MyAppleMenu

The As-Unappealing-As-Possible Edition Thursday, December 15, 2022

If A Third-Party App Store Falls In The Forest And No One Uses It, Does It Make A Sound?, by John Gruber, Daring Fireball

If this comes to pass, I foresee a byzantine approval system imposed by Apple even if Apple comes into it with nothing but the best intentions. That is to say, even if Apple’s attitude is to make third-party app stores as appealing and useful as possible, the approval process would still come with requirements and contractural obligations that very few companies could comply with. And I somehow doubt that Apple’s attitude would be “let’s make third-party app stores as appealing and useful as possible”. What happens if Apple makes both running and using third-party app stores as unappealing as possible under the law?

Answering The Burning Questions About Apple’s Reported App Store Plans, by Jason Snell, Six Colors

If Apple has been insisting on complete control merely to protect itself from competition it knows it can’t win, it will be in for a rough ride. But I suspect that Apple’s motivations have been much more about maximizing revenue and control—key tenets of Steve Jobs’s philosophy, which has become a core of Apple’s own corporate culture—and not about feeling it’s unable to compete. That said, there are some areas where Apple has not yet had to compete, and in those areas, it will now need to make more of an effort. That, too, will benefit users—and ultimately, make the iPhone and iPad better.

Coming Soon

iOS 16.3 Brings Support For Protecting Your Apple ID With Physical Security Keys, by Filipe Espósito, 9to5Mac

Earlier this month, Apple announced Advanced Data Protection for iCloud with end-to-end encryption for user data. More than that, the company also revealed that it will soon provide support for physical security keys when using two-factor authentication with Apple ID. This option is now available for beta users running iOS 16.3.

Stuff

Some Apple HomeKit Setups Are Breaking After iOS 16.2 Update, by Wesley Hilliard, AppleInsider

Users might notice their devices stuck in an "updating" mode after the upgrade is complete. This status should resolve itself after a short period, leaving everything operating as before.

That isn't always the case, as some users are reporting many devices aren't resolving this "updating" status, or worse. There aren't any known fixes for these issues yet.

Native Union Launches 'Impossible' Dual USB-C And Lightning Charging Cable, by Juli Clover, MacRumors

Accessory company Native Union today announced the launch of the Belt Cable Duo, a dual-headed charging cable that offers both Lightning and USB-C charging ports, so it can be used with all of your devices.

Notes

Australia Takes Aim At Apple, Microsoft Over Child Protection Online, by Byron Kaye, Reuters

The e-Safety Commissioner, an office set up to protect internet users, said that after sending legal demands for information to some of the world's biggest internet firms, the responses showed Apple and Microsoft did not proactively screen for child abuse material in their storage services, iCloud and OneDrive.

The two firms also confirmed they did not use any technology to detect live-streaming of child sexual abuse on video services Skype and Microsoft Teams, which are owned by Microsoft, and FaceTime, which is owned by Apple, the commissioner said in a report published on Thursday.

Bottom of the Page

The latest iOS broke my very simple shortcut.

It is just a one-line shortcut from Apple Music to "Play", without any parameters.

Previously, Apple Music will just continue to play where it left off previously. Now, the shortcut just sits there, unable to proceed, and with no music.

~

I have two shortcuts that I use often: one to play podcasts, and the above to play music. Both works without unlocking my phone. And I can listen to some podcasts and easily switch over to listen to some music, and vice versa.

Now, the podcast shortcut still works, but the music shortcut doesn't.

I am sad.

~

Thanks for reading.