I don't discuss the Apple Arcade subscription service much because I rarely use it myself although my kids use it, but it is $5/month or it is part of the Apple One subscription bundle. The service provides high-quality video games without having to pay to download the app and, better yet, without have to pay any in-app fees. It is also included as a part of the Apple One bundle. If you use the Apple Arcade subscription service, you have seen new games added since the service debuted in 2019. José Adorno of 9to5Mac notes that, for the first time, Apple is retiring some games from the service. Presumably, these are less-popular games. When Apple removes a game, you have two weeks to continue to use it, and then it disappears—although the developer may decide to offer a new version of the app in the App Store, and it may be possible to load your saved game progress, if the developer enables that feature. And now, the news of note from the past week:
- The debate over whether and when the government can compel a person to unlock an iPhone is far from over. Thomas Brewster of Forbes discusses an incident in which the FBI forced a man use his face to unlock encrypted messages in an app called Wickr as part of an investigation of child abuse sexual material.
- Apple released iOS 15.6 this week. As José Adorno of 9to5Mac reports, it is mostly bug fixes and security improvements.
- iOS 15.6 changes the way that the Find My app alerts you to AirTag battery status, as noted by José Adorno of 9to5Mac. In the past, you would always see an icon indicating the amount of battery life. In iOS 15.6, you only see a red battery icon if the battery is low and needs to be replaced. The new system makes sense to me since the old battery indicator was never very precise, but you should be aware of the change if you use AirTags.
- Glenn Fleishman of Macworld explains how to use the built-in Home app to monitor specific zones using a HomeKit-compatible security camera.
- Although there is a lot that I like about Apple's HomeKit Secure Video platform, it does have some disadvantages. Rachel Cericola of Wirecutter explains all of the reasons that she does not trust HomeKit Secure Video. I agree with some of her complaints. For example, it is a shame that the service does not use 4K or 2K (only 1080p) and it often forgets to record. But she does not mention that you can use both HomeKit Secure Video and other platforms—for me, for example, I use the Eufy platform too—and I sometimes find that the Eufy failed to record but the HomeKit Secure Video did so. The article also ignores some advantages such as cost (free), the fact that it lets you view your camera on an Apple TV, and security. Nevertheless, if you are trying to decide whether to rely solely on HomeKit Secure Video, whether to use that in connection with another platform, or whether to ignore HomeKit Secure Video completely, you should read this article to learn about the cons as you consider the pros.
- Ben Lovejoy of 9to5Mac discusses a new product from Eve: the second generation Eve motion sensor. The prior version of the Eve motion sensor, which I reviewed in 2018, does a nice job of sensing motion and triggering HomeKit actions. For me, when I walk into my home theater after not being in there for at least three hours, it turns on the lights for me. The second generation of this product uses Thread, and Lovejoy's article includes an excellent description of what that means and why you might want it. The new version also includes a built-in light sensor that can trigger actions based on sensing light. This looks like a great product if you want a motion detector.
- In another Macworld article, Dan Moren explains how parts of the next version of the iPhone operating system are laying a foundation for big changes coming down the road.
- Ken Macleod of CBS News Boston shares the story of a woman who was told by her Apple Watch that she was in atrial fibrillation. The woman didn't believe it at first, but after being told three nights in a row, she went to the hospital and discovered that the culprit was a fast-growing tumor near her heart. The tumor was removed in a surgery, and her doctors say that this saved her life.
- Michael Potuck of 9to5Mac shares the story of a Ukranian soldier whose life was saved because the iPhone in his vest stopped a bullet.
- Rosy Cordero of Deadline reports on what the actors on the Apple TV+ show Ted Lasso had to say about the series coming to an end soon after three seasons.
- In this TikTok video, comedian Becca Bastos impersonates the Apple Watch, and does so rather effectively.
- And finally, in a 15 second video released by Apple UK, Apple quickly shows why ApplePay is more secure than using a credit card. There are two other even shorter videos in this series: one called Contactless and one called Exposed.
