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The Every-Move-You-Make Edition Tuesday, March 29, 2022

Stop Tracking Your Loved Ones, by Amy Paturel, Wired

But in an era when parents can monitor their kids' every move, teens follow their crush's digital footprint, and spouses like me freak out when their families go dark for 15 minutes, a growing number of experts are questioning whether it's healthy to be this connected to our loved ones.

“One of the biggest risks these technologies pose is they make us more neurotic,” says Pamela Wisniewski, an associate professor at the University of Central Florida whose research focuses on the intersection of human-computer interaction, social computing, and privacy. “If all we're getting is metadata that someone isn't where we expect them to be, that can make us anxious.” It can even cause us to leap to erroneous conclusions that sabotage our daily activities.

This Apple Feature Helps Kick Email Spam To The Curb, by Rae Hodge, Alison DeNisco Rayome, CNET

Most of us live with an inbox packed with advertisements we don't want, which leaves us with the time-consuming work of deleting or unsubscribing from each one. But there's a better solution. You can minimize spam with Apple's Hide My Email tool, which keeps your inbox lean by preventing junk emails from showing up in the first place.

How To Lock Down Your Data And Enhance Privacy On iPhone And iPad, by Mike Peterson, AppleInsider

The iPhone and iPad both feature a number of privacy and security protections built into their hardware and software. A lot of these options and settings are configurable, and while Apple's defaults maintain a good level of privacy, you can further protect your data from prying eyes with the following tips.

On App Stores

Apple’s Fine Over Dutch Dating Apps Antitrust Order Hits $55M, by Natasha Lomas, TechCrunch

The drip-feed of penalty fines for Apple in the Netherlands after an antitrust order about payment tech for dating apps has hit the maximum possible (for now) — reaching €50 million (~$55 million) after the regulator issued a tenth consecutive weekly penalty of €5M for ongoing non-compliance.

But the Authority for Consumers and Markets (ACM) is sounding more positive today after Apple adjusted its most recent offer yesterday — saying the amended proposal “should result in definitive conditions for dating-app providers”.

Special App Store Behavior For Disney+ Subscriptions, by Michael Tsai

In a few years, we’ll be told there was already an “established program” for this.

Stuff

Can Tech Help You To Manage The Cost Of Living?, by Katherine Latham, BBC

Juggling several apps is probably not for everyone. But with a sharp rise in the cost of living hitting households, many of us might be paying particular attention to our finances.

New Cycling App Jagz Helping Cyclists Find Group Rides, Bike Shops And More , by Rebecca Morley, Bike

“The bike industry was lacking a convenient way for cyclists to meet one another, plan rides together, and easily enjoy our sport while travelling,” said Jagz founder David Jaget. “Jagz is a mobile cycling companion that will connect people who share the same passion while adding convenience to our biking experience.”

Develop

Maybe You Should Do Less 'Work', by John Whiles

Working in tech, I've observed developers who work as hard as possible when they don't need to. I'm here today to tell you that it's a bad idea and you shouldn't do it.

Notes

Apple Maps Launches New Pedestrian Surveys Across The UK To Gather Data And Expand Look Around, by Hartley Charlton, MacRumors

Apple will use cameras and sensors mounted on pedestrian backpacks to gather map data in Berkshire, Greater London, Greater Manchester, Staffordshire, and the West Midlands, across over 85 specific towns and boroughs.

Apple ‘Disappointed’ With Mizrahi As It Sues To Terminate Lease At Toronto Condo, The One, by Greg McArthur Rachelle Younglai, The Globe and Mail

Technology giant Apple Inc. is suing Sam Mizrahi’s company to terminate its lease at the developer’s long-planned 85-storey skyscraper in downtown Toronto, saying it is “disappointed” in the company and is owed millions of dollars in damages for missed deadlines.

The Unbearable Lightness Of My Pockets, by Matt Webb

Shorts weather means I want to economise re grams in pockets.

So I no longer carry a ton of plastic cards – I use Apple Pay and carry a single backup card.

[...]

The question for me is not: what do I do incase my phone runs out of battery.

The question is instead: how do I get back up and running if I lose what’s in my pockets.

Bottom of the Page

I cannot remember when I did this, but I've configured my widgets on the Today's View of my iPhone to mainly play audio programming without the need to unlock the phone.

So, obviously, this was in response to having to wear masks when I am out and about, and before the latest iOS update. (I still cannot reliably unlock my phone with my mask on, though.)

The other benefit I've since discovered was that this worked great in the middle of the night too. I am super-short-sighted, and I will need to hold my phone so close to my face that FaceID doesn't work. And I do listen to audio programming in the middle of the night when I can't go back to sleep.

These widgets are basically Shortcuts; and the three apps that can play audio without the need to unlock are: Apple Music, Castro podcast player, and BBC Sounds radio player. (If I remember correctly, Overcast podcast player also worked.)

The one app that I regularly listen to, but still require the phone to unlock first: Audible.

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Thanks for reading.