Apple has released the first beta versions of iOS 18.2, MacOS Sequoia 15.2, and ipadOS 18.2, each with new Apple Intelligence features. The first betas of the .2 releases arrive now despite iOS 18.1, iPadOS 18.1, and MacOS Sequoia 15.1 not debuting until next week, though they just landed as Release Candidate builds.
The new betas include new Apple Intelligence features like ChatGPT integration, Genmoji to generate custom emoji, Image Playground to generate AI images, and more.
Apple Intelligence continues to have strict system requirements, with iPhone requiring an iPhone 15 Pro or better, while a Mac must have an M1 chip or better, and an iPad must have either an M1 or A17 Pro chip or better.
iPhone Mirroring is a powerful feature introduced with MacOS Sequoia that allows you to control your iPhone from your Mac, using your Mac cursor and keyboard to interact with the iPhone. It’s an incredibly useful feature in MacOS, and it allows full usage of your iPhone even if it’s not next to you or in your pocket. You’ll get quick access to your iPhone apps and device, you can interact with iPhone Notifications from your Mac, and you can move and copy files, documents, photos, between the iPhone to Mac too.
This really is one of the best features in MacOS Sequoia, and if you haven’t tried out iPhone Mirroring yet, now’s a great chance to do so. We’ll show you how you can use iPhone Mirroring with your Mac, it’s pretty easy.
If you’re a long time Mac user, you might recall the Slow Motion effect that could be applied by holding the Shift key while minimizing and maximizing windows, as well as for other animations like opening Launchpad or using Mission Control. Some of the fun eye-candy effects on Mac go way the early days of Mac OS X (and we covered some of these all the way back in 2007!), but at some point in much later MacOS development, Apple has turned the optional Slow Motion features off. But, with a little defaults command magic, you can re-enable the Slow Motion effects on MacOS, even in the latest versions of MacOS Sequoia.
Apple has issued release candidate builds of iOS 18.1, macOS Sequoia 15.1, and iPadOS 18.1, making them available for users enrolled in the beta testing programs for Apple system software.
These versions are the first to include Apple Intelligence support on compatible devices. Initial Apple Intelligence features include functionality for summarizing data, writing tools, and smart replies. Apple Intelligence has very strict system requirements, and only iPhone 15 Pro or better will have the features on iPhone, while any Mac must have an M1 chip or better, and any iPad must have an M1 or A17 Pro chip or better.
Separate from the Apple Intelligence features, there are also various bug fixes and security patches to be included in these software updates.
The Mac “Recents” folder in Finder is a useful catchall Smart Folder that, as the name implies, contains all recently opened, modified, or added files that are found within the file system. This means the “Recents” folder should contain everything from text files, documents, PDFs, images, video, basically anything in the file system that has been recently opened, added, or edited on the Mac. Sometimes, the “Recents” folder on the Mac shows as empty however, when it should be filled with many recently used files.
Let’s troubleshoot and fix the issue where the “Recents” folder is empty on the Mac, so that you can regain easy access to your recently used files again.
While Scroll-to-Top is a very popular feature for many iPhone users, allowing them to quickly scroll back to the top of any article, feed, email, or message, not everyone is thrilled with the feature. In fact, a large number of users find Scroll-to-Top to be annoying or frustrating, as they activate it accidentally. Others may have found Scroll-to-Top to be easy and intuitive on older model iPhones, but find using Scroll-to-Top with Dynamic Island to be less natural or more confusing to activate. And there’s no shortage of complaining users on Apple Discussion Forums who are displeased with Scroll-to-Top, and who want to disable auto-scrolling, tap-to-scroll, and scroll-to-top.
Can you disable Scroll-to-Top on iPhone? Is there any way to not accidentally activate the autoscrolling to the top of the screen feature on iPhones? How is this feature best used?
Apple has updated the iPad Mini line with a spec bump, and the new model is capable of supporting Apple Intelligence. The new iPad Mini 7th generation model debuted via press release, and was not accompanied by any other updated hardware.
The iPad Mini continues to offer a small physical footprint with an 8″ LCD display, but now has a faster A17 processor (the same processor from iPhone 15 Pro series, hence the Apple Intelligence support) and there are also minor improvements to the camera and wi-fi.
Apple has released the 7th beta version of MacOS Sequoia 15.1 to users in the beta testing programs. The MacOS 15.1 beta 7 comes a day after the accompanying iOS 18.1 beta 7 and iPadOS 18.1 beta 7 releases were issued.
The most notable difference in MacOS Sequoia 15.1 beta is the inclusion of Apple Intelligence features, which offers AI tools for re-writing messages, smart replies, summarization, and more. Apple Intelligence has strict system requirements, and only M1 or better Macs support the feature. If you have an older Mac and you want to use similar AI features, ChatGPT on the web will work on just about anything with a web browser.
Scroll-to-Top is a super useful gesture that has been around on the iPhone for a long time, basically rather than swiping to get back to the top of a long screen of text, email, webpage, or whatever, you just tap the top of the screen and it immediately scrolls to the top. This is a great feature, but it’s a little different with iPhone models that have Dynamic Island.
The Dynamic Island is the little oblong cutout at the top of newer model iPhone screens, and while it holds the camera and microphone, it also updates depending on whatever apps are running. For example, if you have a music app open it’ll be in the Dynamic Island, or if you have a Timer running it will display there, or directions will, and so on. One issue with Dynamic Island is that it’s much harder to use the ‘scroll to top’ gesture, because if you try and tap on the top of the screen like users are accustomed to pre-Dynamic Island, then they usually end up accidentally tapping on the Dynamic Island itself, so rather than scrolling to the top of the current app window, it will switch to whatever app is updating the Dynamic Island itself.
How do you use Scroll to Top with Dynamic Island on the iPhone 16 series, iPhone 15 series, or iPhone 14 Pro line, and not accidentally switch to an app instead? That’s what this article is here to help you with.
Apple has issued the seventh beta versions of iOS 18.1 and iPadOS 18.1 for iPhone and iPad, respectively. Typically a MacOS Sequoia 15.1 beta soon follows as well.
iOS 18.1, iPadOS 18.1, and macOS Sequoia 15.1 introduce the first Apple Intelligence AI features to compatible devices, and the emphasis should be on compatible devices because the supported hardware list for Apple Intelligence is very strict; only iPhone 15 Pro or better for iPhone, or M1 or better equipped Mac or iPad.
Initial Apple Intelligence features offer things like summarization of text and web pages, writing tools to rewrite things in concise or professional manners, smart replies in email and messages, and some new Siri functionality. More Apple Intelligence features will debut at later dates and with later system software updates to compatible devices.
Many users have already installed iOS 18 onto iPhone or iPadOS 18 onto iPad, but there are also a large number of iPhone and iPad owners who have not yet updated to the latest operating systems. One of the most common reasons for this is as old as the iPhone or iPad itself; a lack of available storage on the device, preventing the system software update from both downloading and installing. Storage woes are nothing new for iPhone and iPad users, and managing device storage is one of the most obnoxious and annoying tech chores you can forced to engage in if you simply want to install a software update on your device.
Numbers of users are seeing an error message at the Software Update screen that says something like this: “More Storage Required – This update cannot be installed because it requires at least 15.57 GB of available storage during installation”
Let’s explore how much storage you need available on iPhone or iPad to be able to install iOS 18 or ipadOS 18 onto a device. We’ll also discuss why you need so much storage available to be able to install these updates, and how you can free up some space.
Some Mac users have noticed that Microsoft Office files and documents, whether that’s Word docs, Excel spreadsheets, Powerpoint presentations, or otherwise, are not opening in the intended apps, or properly associating with the relevant Microsoft Office app, after updating their Mac to MacOS Sequoia. To make matters worse, some users report that when attempting to open a Microsoft 365 or Microsoft Office file, like a docx or xls file on the Mac, they may see an alarming message that says some variation of “MacOS cannot verify that DocumentName.docx is free of malware”.
If you’re not yet interested in installing MacOS Sequoia for whatever reason – perhaps due to compatibility issues, waiting for specific features, or just holding off until Sequoia is more refined – you almost certainly still want to install other system software updates as they become available to your Mac, including installing any available security updates and system software updates to macOS Sonoma or macOS Ventura.
We’re going to cover how to install system updates to macOS Sonoma or MacOS Ventura, without upgrading the Mac to MacOS Sequoia.
Some MacOS Sequoia users have discovered various networking issues with their Mac since installing the MacOS Sequoia 15 system software update. The reported network problems can range from and include random intermittent connection issues with MacOS Sequoia, inability to connect to the internet, unusually slow internet, DNS resolution failures, problems with VPN services, problems with third party firewalls, problems with the native firewall, problems with the Messages app not working behind a firewall, problems with third party security software, and many other variations of these complaints.
Amazon Prime Day is happening, offering fantastic discounts on tons of products and goods. You will need an Amazon Prime membership (it’s free for 30 days, so if you just want to do some holiday shopping and not pay for membership you can do that too), which is handy anyway since it offers access to Amazon Video, prioritized shipping, and great discounts. While you can shop for just about anything on Amazon and get great Prime Day discounts, we’ll highlight some of the best deals on Apple products and related gear that’s available right now.
Apple Watch SE 2nd gen – $170 (down from $249)
Apple Watch SE 2nd gen is available at a whopper discount from Amazon, and is a great entry level Apple Watch if you just want a fitness tracker for your activities, along with the standard array of Apple Watch features. One thing to keep in mind is that Apple Watch SE 2nd gen doesn’t have ECG capabilities or an oxygen reader, but the latter was removed from later model Apple Watch anyway due to an ongoing patent dispute, but if you don’t care for those features, you can save some serious cash and get the SE 2.
The iPad 9th gen is one of the best deals on Prime Day, at just $199, down from the original $329 retail price. The 9th gen iPad is the last iPad model with a Home button, which could make it preferable for those who are accustomed or prefer the Home Button, and making it a great gift for anyone who fits that bill too.
Amazon is also offering nice discount on the 13″ and 11″ iPad Air M2 models, if you want the latest and greatest, a beefier processor, larger screens, and Apple Intelligence support:
If you prefer the smaller size of iPad Mini, the 6th gen model is available at a whopping $150 discount. One thing to keep in mind with iPad Mini is that it’s likely to be updated soon with a processor that supports Apple Intelligence, so while this is a great deal, if you want Apple Intelligence support you might want to hold off until the refresh happens at some point.
The M3 MacBook Air with 16GB RAM and 512GB SSD is available at a $250 discount on Amazon in both the 13″ and 15″ display sizes. This is a great price for a really great laptop, one I use myself, and the one that I generally recommend to family and friends as well.
If you want a nice portable Mac laptop and don’t have the need for more storage, RAM, or CPU power, the base model M2 is available at huge discount. For some of you who may be debating an iPad vs MacBook, this is a great laptop alternative to many iPad models since it comes with more storage than base model iPads plus you get a built-in keyboard, trackpad, and the much more powerful MacOS.
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iOS 18.1 beta 6, iPadOS 18.1 beta 6, and macOS Sequoia 15.1 beta 6, are now available to download for those participating in the beta testing programs for Apple system software. These beta builds are assumed to be finalized by the end of the month, and will bring Apple Intelligence AI features to compatible devices.
The initial Apple Intelligence features include capabilities like summarization, writing tools, smart replies, and some new Siri features, though other AI features that were announced as part of iOS 18 or macOS Sequoia are likely to arrive in a later OS update as they are not included in iOS 18.1, iPadOS 18.1, or macOS Sequoia 15.1. Apple Intelligence has strict system requirements, requiring an M1 or better chip for Mac or iPad, and an iPhone 15 Pro or better for iPhone. Other hardware will be able to install the iOS/iPadOS 18.1 and macOS 15.1 updates, but simply won’t include the Apple Intelligence features.
Apple has released MacOS Sequoia 15.0.1 as a software update to Mac users running the Sequoia operating system. The update includes bug fixes and security enhancements, and is therefore recommended for all MacOS users running Sequoia to install.
For Mac users who are running MacOS Sonoma or macOS Ventura, you’ll find Safari 18.0.1 update available instead.
Separately, Apple has also released iOS 18.0.1, iPadOS 18.0.1, watchOS 11.0.1, and visionOS 2.0.1, also with bug fixes and security updates.
Apple has released iOS 18.0.1 for iPhone and iPadOS 18.0.1 for iPad. The purpose of these small updates is to fix various bugs and resolve a variety of security issues that were present in the 18.0 releases of iOS/iPadOS.
Specifically, iOS 18.0.1 aims to resolve some issues with touch screens and camera functionality on iPhone 16 models, patches a bug where Messages would crash if you shared an Apple Watch face, and resolves an issue with performance and memory allocation on some iPhone models. There are also a handful of security fixes included as well. The full release notes are shown further below.
Separately, you’ll find software updates for MacOS Sequoia 15.0.1, watchOS 11.0.1, visionOS 2.0.1, and Safari 18.0.1 for MacOS Sonoma and Ventura.
