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The Discreet-Manner Edition Thursday, November 10, 2022

Apple Limits iPhone File-Sharing Tool Used For Protests In China, by Mark Gurman, Bloomberg

After the 10-minute period expires, the system reverts to the mode where files can only be received from contacts. That means that individuals won’t be able to get an AirDrop transfer from a stranger without actively turning on the feature in the preceding few minutes. It makes it harder for anyone seeking to distribute content and reach people in a discreet manner.

Apple made the change to AirDrop on iPhones sold in China. The shift came after protesters in the country used the service to spread posters opposing President Xi Jinping and the Chinese government. The use of AirDrop to sidestep China’s strict online censorship has been well-documented over the past three years and was highlighted again recently.

Emergency SOS Via Satellite For iPhone 14 Launching Later This Month, Announces $450 Million Investment, by Benjamin Mayo, 9to5Mac

Apple confirmed today in a press release that the new satellite features for iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Pro will indeed launch in November for customers in the United States and Canada, as originally announced. When out of cell service, iPhone 14 users will be able to connect to a satellite overhead to send a short emergency text message, and share their location with family.

Apple today announced a $450 million investment, as part of the Advanced Manufacturing Fund, to support the satellite features. A significant chunk of that money will be going to Globalstar, the company actually in charge of running the satellites.

OS Updates

Apple Releases iOS 16.1.1 With Bug Fixes And Security Improvements, by Chance Miller, 9to5Mac

The company hasn’t shared any specific details on what’s been fixed, but there were issues affecting the SKAdNetwork for developers as well as complaints about Wi-Fi connectivity.

Apple Releases macOS Ventura 13.0.1 Update With Bug Fixes, by Juli Clover, MacRumors

macOS Ventur 13.0.1 is a bug fix update, and it addresses two security vulnerabilities that could allow for unexpected app termination or arbitrary code execution by a remote user. Neither was known to have been exploited in the wild.

Coming Soon

iOS 16.2 Dynamic Island Keeps Signal Bars Visible While Playing Music On iPhone 14 Pro, by Benjamin Mayo, 9to5Mac

Now when playing music, the island compresses down in width to allow all three status icons to be visible — complete with a sleek animation.

Stuff

Apple Music Announces Its 2022 Artist Of The Year, by John Voorhees, MacStories

Today, Apple Music announced that Bad Bunny is its 2022 Artist of the Year. Un Verano Sin Ti, which Bad Bunny released in May, is the most streamed album on Apple Music and the biggest Latin album of all time.

Quick Tip: Smart Albums Based On Photos Searches, by Jason Snell, Six Colors

Last week on the Accidental Tech Podcast, John Siracusa bemoaned the fact that Smart Albums in Photos on the Mac don’t take advantage of the sophisticated searches you can do from the app’s Search box, which include face, object, and scene detection.

It turns out they do, if you know where to look.

Microsoft’s iCloud Photos Integration For Windows 11 Is Now Rolling Out, by Tom Warren, The Verge

Microsoft is starting to roll out iCloud Photos integration into Windows 11. A new update to the Photos app in Windows 11 is now available, which will include the ability to link an iCloud Photos library straight into the built-in Windows Photos app.

Serif Overhauls Whole Affinity Range, Adds New iPad Publisher, by William Gallagher, AppleInsider

Affinity Photo 2, Affinity Designer 2, and Affinity Publisher 2 have all been launched by Serif for the Mac and iPad, with reworked interfaces, new features, and new licensing options.

How To Curate Your Own News Service With The Best RSS Apps, by William Gallagher, AppleInsider

This is a type of app that you need to try in order to appreciate it. Three of the most ardent RSS fans on AppleInsider all agree you need a newsreader — they just don't agree on which one.

Love Birds? Help Protect Them With This Free Birding App, by Greg Nichols, ZDNet

I've found Birda to be a free, easy-to-use tool for logging the birdlife around me, and it provides the lowest possible barrier to entry for new birders while giving old hands a range of useful tools.

Spotify’s Redesigned Apple Watch App Is Easier To Use And Nicer To Look At, by Chris Welch, The Verge

In a blog post today, Spotify shared details of a revamped Apple Watch app that makes improvements to usability and offline playback. It also adds more visual polish with bigger album art and new animations.

Develop

Only Solve One New Problem At A Time, by Ben Nadel

When we apply constraints - either implicitly or artificially - to our work, we are forced to think more deeply and more creatively. And this ultimately leads to better outcomes.

Notes

Apple’s Hold-out Strategy Nears End & Appears To Backfire In UK, by Michael T. Renaud, Daniel B. Weinger, Brad M. Scheller, National Law Review

Although Justice Arnold criticized both parties for what he perceived as dual-attempts to “game the system,” he noted that, “Apple’s behavior in declining to commit to take a Court-Determined Licence once they had been found to infringe…and their pursuit of their appeal, could well be argued to constitute a form of hold-out." This seems to foreclose certain gamesmanship by implementers and sends a clear message that Apple’s approach to hold-out will be at the risk of an injunction.

Apple Taps Facebook Veteran As Information Chief After Departures, by Mark Gurman, Bloomberg

Timothy Campos will lead the Information Systems and Technology department, better known as IS&T, which handles the infrastructure behind Apple’s online services, customer support and website. Apple refers to the operation as its “nerve center” because it lets employees, suppliers and customers stay connected. The division reports to Chief Financial Officer Luca Maestri.

Tech’s Talent Wars Have Come Back To Bite It, by Erin Griffith, New York Times

“The pressure is to just spend the money quick enough so you can grow fast enough to justify the kinds of investments V.C.s want to make,” said Eric Rachlin, an entrepreneur who co-founded Body Labs, an artificial intelligence software company that Amazon bought.

Expanding head count was also a way for managers to advance their careers. “Getting more people on the team is easier than telling everyone to just work super hard,” Mr. Rachlin said.

Bottom of the Page

I am planning for a long walk this weekend. No reason except to get the monthly award for the step-counting app I have on my iPhone.

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Thanks for reading.