iOS 15 rumors: Release date, buzzy new features, device compatibility and more - CNET

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Will iOS 15 look a lot like iOS 14? We aren't yet sure.

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We're still waiting for Apple to release iOS 14.5, but that's not stopping us from looking ahead to the next new version of the iPhone operating system: iOS 15. As usual, we'll expect a range of new features in iOS 15, building on iOS 14's upgrades like home screen widgets and new camera tricks. We've also got a decent idea of when to expect the new OS to be released.

Here's every rumor about iOS 15 we've heard so far and every educated guess we can make, including when it may be available to download, and what new features we may see. 

Read more: WatchOS 7.4 is coming: 2 new Apple Watch features people will love

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5:31

iOS 15 release date: Likely September

Apple typically reveals new versions of iOS at its annual Worldwide Developers Conference in June. Last year's WWDC started on June 22, and we got our first look at iOS 14, iPadOS 14 and MacOS Big Sur. WWDC 2021 is likely to be a virtual event in June as well, though Apple hasn't released its plans yet. After the new iOS is announced, it becomes available to developers for testing and, usually later in the summer, as a public beta. 

The final version of iOS 15 is likely to launch in September, alongside the iPhone 13. Even though last year, the iPhone 12's release was delayed to October due to the pandemic, we still saw iOS 14 released in September. So it's a pretty good bet that iOS 15 will follow the same schedule. 

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Device compatibility: iOS 15 will likely work on iPhone 7 and later

The only rumor we've heard about device compatibility so far is that iOS 15 will require an iPhone 7 or later, according to Israeli site The Verifier and French site iPhoneSoft. That's not a huge surprise, since the iPhone 6 models are now more than five years old, and run on the A9 chip. It seems that iOS 15 will require devices with an A10 chip, which include the iPhone 7 and beyond, and the seventh-gen iPod Touch. 

Read more: iOS 14 hidden features: 13 awesome iPhone and iPad tricks we found

New iOS 15 features: Changing default apps, making widgets interactive

iOS 14 added widgets that you can customize in smart stacks. iOS 15 will likely add more widget capabilities.

GIF by Jason Cipriani/CNET

We won't have a good idea of what features are coming to iOS 15 until it's actually unveiled at WWDC 2021. Since iOS 14 was a larger update, it's possible that iOS 15 will make fewer changes, and instead build on the base iOS 14 set up and improve its functionality. 

According to the tech site PhoneArena, iOS 15 could allow you to change more default apps. In iOS 14, you were able to swap defaults Safari and Mail for other browser and email apps. The upcoming iOS 14.5 update will also let you change your default music platform from Apple Music. iOS 15 may allow you to make more customizations like this. 

PhoneArena also predicts that iOS 15 will make widgets interactive, the way they are on Android, which would let you do things like change volume or toggle things on and off. We may also see more widget size options, the site reported. 

The iPhone 13 is rumored to have an always-on display, similar to the Apple Watch. While this is a hardware change, iOS would also likely change to accommodate it, possibly by updating the lock screen to display notifications in a different format, according to PhoneArena. 

Read more: iOS 14's best new iPhone features

Now playing: Watch this: iPhone 13 rumors and what the next Apple phone needs

10:51

iOS 15 download instructions: The same as always 

If you're part of Apple's developer program, you'll likely be able to download the iOS 15 developer beta after the new OS is announced in June to test your apps. The OS will likely be available to download as a public beta later in the summer (it was in early July for iOS 14), so you could download it then if you like, but be warned: Betas are usually buggy, and we don't recommend that you download it on your primary device. 

Once iOS 15 is generally available, which we expect to be in September, Apple will likely send a notification letting you know you can update. Or, you'll be able to do it manually, by going to the Settings app > General > Software Update. 

For more, here's every iPhone 13 rumor we've heard so far. 

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April 02, 2021 at 03:30PM
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iOS 15 rumors: Release date, buzzy new features, device compatibility and more - CNET

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Apple Arcade gets massive expansion with 30 new games, including hit iOS classics and more - 9to5Mac

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Apple Arcade has gotten a big wave of new games today. Over 30 new titles including ones from major game developers to popular indie devs have hit the service that pushes the available titles to over 180.

New games include NBA 2K21, an all-new version of The Oregon Trail from Gameloft, Fantasian from the creator of Final Fantasy, and lots of hit classics like Really Bad Chess, Monument Valley, Reigns, Simon’s Cat, Threes!, Cut the Rope, Fruit Ninja, chess, checkers, and many more.

Apple detailed the news in a press release today:

Apple today announced it is introducing two entirely new game categories and adding more than 30 incredible titles to Apple Arcade, its popular gaming subscription service for players of all ages. Apple Arcade offers breakthrough, unique benefits players love: no ads, no in-app purchases, support for Apple’s high user privacy standards, and one all-inclusive subscription offer with access for up to six family members. In addition to new exclusive Arcade Originals, including “NBA 2K21 Arcade Edition,” “Star Trek: Legends,” and “The Oregon Trail,” the service is introducing two new game categories, Timeless Classics and App Store Greats. Arcade Originals are playable across iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Apple TV. Timeless Classics and App Store Greats are available on iPhone and iPad.

Along with the big launch, two new Apple Arcade categories have arrived with “Timeless Classics” and “App Store Greats” with Apple highlighting everything available to play on the service is ad-free with no in-app purchases.

This marks a big move for Apple’s gaming service with a two-pronged approach. First, the big list of remastered iOS classics are sure to be a hit with both users old enough to have played the originals as well as new ones checking them out for the first time.

But Apple’s gone beyond just the iOS classics to bring an all-new version of The Oregon Trail by Gameloft and even commissioned timeless classics like chess, checkers, backgammon, solitaire, sudoku, and mahjong.

Then the service is also gaining modern console hits like NBA 2K21 that will have even further mass appeal.

All the new games are available now on Apple Arcade in the App Store (looks for the Arcade tab at the bottom > swipe to the very bottom and tap “See All Games”).

Apple does note that “Arcade Originals are playable across iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Apple TV. Timeless Classics and App Store Greats are available on iPhone and iPad.”

Also, Apple doesn’t specify which countries all the new games are available in but says that “Some content may not be available in all areas.”

Apple Arcade is available as a free one-month trial for those eligible and if you’ve purchased a new Apple device recently you should see a free three-month trial. Then Apple Arcade runs $4.99/month and also comes with the Apple One bundles.

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April 02, 2021 at 07:07PM
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Apple Arcade gets massive expansion with 30 new games, including hit iOS classics and more - 9to5Mac

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Apple Now Rejecting App Updates That Defy iOS 14.5 App Tracking Transparency Rules - MacRumors

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Apple has begun rejecting app updates that do not comply with the App Tracking Transparency rules that the company is enforcing starting with iOS 14.5, according to a new report from Forbes.

Apps must ask for permission to access the advertising identifier or IDFA of a user's iPhone in order to track them across apps for ad targeting purposes, a rule that apps will need to comply with when iOS 14.5 launches. The rule also prevents apps from using other workaround methods for tracking users, which is getting some developers into trouble already.

Several apps have been rejected so far, with Forbes listing Heetch, Radish Fiction, InnoGames, and more. Developers seeing app rejections are getting the following message: "Your app uses algorithmically converted device and usage data to create a unique identifier in order to track the user," with the message also listing the data that's being collected.

Mobile marketing analyst Eric Seufert said that an SDK from mobile measurement company Adjust is at fault because of the data that it collects for device fingerprinting. Adjust, which is installed in more than 50,000 apps, says that it "maximizes the impact" of mobile marketing.

Per a number of developers, Apple has begun rejecting app updates that include the Adjust SDK related to its collection of data used for device fingerprinting. — Eric Seufert (@eric_seufert) April 1, 2021

Apple is blocking apps that are using fingerprinting techniques to collect data for the purpose of building a profile of a user that allows the user to be tracked even without an advertising identifier. Data collection uses metrics like software version, time since last update, time since last restart, charge level, battery status, and more to identify individual users.

It is Apple's position that if a customer has declined the usage of the IDFA for ad tracking, that user has also declined other tracking methods. Apple's App Store rules say that app developers cannot collect data from a device for the purpose of identifying it, and developers are responsible for all tracking code in their apps, including any third-party SDKs they're using.

Adjust has now updated its SDK to remove code that accesses data like CPU type, phone memory, charging status, and battery level, so apps that were rejected for using Adjust may be able to have their updates greenlit after installing the new Adjust SDK.

There's still no word on when Apple plans to release iOS 14.5, but we've had six betas so far and the software is set to be available to the public sometime in the spring. With the App Tracking Transparency rules starting to be enforced for updates, it is possible that Apple is preparing for the software's launch, so we could perhaps see it debut in the near future.

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April 02, 2021 at 06:49AM
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Apple Now Rejecting App Updates That Defy iOS 14.5 App Tracking Transparency Rules - MacRumors

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Apple Rejecting Apps With Fingerprinting Enabled As iOS 14 Privacy Enforcement Starts - Forbes

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A logo of the Apple company is pictured in Berlin, Germany, Wednesday, Jan. 4, 2017. (AP ... [+] Photo/Michael Sohn)

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Apple is rejecting updates to apps that conflict with its new privacy policies in iOS 14, signaling that it is now getting serious about privacy enforcement. And, likely, that iOS 14.5 is close to being released, since that’s the version of iOS 14 in which Apple will require apps that want to track users to display the App Tracking Transparency prompt and get user permission.

“Our app just got rejected by Apple’s app reviewer, blaming the MMP SDK for building a fingerprint ID,” says Aude Boscher, a growth marketing product manager at Heetch, a French transportation startup, in an industry Slack channel. “I saw other people complaining ... so it might soon come up for you as well!”

And no, it’s not Apple’s way of making an April Fool’s joke.

“Apple does not joke with privacy for anyone going against the rules,” says mobile marketing professional Claire Rozain. “Security matters!”

Apps that have been rejected so far include:

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• And potentially up to 50,000 additional apps (see below for details)

“Your app uses algorithmically converted device and usage data to create a unique identifier in order to track the user,” says the message that Apple is using to inform app developers that their update has been rejected. “The device information collected by your app may include some of the following: NSLocaleAlternateQuotationBeginDelimiterKey, NSTimeZone, NSLocaleGroupingSeparator, NSLocaleDecimalSeparator ...”

Screenshot of the rejection message Apple is sending to some app developers.

John Koetsier

According to mobile marketing analyst Eric Seufert, a software development kit from Adjust, a mobile measurement company, is causing the problem. If so, it could impact thousands of apps.

Adjust says that it is trusted by “over 50,000 apps” on its website, and according to AppFigures, 18% of the apps on the App Store and 11% of the apps on Google Play that use attribution providers use Adjust. (Full disclosure, I do some consulting for Singular, another mobile measurement partner.)

Device fingerprinting, sometimes called probabilistic attribution, uses a large amount of data about a device to identify it. A measurement company might, for instance, collect data on software version, time since last system update, time since last restart, location, time zone, and more: even things like battery status, charging level, and amount of disk space.

Put it all together and you have something fairly unique — estimates on degree of uniqueness vary — that you can use to track who clicked an ad, who installed an app, and potentially more. You could also use this data to potentially build a device graph which includes insights and history on every device your software interacts with.

All of that is explicitly forbidden by Apple in iOS 14, where if you want to track people and devices you need to explicitly ask for and get permission — not unlike GDPR in some ways. Before iOS 14, Apple’s IDFA (Identifier for Advertisers) was freely available without consent, and became the basis for measuring marketing and — frankly — tracking both devices and people.

The change could reduce ad networks’ revenue by billions.

Adjust has updated its SDK, which is open source and publicly available on GitHub, in the last 14 hours. The update takes out code which accesses data like CPU type, how much memory a phone has, its charging status and battery level, and more. In all, the recent update involves 36 changed files with 44 additions and 622 deletions, according to GitHub.

Theoretically, therefore, updating to the new Adjust SDK will render app updates possible for all Adjust customers.

I have reached out to both Apple and Adjust for comment.

It’s important to note that while currently customers of one mobile measurement platform are at risk of having their app updates rejected, that doesn’t mean all the others are safe. Apple is clearly taking its policies seriously and will likely have checked or be checking all measurement and analytics providers’ SDK to ensure they are complying with Apple’s policies.

While all the change associated with iOS 14 is disruptive to the industry, there is a big upside, says Rozain: a party that this benefits.

“Good for the user!”

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April 02, 2021 at 01:45AM
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Apple Rejecting Apps With Fingerprinting Enabled As iOS 14 Privacy Enforcement Starts - Forbes

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Taurine Jailbreak Officially Released for All iOS 14 to iOS 14.3 Devices - Wccftech

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While iOS 14 has already been jailbroken by Unc0ver, it is always good to see new iterations coming up. The latest addition to the community is CoolSar's Taurine jailbreak tool for iOS 14 to iOS 14.3. If you have been waiting for CoolStar's take on iOS exploits, you are in for a treat. CoolStar has released a full-fledged version of the jailbreak which was previously envisioned to be an SSH-only jailbreak for iOS 14 and iPadOS 14. The Taurine jailbreak for iOS 14 to iOS 14.3 is now available to the general public.

CoolStar Releases Taurine Jailbreak Tool for All iPhone and iPad Models Running iOS 14 to iOS 14.3

The new jailbreak tweak was initially referred to as "Odyssey14" by CoolStar. The official name, however, is Taurine and you can install it now on your compatible devices. Taurine jailbreak for iOS 14 to iOS 14.3 makes use of the new cicuta_verosa explicit by @ModernPwner. The best part about the Taurine jailbreak is that it is supported by all devices running iOS 14 to iOS 14.3. In addition to this, it also supports Apple's A14 chipset on the iPhone 12 series.

iPhones in Russia are Finally Showing Government-Mandated Apps to Install

Take note that the Unc0ver tool also supports devices running iOS 14 to iOS 14.3 and even the newest iPhone 12 series. However, there are bound to be several differences between the two platforms since they are managed by different teams and make use of completely different bootstrap. With that said, the Taurine jailbreak tool integrates the Sileo package manager for tweak injection, browsing, and installation in contrast to Unc0ver's Cydia package manager. While both of the platforms will get you where you want to be, it depends upon your preferences.

If you are interested in checking it out for yourself, the Taurine jailbreak tool can be downloaded from the official Taurine website. That's all there is to it, folks. Are you looking to give it a shot? Let us know in the comments.

The Link Lonk


April 02, 2021 at 01:17AM
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Taurine Jailbreak Officially Released for All iOS 14 to iOS 14.3 Devices - Wccftech

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Microsoft shuts down Cortana on iOS and Android - The Verge

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Microsoft has shut down its Cortana app for iOS and Android. It’s the latest in a series of moves to end support for Cortana across multiple devices, including Microsoft’s own Surface Headphones. The Cortana app for iOS and Android is no longer supported, and Microsoft has removed it from both the App Store and Google’s Play Store.

“As we announced in July, we will soon be ending support for the Cortana app on Android and iOS, as Cortana continues its evolution as a productivity assistant,” reads a Microsoft support note spotted by MacRumors. “As of March 31, 2021, the Cortana content you created–such as reminders and lists–will no longer function in the Cortana mobile app, but can still be accessed through Cortana in Windows.” Cortana reminders, lists, and tasks are now available in the Microsoft To Do app instead.

Microsoft first launched Cortana for iOS and Android in December 2015. The app was originally designed to connect Windows 10 PCs and mobile phones, but failed to gain traction despite a big redesign. Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella recognized the company’s difficulties in competing with other digital assistants a couple of years ago, revealing that Microsoft no longer saw Cortana as a competitor to Alexa and Google Assistant.

Microsoft had once envisioned a future full of Cortana-powered fridges, toasters, and thermostats. That dream came to an end earlier this month when the first and only Cortana speaker removed Microsoft’s digital assistant. Other devices like the Cortana-powered GLAS thermostat are also no longer powered by Microsoft’s digital assistant.

Cortana isn’t completely finished, though. Microsoft still sees value in conversational AI and the company is trying to reposition Cortana as an assistant that can improve Microsoft’s enterprise-focused offerings.

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April 01, 2021 at 04:10PM
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Microsoft shuts down Cortana on iOS and Android - The Verge

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Microsoft retires Cortana app for iOS and Android - CNET

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Bye bye, Cortana on Android and iOS.

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Microsoft officially put the Cortana app for iOS and Android out to pasture on Wednesday, announcing the end of support for the mobile apps, effective immediately. Reminders and lists created by Cortana users will no longer be accessible through the mobile app, but they still can be used on the Windows 10 Cortana app, Microsoft said in a Microsoft support page.

People used the app, which is synced with Cortana on Windows 10, to set reminders, look up information and keep tabs on their day. But Cortana hadn't been holding her own against Alexa, Siri and Google Assistant.

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In 2019, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella said the company would scale back its ambitions for Cortana and optimize the assistant as a helper for Office 365 instead of a competitor for Alexa or Siri. In the past year, Microsoft removed Cortana from Xbox One, Skype and Windows 10 Search. 

The company ended support for the app in January in several countries around the world, including the UK, Canada, Australia, China, Germany, India, Mexico and Spain.

Lists, reminders and other content created by way of the iOS or Android app will still be accessible via Cortana on Windows, the company has said, adding that Cortana reminders, lists and tasks are automatically synced to the free Microsoft To Do mobile app.

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April 01, 2021 at 09:49AM
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Microsoft retires Cortana app for iOS and Android - CNET

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