Search results for: “FaceTime”

  • What’s coming for Apple TV 4K and iPhone 17 Pro in 2025

    What’s coming for Apple TV 4K and iPhone 17 Pro in 2025

    Apple is gearing up for exciting updates to its Apple TV 4K and iPhone 17 Pro, set to launch later in 2025. Here’s a simple breakdown of what to expect from these new devices.
    For the Apple TV 4K, it’s been almost three years since the last update in 2022, and a new model is coming soon.

    According to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, the device is planned for a late 2025 release, likely in October or November. It will feature a faster chip, possibly the A17 Pro or A18, to support better gaming and Apple Intelligence features like an improved Siri. There’s also talk of a built-in camera for FaceTime calls and gesture controls, plus a new Wi-Fi and Bluetooth chip for smoother connections. Some hope for a lower price, maybe under $100, to compete with other streaming devices.

    The iPhone 17 Pro is also getting a fresh look. It will swap the usual camera bump for a sleek “camera bar” that stretches across the back, creating a cleaner design. Dummy units shared by Majin Bu show this in black.

    The phone will boast a 48MP telephoto lens, multi-camera video recording, and a 24MP front camera for sharper selfies. These upgrades aim to enhance photography and video, launching alongside other iPhones in September. Both devices show Apple’s focus on smarter tech and better user experiences, making them 2025 must-haves.

  • iPadOS 26’s new recording feature makes podcasting easier

    iPadOS 26’s new recording feature makes podcasting easier

    Apple’s iPadOS 26 brings a handy new tool called Local Capture, designed to simplify high-quality audio and video recording on iPads. This feature lets users record clear sound and visuals directly while using any video call app, like FaceTime or Zoom, and easily share the files afterward.

    It’s a game-changer for podcasters who’ve struggled with iPad recording in the past. Tech writer Jason Snell tested this feature for his Six Colors podcast, recording an episode entirely on iPads running iPadOS 26. He found the audio quality impressive, thanks to the iPad’s built-in microphones, and the process was smooth.

    Local Capture saves recordings automatically, making it easy to edit or share them later. Snell noted that this tool could replace bulky external recorders for many podcasters, streamlining their setup. The feature also works well for other tasks, like creating video tutorials or capturing interviews.

    Users can record both their screen and voice without needing extra apps or complicated setups. However, it’s still in beta, so some minor bugs might pop up until the final release, expected in September 2025. For podcasters and creators, Local Capture makes the iPad a more powerful tool. It solves a long-standing issue, turning the iPad into a portable recording studio. With iPadOS 26, Apple is making content creation simpler and more accessible for everyone.

  • New tvOS 26 features only for newer Apple TV models

    New tvOS 26 features only for newer Apple TV models

    Apple’s new tvOS 26 update brings some cool features, but not all Apple TV users will get them. Some of these updates only work on the newer Apple TV 4K models. If you have an older Apple TV, you might miss out on a few things.

    What’s new for newer models?

    Enhanced Dialogue: With tvOS 26, Apple TV 4K (2021 or newer) can make voices in movies and shows clearer, even if there’s loud music or sound effects. This helps you hear what people are saying without turning up the volume too much.

    • Improved Audio Sharing: Now, you can connect two pairs of AirPods to your Apple TV 4K (2022 or newer) at the same time. This lets two people listen together with their own earbuds.
    • FaceTime Camera Improvements: If you use your iPhone or iPad as a camera for FaceTime on Apple TV, the newer models get better video quality and smoother calls.
    • Better Fitness+ Experience: The latest Apple TV 4K models offer improved Fitness+ workouts, with faster loading and smoother video.

    What about older Apple TVs?

    Older Apple TV models will still get the basic tvOS 26 update, but they won’t have these special features. If you want all the new improvements, you’ll need one of the latest Apple TV 4K devices.

    Summary

    tvOS 26 brings some great upgrades, but to enjoy everything, you’ll need a newer Apple TV 4K. Older models will work, but won’t get all the new features.

  • Apple’s iOS 26 brings exciting communication and Music updates

    Apple’s iOS 26 brings exciting communication and Music updates

    At WWDC 2025, Apple introduced iOS 26, packed with fresh features to make communication and music more enjoyable. The Messages app now lets users add polls to group chats, making it easy to decide things like where to eat or plan events. You can also set custom background images for chats, which sync across all your Apple devices for a personal touch.

    The Phone and FaceTime apps get a big upgrade with Live Translation, which breaks down language barriers. It translates text in Messages, adds live captions to FaceTime calls, and even speaks translations during phone calls, all processed on-device for privacy. This makes talking to people worldwide seamless, like planning a trip with friends abroad.

    Apple Music now offers “Music Pins,” letting you pin favorite playlists, albums, or artists to the top of your library for quick access. A new AutoMix feature acts like a DJ, smoothly blending songs. Plus, lyrics translation and pronunciation guides help you enjoy music from different cultures, perfect for karaoke fans.

    CarPlay gets a sleek “Liquid Glass” design, matching iOS 26’s look. It includes a compact call view, so you can see who’s calling without losing directions. Widgets, Live Activities, and quick Tapbacks for Messages make driving smoother and safer.

    Finally, a new Games app replaces Game Center, offering a hub for Apple Arcade and third-party games. It includes leaderboards, achievements, and editorial content to boost gaming on your iPhone. These updates, launching this fall, make iOS 26 a game-changer for communication, music, and more.

  • Apple cancels camera equipped watch and focuses on Smart Glasses for 2026

    Apple cancels camera equipped watch and focuses on Smart Glasses for 2026

    Apple is changing its plans for future wearable products. According to reliable sources, Apple has canceled a special Apple Watch project that was being developed with a built-in camera. This model, known as the “Watch X,” was supposed to let users take photos and make FaceTime video calls directly from their wrists. The camera would have been hidden in a pop-up design on the watch body.

    However, this idea faced many problems. Apple struggled with image quality, battery life, and making the camera system small and comfortable enough to wear. Because of these challenges, Apple decided to stop working on the project earlier this year.

    Instead, Apple is now focusing on something bigger—its first pair of smart glasses. These are expected to launch in 2026. Unlike the canceled Watch X, the smart glasses aim to give users an experience similar to AirPods, but with visual features. They might show notifications, provide navigation help, and even support some health tools.

    The smart glasses project is part of Apple’s long-term vision of building lighter, more everyday-friendly tech compared to the bulky Vision Pro headset. While the first version may not have AR features right away, future models could include full augmented reality.

    In short, Apple is moving away from cameras on the wrist and looking ahead to a future where glasses can do much more.

    Source/Via

  • Five cool features coming to Apple’s new Homepad

    Five cool features coming to Apple’s new Homepad

    Apple just revealed a new smart home device called HomePad, and it’s packed with exciting features designed to make your home smarter and more connected. Here are five key features you should know about:

    1. Easy setup with iPhone
      Setting up HomePad is super simple. Just bring your iPhone close to it, and it automatically syncs your Apple ID, Wi-Fi settings, and more—just like setting up AirPods or a HomePod.

    2. Works with Matter
      HomePad fully supports Matter, the new smart home standard that works with devices from different brands. This means you can control smart devices from Apple, Google, Amazon, and others—all from the same app.

    3. Multi-display support
      HomePad supports multiple displays at once. So, you can control smart lights from the kitchen while watching a camera feed in the living room. It makes multitasking across rooms easy and smooth.

    4. Hand off FaceTime and calls
      You can start a FaceTime call on your iPhone and then transfer it to the HomePad instantly. It even works with other video calling apps, making your video chats more flexible.

    5. Smart home automation with Siri
      Siri on HomePad helps automate tasks like locking doors at night or turning off lights when you leave home. You can also set up routines that adjust based on time or who’s in the house.

    Apple hasn’t given a release date yet, but these features show they’re aiming to make HomePad a powerful hub for your smart home.

  • iOS 19 brings smarter voice, better car controls, and more sound features

    iOS 19 brings smarter voice, better car controls, and more sound features

    Apple has announced new accessibility tools coming with iOS 19, making the iPhone even more helpful for people with different needs.

    One major upgrade is to the Personal Voice feature. With iOS 19, users who have speech difficulties will be able to type what they want to say, and their iPhone will speak it using their own synthetic voice. It also works with Live Speech across calls and FaceTime, helping people communicate in real time.

    Another helpful tool is Vehicle Motion Cues. This feature helps reduce motion sickness for those who feel dizzy while using their iPhone in a moving car. It adds animated dots on the screen to match the vehicle’s movement, which helps the brain adjust better.

    Music Haptics is also coming. This feature lets deaf or hard-of-hearing users feel music through the Taptic Engine. They can experience rhythm and sound using vibration. Developers can add this feature to their own apps with a new API.

    CarPlay is getting smarter too. iOS 19 will add support for voice control in supported cars. This means users can do more with their voice while driving. There’s also color filters and bold text options to make the display easier to read.

    These updates will be released later this year with iOS 19. Apple says they are part of a larger push to make their products more inclusive for everyone.

  • Apple’s new HomeOS and Apple Intelligence features highlighted in new ad

    Apple’s new HomeOS and Apple Intelligence features highlighted in new ad

    Apple is set to launch a fresh software platform called homeOS in 2025, designed to power a new smart home device named the HomePad. This device, a blend of an iPad and HomePod, aims to make Siri and Apple’s AI, known as Apple Intelligence, more useful at home.

    The HomePad will feature a screen for controlling smart home gadgets, showing widgets, and running apps like Photos, Music, and Notes. It will also have a camera for FaceTime calls and sensors to adjust its display based on how close you are.

    The homeOS platform will feel familiar to iPhone users, with a home screen full of customizable widgets. While it won’t have an App Store at first, it will come with built-in Apple apps. A cool feature is a photo slideshow mode that acts like a screensaver when you’re far away. Siri will get smarter, using Apple Intelligence to understand your personal info, like emails or texts, to help with tasks such as finding a recipe or flight details.

    Apple Intelligence will also bring new tricks to other devices in 2025, like Priority Notifications to highlight important alerts and better language support for Siri. These updates will roll out with iOS 18.4 in April. The HomePad, expected later in 2025, could be delayed as Apple fine-tunes Siri’s advanced features. This launch marks Apple’s big push into smart homes, aiming to make your home tech as seamless as your iPhone.

  • Apple Smart Home device delayed, staff testing it at home

    Apple Smart Home device delayed, staff testing it at home

    Mark Gurman from Bloomberg says Apple has started a special testing program for its new smart home gadget, which some call the HomePad. It was supposed to launch in March, but that’s not happening anymore. The delay is because Apple is still working on making Siri smarter, which is taking longer than planned.

    Why the Delay?

    Even without the Siri troubles, the smart home device was unlikely to hit its March target. It needs new Siri features, called App Intent, that were meant to come with iOS 18.4 in April. But now, Apple has admitted those upgrades are running late. In a message to Daring Fireball, they said:

    “We’re building a Siri that knows more about you and can do tasks in your apps. It’s taking more time than we expected, and we’ll roll it out next year.”

    Rumors hinted at these Siri updates arriving with iOS 18.5 or later, but Apple’s “next year” comment suggests bigger delays. Gurman even thinks Apple might need to rethink its whole plan for Siri and Apple Intelligence. Since the smart home gadget depends on these Siri improvements, its launch has been pushed back, too.

    Testing at Home

    Even though the public won’t see it soon, Apple isn’t sitting still. Gurman reports they’ve kicked off a testing program for employees. Some staff get to bring the device home, try it out, and tell Apple what works or doesn’t. This helps fix problems before the gadget goes on sale.

    What’s This Device Like?

    Here’s a quick look at what people say the new smart home hub might offer:

    • A 7-inch square screen with a thick edge
    • A camera up top
    • A battery you can recharge
    • A new system called homeOS
    • Great for video calls like FaceTime
    • Works with lots of Apple apps
    • A handy dashboard like StandBy
    • Simple controls for your smart home
    • Support for Apple Intelligence

    The delay is a bummer, but it’s smart to wait until everything’s ready. For now, Apple’s team is testing it to make it better.

  • Apple resists UK’s push for iCloud access

    Apple resists UK’s push for iCloud access

    Apple has taken a bold step by filing a legal challenge with the UK’s Investigatory Powers Tribunal. This move aims to block the UK government’s request for secret access to private iCloud data, according to the Financial Times.

    iCloud Privacy vs. UK Rules

    Earlier this year, the UK demanded that Apple create a hidden way—called a backdoor—to access encrypted information stored in iCloud by users around the world. The UK based this order on its Investigatory Powers Act. Apple, however, refused to follow through. Instead, it pulled a security feature called Advanced Data Protection from the UK. This tool gives iPhone, iPad, and Mac users strong encryption for their iCloud files, keeping them private.

    Apple is ready to stand firm against the UK to safeguard user privacy. The legal fight it started could be reviewed in court as early as this month. Due to strict UK laws, Apple can’t openly talk about the government’s order, so the case might happen quietly, out of the public eye.

    What’s at Stake?

    Apple has warned before that it would rather stop offering some iCloud services in the UK than weaken its security. For now, it’s only removed Advanced Data Protection, but other popular tools like FaceTime and iMessage could also disappear if the UK keeps pushing. The government says it needs this access to tackle terrorism and child abuse cases.

    Apple has a history of resisting such demands. Back in 2016, it fought the U.S. government when asked to unlock an iPhone tied to a shooting in San Bernardino, California. After a big legal clash, Apple held its ground. Interestingly, the U.S. now supports strong encryption to shield users from foreign cyber threats.

    A Bigger Picture

    The U.S. is also checking if the UK’s request breaks the CLOUD Act, a law that stops the UK from seeking data on American users—and the other way around. This could spark more tension between the two nations over privacy rules.