prevented Macs from automatically connecting to Wi-Fi and another that stopped files from sync files through iCloud Drive.

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Apple has also released iOS 14.0.1 and iPadOS 14.0.1 to address the following bugs in iOS 14 and iPadOS 14: iPhones and iPads resetting default Web browsers and email clients back to Safari and Mail after restart [...]

iOS 14’s Back Tap Feature Provides Interaction Shortcuts, by Adam Engst, TidBITS

Here’s where Back Tap shines, at least for those who can find or build the necessary shortcuts. Anything you can create in Shortcuts, you can invoke with a double or triple tap.

Watch Updates

Apple Watch Series 6 Review: Still The Best Smartwatch, But Tracking Is Lacking, by Corey Gaskin, Ars Technica

As for the always-on display, which was first introduced in the Series 5, the Series 6's outdoor brightness is bolstered to 2.5-times brighter when your wrist is down, which makes an appreciable difference for at-a-glance information, be it in workouts or just to see the time, compared to the Series 5.

Thankfully, Apple has achieved this while not only maintaining all-day battery, but also cutting down charge time and gaining 20-percent faster processing speeds over the Series 5. That improvement arrives thanks to better efficiency on Apple's latest S6 system-in-package (SiP). Faster processing speeds aren't going to be something you'll likely notice, but you will appreciate the quicker charging times of the Series 6.

Apple Now Allowing Band-Only Returns For Ill-Fitting Solo Loop, by Juli Clover, MacRumors

Apple has reversed course and created an online band-only return method for customers who purchased an Apple Watch Series 6 or Apple Watch SE with the wrong size Solo Loop or Braided Solo Loop band.

Notes On Buying An Apple Watch Sport Loop, by Jason Snell, Six Colors

I’m hearing from my sources in Apple Retail that rolling out these bands when few people can go into stores to try them on for size has really backfired. There are a lot of returns. And however much waste Apple is saving by not including a power adapter in the box, it’s being counteracted at least a bit by all the waste that comes from people getting a band, opening the package, finding that it doesn’t fit, and returning the band.

PSA: Family Setup Prevents Relatives From Using Blood Oxygen Monitoring On Apple Watch Series 6 Models, Regardless Of Age, by Tim Hardwick, MacRumors

Apple states that the Blood Oxygen app is not available for use by people under 18 years old, and in fact the app will refuse to launch if it detects that the user’s birth date in the Health app is less than 18 years ago. But the Blood Oxygen app will also be automatically disabled if you set up an unpaired Apple Watch Series 6 using Family Setup, regardless of the intended user’s age.

Stuff

Apple Arcade One Year Later: Still Delivering For Casual Gamers, by Shelby Brown, CNET

Apple Arcade has room to improve -- especially in delivering long-promised marquee titles -- but its first year has shown plenty of promise. Any platform that gives a voice to indie developers and beautiful games that let you explore stories, solve puzzles and just relax is a worthy addition to any casual gamer's repertoire.

Bandbreite Makes Browsing Watch Bands More Fun Than Apple Watch Studio, by Michael Steeber, 9to5Mac

The meticulously designed app is filled with rich imagery and text descriptions of every band, down to specifics like release date, model number, and price. Bands are organized by style and color or curated into collections, like a grouping of every band just announced at Apple’s September 2020 Special Event. It’s the only tool I’ve found that makes browsing bands more fun than Apple’s own Apple Watch Studio website.

Notes

Apple Buys Startup That Creates Radio-Like Stations For Podcasts, by Mark Gurman, Bloomberg

While podcast apps, including Apple’s, traditionally work by letting users pick an individual podcast to listen to, Scout FM created podcast stations on various topics. For example, if a person is interested in sports, the app would create a station that mixed together a curated selection of sports podcasts.

App Store Rejected 150,000 Apps In 2020 & Is Seeing 100,000 Submissions Per Week, by Mike Peterson, AppleInsider

Apple has revamped its official site to include newly updated sections devoted to promoting the App Store and its developer program, following recent criticism and disputes concerning both. Both sections now detail statistics about how the store and the program operate, and both are aimed at emphasizing the trustworthy security Apple claims is central to both.

European Commission To Appeal Decision That Reversed Apple’s $15B State Aid Tax Bill In Ireland, by Ingrid Lunden, TechCrunch

In a statement, Margrethe Vestager, the competition commissioner, noted that the Commission is making the move because it believes that offering tax breaks to one company and not its rivals “harms fair competition in the European Union in breach of State aid rules.”

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