Category: Apple

Support is ending for your old-school iPhone

WhatsApp logo displayed on iPhone 14 screen

• Users on old iPhones have been sent a new alert in WhatsApp
• It says that WhatsApp will stop working unless they update iOS
• WhatsApp will end support for software older than iOS 15.1 in May 2025

Thebest iPhonesare known to last a long time, so it’s no surprise if you’re still happily rocking an older iPhone that’s several versions out of date. Despite that, you might find it’s not compatible withWhatsAppfor much longer, as the developer of the popular messaging app has warned users that they’ll soon need to upgrade their iPhone or stop using the service.

As detailed byWABetaInfo,WhatsApphas begun sending notifications warning users that they need to “update to the latest version of iOS to continue using WhatsApp.” These alerts are being sent out to users who are running anything older than iOS 15.1 on their iPhones.

If that sounds like you, you’ve got around five months until WhatsApp stops working on your iPhone, as the app notification says WhatsApp will end support for older versions of iOS on May 5, 2025. WhatsApp recommends you open the Settings app and go to General > Software Update to update your iPhone.

Yet it might not be so simple to do that. If you have an iPhone 5s, iPhone 6, or iPhone 6 Plus – or any earlier iPhone – your device will not be compatible with iOS 18. That means you won’t be able to update your iPhone, and consequently WhatsApp will stop working on your device next May.

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That’s not all.WhatsApp doesn’t have an iPad app yet (beyond a beta app that’s only available to people using Apple’s TestFlight service). That means that next year’s WhatsApp update will also end support for the first-generation iPad Air, the iPad mini 2, and the iPad mini 3, as they too only support iOS versions earlier than iOS 15.1

Time to upgrade?

WhatsApp has been steadily introducing new features to its iOS and Android apps over the past year, including the ability to send photos in ‘original quality’ (above).(Image credit: Future)

WABetaInfo states that WhatsApp could be ending support for older iPhones so that it can make use of newer features and technologies introduced in iOS 15. WhatsApp can go ahead and add these features if it doesn’t have to worry about being held back by outdated iPhones that can’t run them.

As well as that, it’s likely that there aren’t too many WhatsApp users currently on versions of iOS predating iOS 15.1, considering the iPhones in question were released years ago. WhatsApp could redirect its efforts to optimizing the app further for the larger number of users who have more modern iPhones.

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Ultra-why bother?

The iPhone 16 (Image credit: Future)
Pick up any modern phone – be it one of the best iPhones or best Android phones – and you’re likely to find a rear panel adorned with two, three, or even four cameras. In most cases, at least one of these cameras will be an ultra-wide lens – commonly referred to as a 0.5x or 0.6x zoom, compared to the main snapper.

Apple, for example, markets the base-model iPhone 16 as having a 4x optical zoom range thanks to an inner crop on its main camera and the 0.5x “magnification” offered by the ultra-wide camera.

But beyond neat figures for marketing and pseudo-zoom trickery, can any of us actually remember if we even wanted an ultra-wide camera to begin with?

The first phone to really make an impact by having two cameras was the iPhone 7 Plus, which pushed the idea of the dual camera setup into the mainstream. It came equipped with a wide-angle main camera and a 2x telephoto camera, at a time when even decent digital zoom wasn’t a given on smartphones.

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The iPhone 7 Plus launched in 2016 with a dual camera setup
The revolutionary iPhone X, and its follow-up the iPhone XS, kept this momentum going, and the rivals of the day followed suit, with the Samsung Galaxy S9 Plus also sporting a telephoto camera.

Ever since the iPhone 11, though, it’s been seen as normal to fit premium, flagship handsets with ultra-wide secondary cameras, and the more useful telephoto lens has increasingly become a tertiary luxury. And in the budget world, telephoto lenses are a real rarity compared to the common – and presumably cheaper – ultra-wide option.

Ultra-wide cameras have their uses. The lesser focal distance of an ultra-wide camera means you can get up close to subjects, enabling macro photography. And sometimes you just need to fit more stuff in the frame.

However, for day-to-day photography – which is the majority of photography done with a smartphone – even a 2x telephoto zoom is so much more useful; it virtually extends the photographer’s reach to help them capture a wider variety of day-to-day happenings – not to mention better-looking portraits and detailed close-ups.

The ultra-wide cameras affixed to smartphones are also rarely meaningfully corrected by the phone’s image processing pipeline, meaning people and objects at the fringes of the image appear unnaturally stretched out.

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The Xiaomi Mix Flip doesn’t have an ultra-wide camera (Image credit: Xiaomi)
Luckily, there does seem to be a course correction in motion. Xiaomi affixes telephoto cameras to several of its mid-range models, and even the new Xiaomi Mix Flip foldable has a 2x zoom as its sole backup. The Samsung Galaxy S24 family all carry an optical zoom camera of some description.

And I’m even glad of the rumors that suggest the next-generation iPhone SE will continue the single-camera tradition, as this means more investment and design resources can be allocated to things like performance and battery life instead of a camera with very limited use cases.

Hopefully, these choices begin to trickle down towards the best cheap phones over the coming years, but until then, it seems I’ll have to keep chasing the highest-performing phones for a secondary camera that I actually want to use.

Will Apple ever ask for a subscription?

The feature in action on an iPhone 14(Image credit: Future)

• Satellite features were originally only free for two years
• Another 12 free months were added last November
• Questions remain about long-term access to these features

We’ve just hit the two-year anniversary of the debut ofEmergency SOS via Satelliteon theiPhone 14– and althoughAppleoriginally said the service would only be free for two years, it remains free to access, with a year’s extensionadded last November.

The milestone was noted byMacRumorsand others, and it’s worth highlighting because it raises the question of what Apple plans to do with this in the long term. The officialsupport pagefor the feature still states that “Emergency SOS via Satellite is free for two years after the activation of an iPhone 14 or later”.

Although Apple has apparently always planned to get users to cover the cost of satellite connectivity, the problem with starting to charge money to access it is that it can quite literally save someone’s life – so it’s not quite the same as forgetting to renew your Netflix or Spotify subscription.

With the Google Pixel 9 series now offering a similar feature and Samsung expected to follow suit next year, it’s something all the major phone makers are having to weigh up. Either they absorb the cost themselves, or charge users money for it.

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Extra features

The Pixel 9 phones offer satellite connectivity too (Image credit: Future)
The satellite connectivity launched alongside the iPhone 14 in 2022 have been expanded upon since then. The feature has rolled out in more countries, and now includes the option to get roadside assistance via satellite (in addition to contacting the emergency services).

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With the introduction of iOS 18, Apple added the ability to message anyone you like via a satellite connection, if you don’t have a cell or Wi-Fi signal. Again, the feature was advertised for being free for two years, though Apple has never given any indication of the pricing structure that might eventually be introduced.

It’s possible that some of those extra features, such as roadside assistance and satellite messaging, will eventually need a subscription – while the emergency SOS capabilities, which might just save your life one day, remain free. For now though, Apple hasn’t gone on the record about what might happen.

In November 2025, the free period for both iPhone 14 and iPhone 15 owners will be coming to an end, so we’ll see what happens then – and whether or not satellite options get bundled together with an Apple One subscription.

Image Credits:Apple

Apple’s latest iOS 18.1 software update introduced a series of Apple Intelligence features, including Writing Tools and notification summaries. However, some features were missing from the lineup, like Genmoji, which allows users to create emojis from written prompts.

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Now, with iOS 18.2, iPadOS 18.2, and macOS Sequoia 15.2 public betas officially available, the highly anticipated AI-generated Bitmoji feature is finally here for some users to try.

Here’s what you need to know about the Apple Intelligence feature that many people are excited about, whether you’re in Apple’s beta software program and want to take it for a test drive, or if you’re just curious about what to expect when Genmoji launches for all users.

What is a Genmoji?
Genmoji initially debuted at WWDC 2024 back in June. Built into the iPhone’s emoji keyboard, the feature lets people generate original emojis with prompts. For example, “A sloth wearing a suit and tie.” It can also generate emojis of people using photos. Genmojis can be used not only in Messages but also in Stickers and Tapbacks. It’s also possible to react to a message with a Genmoji or with Apple’s message effects.

How to create a customized emoji with Apple Intelligence

To use Genmoji, first make sure Apple Intelligence is enabled. Then launch the Messages app, start a new message (or go to an existing chat), and click on the emoji keyboard located in the bottom left corner. Next, type the prompt into the search bar and choose “Create New Emoji” just below it. 

After a few seconds, Apple Intelligence creates multiple versions of the AI-generated emoji based on that custom description. To save a favorite Genmoji, tap “Add” in the top-right corner to permanently include that new emoji to the keyboard.

To save a Genmoji that someone else sends, long press on it and select “Emoji Details,” which will display the prompt that was used to generate it. There’s also an option to download it.

Image Credits:Apple

When is the official launch of Genmoji?

Currently, Genmoji is only available to users with Apple’s iOS 18.2 public beta. Note that there may be a waitlist, so users might have to wait a few days or even weeks until they gain access. 

It’s expected that the feature will officially launch in early December.

What Apple devices support Genmoji?  

• iPhone 15 Pro
• iPhone 15 Pro Max
• iPhone 16 
• iPhone 16 Plus
• iPhone 16 Pro
• iPhone 16 Max
• iPad mini with A17 Pro chip
• All iPads with an Apple silicon chip
• macOS Sequoia support coming soon

Is Apple Intelligence supported in my country?

The only regions where Apple Intelligence is not supported are China and the EU because of certain regulations.  

Regarding language support, it’s currently only available in U.S. English. In late 2024, it’ll roll out localized English support for Australia, as well as language support for users in Canada, New Zealand, South Africa, and the U.K. By 2025, Chinese, English (India), English (Singapore), French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese, Spanish, and Vietnamese will also become available.

It’s reported to be a six-inch square screen that can be wall-mounted

• Apple’s long-rumored smart home display might arrive as soon as March 2025
• It could have a six-inch screen and run a new operating system
• Apple Intelligence could be front and center

There is seldom a shortage ofApplerumors, but one that has been constant – and heating up in recent months – is that the technology giant isplanning to release a smart home display. And it makes a lot of sense as Apple continues to push into the smart home – there are already two smart speakers, theHomePodandHomePod mini, major updates to the Home app, and we can’t forget that Apple is part of the smart home standard Matter.

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Now, though, it seems Apple is working at a record pace to ready a smart home display.Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman reportsthat “a wall-mounted display that can control appliances, handle videoconferencing, and use AI to navigate apps” could launch as early as March 2025. That’s just five months away, and it sounds like a direct competitor toAmazon’s Echo Show 15. It might also be my dream Apple smart home display and a bit better than just a HomePod with a screen.

Gurman shares a bit more about the smart display, which is codenamed J490. As expected, it’ll be a showcase for Apple Intelligence and likely the smarter features of the forthcoming Siri. From a design and hardware standpoint, it’ll come in silver or black and stand as a 6-inch square screen that resembles an iPad with thicker bezels. The report states it’s “about the size of two iPhones side by side” with a built-in camera seemingly for FaceTime calls or home monitoring, speakers, and a rechargeable battery.

(Image credit: Apple)

There is no mention of the processor, but we’d expect it to be Apple Silicon as it will need to power some other sensors, including one that can detect how many people are near the display. This is likely similar toGoogle’s Soli technology that is used on the Nest Thermostat to adjust what’s on screen based on whether you’re closer to it or farther away.

Bloomberg’s report notes that theoperating systemis a cross between watchOS and the iPhone’s StandBy mode. This means you’ll likely get dedicated apps and peek into them like widgets. It’s reported that it will run FaceTime,Safari, Music, and Calendar, among others. Of course, it will also be an ideal way to control the smart home, and it is being pegged as a “Command Center.”

As far as interactions go, it will either be touch or hands-free voice through Siri, much like a HomePod or HomePod Mini. The report notes that the smart display was “designed around App Intents, a system that lets AI precisely control applications and tasks” – a feature originally shown off atWWDC 2024when Apple Intelligence was launched.

Just asAmazonoffers several designs for Echos or how Google’s Pixel Tablet can be affixed to a stand, Apple has reportedly made different attachments or bases for the smart display. The report notes that beyond hanging on a wall, there will be bases for placing it on a desk, nightstand, or even counter, and these will offer better sound through additional speakers. It remains to be seen if the wall attachment will be done magnetically to a mount, allowing you to move it around quickly.

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Like other smart displays, Apple’s will likely be a standalone device that you set up with an iPhone and sign in to with your Apple Account (formerly an Apple ID) to enable easy data syncing and the ability to hand off things like music or a call.

While this is a stationary, non-moving smart display from Apple, there are also many rumors of an intelligent display attached to a roboticarmthat the company is said to be working on. Bloomberg’s latest report notes that it is in the pipeline but farther out and will be much more costly at $1,000. That makes sense, considering it’s a robot. This smart display, which could launch next year, is said to be “far-less” expensive and closer in line with competitors like Amazon’s Echo Show.

(Image credit: Future)

All in all, it feels like it’s about time for Apple to really enter the smart home, and it seems like the company really wants to take a piece of the smart display market from the mainstays. If it’s anything like the HomePod, iPad, or iPhone, we can expect it to offer a premium build with strong audio and a good interface. It would also likely check off the box for a lot of folks who have been waiting for a proper smart home control panel.

Further, it would reinforce Apple’s commitment to the smart home and show that it’s a category that the company sees on its roadmap for the long haul and one that it’ll likely continue to invest in. We also saw rumors this week that Apple is considering developing smart home accessories like cameras, and this report does mention that the development of those could be sped up if the smart display succeeds.

Of course, until Apple announces it’s all but a rumor, so take this with a grain of salt.

I wish this had come out months ago

• Apple will soon let you share an AirTags location securely with an airline
• With several airlines onboard, the hope is to help sooner reunite lost baggage with an AirTag inside
• “Share Item Location” will launch with iOS 18.2 later in 2024

If you’ve ever had an airline lose your luggage,Applemight have announced the best news possible. And this is one that I really wish had arrived months earlier.

As part of iOS 18.2, which is expected to launch in December 2024, Apple is giving AirTags and FindMy a significant upgrade that will likely be music to many ears. You’ll now be able to securely share your AirTags location with a specific person, but more importantly, a business.

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With “Share Item Location,” you can easily and quickly generate a shared URL showing the AirTag’s location, a map, and the timestamp. Why is this so handy? Well, if you’re already in the habit of having an AirTag in your luggage, and if it goes missing, you’ll be able to share this URL with, say, an airline – like United or Delta, among others – in the hopes of getting it back sooner. The map viewable by the URL will be similar to seeing the AirTag’s location within the FindMy app, and it can be accessed from a browser.

(Image credit: Apple)

In fact, “Share Item Location” is designed for a trusted person or an airline from the ground up, in that Apple is working with many airlines to let a user share this link if a piece of luggage goes missing. Those airlines include United and Delta Airlines as well as Aer Lingus, Air Canada, Air New Zealand, Austrian Airlines, British Airways, Brussels Airlines, Eurowings, Iberia, KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, Lufthansa, Qantas, Singapore Airlines, Swiss International Air Lines, Turkish Airlines, Virgin Atlantic, and Vueling as of the time of writing.

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As someone whose luggage has been lost, having an airline better equipped to handle and understand an AirTag and the location it pings will be leagues better. The goal here is that the AirTag’s location, as well as technology that airlines already have in place, can help to end lost luggage … or at least make it a faster return.

David Kinzelman, United’s chief customer officer, said in a statement, “We know many of our customers are already traveling with AirTag in their checked bags, and this feature will soon make it easier for them to share location information with us safely and securely, helping our customer service agents work more efficiently and giving our customers added peace of mind. We plan to accept Find My item locations in select airports initially, with the goal of introducing the service systemwide in early 2025.”

It’s great that United is taking the time to integrate “Share Item Location” and the data it will bring into its systems. When this launches in early 2025 for the carrier, they’ll likely be inundated with questions. Delta is similarly excited about the new solution and hopes that it can close the gap.

Beyond individual airlines prepping for this launch of “Share Item Location,” SITA, which runs the global baggage tracing system WorldTracer, is working to build out support for the feature. Considering it’s used at over 2,800 airports around the world, this is good news in the quest to reunite baggage.

Analysis: This is a win for customers

(Image credit: United Airlines/Apple)

One of the biggest frustrations I had when my luggage went missing was that I could see where it was thanks to the AirTag inside, but that also meant I could tell when it was going somewhere that was the complete opposite of what a customer service representative would tell me. I could not share my AirTag’s location outside of screenshots; I just spoke to them or wrote it up in an email. It was frustrating as I had the information and could see my baggage moving the wrong way while I was told something completely different from the airline.

I truly don’t think this feature can roll out soon enough, and while I’d give the same hope as I do when recommending an AirTag is that you’ll never have to use it to track down your lost luggage, at least the airlines will be better equipped to reunite you even sooner. So yes, if AirTags go on sale again for Black Friday 2024, you should get one for every piece of luggage you own.

• Apple News lets users follow news with a widget that updates in real time
• The feature leverages the power of Dynamic Island on iPhone 14 and later

In order to make it easier to follow the results of the US elections, Apple has implemented a very useful measure: the company is displaying the results in real time on the iPhone’s lock screen. In this way, we can see the progress of the count at a glance.

And not only that, since users of the most recent iPhones will be able to see the count directly from the Dynamic Island (available on the iPhone 14 Pro and later models) while doing other things with the phone. Of course, to see this information on the iPhone screen, you must have previously registered.

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 The feature takes advantage of the potential of iOS Live Activities

The feature we are talking about is part of Apple News, a free app available in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom and Australia that compiles relevant news about the topics that interest us most. As reported by the specialized media AppleInsider, the application is taking advantage of the potential of Live Activities to show real-time information about the United States elections.

Live Activities are commonly used in all kinds of apps to show relevant information, thus avoiding the user having to enter the corresponding app to consult the information. For example, they are available in applications such as Uber, showing the time left until the driver picks us up and information of interest, such as the license plate and model of the vehicle.

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The widget displayed by Apple News shows users the electoral count of both candidates for the US presidency, as well as the results of the elections for the Senate and the House of Representatives. Without a doubt, it is a very convenient way to be updated at all times.

The widget is not only available on the iPhone: it also appears on the iPad and the Apple Watch. However, as we mentioned at the beginning of the article, it is necessary to enable the tracking of the results. This is something that can be done through Apple News, where Apple has included a special banner for the elections.

At this point, it is interesting to note that this is not the first time that Apple News has used Live Activities in this way: at the beginning of the year they did the same to report the results of the caucuses, where the candidates of each party for the final elections are chosen.

Charging time predictions could be coming soon

The iPhone 16 Pro Max (Image credit: Future / Lance Ulanoff)
Apple, it seems, is all about ‘intelligence’ these days, as following on from the launch of Apple Intelligence, the company might be about to roll out a feature dubbed Battery Intelligence. But unlike Apple Intelligence’s suite of tools, this new feature will seemingly have just one job.

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9to5Mac has found a framework called ‘BatteryIntelligence’ in code from the latest iOS 18.2 beta, and while the feature isn’t active in the beta, it’s reportedly designed to estimate how long it will take to charge your phone.

According to 9to5Mac, Battery Intelligence won’t just estimate the time to reach 100%, but it’ll also let you choose to get an estimate for when your battery will reach 80%, and perhaps other charge levels.

It’s easy to see how this could be a useful tool – if you don’t have long to charge, you’ll be able to get an immediate indication of how fully charged your phone will be able to get in a given time. Or, if you don’t want to charge your phone above a certain level (in order to preserve battery health), but haven’t set a charging limit, you’ll know to check on it after however much time the estimate says.

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We might not get it in iOS 18.2

The iPhone 16 Pro Max (Image credit: Future / Lance Ulanoff)

However, as this feature isn’t currently enabled, it’s unclear whether it will actually launch as part of iOS 18.2. It might land with iOS 18.3 or beyond instead, and it’s always possible that Apple will choose not to roll this tool out at all.

Still, there’s a good chance that Battery Intelligence will launch, and since the framework for it is present in iOS 18.2 beta code, we’d think it’s likely we’ll see it sooner rather than later.

Either way, there’s plenty more to get excited about in iOS 18.2, with numerous new AI tools coming, including Image Playground, Genmoji,ChatGPTintegration, and Visual Intelligence.

iOS 18.2 will also add improvements to the Camera Control button and the Find My feature, and it should be coming soon, with iOS 18.2 reportedly landing in early December.

Update AP3A.241105.008 rolls right off the tongue

(Image credit: Philip Berne / Future)

The next Pixel update has been accidentally teased early by a Verizon support page that detailed all the fixes coming to the Google Pixel 9 line-up – and older Pixel 6,7 and 8 devices.

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First spotted by 9to5Google the patch should have supposedly launched on November 5 according to the Verizon page, however, the update isn’t yet live at the time of writing. That said, we expect it’ll roll out sometime soon to bring the following improvements to your Pixel 9 smartphone via version AP3A.241105.008:

• Security
  • Provides the most up-to-date Android security patches on your device.
• Bluetooth
  • Addressed an issue with Bluetooth range under certain conditions.
• Camera
  • Addressed an issue with camera tilt when zooming between cameras under certain conditions.
• Sensors
  • Addressed an issue that occasionally prevented Adaptive brightness from activating in certain conditions.
• Touch
  • Addressed an issue when pressing the keyboard dismiss button in certain conditions.
• User interface
  • General improvements for performance and stability in certain UI transitions and animations.
• Display & Graphics
  • Resolved an issue that caused white dots to flash under certain conditions.

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(Image credit: Google)
The AP3A.241105.007 update for the Google Pixel 6, Google Pixel 7, and Google Pixel 8 devices includes fewer stability fixes and instead just includes these details:

• The most up to date Android security patches on your device.
• General improvements for performance and stability in certain UI transitions and animations.

So nothing too major for any of the Pixel phones unlike the arrival of Android 15 last month. However, if your Google Pixel 9, Pixel 9 Pro, or Pixel 9 Pro Fold has had problems with any of the listed issues, you’ll appreciate that they’ve finally been addressed.

As for non-Pixel updates, Samsung users are still waiting for the full Android 15 launch, though a One UI 7 beta has been tipped to land later this month with new icon styles, lock screen live widgets, and math and physics support in Circle to Search among other tools. The non-beta rollout is expected sometime in early 2025.