I often mention stories of folks using the Find My app to catch a thief. For example, here is a story from AppleInsider this week about a man in Washington using Find My and an AirTag to find his stolen motorcycle. But Find My can also be used by thieves. Ben Feuerherd of the New York Post reports that a group of robbers in New York attached an Apple Watch to the bumper of a drug dealer’s car so that they could use Find My to follow him to a stash of $500,000. But just as technology was essential to their heist, it also led to their downfall. The robbers were subsequently captured, and the prosecutor stated that his criminal charges were “supported by detailed cellsite location data, including [from] his Apple Watch and the phones of the defendant.” Click here for more details, including a picture of the robbers striking a pose in front of all of the money that they stole, taken not long before they were caught. And now, the news of note from the past week:
- If you use T-Mobile in the United States, you should know that this week T-Mobile confirmed a major data breach. Hackers were able to access full names, dates of birth, Social Security numbers, and more, and this information is now showing up online. Ugh. Chris Velazco of the Washington Post has information on the breach and what you can do now to protect yourself.
- Two months ago, I described a large number of new features coming to iOS 15 and iPadOS 15. But one feature that I chose not to mention is SharePlay, a new technology that lets different people in different locations watch media at the same time. For example, two people in different cities can watch a movie and have the movie synced so that they can see the movie simultaneously, almost like they are in the same room. It’s an interesting idea, especially during a pandemic, but I didn’t find it as compelling as the other new features coming this Fall. I mention it now only because Apple is now delaying this feature, and as Jason Snell explains in an article for Macworld, that is a good thing because it is far worse when Apple ships a feature prematurely.
- A feature coming to iOS 15 that I am very much looking forward to is Live Text, which allows the iPhone to read text in a photo. Dan Moren of Six Colors discusses this new feature.
- Apple has been able to develop some impressive new hardware and software even though almost all of its employees (outside of the Apple Stores) have been working from home during the pandemic. And I’m glad that there is such a good track record because, as reported by Zoe Schiffer of The Verge, the recent COVID-19 surge caused Apple to announce yesterday that its employees will continue to work from home until at least January 2022.
- Joanna Stern of the Wall Street Journal posted an excellent video interview with Apple software chief Craig Federighi to discuss Apple’s upcoming child protection features.
- Nicholas Katzban of NorthJersey.com reports that after a burglar handcuffed a 20-year-old woman to her bed, she was able to use her Apple Watch to call for help.
- A user on Reddit posted over 100 iOS tips and tricks, and there are some great ones on that list.
- If you use the HBO Max app on an Apple TV or other device, you know that it doesn’t always work very well. Fortunately, relief should be coming in the next few months. Josef Adalian of Vulture reports that WarnerMedia has been working on a brand new version of the app and it is coming out soon. The new Roku and PlayStation apps will be out first, the Apple TV app will be out by the end of 2021, a new mobile and web-based apps will be out in early 2022.
- I love watching a movie or TV show on my iPad when a service supports spatial audio. The sound seems fuller and seems to come from the direction of the iPad — so much so that I am often tricked into thinking that my AirPods are not working and the sound is actually coming from the iPad. John Gruber of Daring Fireball notes that, as reported by Juli Clover, Spatial Audio is coming to the Netflix app. I agree with Gruber that Spatial Audio can be “a game changer for degree of immersiveness.”
- If you like word games and you subscribe to Apple Arcade, Ed Hardy of Cult of Mac recommends that you play the new Wurdweb app. I tried it, and so far, I like it.
- An upcoming series on Showtime called Super Pumped focuses on the rise in popularity of Uber. Rob Latour of Variety reports that Hank Azaria will play Apple CEO Tim Cook on the show.
- And finally, there is a fantastic new movie on Apple TV+ called CODA, and I strongly recommend that you watch it. It is a story about a teenager who wants to sing, but everyone else in her family is deaf so they have trouble understanding her passion. It is funny, touching, and features incredible acting. And it won all of the top awards at Sundance. Here is a video released by Apple that features part of one of the songs: