Back in iOS 12, Apple finally gave us the ability to automatically download and install iOS updates overnight, so you could wake up the next day and have one of the best iPhones all updated and ready to go. Fast forward to today, and iOS 16 offers a few more options for automatic downloads and has some different requirements, but what should you do if it doesn't work?

This has happened to me multiple times, and I've woken up in the morning only to say, "Why won't my iPhone automatically install updates overnight?" I wish I could tell you that I have a silver bullet solution for you, but unfortunately, I still sometimes have issues downloading and installing updates automatically. Even on the latest devices like the iPhone 14 Pro, this can happen. Here are some troubleshooting tips you can try if you're experiencing issues with your iPhone automatically updating overnight.

1. Make sure the Automatic Updates feature is enabled

There are actually two different options for automatic updates in iOS 14 and above, one for just downloading the update and one for installing the update. You'll need to turn both turned on to download and install new updates overnight. You can turn them on by going Settings > General > Software Update > Automatic Updates and making sure both download and install options are turned on. The switches will be green when the features are enabled.

2. Make sure your iPhone is charging

If you want your iPhone to automatically update overnight, you'll need to make sure your iPhone is charging. That means you'll need it to be plugged in via the Lightning port to a power source or sitting atop a wireless charger (if your iPhone has wireless charging). If the update is set to download and install and the iPhone isn't charging, it won't work.

3. Make sure your iPhone is connected to Wi-Fi

The second requirement is for automatic downloads is that your iPhone is connected to Wi-Fi. Ensure that you are connected to the right network, and then your network is functioning with no problem. There are some troubleshooting tips if you're having issues with Wi-Fi on your iPhone. Also, makes sure where you charge your iPhone overnight has a good Wi-Fi signal; I have missed updates before because of a dead zone in my place.

4. Restart your iPhone

Rebooting or restarting your iPhone can sometimes shock the system back into working properly. If you do it right before you go to bed that evening, it may help get the automatic updates back on track. Just remember after restarting to ensure you're connected to the right Wi-Fi network and that the Automatic Updates feature is enabled.

Do you have any tips?

Have you encountered this issue before? Do you have any solutions? Share with the community in the comment section down below.

The App Library was only introduced to the iPhone in iOS 14, but it's become one of the most important parts of the iPhone Home Screen. If you don't know, the App Library is a way to organize your apps that allows you to get away from the ever-expanding pages of apps that you may have had before.

Your applications are collected into automatically-generated categories and are easily accessible from there. You can even turn on a setting that will keep newly-downloaded apps from appearing on your Home screen and just appearing in the library instead, thus keeping the Home Screen on your best iPhone from getting too cluttered. Here's how to use the App Library on iPhone and iPad.

Finding App Library

The App Library is very easy to find. Just swipe to the left to move to your last page of apps or widgets, then swipe one more time.

You'll see the App Library immediately, full of pre-populated categories like Productivity or Games. There is also a category full of your most recent downloads and a set of suggested apps, with suggestions powered by on-device machine learning.

Once you're in the App Library, you can launch apps directly from their categories or even expand the types to see all of the apps.

How to add an app to the App Library

While technically, all of your apps are in the App Library already, if you want an app to only appear in the Library rather than your Home Screen, here's how you do that.

1. Hold your finger on an app for one second to bring up the context menu.
2. Tap Remove App on the context menu.
3. Tap Add to Library.

How to set app downloads to only appear in the App Library

In iOS 15, if you don't want downloaded apps to appear on your Home Screen, you can switch on an option in Settings to ensure they only appear in the App Library.

1. Open Settings on your iPhone.
2. Tap Home Screens.

3. Tap App Library only to keep new apps off your Home screen.
4. Tap the Show in App Library switch on or off to control whether or not notification badges show up in the App Library.

How to open apps from categories in App Library

When you want to open an app from the App Library, you might have a couple of questions about doing that. If you head over to the library and tap on one of the smaller icons you see, that app will launch. But what if you want to dig through a category?

1. Swipe to the App Library.
2. Tap one of the larger icons on an app category if it's the app you want to open.

3. Tap the smaller icons to open the category.
4. Find and tap on the app you want to open.

How to search in App Library

If you don't want to dig through categories, you can always search in the App Library.

1. Swipe to the App Library.
2. Tap the Search Bar at the top of the screen.
3. Type the name of the app you want to use.

How to find the alphabetical app list in App Library

You can also navigate the App Library in an alphabetical list.

1. Swipe to the App Library.
2. Swipe down on the App Library.
3. Tap the app you're looking for on the list. Your apps are in alphabetical order, so whatever you're looking for should be easy to find.

How to hide a Home screen page

In combination with the App Library and Home Screen widgets, you can customize a Home page and hide it until you want to use it. For example, you can customize a Home Screen page with only apps you use for work and then hide it in the evenings and on weekends, so you're not distracted by work while relaxing.

1. Hold your finger on a blank spot on any Home Screen page to trigger jiggle mode.
2. Tap the series of dots at the bottom of the Home Screen page. These dots represent the number of Home Screen pages you have.
3. Untick the Home Screen page you want to hide.

When you hide a Home screen page, it will no longer appear on your Home screen. You can create and customize any number of Home screen pages to fit your lifestyle and then hide them out of the way until you need them. All apps are still on your iPhone and accessible from your App Library.

How to unhide a Home screen page

Hiding a Home Screen page doesn't mean it's gone forever. You can get it back any time and even have a variety of Home screen pages for different occasions.

1. Hold your finger on a blank spot on any Home Screen page to trigger jiggle mode.
2. Tap the series of dots at the bottom of the Home Screen page.
3. Tick the Home Screen page you want to unhide.

App Library on iPad

iPadOS 15 introduced the App Library to the iPad, meaning you can get all the same goodies and benefits that the iPhone App library brings to the table. The good news is the App Library functionality in PadOS 15 is identical to the iPhone, meaning all the steps listed above.

What's cool about iPadOS is that the App Library is on your iPad Dock, meaning you don't have to search for it as you do on iOS. Instead, you can open it by tapping on the App Library icon in the right-hand corner of your Dock.

Updated June 2022: Updated for the most recent version of iOS 15 and iPadOS 15.

Despite being historically controlling over the user experience on its platforms, Apple unlocked the ability for users to change their default apps on iPhone and iPad in recent years, with mail and web browsing being the first two categories allowing this type of customization.

As of iOS 15, this capability is only available to those two categories. However, since these are some of the most-used apps, it's nice to be able to adapt your experience to your needs and preferences.

If you've tried out a few mail and browser apps and have found the one you'd like to use all of the time, here's how to switch out your default mail and browser apps on iOS and iPadOS.

How to change the default mail app on iPhone and iPad

1. Launch the Settings app.
2. Tap the app you wish to make the default.

3. Tap Default Mail App.
4. Tap the app you wish to make the default.

How to change the default browser app on iPhone and iPad

1. Launch the Settings app.
2. Tap the app you wish to make the default.

3. Tap Default Browser App.
4. Tap the app you wish to make the default.

Switch your default apps to suit your needs

The best iPhone experience for one person may differ from the next, so it's positive that Apple lets you customize your experience based on your needs. For example, if you've found a mail app that you prefer to the built-in one or a browser that works better for you than Safari, it's easy to change your default via the Settings app.

While we wait for the ability to change other app categories in future iterations of iOS and iPadOS, mail and browser apps are a good start.

Since iOS 14.5, Apple added a feature called App Tracking Transparency (ATT). But what exactly is it? App Tracking Transparency gives you control over what apps are allowed to track your activity across other companies' apps and websites. Once the feature is enabled on your iPhone or iPad with iOS 14.5 and later, then apps are required to prompt users for permission to track their activity.

If you still aren't familiar with how this tracking technology works, think about all those times you were searching for one specific product that you maybe needed to buy just once. You may or may not have bought the item, but then you are getting bombarded on Facebook and Instagram with ads for other similar products. Sound familiar? That's because companies like Facebook collect user data, such as browsing history, to deliver "personalized" ads and the like. While this may seem okay at first, it gets tiring after seeing what seems like the 50th advertisement for a toilet bowl cleaner.

So how do you use App Tracking Transparency feature on the best iPhone and iPad, like your iPhone 13 Pro? Don't worry; we'll show you everything you need to know.

How to enable App Tracking Transparency on iPhone and iPad

By default, App Tracking Transparency should be on for everyone once the iPhone or iPad is updated to at least iOS 14.5 or later, like iOS 15. But if you want to make sure that it is enabled, or if you want to turn it off, here's how.

1. Launch Settings on your iPhone or iPad.
2. Scroll down and tap Privacy.

3. Tap Tracking.
4. Check to make sure that the toggle for Allow Apps to Request to Track is ON (green). If you want to turn it off, just tap the toggle until it's grayed out.

Once App Tracking Transparency is on, apps that have complied with Apple's new rules will bring up a prompt next time you launch the app. This prompt asks for your permission to track your activity across the app itself, as well as the companies' other apps and websites, and it's up to you to select whether or not to allow it or request the app not to track.

All of the apps that have asked for permission to track you will appear under the Tracking section in Privacy.

How to allow an app to track if you rejected it previously

If you previously did not allow an app to track your information, or you did, but now you've changed your mind, you can toggle it for individual apps as you see fit.

1. Launch Settings on your iPhone or iPad.
2. Scroll down and tap Privacy.

3. Tap Tracking.
4. Tap the toggle next to the apps that you want to allow tracking or not.

Keep your browsing history private with App Tracking Transparency

Apple has always had a firm stance on protecting user privacy, as you can check on its privacy page. App Tracking Transparency is just another tool in the arsenal for protecting our data from advertisers and companies like Facebook, and it definitely seems to be hitting them hard. So make sure to enable it if you don't want Big Brother knowing you're looking for mundane household items and other things.

Updated May 2022: These steps are still current for iOS 15 and iPadOS 15.

Back in iOS 14, widgets got an overhaul that broke them free from the confines of the Today view. Now, they can sit on your Home screen alongside your favorite apps. And what's more, widgets can now come in small, medium, and large sizes, meaning they can display only a small amount of pertinent information or everything you might need to know at a glance.

Getting widgets up and running is pretty simple. Here's how to use widgets on iPhone.

How to add a new widget to your Home screen

So, you're ready to get started with widgets, and you want to add one to your Home screen. Here's how to do it.

1. Tap and hold anywhere on your Home screen to enter edit (also known as 'jiggle') mode.
2. Tap the + button in the upper-left corner of the screen.
3. Tap one of the pre-defined widgets presented to you, or tap an app whose widget you want to use.

4. Swipe left or right on the widget sizes to choose which size to use.
5. Tap and drag the widget you want to use to the desired position on the Home screen.
6. Tap Done to exit "jiggle mode."

If an app does not appear in the widget list, it does not currently offer a Home screen widget.

How to edit a widget

There are a lot of available widgets that you can edit to display specific information. The customization options can differ depending on the app in question, but here's how to see what's possible for your widgets.

1. Tap and hold on to a widget until the contextual menu pops up.
2. Tap Edit Widget. If you're editing a single widget in a Smart Stack, tap Edit "(Widget name)".
3. Use the different options to tune the widget to your specific needs. Each widget can offer different options.

How to create or add a widget to a stack

Widget stacks allow easy access to several widgets while saving space on your Home screen. You can create widget stacks or use Apple's pre-built Smart Stacks.

1. Tap and hold on to a widget you want to add to a stack.
2. Drag the widget over the existing stack and release it, or drag it to another standalone widget to create a stack.

That's it; you've now got two or more widgets taking up the space of one. If you want to make changes to your stacks, check out the next section.

How to edit a widget stack

Whether you want to edit a widget stack you made yourself or manually tune one of Apple's pre-made Smart Stacks to better suit your needs, you can do so.

1. Tap and hold on to the widget stack until the context menu appears.
2. Tap Edit Stack.

3. To rearrange the order widgets in the stack, tap and hold a widget and then drag it above or below other widgets.
4. To remove a widget from the stack, tap the - icon on its corner, then tap Remove to confirm.
5. Below the widget stack, you can turn Smart Rotate and Widget Suggestions on or off by tapping their icons.

Smart Rotate is designed to automatically show you the most relevant widget in the stack for your needs based on your typical iPhone usage. Widget Suggestions can automatically insert a widget into the stack you may need but don't currently have.

How to add a widget to the Today view

Though widgets can now be placed anywhere on your iPhone Home screen, the Today view still exists and effectively works as a widget depot. Some older widgets only work in the Today view, so you might still want to use it from time to time.

1. From your Home screen, swipe to the right to show the Today view.
2. Tap and hold on empty screen space to enter edit (jiggle) mode (or scroll to the bottom of the today view and tap Edit).
3. Tap the + button in the upper-left corner.

4. Tap an app whose widget you want on the today view.
5. Swipe left or right to choose the widget size you want.

6. Tap and drag the widget to the place in the Today view where you want it to reside. You can also tap the widget or app to choose a different widget size.
7. Tap Done to exit edit mode.

How to add a widget to your Home screen from the Today view

If there's a widget in the Today view that you'd like to be able to glance at right without having to open the Today view, you can add it to your Home screen.

1. Swipe to the right on your Home screen to open the Today view.
2. Tap and hold on to the widget that you want to move to the Home screen.

3. Drag the widget to your Home screen.
4. Release the widget in the desire position on the Home screen.

Note that older widgets (those that pre-date iOS 14) only work in the Today view. These older widgets are gathered in a section at the bottom of the Today view, and the above drag-and-drop advice won't work on them.

A future iOS update may remove this deprecated widget type, but for now, these widgets can still be used in the Today view.

How to delete a widget from your Home screen

Whether you're finding a widget is no longer helpful, or it's just time to change up your Home screen, it's super easy to delete a widget. Here's how.

1. Tap and hold on to the widget you want to delete until the context menu appears.
2. Tap Remove Widget.
3. Tap Remove.

Customize your Home screen

Widgets offer a neat Home screen upgrade and allow you to get glanceable information without opening an app. It can take a bit of time to get your new Home screen customized to your needs, but it's well worth doing so for the best iPhone experience.

Updated May 2022: Updated for iOS 15.

One incredibly handy feature on your iPhone is the ability to unlock it using just your Apple Watch, instead of typing in your password. Of course, this doesn't always work 100% of the time, but when it does, it's pretty amazing. While we have Face ID on most iPhone models these days, there are times when our faces get covered up and it's hard for the TrueDepth camera sensors to detect our face. This is especially true since the pandemic, which calls for wearing a face mask in certain places.

Apple added a feature in iOS 14.5 and later that lets you unlock your iPhone when Face ID just isn't an option. That's right — you can use your favorite Apple Watch, such as the Apple Watch Series 7, to unlock your iPhone when your face is covered up, or other situations where Face ID just doesn't work well enough.

Here's how to unlock your iPhone with your Apple Watch. And if you want this on your best Mac too, make sure to check out our guide on how to enable Auto Unlock on your Mac and Apple Watch.

How to unlock your iPhone with your Apple Watch

While the iPhone 13 series might be some of the best iPhones to date, in this time when many of us are still wearing masks, the Face ID biometric system has often proven more of a hindrance than a help. Apple has introduced "Unlock with Apple Watch." The feature lets your Apple Watch automatically unlock your iPhone when certain conditions are met, including:

• Face ID on your iPhone detects that you are wearing a mask
• Your Apple Watch is nearby, on your wrist, unlocked, and has a passcode enabled

To use the new feature, you must have iOS 14.5 or later installed on your iPhone and watchOS 7.4 or later installed on your Apple Watch.

To get started:

1. Tap the Settings app on your iPhone.
2. Scroll down, choose Face ID & Passcode.
3. Login with your passcode.

4. Scroll down, toggle on Apple Watch under the Unlock with Apple Watch section.

That's it! You can now unlock your iPhone using your Apple Watch when certain conditions are met.

Unlock your iPhone with a flick of the wrist

Even if you aren't wearing a face mask, Unlock with Apple Watch is still very handy. For example, it has been a lifesaver when I'm holding a baby in my arms but still need to get to my phone for something important. And if you unlocked it unintentionally, you can lock your iPhone again right from your Apple Watch too. How convenient!

Of course, the feature to unlock your iPhone with Face ID while wearing a mask has been released through the latest iOS 15.4 update as well, but if you don't prefer that, this is a handy tool.

Updated April 2022: Updated for the public release for the feature.

With iOS 14, Apple gave users the ability to have widgets anywhere on the Home screen, not just in a separate view. Along with creating custom app icons without having to jailbreak, this was a significant step forward in iOS customization. Many developers have now updated their apps to allow for some amazing new Home screen widgets to further personalize your iPhone and iPad, so you'd best take advantage of that.

But what if you're experiencing some issues with getting those widgets to show up? There are a few different reasons why you may not be seeing them, but we're here to help! Here's how to fix Home screen widgets on your best iPhone with iOS 15.

Make sure you've updated the app to the latest version

The first step to troubleshooting the problem of not seeing your favorite app's updated widget style available is to make sure you're on the latest version of the app. After all, these new widgets were made for iOS 14 and later, so you'll need to ensure that you've downloaded the most recent version.

If you're wondering how to manually update your apps on iPhone and iPad, it's a pretty easy process. And once you do that, you should enable automatic updates, so you never have to update apps again manually.

Open the updated or new app at least once

Even if you just updated the app, it may still not show up when you try to add a widget to your Home screen. If you followed the steps in our guide on downloading and updating apps and games and still don't see it, then make sure you launch the app at least once. This ensures that you're logged in if necessary, and all of the data you want in a widget will be loaded up first in the app.

If the widget for your favorite app still does not show up after opening it up at least once, then you'll need to proceed to the next troubleshooting tip.

Restart your iPhone

If all else fails — and sometimes it does happen — then you should try to restart your iPhone or iPad. A good restart usually fixes most problems, including glitches, bugs, and other weird issues.

Now, if at this point you still do not see a new widget for your favorite app showing up, then it may also be entirely possible that the developer hasn't created a new widget yet. If this appears to be the case, you will want to try contacting the developer to see if they plan to add a Home screen widget in the future. Remember — it's a feature that developers can choose to add or not, so it's not a requirement.

Make it yours with widgets

As you can see, there are a few ways to go about fixing the issue if the widgets for your favorite apps aren't showing up. But if you've tried these and it still doesn't show up, make sure that the app you're looking for has a custom Home screen widget first — not every app will! But the majority of them should, as long as it makes sense to do so. Whether you're using an iPhone SE or iPhone 13 Pro, as long as you have iOS 14 or later, Home screen widgets are possible. And don't forget to take the Home screen customization a step further with app icon customization through the Shortcuts app!

Updated April 2022: These are still the best steps to take to fix Home screen widgets.

What you need to know

• Twitter posted its earnings on Thursday.
• The company's profit fell due to increased expenses.
• However, the company says it was able to avoid some of the impact of Apple's iOS 14 privacy changes.

Twitter posted its earnings on Thursday, revealing a drop in its profits versus expectations, however, the company says that it was able to avoid much of the impact caused by changes made to privacy in iOS 14 that have really impacted Facebook.

In its Q4 2021 earnings, Twitter revealed that it brought in around $1.5 billion in revenue, a huge chunk of which is advertising revenue. Twitter says that it now has around 217 million monetizable daily average users and that it is buying back some $4 billion worth of its shares.

Despite profits not reaching expected levels, Twitter says that iOS 14 privacy changes rolled out by Apple last year have not had the same effect on its business as Meta, which is anticipating a loss of some $10 billion in revenue. From its earnings highlights:

It comes as Facebook (now Meta) warned earlier this month that the changes made by Apple to make IDFA tracking across apps and services an opt-in feature would cost the company $10 billion. A report recently revealed that the changes made by Apple have wiped some $278 billion off the market capitalization of Snap, Twitter, Meta, and Pinterest. Apple continues to make privacy a focus of its business and often advertises privacy as one of its best iPhone features on devices like the iPhone 13. The company is reportedly reading a new iPhone SE for an event rumored to be held in March.

What you need to know

• Apple's App Tracking Transparency feature is being investigated in Poland.
• It's over claims Apple may be trying to eliminate competitors for personalized advertising.
• With iOS 14.5 Apple let users opt-out of third-party tracking across different apps and services.

Apple's App Tracking Transparency feature that debuted in iOS 14 earlier this year is under investigation in Poland.

Poland's Office of Competition and Consumer Protection (UOKiK) said on Monday:

The review will look at the changes made so that users have to opt-in to tracking, which it says in practice means "that Apple has significantly reduced the ability of third-party apps to obtain personal data on iOS in order to send personalised ads." The report notes that this does not mean users' information is no longer being collected and that they don't receive personalized ads. It also says that there is some doubt "as to whether the rules established by Apple were not designed to promote their own advertising service, Apple Search Ads, which could be a violation of competition principles."

"The actions of digital giants are a challenge for antitrust authorities all around the world. During the course of our investigation, we want to examine whether Apple's actions may be aimed at eliminating competitors in the market for personalised advertising services, the objective being to better sell their own service," said Tomasz Chróstny, UOKiK president. "We will investigate whether this is a case of exclusionary abuse of market power."

The investigation pertains to all Apple devices running iOS 14.5, iPadOS 14.5, and tvOS 14.5 and beyond, including Apple's iPhone 12 and iPhone 13, the company's best iPhone to date.

What you need to know

• Snap is being sued by one of its own investors.
• It's over claims Snapchat's parent company misled investors and downplayed the impact of Apple's privacy changes.
• Snap missed earnings targets because of iOS 14.5's privacy changes.

Investors in Snapchat's parent company Snap is suing the outfit claiming it misled people over the impact changes to privacy in iOS 14 would have on its business.

As noted by Reuters:

Investor Kellie Black claims that Snap made statements that were "materially false and/or misleading" because "they misrepresented and failed to disclose the following adverse facts pertaining to the Company's business, operational and financial results, which were known to Defendants or recklessly disregarded by them." Specifically, the suit claims that Snap failed to disclose that Apple's changes would have, and were having an impact on the firm's ad business, and that it overstated its ability to overcome the measures, and that it "knew of, but downplayed, the risks of the impact that Apple's privacy changes had on the Company's advertising business."

The suit is a class action representing anyone who bought shares in Snap and was damaged by the claims, described to be so numerous that joining all of them in the suit would not be practical. The suit seeks damages to the plaintiff and the class.

As the suit notes, in October Snap shares fell some 25% after it emerged it was continuing to battle Apple's privacy changes and had missed its earnings target as a result. In iOS 14.5 earlier this year Apple made third-party tracking using an IDFA identifier across apps and services for the purpose of advertising an opt-in experience, with numerous surveys indicating most people are opting out. At a recent earnings call Apple CEO Tim Cook reiterated that Apple's move was overwhelmingly popular with users on iPhone 13 and its other best iPhones.

What you need to know

• Companies are reporting a mixed impact from Apple's iOS 14 privacy changes.
• Last week Snapchat shares plunged because of a hit to earnings.
• This week Facebook, Alphabet, and Twitter have posted earnings and mixed responses to the change.

Following the news, last week that Snap had missed its earnings target because of iOS 14 privacy changes, Facebook, Alphabet (Google), and Twitter have posted their earnings with mixed signals regarding the impact of Apple's changes.

As noted by MarketWatch:

Alphabet CFO Ruth Porat said iOS 14 changes had "a modest impact on YouTube revenues", which were $200 million shy of analyst estimates of $7.4 billion. Twitter told investors Tuesday that "It is still too early for Twitter to assess the long-term impact of Apple's privacy-related iOS changes, but the Q3 revenue impact was lower than expected, and we have incorporated an ongoing modest impact into our Q4 guidance."

By contrast, Facebook still reported positive earnings but has warned of "significant uncertainty" going into Q4 " in light of continued headwinds from Apple's iOS 14 changes, and macroeconomic and COVID-related factors."

Last week shares of Snapchat parent company Snap fell by 25% after it reported missing out on its earnings targets because of the iOS 14 changes, despite earning $1 billion in revenue for the first time ever. The changes, made by Apple earlier this year and carried over into iOS 15 and the iPhone 13, mean users must opt-in to being tracked using an IDFA number across numerous apps and services, significantly reducing the power of targeted advertising. Facebook has previously strongly warned against the move stating it would destroy small businesses that rely on advertising. Snap also reported that a reporting tool from Apple that accompanied the changes is not working as well as expected.

What you need to know

• A new study claims Apple's App Tracking Transparency feature does not work.
• According to Lockdown Privacy ATT makes no difference to the number of third party trackers or data being sent to trackers.
• A scathing new study describes the feature as "functionally useless"

A new study into Apple's App Tracking Transparency feature, which was added to all of Apple's best iPhones with iOS 14 to let users opt-out of third-party tracking, claims the feature is "functionally useless."

The study was published in September, and its conclusion states:

You can read the full study and its methodology here, but the upshot according to LP is that "when it comes to stopping third-party trackers, App Tracking Transparency is a dud." In fact, Lockdown Privacy says its actually worse than that, because tapping 'Ask App Not To Track' may give users a false sense of privacy where users who might have otherwise been more careful let their guard down with thier data.

The group says the flaw lies in the fact the feature is based on "the honor system", and so its up to App Developers to be honest, but that apps have no incentive to be forthcoming "if all their competitors are lying."

The group says that Apple should take a harder stance on closed-source trackers, and should "come clean that App Tracking Transparency is a completely trust-based system, and possibly even rename the feature itself." Apple's support documentation currently states:

The study was picked up by The Washington Post, and Apple responded to the claims:

The Post also stated that Apple said it was "reaching out to these companies to understand what information they are collecting and how they are sharing it" but that nothing appeared to have changed after several weeks.

What you need to know

• Apple has stopped signing iOS 14.8.
• Users will no longer be able to install iOS 14.8 on their iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch.
• The only version of iOS that is now available to be installed is iOS 15.

Apple has stopped signing iOS 14.8 and iPadOS 14.8 for the iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch. This means that anyone who wants to install iOS or iPadOS must install iOS 15 or iPadOS 15 on their device.

Apple is known to quickly stop signing older versions of iOS and iPadOS to ensure that users are running the latest version of Apple's software. Newer versions of each software not only include new features but bug fixes, performance improvements, and security updates.

Now, anyone who attempts to restore an iPhone will have only iOS 14.8 as an option. Those who are on the developer and public beta train can, of course, still install the iOS 15 betas.

While some do enjoy the option of downgrading to an earlier version of iOS or iPadOS as a backstop to issues with a newer version of the software, that opening is usually short. If you are running iOS 15 and experiencing issues, you'll need to hold tight until Apple releases an update with the fix you may need.

Apple did recently release iOS 15.0.1 which fixed a notable bug with how the iPhone 13 and Apple Watch worked together. When users got their hands on their new iPhone 13, they noticed that the "Unlock with Apple Watch" functionality, which is handy when using your iPhone with a mask, was not working. With iOS 15.0.1, Apple restored this functionality for those with both an iPhone 13 and Apple Watch.

What you need to know

• Some users are reporting that their iPhones are unable to find cell service after installing iOS 14.7.1.
• Some people suggest that removing the SIM card might work, but others say it didn't for them.

Apple released iOS 14.7.1 a few weeks ago and it seems it might have added a bug that prevents some iPhones from being able to hold on to a cell signal.

According to people across Apple's forums and spotted by 9to5Mac, people are experiencing the issue on a variety of devices including older iPhones like iPhone 6S. Others have newer devices like iPhone 11 and similar models, but they are all seeing the dreaded No Service message at the top of the screen.

Unfortunately, some people report that going through the usual fixes of resetting network settings and removing SIM cards isn't working, too.

Apple does already have a support page for such an issue, but it simply tells people to check for Carrier Settings updates and then do the whole SIM card dance. If that doesn't work, Apple suggests contacting carriers to see if the SIM can be swapped out.

One potential solution is of course to buy a new iPhone. Apple's iPhone 13 launch is just around the corner and who doesn't want an excuse to buy what is sure to be the best iPhone Apple has ever made?

On a positive note, we do know that Apple is testing iOS 14.8 internally. It's possible that could fix the issue, although if that was the idea we might expect it to have been released by now. Whatever's going on, fingers crossed that things get fixed sooner rather than later.

What you need to know

• Unity has reported strong second-quarter results.
• In particular, Unity Operate revenue is 63% year on year.
• One commenter says this is a sign the company has actually benefited from Apple's privacy changes in iOS 14.

New financial results from Unity say the game engine creator has actually benefited from changes made to iOS 14 that let users opt-out of tracking for the purposes of advertising on devices like the iPhone 12 and beyond.

As WSJ notes Unity posted its second-quarter financial results earlier this week. The company reported that Q2 revenue climbed 48%, exceeding expectations and generation $273.6 million. As the report notes, Unity was one of the companies that may have stood to lose from changes made to iOS 14 that will make it much harder to track users across apps and services for the purpose of serving personalized ads:

However, Unity Operate, the segment of its business that stood to lose the most from the changes actually grew 63% year on year. According to the report, the company says it now captures and analyzes some 50 billion in-app events every day that it can use to help its customers direct advertising spending. According to Credit Suisse's Stephen Ju, "Unity is emerging as a net beneficiary of IDFA for now and appears to be gaining market share." This sentiment was echoed by Unity CFO Luis Visoso who said "While our strong performance is broad-based, we are particularly proud of the performance from our Operate Solutions group that expanded market share in a tough environment. Our strong performance gives us the confidence to raise guidance for the year, again."

What you need to know

• Apple has stopped signing iOS 14.7, preventing people from installing it.
• The only version of iOS that's now available to be installed is iOS 14.7.1.

Apple has stopped signing iOS 14.7 which means people can no longer install it on iPhones. That means that the only version of iOS that can be installed as of right now is the iOS 14.7.1 update that was released last week.

Apple routinely stops signing older versions of its iOS software to ensure that people are running the latest version wherever possible. The newer software often comes with support for new features and includes important bug and security fixes and Apple wants to make sure people have those fixes installed.

Right now anyone restoring an iPhone will have iOS 14.7.1 installed. Those who are on the developer and public beta train can also install the iOS 15 betas if they're feeling brave, but that update won't be released to the world until some time this fall.

While the cessation of iOS 14.7 signing won't be an issue for most, some people like to downgrade when they encounter bugs that were not present in a previous release. If that's you, you're out of luck for now. The best move is to hope that whatever you're dealing with is fixed in the next iOS update rather than trying to downgrade.

Apple has a busy few months ahead of it and not just because iOS 15 is on the horizon. Apple is set to announce the iPhone 13 lineup at some point in September — a release that's likely to bring us the best iPhone yet. New AirPods, iPads, and Macs are also in the pipeline while Apple Watch Series 7 is just around the corner, too.

What you need to know

• Apple has released iOS 14.7.1.
• It appears to have patched a vulnerability that made it possible to install Pegasus spyware on an iPhone with no user input.

It appears that Apple has likely patched a vulnerability in its iPhone software with the latest version of iOS 14 that was exploited by Pegasus spyware, according to recent reports.

The Register notes that iOS 14.7.1 came out Monday, and in all likelihood patched a vulnerability in iOS 14.6:

Apple's traditionally bland software notes simply said "An application may be able to execute arbitrary code with kernel privileges... Apple is aware of a report that this issue may have been actively exploited."

There's no way that Apple would be forthcoming about what specific issue was patched or whether it relates to recent stories about NSO Group and its Pegasus spyware, reportedly used to target the phones of journalists and activists as well as government officials. A report previously noted the software could be installed on the iPhone without any user input.

iOS 14.7.1 also helped to fix a bug that stopped Touch ID iPhones from unlocking Apple Watch, you can read about that fix here.

What you need to know

• Apple is no longer signing iOS 14.6.
• Anyone restoring an iPhone will now be stuck with either iOS 14.7 or iOS 14.7.1.

Apple is no longer signing iOS 14.6, preventing users from installing it. As a result, anyone restoring an iPhone can now only install iOS 14.7 or iOS 14.7.1 on their device.

The timing of Apple's move should be noted, too. Apple released iOS 14.7.1 yesterday, an update that includes a fix for a bug that prevented Touch ID iPhones from unlocking Apple Watches. That bug was introduced in iOS 14.7 and could have seen some people downgrade to iOS 14.6. With the bug fixed, iOS 14.6 is no longer needed.

Apple routinely stops signing older versions of iOS to prevent people from installing them. There could be multiple reasons for that, including ensuring people can't install versions of iOS that have been found to have security flaws. Another reason could be to try and ensure as many people as possible have access to a new feature. Whatever the reason, it's a move that helps Apple keep people on newer versions of iOS than might otherwise be the case.

The recent release of iOS 14.7.1 is likely to be one of the last before iOS 15 arrives this fall. Set to be the best iPhone software yet, the update is in the hands of public and developer beta testers right now. Bar some strange decisions in terms of Safari, the update is looking pretty slick!

Apple is likely to release the iOS 15 update a few days before it also releases its new iPhones. The iPhone 13 lineup is expected to be announced in or around September.

What you need to know

• Apple's iOS 14.7.1 release fixes a bug that prevented some iPhones from unlocking Apple Watches.
• Some iPhones with Touch ID were unable to unlock Apple Watches once iOS 14.7 was installed.

Apple just released iOS 14.7.1 to the public and it comes with one big bug fix in toe. According to Apple, the new release fixes a bug that caused some Touch ID-equipped iPhones to be unable to unlock Apple Watches.

The bug, which was introduced as part of the recent iOS 14.7 release, only affected iPhones that had Touch ID and even then, it didn't impact everyone. But it was still a bug that was an irritation to those it affected and it's great to see Apple get a fix out. It did confirm previously that a fix would be available in a future update, but some had worried we might have to wait for iOS 15 to arrive this fall.

Thankfully, that wasn't the case. This release also includes "important security updates" so I'd suggest everyone install it whether the Touch ID was an issue, or not.

Of course, Touch ID is now only available on older iPhones and the current iPhone SE. With that in mind, check out our list of the best iPhone deals — it might be time for an upgrade!

Back at WWDC 2020, Apple announced a new feature for the iPhone related to cars: digital car keys. The feature supports a limited number of BMW vehicles, with other manufacturers reportedly coming soon, and allows users with compatible vehicles to use their iPhone as the key to both unlock their car and turn it on. The digital car key can also be shared with other people and can even add restrictions on how they use your car.

Here's what you need to know about digital car keys on iPhone.

Digital car keys?

Yep. Starting with iOS 13.6 and continuing with iOS 14 and newer, you can add digital car keys into the Wallet app on your iPhone that you can use instead of your car's physical key.

The feature launched with compatibility for a small set of BMW cars, with a few more vehicles being added since then. It allows you to unlock and turn on your car without having the physical key that came with your car on you, assuming your vehicle supports that functionality.

How do digital car keys work?

Your digital car key can be added to the Wallet app on your iPhone by following the instructions provided by your car's manufacturer. When it's added to Wallet, the key's security information is stored in the Secure Element on your iPhone's system-on-a-chip, just like your debit and credit card information, so it remains secure.

When you want to unlock your car, you just tap your iPhone to your car's door handle like you would an Apple Pay terminal. Vehicles with digital car key support use NFC to sense a nearby device. When your device is recognized and verified by the car, the doors unlock.

Once you're in the car, you'll place your iPhone on a reader or an included wireless charging pad, which will authorize you to start the car.

In a 2021 update, Apple and the rest of the Car Connectivity Consortium (the folks behind the underlying technology for digital car keys) announced its Digital Key Release 3.0 specification, which includes support for Bluetooth LE and Ultra Wideband technology — the same tech found in Apple's U1 chip in the newest iPhone models.

The updated spec will allow the vehicle to detect your iPhone or Apple Watch's proximity much more accurately, meaning you no longer need to get your device within NFC-sensing distance to unlock the door.

So, do I need to take my phone out of my pocket or bag to use digital car keys?

Right now, that's correct. Since digital car keys currently function using NFC, you need to tap your device to your car door handle to unlock it.

When iOS 15 launches later this year, it will include support for Bluetooth LE and Ultra Wideband for digital car keys meaning that the user no longer has to tap the phone to the door handle to unlock the vehicle. However, it's worth noting that the car also has to be compatible. The only vehicle that is confirmed to support this feature is the upcoming BMW iX which goes on sale in late 2021.

What about sharing car keys?

You can absolutely share your digital car keys. Just tap on the car key in Wallet, then tap the ••• button in the upper-right corner of the screen. Tap the Invite button, then choose who you want to invite.

You can give a person unrestricted access to unlock and drive your car, or you can set the shared key to Restricted Driving mode that lets you set restrictions that limit specific capabilities of the car.

Car keys are shared over iMessage and appear as rich content in a message thread with the people you're sharing them with. After you've shared a car key, you can revoke access to it at any time.

What kind of restrictions can you place on a shared car key?

You can set up a restricted car key to limit multiple aspects of driving your car. For instance, you can set acceleration limits, top speed limits, and even traction control. You can also set a maximum volume on the car stereo to ensure minimal distraction.

All this sounds great, but what if my iPhone battery dies?

While the battery life is often a concern on iPhones, completely draining your iPhone's battery doesn't necessarily mean that you lose your car key, too. This is because of power reserve, which enables your digital car key to work for up to five hours after your iPhone's battery is drained for regular use.

Are car keys in Wallet only supported on iPhone?

No! If you have an Apple Watch Series 5 or newer, you'll be able to unlock your car with a tap of your wrist rather than your iPhone.

Additionally, Apple is working with the Car Connectivity Consortium on building out standards for digital car keys. This could theoretically make digital car keys shareable between iOS and Android devices, but that seems like it would be a little ways off.

What cars support Apple's digital car keys?

Despite launching in 2020, there still aren't a lot of cars that support Apple's car keys initiative. That will change over time as the technology becomes more widespread, but the automotive industry tends to move a lot more slowly than the tech industry.

Right now, only BMW is making cars with digital car key support. These are the models for which you can use digital car keys:

• 1 Series
• 2 Series
• 3 Series
• 4 Series
• 5 Series
• 6 Series
• 8 Series
• X5
• X6
• X7
• X5 M
• X6 M
• Z4
• iX

Notably, only cars manufactured after July 1, 2020, support digital keys. So if you got a brand new BMW X5 on June 30, 2020, sorry, you're out of luck.

News reports suggest that Hyundai and Tesla are soon to get digital car key support. We expect the technology will become a standard feature among new cars over time like CarPlay.

What devices will support digital car keys?

The following iPhone and Apple Watch models support car keys in Wallet:

• iPhone XR
• iPhone XS
• iPhone XS Max
• iPhone 11
• iPhone 11 Pro
• iPhone 11 Pro Max
• iPhone SE (2nd generation)
• iPhone 12
• iPhone 12 mini
• iPhone 12 Pro
• iPhone 12 Pro Max
• Apple Watch Series 5
• Apple Watch Series 6

When exactly will digital car keys be available?

If you have a compatible car, you can use digital car keys on your iPhone or Apple Watch right now, assuming you've updated to iOS 13.6 or later.

Updated July 2021: Updated for the most recent version of iOS 14.

What you need to know

• Apple has released the details of its security fixes in iOS 14.7 and iPadOS 14.7.
• The fixes include ones for Find My and WebKit.

Earlier today, Apple released iPadOS 14.7 to the public after releasing iOS 14.7 earlier this week.

In addition to those software releases, Apple has published the full list of the security fixes it has released as part of those software updates. The updates include security fixes to both Find My and WebKit.

You can check out the full list of security fixes below or on the Apple Support website:

ActionKit

• Available for: iPhone 6s and later, iPad Pro (all models), iPad Air 2 and later, iPad 5th generation and later, iPad mini 4 and later, and iPod touch (7th generation)
• Impact: A shortcut may be able to bypass Internet permission requirements
• Description: An input validation issue was addressed with improved input validation.
• CVE-2021-30763: Zachary Keffaber (@QuickUpdate5)

Audio

• Available for: iPhone 6s and later, iPad Pro (all models), iPad Air 2 and later, iPad 5th generation and later, iPad mini 4 and later, and iPod touch (7th generation)
• Impact: A local attacker may be able to cause unexpected application termination or arbitrary code execution
• Description: This issue was addressed with improved checks.
• CVE-2021-30781: tr3e

AVEVideoEncoder

• Available for: iPhone 6s and later, iPad Pro (all models), iPad Air 2 and later, iPad 5th generation and later, iPad mini 4 and later, and iPod touch (7th generation)
• Impact: An application may be able to execute arbitrary code with kernel privileges
• Description: A memory corruption issue was addressed with improved state management.
• CVE-2021-30748: George Nosenko

CoreAudio

• Available for: iPhone 6s and later, iPad Pro (all models), iPad Air 2 and later, iPad 5th generation and later, iPad mini 4 and later, and iPod touch (7th generation)
• Impact: Processing a maliciously crafted audio file may lead to arbitrary code execution
• Description: A memory corruption issue was addressed with improved state management.
• CVE-2021-30775: JunDong Xie of Ant Security Light-Year Lab

CoreAudio

• Available for: iPhone 6s and later, iPad Pro (all models), iPad Air 2 and later, iPad 5th generation and later, iPad mini 4 and later, and iPod touch (7th generation)
• Impact: Playing a malicious audio file may lead to an unexpected application termination
• Description: A logic issue was addressed with improved validation.
• CVE-2021-30776: JunDong Xie of Ant Security Light-Year Lab

CoreGraphics

• Available for: iPhone 6s and later, iPad Pro (all models), iPad Air 2 and later, iPad 5th generation and later, iPad mini 4 and later, and iPod touch (7th generation)
• Impact: Opening a maliciously crafted PDF file may lead to an unexpected application termination or arbitrary code execution
• Description: A race condition was addressed with improved state handling.
• CVE-2021-30786: ryuzaki

CoreText

• Available for: iPhone 6s and later, iPad Pro (all models), iPad Air 2 and later, iPad 5th generation and later, iPad mini 4 and later, and iPod touch (7th generation)
• Impact: Processing a maliciously crafted font file may lead to arbitrary code execution
• Description: An out-of-bounds read was addressed with improved input validation.
• CVE-2021-30789: Mickey Jin (@patch1t) of Trend Micro, Sunglin of Knownsec 404 team

Crash Reporter

• Available for: iPhone 6s and later, iPad Pro (all models), iPad Air 2 and later, iPad 5th generation and later, iPad mini 4 and later, and iPod touch (7th generation)
• Impact: A malicious application may be able to gain root privileges
• Description: A logic issue was addressed with improved validation.
• CVE-2021-30774: Yizhuo Wang of Group of Software Security In Progress (G.O.S.S.I.P) at Shanghai Jiao Tong University

CVMS

• Available for: iPhone 6s and later, iPad Pro (all models), iPad Air 2 and later, iPad 5th generation and later, iPad mini 4 and later, and iPod touch (7th generation)
• Impact: A malicious application may be able to gain root privileges
• Description: An out-of-bounds write issue was addressed with improved bounds checking.
• CVE-2021-30780: Tim Michaud(@TimGMichaud) of Zoom Video Communications

dyld

• Available for: iPhone 6s and later, iPad Pro (all models), iPad Air 2 and later, iPad 5th generation and later, iPad mini 4 and later, and iPod touch (7th generation)
• Impact: A sandboxed process may be able to circumvent sandbox restrictions
• Description: A logic issue was addressed with improved validation.
• CVE-2021-30768: Linus Henze (pinauten.de)

Find My

• Available for: iPhone 6s and later, iPad Pro (all models), iPad Air 2 and later, iPad 5th generation and later, iPad mini 4 and later, and iPod touch (7th generation)
• Impact: A malicious application may be able to access Find My data
• Description: A permissions issue was addressed with improved validation.
• CVE-2021-30804: Csaba Fitzl (@theevilbit) of Offensive Security

FontParser

• Available for: iPhone 6s and later, iPad Pro (all models), iPad Air 2 and later, iPad 5th generation and later, iPad mini 4 and later, and iPod touch (7th generation)
• Impact: Processing a maliciously crafted font file may lead to arbitrary code execution
• Description: An integer overflow was addressed through improved input validation.
• CVE-2021-30760: Sunglin of Knownsec 404 team

FontParser * Available for: iPhone 6s and later, iPad Pro (all models), iPad Air 2 and later, iPad 5th generation and later, iPad mini 4 and later, and iPod touch (7th generation) * Impact: Processing a maliciously crafted tiff file may lead to a denial-of-service or potentially disclose memory contents * Description: This issue was addressed with improved checks. * CVE-2021-30788: tr3e working with Trend Micro Zero Day Initiative

FontParser

• Available for: iPhone 6s and later, iPad Pro (all models), iPad Air 2 and later, iPad 5th generation and later, iPad mini 4 and later, and iPod touch (7th generation)
• Impact: Processing a maliciously crafted font file may lead to arbitrary code execution
• Description: A stack overflow was addressed with improved input validation.
• CVE-2021-30759: hjy79425575 working with Trend Micro Zero Day Initiative

Identity Service

• Available for: iPhone 6s and later, iPad Pro (all models), iPad Air 2 and later, iPad 5th generation and later, iPad mini 4 and later, and iPod touch (7th generation)
• Impact: A malicious application may be able to bypass code signing checks
• Description: An issue in code signature validation was addressed with improved checks.
• CVE-2021-30773: Linus Henze (pinauten.de)

Image Processing

• Available for: iPhone 6s and later, iPad Pro (all models), iPad Air 2 and later, iPad 5th generation and later, iPad mini 4 and later, and iPod touch (7th generation)
• Impact: Processing maliciously crafted web content may lead to arbitrary code execution
• Description: A use after free issue was addressed with improved memory management.
• CVE-2021-30802: Matthew Denton of Google Chrome Security

ImageIO

• Available for: iPhone 6s and later, iPad Pro (all models), iPad Air 2 and later, iPad 5th generation and later, iPad mini 4 and later, and iPod touch (7th generation)
• Impact: Processing a maliciously crafted image may lead to arbitrary code execution
• Description: This issue was addressed with improved checks.
• CVE-2021-30779: Jzhu, Ye Zhang(@co0py_Cat) of Baidu Security

ImageIO

• Available for: iPhone 6s and later, iPad Pro (all models), iPad Air 2 and later, iPad 5th generation and later, iPad mini 4 and later, and iPod touch (7th generation)
• Impact: Processing a maliciously crafted image may lead to arbitrary code execution
• Description: A buffer overflow was addressed with improved bounds checking.
• CVE-2021-30785: CFF of Topsec Alpha Team, Mickey Jin (@patch1t) of Trend Micro

Kernel

• Available for: iPhone 6s and later, iPad Pro (all models), iPad Air 2 and later, iPad 5th generation and later, iPad mini 4 and later, and iPod touch (7th generation)
• Impact: A malicious attacker with arbitrary read and write capability may be able to bypass Pointer Authentication
• Description: A logic issue was addressed with improved state management.
• CVE-2021-30769: Linus Henze (pinauten.de)

Kernel

• Available for: iPhone 6s and later, iPad Pro (all models), iPad Air 2 and later, iPad 5th generation and later, iPad mini 4 and later, and iPod touch (7th generation)
• Impact: An attacker that has already achieved kernel code execution may be able to bypass kernel memory mitigations
• Description: A logic issue was addressed with improved validation.
• CVE-2021-30770: Linus Henze (pinauten.de)

libxml2

• Available for: iPhone 6s and later, iPad Pro (all models), iPad Air 2 and later, iPad 5th generation and later, iPad mini 4 and later, and iPod touch (7th generation)
• Impact: A remote attacker may be able to cause arbitrary code execution
• Description: This issue was addressed with improved checks.
• CVE-2021-3518

Measure

• Available for: iPhone 6s and later, iPad Pro (all models), iPad Air 2 and later, iPad 5th generation and later, iPad mini 4 and later, and iPod touch (7th generation)
• Impact: Multiple issues in libwebp
• Description: Multiple issues were addressed by updating to version 1.2.0.
• CVE-2018-25010
• CVE-2018-25011
• CVE-2018-25014
• CVE-2020-36328
• CVE-2020-36329
• CVE-2020-36330
• CVE-2020-36331

Model I/O

• Available for: iPhone 6s and later, iPad Pro (all models), iPad Air 2 and later, iPad 5th generation and later, iPad mini 4 and later, and iPod touch (7th generation)
• Impact: Processing a maliciously crafted image may lead to a denial of service
• Description: A logic issue was addressed with improved validation.
• CVE-2021-30796: Mickey Jin (@patch1t) of Trend Micro

Model I/O

• Available for: iPhone 6s and later, iPad Pro (all models), iPad Air 2 and later, iPad 5th generation and later, iPad mini 4 and later, and iPod touch (7th generation)
• Impact: Processing a maliciously crafted image may lead to arbitrary code execution
• Description: An out-of-bounds write was addressed with improved input validation.
• CVE-2021-30792: Anonymous working with Trend Micro Zero Day Initiative

Model I/O

• Available for: iPhone 6s and later, iPad Pro (all models), iPad Air 2 and later, iPad 5th generation and later, iPad mini 4 and later, and iPod touch (7th generation)
• Impact: Processing a maliciously crafted file may disclose user information
• Description: An out-of-bounds read was addressed with improved bounds checking.
• CVE-2021-30791: Anonymous working with Trend Micro Zero Day Initiative

TCC

• Available for: iPhone 6s and later, iPad Pro (all models), iPad Air 2 and later, iPad 5th generation and later, iPad mini 4 and later, and iPod touch (7th generation)
• Impact: A malicious application may be able to bypass certain Privacy preferences
• Description: A logic issue was addressed with improved state management.
• CVE-2021-30798: Mickey Jin (@patch1t) of Trend Micro

WebKit

• Available for: iPhone 6s and later, iPad Pro (all models), iPad Air 2 and later, iPad 5th generation and later, iPad mini 4 and later, and iPod touch (7th generation)
• Impact: Processing maliciously crafted web content may lead to arbitrary code execution
• Description: A type confusion issue was addressed with improved state handling.
• CVE-2021-30758: Christoph Guttandin of Media Codings

WebKit

• Available for: iPhone 6s and later, iPad Pro (all models), iPad Air 2 and later, iPad 5th generation and later, iPad mini 4 and later, and iPod touch (7th generation)
• Impact: Processing maliciously crafted web content may lead to arbitrary code execution
• Description: A use after free issue was addressed with improved memory management.
• CVE-2021-30795: Sergei Glazunov of Google Project Zero

WebKit

• Available for: iPhone 6s and later, iPad Pro (all models), iPad Air 2 and later, iPad 5th generation and later, iPad mini 4 and later, and iPod touch (7th generation)
• Impact: Processing maliciously crafted web content may lead to code execution
• Description: This issue was addressed with improved checks.
• CVE-2021-30797: Ivan Fratric of Google Project Zero

WebKit

• Available for: iPhone 6s and later, iPad Pro (all models), iPad Air 2 and later, iPad 5th generation and later, iPad mini 4 and later, and iPod touch (7th generation)
• Impact: Processing maliciously crafted web content may lead to arbitrary code execution
• Description: Multiple memory corruption issues were addressed with improved memory handling.
• CVE-2021-30799: Sergei Glazunov of Google Project Zero

Wi-Fi

• Available for: iPhone 6s and later, iPad Pro (all models), iPad Air 2 and later, iPad 5th generation and later, iPad mini 4 and later, and iPod touch (7th generation)
• Impact: Joining a malicious Wi-Fi network may result in a denial of service or arbitrary code execution
• Description: This issue was addressed with improved checks.
• CVE-2021-30800: vm_call, Nozhdar Abdulkhaleq Shukri

What you need to know

• A new report says 75% of iOS 14 users are opting out of tracking.
• Advertisers are reportedly panicking because of the impact it could have on its advertising business.

A new report says that 75% of iOS 14 users are refusing to be tracked thanks to Apple's new App Tracking Transparency measures, sending advertisers into meltdown.

From Bloomberg:

The report says that advertisers are "worrying" that they are losing access "to some of their most valuable targeting data", and that they've already seen a drop in advertising effectiveness.

The report says Facebook advertisers, in particular, have noticed the impact, and that "media buyers who run Facebook ad campaigns on behalf of clients said Facebook is no longer able to reliably see how many sales its clients are making."

Yesterday it was reported that Apple's tracking changes had seen some advertising revenues fall by as much as 30-40%.

A survey conducted by iMore in April revealed that 72% of participants were planning to select 'ask app not to track' when the new changes came into effect, with a meager two saying they would select allow. Another 22% said it would depend on which app they were using. These figures match the insight provided by Branch.

Facebook has previously raged against the changes stating they will destroy its advertising business, even alluding to a future where they might have to charge for Facebook and Instagram access.

iOS 14.7 is coming later this year with new features that require third-party developer input. As such, the company is releasing developer betas so that software engineers can get a head start on making great software for you.

Apple occasionally offers updates to iOS, iPadOS, watchOS, tvOS, and macOS as closed developer previews or public betas. While the betas contain new features, they also contain pre-release bugs that can prevent the normal use of your iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, Apple TV, or Mac, and are not intended for everyday use on a primary device. That's why we strongly recommend staying away from developer previews unless you need them for software development, and using the public betas with caution. If you depend on your devices, wait for the final release.

What's new in iOS?

Apple has launched the release candidate of of iOS 14.7 for developers. Follow the instructions below to install this beta. If you were waiting for iOS 14.7 to get started with beta testing, go ahead and download the latest version.

Apple has released the fifth beta version of of iOS 14.7 for developers. Follow the instructions below to install this beta. If you were waiting for iOS 14.7 to get started with beta testing, go ahead and download the latest version.

Apple has released the fourth beta version of of iOS 14.7 for developers. Follow the instructions below to install this beta. If you were waiting for iOS 14.7 to get started with beta testing, go ahead and download the latest version.

Apple has released the third beta version of of iOS 14.7 for developers. Follow the instructions below to install this beta. If you were waiting for iOS 14.7 to get started with beta testing, go ahead and download the latest version.

Apple has released the second beta version of of iOS 14.7 for developers. Follow the instructions below to install this beta. If you were waiting for iOS 14.7 to get started with beta testing, go ahead and download the latest version.

Apple has released a second release candidate of of iOS 14.6 for developers. Follow the instructions below to install this beta. If you were waiting for iOS 14.6 to get started with beta testing, go ahead and download the latest version.

Apple has released the first beta version of of iOS 14.7 for developers. Follow the instructions below to install this beta. If you were waiting for iOS 14.7 to get started with beta testing, go ahead and download the latest version.

Apple has seeded the release candidate of iOS 14.6 for developers. Follow the instructions below to install this beta. If you were waiting for iOS 14.6 to get started with beta testing, go ahead and download the latest version.

Apple has released the third beta of iOS 14.6 for developers. Follow the instructions below to install this beta. If you were waiting for iOS 14.6 to get started with beta testing, go ahead and download the latest version.

iOS 14.5 isn't even publically available yet, but Apple has released the second beta of iOS 14.6 for developers. Follow the instructions below to install this beta. If you were waiting for iOS 14.6 to get started with beta testing, go ahead and download the latest version.

iOS 14.5 isn't even publically available yet, but Apple has released the first beta of iOS 14.6 for developers. Follow the instructions below to install this beta. If you were waiting for iOS 14.5 to get started with beta testing, go ahead and download the latest version.

Apple has rolled out the Release Candidate of iOS 14.5 for developers. Follow the instructions below to install this beta. If you were waiting for iOS 14.5 to get started with beta testing, go ahead and download the latest version.

Apple has rolled out the eighth beta of iOS 14.5 for developers. Follow the instructions below to install this beta. If you were waiting for iOS 14.5 to get started with beta testing, go ahead and download the latest version.

Apple has rolled out the seventh beta of iOS 14.5 for developers. Follow the instructions below to install this beta. If you were waiting for iOS 14.5 to get started with beta testing, go ahead and download the latest version.

Apple has rolled out the sixth beta of iOS 14.5 for developers. Follow the instructions below to install this beta. If you were waiting for iOS 14.5 to get started with beta testing, go ahead and download the latest version.

Apple has rolled out the fifth beta of iOS 14.5 for developers. Follow the instructions below to install this beta. If you were waiting for iOS 14.5 to get started with beta testing, go ahead and download the latest version.

Apple has rolled out the fourth beta of iOS 14.5 for developers. Follow the instructions below to install this beta. If you were waiting for iOS 14.5 to get started with beta testing, go ahead and download the latest version.

Apple has rolled out the third beta of iOS 14.5 for developers. Follow the instructions below to install this beta. If you were waiting for iOS 14.5 to get started with beta testing, go ahead and download the latest version.

Apple has rolled out the second beta of iOS 14.5 for developers. Follow the instructions below to install this beta. If you were waiting for iOS 14.5 to get started with beta testing, go ahead and download the latest version.

Apple has released an updated version of the first iOS 14.5 beta for developers. It's unclear what's different about this version, but it's available even if you downloaded the previous version of this beta.

Apple has rolled out the first beta of iOS 14.5 for developers. Follow the instructions below to install this beta. If you were waiting for iOS 14.5 to get started with beta testing, go ahead and download the latest version.

Apple has rolled out the release candidate of iOS 14.4 for developers. Follow the instructions below to install this beta. If you were waiting for iOS 14.4 to get started with beta testing, go ahead and download the latest version.

Apple has released the second beta of iOS 14.4 for developers. Follow the instructions below to install this beta. If you were waiting for iOS 14.3 to get started with beta testing, go ahead and download the latest version.

Apple has released the first beta of iOS 14.4 for developers. Follow the instructions below to install this beta. If you were waiting for iOS 14.3 to get started with beta testing, go ahead and download the latest version.

Apple is rolling out the second release candidate of iOS 14.3 for developers. Follow the instructions below to install this beta. If you were waiting for iOS 14.3 to get started with beta testing, go ahead and download the latest version.

Apple is rolling out the release candidate of iOS 14.3 for developers. Follow the instructions below to install this beta. If you were waiting for iOS 14.3 to get started with beta testing, go ahead and download the latest version.

Apple is rolling out the third beta of iOS 14.3 for developers. Follow the instructions below to install this beta. If you were waiting for iOS 14.3 to get started with beta testing, go ahead and download the latest version.

Apple is rolling out the second beta of iOS 14.3 for developers. Follow the instructions below to install this beta. If you were waiting for iOS 14.3 to get started with beta testing, go ahead and download the latest version.

Apple is rolling out the first beta of iOS 14.3 for developers. Follow the instructions below to install this beta. If you were waiting for iOS 14.3 to get started with beta testing, go ahead and download the latest version.

Apple is rolling out the release candidate beta of iOS 14.2 for developers. Follow the instructions below to install this beta. If you were waiting for iOS 14 to get started with beta testing, go ahead and download the latest version.

Apple has just released beta 4 of iOS 14.2 for developers. Follow the instructions below to install this beta. If you were waiting for iOS 14 to get started with beta testing, go ahead and download the latest version.

Apple has just released beta 3 of iOS 14.2 for developers. Follow the instructions below to install this beta. If you were waiting for iOS 14 to get started with beta testing, go ahead and download the latest version.

Apple has just released beta 2 of iOS 14.2 for developers. Follow the instructions below to install this beta. If you were waiting for iOS 14 to get started with beta testing, go ahead and download the latest version.

Apple has just released beta 1 of iOS 14.2 for developers. Follow the instructions below to install this beta. If you were waiting for iOS 14 to get started with beta testing, go ahead and download the latest version.

Apple has just released the Golden Master of iOS 14 for developers. Follow the instructions below to install this beta. If you were waiting for iOS 14 to get started with beta testing, go ahead and download the latest version.

Apple has just released the eighth beta of iOS 14 for developers. Follow the instructions below to install this beta. If you were waiting for iOS 14 to get started with beta testing, go ahead and download the latest version.

Apple has just released the seventh beta of iOS 14 for developers. Follow the instructions below to install this beta. If you were waiting for iOS 14 to get started with beta testing, go ahead and download the latest version.

Apple has just released the sixth beta of iOS 14 for developers. Follow the instructions below to install this beta. If you were waiting for iOS 14 to get started with beta testing, go ahead and download the latest version.

Apple has just released the fifth beta of iOS 14 for developers. Follow the instructions below to install this beta. If you were waiting for iOS 14 to get started with beta testing, go ahead and download the latest version.

Apple has just released the fourth beta of iOS 14 for developers. Follow the instructions below to install this beta. If you were waiting for iOS 14 to get started with beta testing, go ahead and download the latest version.

Apple has just released the third beta of iOS 14 for developers. Follow the instructions below to install this beta. If you were waiting for iOS 14 to get started with beta testing, go ahead and download the latest version.

Apple has just released the second beta of iOS 14 for developers. Follow the instructions below to install this beta. If you were waiting for iOS 14 to get started with beta testing, go ahead and download the latest version.

Apple has just released the first beta of iOS 14 for developers. Follow the instructions below to install this beta. If you were waiting for iOS 14 to get started with beta testing, go ahead and download the latest version.

You can find out more about all the new features in iOS 14 here.

iOS 14 FAQ: Everything you need to know

• How to download the iOS Restore Image to your Mac
• How to make an archived backup of your iPhone
• How to install the iOS beta using iTunes
• How to install the iOS beta using a profile
• How to get started with the iOS beta

How to download the iOS Restore Image to your Mac

This first part is easy and works just like it does on any Mac operating system.

1. Navigate to developer.apple.com on your Mac.
2. Click on the Discover tab.
3. Click on iOS at the top of the screen.
4. Click Download in the upper right corner.
5. Log in with your developer account credentials when prompted.
6. Under iOS 14 beta, click on Download Restore Images.
7. Click on the iOS restore image for the device you're installing the developer beta on.

How to make an archived backup of your iPhone

Before you begin, make sure you back up your iPhone. While the beta process is fairly straightforward, any time you make any significant change to your device you risk problems. And with your personal data, it's always — always! — better to be safe than sorry. Even if you back up every night, you'll want to make sure it's absolutely up-to-date.

1. Connect your device to your Mac using the cable it came with.
2. Launch a Finder window.
3. Select your connected device under Locations in the sidebar of the Finder window.
4. Click Pair to pair the device to your Mac.
5. Tap Trust on the device to confirm that you want to pair it.
6. Enter your passcode on your device.
7. If you don't already have a backup on your Mac, click Back Up Now to make a backup.
8. Click Manage Backups after you've made a recent backup.
9. Right or Control click on your device backup.
10. Click Archive.
11. Click OK.

Archiving will prevent your current backup from being overwritten by an iOS 14 backup in the future, should you want to revert for any reason.

How to install the iOS beta on your Mac

1. With your device still connected to your Mac, open a Finder window if you haven't already.
2. Select your connected device under Locations in the sidebar of the Finder window.
3. Hold down the Option key and click on Check for Updates. This will launch another window with your recent files.
4. Click on the IPSW restore image.
5. Click Open.
6. Click Update when prompted.

Your mac will now install iOS 14 onto your iPhone. This process will take some time, and you shouldn't unplug your iPhone from your Mac until the update is complete.

How to install the iOS beta using a profile

Before you do anything else, make sure you have a developer account with Apple — without a paid account, you won't be able to download any non-Xcode betas.

Thanks to Apple's configuration profile, you can download iOS betas directly on your iPhone, no Mac required! (You can still install the iOS beta on your iPhone by connecting your device to iTunes, but you'll need to be running the Xcode beta first. The method listed below is generally a lot faster, with fewer wires.)

1. Go to developer.apple.com on your iPhone.
2. Click on the "Discover" tab.
3. Click on of the operating system buttons in the bar near the top of the screen.
4. Tap Download.
5. Log in with your developer account's username and password.
6. Go to the iOS 14 beta section and tap the download. This will start the process of downloading the iOS beta software profile on your iPhone.
7. Tap Close.
8. Open Settings.
9. Tap Profile Downloaded.
10. Tap Install. You may need to enter your Passcode.
11. Agree to the Consent form and press Install once in the upper right corner, and once at the bottom of the screen.
12. Press Restart to apply the changes to your iPhone.

To install the beta itself, just visit system preferences.

1. Launch Settings from your Home screen, tap on General, then tap on Software Update.
2. Once the update appears, tap on Download and Install.
3. Enter your Passcode.
4. Tap Agree to the Terms and Conditions.
5. Tap Agree again to confirm.

Your iPhone will reboot to install iOS 14. There will be a couple of progress bars going across the screen. Sit tight, and let everything finish.

How to get started with iOS beta

Once your iPhone reboots, it'll be running iOS the latest beta. There's a brief bit of setup you'll need to go through, however, as the system will have changed enough that it'll need your login to complete the update.

1. Tap Continue.
2. Enter your Apple ID password. iCloud settings will update, so give it a minute.
3. Tap Get Started.

Once that's done, you'll be on the Home screen and ready to rock the latest iOS beta.

What you need to know

• Apple's latest iOS 14.7 beta fixes a problem that caused WiFi to completely fail on iPhones.
• There's no telling when Apple will release iOS 14.7 to the public.

The latest beta release of iOS 14.7 has one important bug fix in it — it no longer risks an iPhone's WiFi being disabled by a rogue network with an unusual name. We heard recently that a particular network name could disable WIFi on iPhones semi-permanently. But not anymore!

The confirmation comes via YouTuber Zollotech with their latest video sharing some of the changes in the latest iOS 14.7 beta. There are a few in there, but the one we're most interested in is the bug fix. You can watch the full video below.

The issue was reported to occur when people connect to a WiFi network with a peculiar name. One example is "%p%s%s%s%s%n."

Now that we know the latest iOS 14.7 beta fixes this bug it's surely only a matter of time before it's released to the public. Keep your eyes on iMore for the heads-up when it's ready for you to download on your own devices, too.

iOS 14.7 is on its way with features that need to be tested before the software is made available to the general public. As such, Apple is letting interested users check out iOS 14.7 and provide feedback before it goes into wide release.

If you're one of those interested users, however, you will have to go through the public beta download and install process. While it's not complicated, it's a bit of a departure for how you might normally get software onto your iPhone. So, we're going to walk you through it and give you a place to ask questions if you need extra help.

Apple occasionally offers updates to iOS, iPadOS, watchOS, tvOS, and macOS as closed developer previews or public betas. While the betas contain new features, they also contain pre-release bugs that can prevent the normal use of your iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, Apple TV, or Mac, and are not intended for everyday use on a primary device. That's why we strongly recommend staying away from developer previews unless you need them for software development, and using the public betas with caution. If you depend on your devices, wait for the final release.

What's new with the iOS 14.7 public beta?

Apple has released iOS 14.6 public beta 5 for members of the Public Beta Software Program. If you've prepared your device to receive the public beta over the air, proceed to Settings > General > Software Updates and download away.

Apple has released iOS 14.6 public beta 4 for members of the Public Beta Software Program. If you've prepared your device to receive the public beta over the air, proceed to Settings > General > Software Updates and download away.

Apple has released iOS 14.6 public beta 3 for members of the Public Beta Software Program. If you've prepared your device to receive the public beta over the air, proceed to Settings > General > Software Updates and download away.

Apple has released iOS 14.6 public beta 1 for members of the Public Beta Software Program. If you've prepared your device to receive the public beta over the air, proceed to Settings > General > Software Updates and download away.

Apple has released iOS 14.6 public beta 3 for members of the Public Beta Software Program. If you've prepared your device to receive the public beta over the air, proceed to Settings > General > Software Updates and download away.

Apple has released iOS 14.6 public beta 1 for members of the Public Beta Software Program. If you've prepared your device to receive the public beta over the air, proceed to Settings > General > Software Updates and download away.

Apple has released iOS 14.5 public beta 1 for members of the Public Beta Software Program. If you've prepared your device to receive the public beta over the air, proceed to Settings > General > Software Updates and download away.

Apple has released iOS 14.4 public beta 1 for members of the Public Beta Software Program. If you've prepared your device to receive the public beta over the air, proceed to Settings > General > Software Updates and download away.

Apple has released iOS 14.3 public beta 2 for members of the Public Beta Software Program. If you've prepared your device to receive the public beta over the air, proceed to Settings > General > Software Updates and download away.

Apple has released iOS 14.3 public beta 1 for members of the Public Beta Software Program. If you've prepared your device to receive the public beta over the air, proceed to Settings > General > Software Updates and download away.

Apple is rolling out the release candidate public beta of iOS 14.2. If you've prepared your device to receive the public beta over the air, proceed to Settings > General > Software Updates and download away.

Apple has released iOS 14.2 public beta 4 for members of the Public Beta Software Program. If you've prepared your device to receive the public beta over the air, proceed to Settings > General > Software Updates and download away.

Apple has released iOS 14.2 public beta 3 for members of the Public Beta Software Program. If you've prepared your device to receive the public beta over the air, proceed to Settings > General > Software Updates and download away.

Apple has released iOS 14.2 public beta 2 for members of the Public Beta Software Program. If you've prepared your device to receive the public beta over the air, proceed to Settings > General > Software Updates and download away.

Apple has released iOS 14.2 public beta 1 for members of the Public Beta Software Program. If you've prepared your device to receive the public beta over the air, proceed to Settings > General > Software Updates and download away.

Apple has released iOS 14 public beta 8 for members of the Public Beta Software Program. If you've prepared your device to receive the public beta over the air, proceed to Settings > General > Software Updates and download away.

Apple has released iOS 14 public beta 7 for members of the Public Beta Software Program. If you've prepared your device to receive the public beta over the air, proceed to Settings > General > Software Updates and download away.

Apple has released iOS 14 public beta 6 for members of the Public Beta Software Program. If you've prepared your device to receive the public beta over the air, proceed to Settings > General > Software Updates and download away.

Apple has released iOS 14 public beta 5 for members of the Public Beta Software Program. If you've prepared your device to receive the public beta over the air, proceed to Settings > General > Software Updates and download away.

Apple has released iOS 14 public beta 4 for members of the Public Beta Software Program. If you've prepared your device to receive the public beta over the air, proceed to Settings > General > Software Updates and download away.

Apple has released iOS 14 public beta 2 for members of the Public Beta Software Program. If you've prepared your device to receive the public beta over the air, proceed to Settings > General > Software Updates and download away.

Apple has released iOS 14 public beta 1 for members of the Public Beta Software Program. If you've prepared your device to receive the public beta over the air, proceed to Settings > General > Software Updates and download away.

• How to make an archived backup of your iPhone
• How to register your device with the iOS 14 public beta
• How to enroll your iPhone in the iOS 14 public beta
• How to install the iOS 14 public beta
• How to get started with the iOS 14 beta

How to make an archived backup of your iPhone

Before you begin, make sure you back up your iPhone. While the beta process is fairly straightforward, any time you make any significant change to your device you risk problems. And with your personal data, it's always — always! — better to be safe than sorry. Even if you back up every night, you'll want to make sure it's absolutely up-to-date.

1. Connect your device to your Mac using the cable it came with.
2. Launch a Finder window.
3. Select your connected device under Locations in the sidebar of the Finder window.
4. Click Pair to pair the device to your Mac.
5. Tap Trust on the device to confirm that you want to pair it.
6. Enter your passcode on your device.
7. If you don't already have a backup on your Mac, click Back Up Now to make a backup.
8. Click Manage Backups after you've made a recent backup.
9. Right or Control click on your device backup.
10. Click Archive.
11. Click OK.

Archiving will prevent your current backup from being overwritten by an iOS 14 backup in the future, should you want to revert for any reason.

How to register your account for the iOS 14 public beta

If you've already joined an Apple public beta in the past, you shouldn't need to register again for iOS 14; simply sign in with the same Apple ID. If you've never joined a public beta before, you'll start by signing up with your Apple ID.

1. Go to beta.apple.com on the iPhone you want to enroll in the beta.
2. Tap on Sign up to get started. (If you've already signed up for a previous public beta, tap on Sign in and skip to our "How to enroll your device" section below.)
3. Enter you Apple ID email address and password.
4. Tap Sign in.
5. Tap Accept to agree to the terms and conditions.

Once you're signed up and signed in, it's time to start downloading.

How to enroll your iPhone in the iOS 14 public beta

Unlike regular iOS updates, where you just tap and start downloading, Apple is using configuration profiles to validate devices for the iOS 14 public beta. Here's how to install it.

Note: If you've been on a previous iOS public beta, you may need to remove the previous beta profile before installing the iOS 14 version. You can do so by going to Settings > General > Profile, selecting the iOS Beta Software Profile, and pressing Delete Profile.

1. Go to beta.apple.com, if you're not there already.
2. Tap the iOS tab, if it's not highlighted already.
3. Tap on Download profile.
4. Tap Allow.
5. Tap on Close.
6. Open Settings.
7. Tap Profile Downloaded.
8. Tap Install in the upper-right corner.
9. Enter your passcode.
10. Tap Install.
11. Tap Install.
12. Tap Restart.

Once your iPhone has finished rebooting, it should start to download iOS 14 automatically. From this point on, the process is the same as any other iOS update.

How to install the iOS 14 public beta

To install the iOS 14 beta, you'll need to visit Software Update on your iPhone.

1. Launch Settings from your Home screen.
2. Tap General.
3. Tap Software Update.
4. Once the update appears, tap on Download and Install.
5. Enter your Passcode.
6. Tap Agree to the Terms and Conditions.
7. Tap Agree again to confirm.

Your iPhone will reboot to install iOS 14. There will be a couple of progress bars going across the screen. Sit tight, and let everything finish.

How to get started with iOS 14 public beta

Once your iPhone reboots, it'll be running iOS 14. There's a brief bit of setup you'll need to go through, however, as the system will have changed enough that it'll need your login to complete the update.

1. Tap Continue.
2. Enter your Apple ID password. iCloud settings will update, so give it a minute.
3. Tap Get Started.

Once that's done, you'll be on the Home screen and ready to rock iOS 14.

What you need to know

• Apple released lossless audio and Spatial Audio with Dolby Atmos for Apple Music this week.
• iMore has discovered this may be wreaking havoc with alarms on iPhone and iPad.
• Users online have also started to notice the issue.

Apple announced at WWDC 2021 that lossless audio, along with Spatial Audio and Dolby Atmos was rolling out on Monday to all Apple Music subscribers.

Yet the new feature might be causing some issues with Apple's alarm feature on both the iPhone and iPad, according to our tests and users online. Since updating to iOS 14.6 and enjoying lossless and spatial audio, three of my morning alarms this week have borked. On Wednesday, I got the bog-standard alarm tone (although the alarm feature on iOS often does this to me from time to time to keep me on my toes anyway). What's really strange is that on both Friday and Saturday I missed my alarm completely, and was instead woken by my wife. Both times I picked up my phone to see the alarm was going off silently, I could tap snooze or stop, but it made no sound whatsoever. Each time I had selected the same song that supports Apple's new lossless audio.

Bewildered, we've run some tests and, lo and behold, it seems that as it stands the alarm feature on iOS (I'm on 14.6) simply cannot play lossless audio or Dolby Atmos tracks as an alarm sound, it either reverts back to the default alarm tone, or worse delivers the aforementioned silent alarm. I assumed I was losing my mind, but it's not just me. The problem has since been raised on the Apple Support communities forum, user fashionlin writes:

These reports are backed up by a thread in the Apple Music reddit which reads "As the title says…after turning on lossless my alarm does not play the song chosen from Apple Music. It's just vibrates. Luckily the iPhone has a great haptic motor and the vibration alone woke me lol Does anyone have any ideas?". Two further users chimed in stating:

And:

Apple's alarm on the iPhone is wonky at the best of times, but I've never encountered a bug where alarms consistently go off without making any noise before. As other users have noted the vibrations still seem to work, but I don't use these so was left sleeping soundly on Saturday when I should have been at the gym.

If you've had any similar issues, please let us know down in the comments or over on Twitter. Hopefully, if there are a few people experiencing issues then this is likely a software bug that Apple can fix pretty quickly, we've reached out to Apple for comment in the meantime and will keep you updated!

What you need to know

• Apple made big privacy changes to iOS 14 recently.
• A new report says measures that let users opt out of tracking are being subverted by third parties.
• Workarounds are apparently letting companies access nearly all the data they could before, undermining the system.

A new report claims that Apple's recent iOS 14 privacy changes are being subverted by third-party workarounds.

From the Financial Times:

The report cites marketing strategy consultant Eric Seufert who reportedly stated that anyone who has opted out of tracking in iOS 14.5 and beyond " is basically having the same level of data collected as they were before". Seufert further claimed that Apple hadn't deterred the behavior it was criticizing so was in fact "complicit in it happening." One vendor cited in the report told clients it could still collect data on more than 95% of iOS users by identifying users through IP addresses and more, known as fingerprinting. This method is explicitly banned from Apple who say developers can't collect data from a device for the purpose of uniquely identifying it, but the report says that the policy isn't being enforced.

In a statement, Apple said "We believe strongly that users should be asked for their permission before being tracked. Apps that are found to disregard the user's choice will be rejected."

The report postulates that Apple may clarify things at WWDC 2021 later this week, possibly leading to a wave of banned apps going forward.

What you need to know

• Some users who have updated to the second developer beta of iOS 14.7 are experiencing a "SIM Failure" error.
• The error causes the phone to lose all cellular connection and there is currently no workaround.

Some people who updated to the second iOS 14.7 developer beta got an unfortunate surprise.

As reported by 9to5Mac some users who have updated to the iOS 14.7 beta 2 for developers have gotten a "SIM Failure" which rendered their phones quite useless. It seems to be limited to those using eSIM but, if it happens, you'll be unable to make or receive calls or use cellular at all.

If you haven't updated to the second iOS 14.7 developer beta yet now might be a good time to hold off until the issue is resolved. Of course, the best thing when working with a developer beta is to only install it on something other than your main device.

If you do have it installed and are experiencing the error, there unfortunately isn't a workaround right now.

What you need to know

• Apple is no longer signing iOS 14.5.1.
• Anyone running iOS 14.6 can't downgrade anymore.

Apple has stopped signing iOS 14.5.1 which, in turn means that nobody can install that release on their iPhone. The same goes for iPadOS 14.5.1 on iPad, too.

The move means that the only version of iOS and iPadOS that is currently available to the public is iOS 14.6, as first noted by 9to5Mac.

This is a particular problem for those who are suffering from iOS 14.6 battery life issues. Normally I might suggest a downgrade to try and fix things but as of now, that's no longer possible.

The cessation of iOS 14.5.1 signing is just the latest, but it's something Apple does regularly – since long before iOS 14 arrived. The company stops signing older releases to try and ensure as many people a possible are running the latest security fixes, not to mention making sure that new features are available to more people. The iOS 14.6 release brought with it support for Apple Card Family, new AirTag features, and more.

Speaking of AirTag, isn't it time you treated yourself? There are some great AirTag accessories to be had right now, all designed to make sure that little tracker stays where you need it to stay – attached to something that needs to be tracked!

Battery life is one of those things that you don't really notice until it's gone. And as fast as fast chargers are, having a device whose battery life you can almost see falling out of its Lightning port is no fun at all. That's the situation a ton of people have found themselves in after installing iOS 14.6 – including yours truly.

People have taken to Twitter, Reddit, and even Apple's own support forums to seek help after iOS 14.6 ravaged their battery life. One YouTube even ran tests on the iOS 14.6 RC1 and RC2 releases to see what was going on and, sadly, they're both as bad as each other. That RC2 release is what everyone received as the public update, too. With RC2 having arrived just days after RC1, I can't help but wonder if Apple knew something was amiss and tried to fix it.

It didn't fix it.

Some people have reported that their battery stats are odd in a few ways, not least random apps supposedly eating battery life like there's no tomorrow.

My own experience is similar. My iPad Pro (11-inch – I know you were wondering) has suffered from shocking battery life as well. So much so that I took to Twitter and shared a screenshot that claimed Find My was using all of my battery reserves. I disabled Find My and it still used all of my battery.

I've since gone the nuclear route and deleted everything, starting afresh. I haven't even restored from a backup and as someone who tests a lot of apps, that's a painful experience indeed. It's too early to say whether things have improved, but I've a sneaking suspicion they haven't.

That is to say I, we, everyone will need Apple to fix this thing. With iOS 15's beta program just around the corner and iOS 14.7 already in the middle of its own run of betas, will Apple have the time needed to diagnose what's going on and fix it? I hope so. We all hope so.

Oh, who am I kidding? I'll have iOS 15 installed this time next week and it'll be a miracle if my iPad even turns on, let alone lasts long enough to use!

What I should do is buy a new test device for iOS 15. I really ought to check out the best iPad Pro deals and treat myself, right?

What you need to know

• Multiple iOS 14 users are complaining of excessive battery drain in iOS 14.6.
• iPhone users on Reddit, Twitter, and Apple's support forums say their batteries are draining at an alarming rate.
• Users are also reporting overheating, and problems with excessive power usage whilst idle.

Multiple users are complaining of excessive battery drain in the latest version of iOS 14 that was released to the public last week.

A video released on YouTube by iAppleBytes drew some attention to the issue last week, the video states:

Users have also taken to Reddit, Twitter, and Apple's support forums to note the same issue. One Reddit user asked "iPhone 12 mini - iOS 14.6 battery drain - any suggestions? Had it for less than 3 months", the post has nearly 200 upvotes and over a hundred comments, many of which are users noting similar issues.

Apple's Communities support forums are also littered with complaints, as is Twitter, one user noting "iOS 14.6 produces significant battery drain, a reduction in battery health, the phone gets very hot. This is very noticeable when listening to podcasts. iPhone 11 Pro Max, 256 GB, iOS 14.6."

It is unclear if there is a specific issue with iOS 14.6 causing the issue, one screenshot shared to Reddit noted an abnormally high level of background activity from the Music App, whilst others have suggested AirTags could be the cause. Other users have said that the Podcasts app and AirPlay have been causing very high battery drain, with at least one user finding "a big difference" in performance after reinstalling the app.

Have you noticed any decrease in battery performance with the latest version of iOS 14? Let us know in the comments or over on Twitter.

What you need to know

• Facebook has paid for a paper researching Apple's iOS 14 privacy and tracking transparency measures.
• The paper says that Apple's changes are anti-competitive and designed only to benefit Apple.
• It also says the new moves harm everyone else, but users are voting in droves to opt-out of tracking.

Facebook has funded a paper on Apple's new iOS 14 App Tracking Transparency changes which states they are designed to only benefit Apple.

The paper's abstract states:

The paper is a scathing denunciation of Apple's iOS 14 changes, a blanket condemnation of the policy that seems almost irrefutable. Except that on the first page a small footnote states:

Facebook has been an ardent critic of Apple's changes, stating they will harm small businesses and advertising revenue on its platform, sentiments echoed in the report. Research conducted by iMore in April reveals that only 2% of iOS users plan to allow apps to track them now that the new opt-in feature is available, suggesting the vast majority of users support having more control over their privacy. You can read the paper commissioned by Facebook here.

What you need to know

• Apple's iOS 14 App Tracking Transparency changes are having a big impact on ad spending.
• One report says that ad prices have already dropped by 10%.
• It could cost the industry billions if the trend continues.

A new report says that iOS 14 tracking changes could cost the advertising revenue billions if an early trend in spending decline continues.

From The Independent:

The report says the downturn has been "more pronounced" in some countries, apparently in the UK the average cost of adverts has fallen by 36%, saying a sustained decline "would knock billions off" the industry.

Apple introduced iOS 14.5 to the public in April, allowing users to opt-in or out of tracking across multiple apps and websites by companies using an IDFA identifier.

Research conducted by iMore in April suggests that only 2% of iOS users will select the 'allow' option when it comes to tracking. Some (22%) it would depend on which app was asking the question, but a staggering 71.6% of users said they would be opting out of tracking.

Facebook has been a vocal critic of the move stating it will harm small businesses that rely on advertising to reach customers.

A new report says that Apple may be upping the ante on its own advertising services used on the App Store, where developers can pay to have their apps advertised in the search tab on the App Store.

What you need to know

• Netatmo's popular Weather Station now supports iOS 14 Home screen widgets.
• The new widgets display all the information you'd expect, including humidity, temperature, and more.

The popular Netatmo Weather Station now supports iOS 14 Home screens widgets after a software update hit the App Store late last week.

The update, a free download, means that Weather Station owners can now see all kinds of information about their home right from their iPhone's Home screen. No more opening the app just to see what the humidity is looking like.

Unfortunately, the Netatmo Weather app's release notes are far from comprehensive, but we do at least get confirmation that the widgets exist in this update.

Users can see all kinds of information across small, medium, and large widget types. Temperature, humidity, and more are all covered so you won't need to dip into the app quite so much once this update is installed. And, as those sparse release notes point out, you can always take advantage of Stacks to put as much information onto your Home screen as possible.

The Netatmo Weather Station is already one of the best HomeKit air quality sensors on the market and app updates like this will only help strengthen its position on that list.

What you need to know

• A notorious iOS 14 notification bug has racked up more than 11,000 comments in Apple's support forum since September 2020.
• One former Apple employee has capped off the thread by revealing a novel solution to the problem.
• User 'StubbornPixie' says they fixed the issue by buying a Samsung Galaxy A12.

A former Apple employee says they have solved a notorious iOS 14 notification issue... by buying a Samsung Galaxy A12.

First spotted by ZDNet, user 'StubbornPixie' took to the Apple Support Communities forum, where a massive iOS 14 text notification thread has now garnered 11,242 comments. First started in September of 2020, the initial question reads:

The iOS 14 notification issue has plagued users the world over (including some of us at iMore) for months. One response from May 15 says that an email to Tim Cook and a "female from executive relations" led to testing and a response stating "it is Apple's position that it is a carrier issue." When asked how it could be a carrier issue "when it is happening all over the world" they received no answer.

It was following this comment that StubbornPixie, who says they were previously an Apple Customer relations employee, claimed they had found a novel solution:

In a final note to Apple support StubbornPixie told the company that missed work notifications had cost them $600, before stating:

What you need to know

• Apple has released a new video highlighting the benefits of App Tracking Transparency.
• On average apps six trackers from companies that collect and track your data.
• Apple's ATT changes let users opt-out of this tracking.

Apple has today released a new 'Privacy. That's iPhone' video touting the benefits of App Tracking Transparency in iOS 14.

The video follows a coffee shop customer as they pay for coffee, going about their day followed by ever more people all wanting a sneak peek into their life. As the user slowly turns to ATT, all the people following him in the video vanish, revealing how making the switch can reduce tracking.

Apple says that on average apps have six trackers from other companies with the sole purpose of collecting data, tracking people and their personal info. This is often pieced together by companies who use it for targeted advertising, and the industry is worth more than $200 billion per year. The new advert is meant to show how ATT can help users take control of their personal information.

The App Tracking Transparency measures introduced in iOS 14.5 don't change advertising but do give users the option to opt-out if they don't want to, a move many people seem to be making according to polls and surveys.

Research conducted by iMore in April indicates that only 2% of users survey plan to opt-in to tracking through the new feature. More than 70% said they would be opting out, with around 22% stating that it would depend which app was asking for permission before making a decision.

What you need to know

• Apple seems to be fixing App Tracking Transparency for some users.
• Some had found that the option was greyed out when Apple launched the feature.

You'll now be able to turn on App Tracking Transparency just to tell apps not to track you.

When Apple launched App Tracking Transparency with iOS 14.5, some users found that the toggle to "Allow Apps to Request to Track" was greyed out. This was unfortunate for users who actually did want to grant tracking for certain apps.

As reported by 9to5Mac, it appears that Apple is finally fixing the issue as multiple readers are now reporting they are able to turn the toggle on.

While this is great news for those who do want to handle tracking app by app, a recent survey found that 96% of iOS users did not plan to allow tracking for any app.

What you need to know

• Apple recently made big changes to iOS 14 that make it much harder to track users for advertising.
• A new report says the move could in fact turn out to be a business opportunity for some firms.
• Bloomberg says that "heightened business complexity" fuelled by the changes could work out to the advantage of some.

A new report states that big changes made to iOS 14 could actually prove favorable to some advertising agencies if they can capitalize on the increased complexity of marketing that follows.

From Bloomberg:

The report says the changes are an opportunity for companies like WPP, Omnicom, and Publicis Group to "reassert their relevance" stating that some companies, like Caraway Home, are anticipating that changes "will increase the cost of finding new customers on Facebook, and decrease effectiveness of its targeting".

Big companies like Facebook that rely heavily on advertising have touted similar challenges, and on Tuesday Unity said the move could cost the company $30 million. However, as the report notes, there is still an opportunity for some:

The report notes how WPP is creating "a new unit geared to helping clients better use first-party data", with Walgreens Boots Alliance already on board as an early customer.

The report also cites how some companies are responding to changes to cookies introduced by Google, and that all of these measures will "force companies to shift the way they engage with customers". Bloomberg analyst Matthew Bloxham concluded:

With iOS 14.5 Apple introduced measures that mean users have to opt-in in order to be tracked by third parties for the purposes of advertising. Recent iMore polling suggests only 2% of users plan to accept 'allow', with some stating that they will decide on an app-by-app basis, whilst the vast majority (over 70%) state they will not opt-in.

What you need to know

• Unity Technologies announced its earnings on Tuesday.
• The company said it expects to take a $30 hit in revenue because of App Tracking Transparency.

App Tracking Transparency is going to erase $30 million of Unity's business.

As reported by AppleInsider, Unity Technologies reported its earnings on Tuesday. During the earnings call, the company talked about its guidance for the rest of the year and anticipates that Apple's App Tracking Transparency will cause a $30 million dent in the company's revenue.

App Tracking Transparency launched with iOS 14.5 at the end of April. The feature requires apps to ask a user's permission in order to track them across apps for advertising purposes.

While Apple has not yet released information on how users have reacted to App Tracking Transparency, a recent survey from analytics firm Flurry found that over 96% of iPhone owners opted out of tracking.

What you need to know

• Apple has stopped signing iOS 14.5 after releasing the iOS 14.5.1 bug fix.
• Users who have upgraded to iOS 14.5.1 can no longer downgrade to iOS 14.5.

If you've installed the iOS 14.5.1 bug fix update, you can no longer downgrade to iOS 14.5.

As reported by MacRumors, Apple has stopped signing iOS 14.5 after releasing the iOS 14.5.1 bug fix update last week. If you have installed iOS 14.5.1 on your iPhone, you'll no longer be able to downgrade it back to iOS 14.5.

Apple regularly stops signing older versions of iOS and its other operating systems in order to encourage its users to keep their devices up to date to the latest version of the company's software.

If you haven't updated to iOS 14.5 (iOS 14.5.1 at this point), now is a great time to do so. iOS 14.5 was a huge release for the iPhone, bringing new features like the ability to unlock your iPhone with Apple Watch while wearing a face mask.

You can download iOS 14.5.1 on the iPhone now by heading to Settings > General > Software Update.

What you need to know

• App analytics firm Flurry has released new data around App Tracking Transparency.
• 96% of iPhone users in the United States have opted out of app tracking on iOS 14.5.

Apple's best that people want privacy has paid off in a big way.

According to new data from app analytics firm Flurry, only 4% of iPhone users in the United States have opted into app tracking since Apple released App Tracking Transparency as part of iOS 14.5. That number goes up a little when considering international users - 11% of users worldwide have allowed apps to track them.

App Tracking Transparency, which launched with iOS 14.5, is Apple's new privacy feature that requires apps to ask permission to track you. Users can also turn off tracking for all apps by default.

As more iPhone owners update to iOS 14.5, we'll begin to better understand the average amount of users who opt-in and opt-out of app tracking. These first numbers, however, tell a very clear story - the vast majority of people want their privacy.

What you need to know

• Apple has stopped signing iOS 14.4.2.
• Users must now install iOS 14.5 or newer on their devices.

Apple has stopped signing iOS 14.4.2, meaning users can only install iOS 14.5 or newer from here on out. Apple released iOS 14.5.1 yesterday as it continues to build on the platform iOS 14 provided late last year.

The move to stop signing iOS 14.4.2 – as spotted by 9to5Mac – means that nobody can now install that particular version of Apple's iPhone software, even if they have the required file handy. It also means that iOS 14.5 is the oldest version of iOS that can be installed on iPhones from now on – software that was only released a week or so ago.

Apple often stops signing older versions of iOS as a security measure, particularly if a bug or flaw has been found that could allow a device to be compromised. It also takes similar steps if an older version of iOS has been jailbroken, too. The move to make iOS 14.5 the oldest version available does also ensure that as many people as possible are running a release with Apple's App Tracking Transparency (ATT) feature built in.

Both Instagram and Facebook are already worried about Apple's ATT feature – a sure sign it's probably a good move for users and their privacy!

What you need to know

• Facebook and Instagram are desperate for users to give them access to data and are threatening to charge if they say no.
• As of iOS 14.5, apps must ask a user for permission to track them from app to app.

Facebook and Instagram are threatening that users will need to pay for their services. But only if users don't allow the pair to track them from app to app after installing iOS 14.5.

Following the release of iOS 14.5 all apps must ask for permission before they can track a user between apps and websites. That has companies like Facebook worried about their ad revenue, and they're trying every trick in the book to make sure people allow them to track them.

Those screens are blatantly suggesting that users can "help keep Facebook/Instagram free" by allowing ads. That, in turn, suggests that declining could cause the companies to charge for access in the future, though it's unclear how likely that is given Facebook's ad-based business model.

https://twitter.com/ashk4n/status/1388270878870310912

It's also notable that Apple's App Store rules forbid apps from offering incentives for users to allow themselves to be tracked. It isn't immediately clear whether Facebook and Instagram are breaking that rule here or not, but it's definitely close!

Speaking of tracking, Apple's new AirTag item tracker is now here but is it the best for you? Check out the best alternatives to AirTag, too.

What you need to know

• Facebook has warned it expects to face headwinds in advertising this year because of iOS 14.5.
• Despite this, it is predicting a full year of revenue growth.
• Apple release iOS 14.5 and the option to opt-out of tracking this week.

Facebook has told investors it expects to face headwinds in advertising revenue thanks to changes made in iOS 14.

In its Q1 21 financial highlights the company reported a "strong quarter" and revenue of over $25 billion, up 46% on the same period last year.

Facebook also says that it had nearly 1.9bn daily active users in March, and more than 2.8bn monthly active users. Looking ahead, Facebook warned that iOS 14.5 and a new opt-in prompt for user tracking was one of the "headwinds" it was expecting to run into this year:

As Facebook notes, it has factored iOS 14.5 into its outlook yet still expects to see growth throughout the rest of the year.

Apple released iOS 14.5 this week, with users now being prompted by all of their apps to ask whether they would like to be tracked. A stunning report yesterday based on a survey of iMore readers has revealed that only 2% of users plan to allow cross-app tracking under the new changes.

What you need to know

• Apple's iOS 14.5 tracking changes took effect this week.
• Some people have noticed the option to turn on prompts is disabled.
• Apple says there are select cases where the function is not available.

Apple has confirmed that some iOS 14 users will not have the option to allow apps to track them in the wake of new changes in iOS 14.5.

Clarification spotted by MacRumors comes from a new Apple support document which reads:

Specifically for some users, however, this won't be the case:

In some circumstances, the "Allow Apps to Request to Track" setting is disabled, including:

• For users with child accounts or under age 18 by birth year, signed in with their Apple ID
• If your Apple ID is managed by an educational institution or uses a configuration profile that limits tracking
• If your Apple ID was created in the last 3 days

As the report notes, some users who fall outside of these cases are still seeing the option grayed out. iMore reader Shaun Jenks has noticed on Twitter that signing in and out of iCloud has worked as a fix for some people:

Whilst all apps on iOS 14 must now ask your permission to track you using an IDFA identifier, users can go into settings and turn off 'Allow apps to request to track', which is essentially a blanket no to the prospect. The aforementioned groups are exempt from this, as the setting is turned off by default and can't be turned back on.

What you need to know

• Apple's major iOS 14.5 changes are now live.
• New Apple guidance says developers must not offer incentives or withhold features in order to entice people to agree to be tracked.

Apple has told developers that they must not offer users incentives or withhold features in order to get people to agree to tracking on iOS 14 now that its App Tracking Transparency feature is live.

From MacRumors:

As the report notes, Apple has updated its Human Interface Guidelines to help developers comply with the new feature. The new guidance has a stark warning regarding offering users incentives to opt-in:

Some apps might already have fallen foul of this, one example including this app from Sky, Sky Sports Scores:

It is unclear whether the listed benefits could be considered an "incentive", but it seems to have passed Apple's App Store review process.

Are you going to be opting-in to tracking? Or are you happy with the new ATT changes? Take part in our poll!

What you need to know

• iOS 14.5 has been released.
• The update brings a ton of new features across the iPhone.

iOS 14.5 is finally here and it has brought with it a ton of new features.

Today, Apple released iOS 14.5, and with it came a host of new features for iPhone users. The new update includes the ability to unlock iPhone with Apple Watch while wearing a face mask, more diverse Siri voices, new privacy controls, skin tone options to better represent couples in emoji, and more.

The biggest feature is the ability to unlock your iPhone with Face ID while wearing a mask as long as you have an Apple Watch Series 3 or later.

Siri has also received some notable updates including more diverse voices and the ability to announce and answer incoming calls when wearing AirPods or Beats headphones.

iOS 14.5 has also launched App Tracking Transparency, Apple's new privacy feature that requires apps to ask permission to track you.

The new update also brings new skin tones to the couple kissing emoji, couple with heart emoji, and more.

Apple Maps has also received an update that now lets users report an accident, hazard, or speed check while driving with Siri.

There are some additional updates across iOS below:

• Apple Podcasts gets redesigned show pages to make it easier to start listening, as well as an option to save and download episodes so they are automatically added to Library for quick access. Top Charts, categories, and curated collections on the Search tab help listeners discover new shows.
• AirTag support allows users to keep track of and find important items, such as keys, a wallet, backpack, or more, privately and securely in the Find My app.
• Apple News features a redesigned News+ tab, making it easier for subscribers to quickly find, download, and manage magazine and newspaper issues, and an all-new Search experience helps all Apple News users find relevant topics, channels, and stories.2
• Apple Fitness+ users can now stream audio and video to AirPlay 2-enabled TVs and devices.
• Reminders adds the ability to sort by title, priority, due date, or creation date, and offers the option to print reminder lists.
• 5G improvements for iPhone 12 models include Dual SIM support for 5G connectivity and Smart Data Mode enhancements to further optimize the experience on the network, including better battery life and data usage.
• Voice Control for Accessibility gives users comprehensive navigation with just their voice, and is now expanding English support to Australia and Canada and adding support for Spanish in Mexico, Spain, and the United States.

iOS 14.5 is available now for download. The iPadOS 14.5 update features most of the new updates listed above.

What you need to know

• Apple has released a new video about App Tracking Transparency.
• The video explains how the new privacy feature works for iPhone users.
• App Tracking Transparency was released as part of iOS 14.5 earlier today.

Apple has dropped a new video that explains how App Tracking Transparency works.

In order to better explain how the new privacy feature works, as well as to promote it, Apple has dropped a new video titled "Privacy | App Tracking Transparency" on its YouTube channel.

The description says that, if you want to learn more about the new feature, you can visit Apple's Privacy website. If you are curious which song is featured in the video, it is "The Chrismastoph Waltz" by Dan Rosen. Unfortunately, the track does not appear to be available yet on Apple Music, so we could not link to it in this article.

App Tracking Transparency is Apple's latest privacy feature that requires apps to ask the user if they can track them. The feature has received backlash from businesses like Facebook who have a robust advertising business based on collecting user data.

App Tracking Transparency was released as part of iOS 14.5, which rolled out to iPhone users earlier today.

What you need to know

• Apple will release iOS 14.5 to the public later today, according to reports.
• The new update will enforce Apple's new App Tracking Transparency system.

Apple will release the much-tested iOS 14.5 to the public later today. That's according to a couple of reports, not least from the New York Times.

Mentioned almost in passing as part of a larger piece about Apple's App Tracking Transparency system that will go live alongside the update, the iOS 14.5 release date comes after the company had previously offered up a vague timeframe of this week.

That App Tracking Transparency (ATT) feature is one that has Facebook and other advertising companies concerned that their business models will be impacted. Apps will need to ask users' permission before they can be tracked across apps, something that companies like Facebook have been doing routinely for years. Now that users will be asked to opt-in, companies are worried that they won't.

ATT has been in the works for months and Apple continues to expand the scope of the iOS 14 update. This move is one of the biggest Apple has made in a while and it's certainly one that has companies all riled up. Which probably means it's a very good thing for us!

Apple's iOS 14.5 will be compatible with all devices that can also run iOS 14. That includes iPhone 12, currently the best iPhone for most people.

What you need to know

• iOS 14.5 will release to the public next week.
• The update will allow headphone users to answer an incoming phone call with Siri.

Apple released the iOS 14.5 Release Candidate to developers earlier today, and the latest version revealed a new feature that is coming to Siri.

As reported by 9to5Mac, iOS 14.5 will allow headphone users to answer incoming calls with Siri.

In order to get the feature to work, users will have to turn it on in the Settings app under the Announce Messages menu of the Siri section.

Currently, Siri can announce and have you immediately respond to messages but, while Siri can announce incoming phone calls, you would have to pull out your iPhone or lift your Apple watch to tap a screen and answer the call. Now, you'll simply be able to tell Siri to answer the call without having to touch anything.

This feature will, of course, only work with headphones that support Siri like AirPods and Beats.