iOS 14.8.1 and iPadOS 14.8.1 have been released with security updates for iPhone and iPad. Yes, this is a separate release track than iOS 15/iPadOS 15.
The updates are intended for users who are not yet on iOS 15 and iPadOS 15 releases, the latest of which is iOS 15.1 and iPadOS 15.1.
Apple has released macOS Big Sur 11.6.1 for Mac users who are interested in continuing to run the macOS Big Sur operating system, rather than jump to macOS Monterey 12. The 11.6.1 update is said to improve the security of macOS Big Sur and is therefore recommended to all users to install.
Mac users running macOS Catalina will also find Security Update 2021-007 Catalina available to download if they’d prefer to stay with the Catalina release.
Apple has released macOS Monterey, versioned as macOS 12.0.1, to the general public. The build number is 21A559.
Any Mac that is compatible with macOS Monterey can download and install the update right now if they choose to. Users can also stay on their current macOS version if they prefer by simply ignoring the update. If interested, you can learn a bit more about preparing a Mac for MacOS Monterey.
MacOS Monterey includes various new features and changes to the Mac operating system, including a redesigned Safari experience with a new tab grouping feature and updated interface, FaceTime group chat grid layout, Quick Notes for jotting down notes quickly from an app, Live Text which allows for selecting and copying text from images, Notes tags, FaceTime screen sharing functionality, the ability to invite Windows and Android users to a FaceTime call via a web link, Universal Control for using a single mouse and keyboard across multiple Macs or iPads (coming in a later update), the inclusion of Shortcuts app on Mac, and updates to Photos, Music, Podcasts, Notes, and other built in apps, along with many smaller changes scattered around the operating system.
iOS 15.1 and iPadOS 15.1 have been released for iPhone and iPad, the updates include SharePlay screen sharing through FaceTime, the addition of Live Text support in the iPad camera app, ProRes video capture for iPhone 13 Pro users, the inclusion of Covid-19 vaccination card pass in the Wallet app, along with bug fixes and security enhancements for the iPhone and iPad.
Separately, Apple has also released macOS Monterey for Mac, macOS Big Sur 11.6.1, tvOS 15.1 for Apple TV, and watchOS 8.1.
Is your Apple Watch not accurately tracking your morning walks, workouts, and other fitness activities? This is something that can be resolved by resetting the fitness calibration data on your Apple Watch. This is pretty easy to do.
Are you excited to install macOS Monterey on your Mac? The release date for MacOS Monterey is Monday, October 25, and whether you’re thinking of installing it right away, or after some time passes, you might want to take a few measures ahead of time to get your Mac ready for the new system software release.
We’ll run through some procedures and considerations before installing macOS Monterey (version 12) on a Mac.
Have you ever wanted to change the default backup location where your iPhone or iPad backups are stored on your Windows PC? You’re not alone, and fortunately it is possible to change the iTunes backup location on PC.
The Google Chrome browser address bar doubles as a search bar, and as you’ve probably noticed by now it will keep a history of your visited links, URLs, and searches. These URLs and searches then come up as suggestions when you access the Chrome search/address bar again, particularly when you type anything that is close to a match to a previously visited link. But what if you want to remove an entry from the Chrome link / URL history suggestions? That’s what we’ll cover here, and it’s pretty easy to do.
This is handled separately from clearing out Chrome history and other browsing data, but if you’re familiar with deleting Chrome autofill suggestions for other text input boxes in the browser, this may be a familiar process to you. We’ll cover how this works on the Mac, Windows PC, and Chromebook.
Someone celebrating an event or birthday? Bored in the middle of an iMessage conversation? Not sure what to talk about or just want to make things interesting? Using iMessage screen effects can help to emphasize and spice up your conversation, and you can use these right from your Mac Messages app.
The latest macOS Monterey RC release includes new four new wallpapers that also debuted on the newly redesigned MacBook Pro, but you don’t have to run macOS Monterey or get a new MacBook Pro to enjoy the desktop backgrounds.
Apple has issued a second release candidate build for macOS Monterey, just days before the final version is to be available to all Mac users with a macOS Monterey compatible Mac.
The macOS Monterey RC 2 build is 21A559, and it’s reasonable to expect this will match the final version available next week for all users.
Separately, a new RC 2 build for iPadOS 15.1 is also available, but only for iPad Mini 6 users are this time.
Have you ever wanted an easy way to share GIFs while texting your friends on iMessage from a Mac? As long as your Mac is a modern version of macOS, you can find and send gifs right within the stock Messages app, just like you can from iPhone and iPad.
Some MacBook Pro, MacBook Air, and MacBook users may have noticed their computers are draining battery even when the Mac is sleeping and not in use. This seems like a peculiar issue, but it turns out there there may be an explanation.
A simple way to diagnose this issue is by going to Apple menu > System Preferences > Battery, then choosing “Usage History”. When you see the battery level drop but the ‘Screen On Usage’ is nonexistent, you know the battery is draining when the Mac is not in use. The screenshot above demonstrates this in a severe case, where a MacBook Air drained the entire battery when not in use.
Do you use the built-in Voice Memos app on iPhone or iPad for recording your voice or other external audio? If you’re a regular Voice Memos user, you may want to back up all your recordings to make sure you don’t permanently lose them.
Apple played a fun song leading into their October 18 redesigned MacBook Pro debut event which was composed entirely of sound effects captured from 45 years of Apple products.
If you’re a longtime Apple fan you’ll undoubtedly recognize many of the sounds, from boot chimes, alerts, ringtones, chargers plugging in, and so much more.
The Files app for iPhone and iPad offers a file system for iOS and iPadOS, and though it’s limited, it does offer some advanced features like file paths. File paths may be familiar to Mac, Windows, and Linux users, as a file path points to exactly where to go find a file or folder in the file system. With Files app in iOS and iPadOS, you can find and get file paths.
Apple has announced an all new redesigned MacBook Pro, available in either 14″ and 16″ mini-LED display sizes, and featuring new Apple Silicon processors, mini-LED display with ProMotion, a 1080p front facing web camera, an HDMI port and SD card slot, and the return of MagSafe for charging.
The new Mac models include powerful architecture aimed at professional users, including new Apple Silicon processors, which Apple calls the M1 Pro and M1 Max, ranging from an 8-core CPU on the lower end 14″ model, to 10-Core CPU’s on the higher end models, and up to a 32-core GPU. The new MacBook Pro can also be configured to have up to 64GB RAM and an 8TB SSD.
Apple has issued Release Candidates for macOS Monterey for Mac, iOS 15.1 for iPhone, and iPadOS 15.1 for iPad.
The RC builds are available now, and the final versions of these system software releases are set to be launched next Monday, October 25, when the newly redesigned MacBook Pro is available.
