Tag: ios

iOS 17.4 Public Beta Released With New Emoji, Changes to App Store for EU Customers

iOS 17.4 is now rolling out to beta testers on the company’s public beta channel, a week after Apple rolled out the update to developers. The upcoming iOS update is expected to arrive in the coming weeks with several changes to how iOS works in specific countries. In order to comply with the European Union’s Digital Markets Act (DMA) regulations, Apple will soon allow customers in the region to access third party app stores while opening up other parts of the operating system including NFC support for third party apps.

Apple began to roll out the iOS 17.4 public beta (21E5184k) on Tuesday and there are a few user-facing changes that are visible after updating to the latest version. Apple has updated the Stolen Device Protection feature — introduced with the iOS 17.3 update — with a new option that always requires a delay when changing security settings, ignoring when the phone is in familiar locations.

While users outside the EU won’t benefit from all of the changes coming to iOS 17.4, the update includes support for third-party app stores that can be installed on an iPhone, while browsers like Firefox and Chrome can support their own browser engine. Game streaming will also be allowed with iOS 17.4, while Apple Pay competitors will be able to use the NFC technology on the iPhone for contactless payments.

With iOS 17.4 Apple is including six new emoji — Broken Chain, Brown Mushroom, Head Shaking Horizontally, Head Shaking Vertically, Lime, and Phoenix Bird. These will be visible in apps and can be sent to other users via the system keyboard. The update also replaces the detailed family emoji with simplified versions, while emoji of moving characters are now shown with variations for different directions.

The Apple Podcasts app has also been updated with support for automatic transcriptions that are generated for an episode and displayed in the app, while the company has updated the Listen Now tab at the bottom of its podcasts app and the Apple Music app with a new label — Home. No other visual changes are visible on both apps.

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Fortnite Will Return to iOS in Europe as Apple Plans to Allow Third-Party App Stores on iPhone

Fortnite will be making a return to iOS in Europe, Epic Games announced on January 25. The development occurred as Apple is now forced to open iOS to sideloaded apps and third-party app stores to comply with the Digital Markets Act (DMA) and is chasing a deadline of March 7. Reportedly, Apple is already working on making changes to its App Store and will likely make a separate version available in Europe. Epic Games could be one of the many app stores that become available in the region, and iPhone users may finally get to play Fortnite after waiting for four years.

In a post, the official handle of Epic Games Store revealed that Fortnite will make a comeback to iOS in Europe this year. It also added that the popular battle royale game will be added via the Epic Games Store for iOS. The post did not mention a launch date.

In a separate post, the company said, “Stay tuned for details as we figure out the regulatory timeline. We’ll continue to argue to the courts and regulators that Apple is breaking the law.”

Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney also spoke against how Apple implements the DMA regulations, calling it a “malicious compliance.” In a long post, he said the Cupertino-based tech giant is forcing third-party app stores to accept “junk fees on downloads and new Apple taxes on payments they don’t process.”

Separately, he also said that a monopoly should not be allowed to decide what companies are allowed to compete with it after another user shared a list of agreements Apple sought from third-party app stores before allowing them on iOS.

Fortnite was removed from the App Store in 2020 after the iPhone maker banned Epic for encouraging users to make third-party in-app payments. Subsequently, Epic Games filed an antitrust lawsuit against Apple. Just last week, the US Supreme Court denied the request to hear the dispute, resulting in a win for the tech giant.

The concern for Epic Games comes from its previous issues with the company, and with Apple still holding oversight into third-party apps, the possibility of the Fortnite-maker getting banned again still exists.

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Apple Plans to Review Sideloaded iOS Apps, Charge Developers for Downloads Outside App Store: Report

Apple is expected to enable support for sideloading apps on iOS by March 6 to comply with the European Union’s Digital Markets Act (DMA), and details of the company’s plans to deal with the changes are now emerging. While the company is yet to announce when support for installing applications outside the App Store will be allowed in the EU, a report states that the company will set up processes to review — and possibly charge developers for — these apps.

The Wall Street Journal reports that Apple plans to enable support for sideloading iOS apps in the EU but will also implement new methods to review apps that are installed outside the App Store. While the iPhone maker currently has full control over how apps are distributed on its smartphones — including vetting and reviewing individual app updates — that is set to change in March when users in the EU will be able to install applications outside the App Store.

It is currently unclear how Apple will restrict apps that are not distributed outside the App Store, but the company uses a security mechanism called Gatekeeper that enforces code signing and download verification of apps downloaded outside the macOS App Store. Apple can technically revoke the certificates for malicious apps, preventing them from running on a user’s device. It is also unclear how Apple plans to review apps that are sideloaded by users on iOS.

The report also states that Apple is considering charging developers for apps sideloaded outside the App Store. The iPhone maker collects between 27 percent to 30 percent of all app purchases and in-app purchases (IAPs) on the App Store, and the company is expected to lose out on the revenue from app developers who choose to distribute their apps outside the App Store.

It remains to be seen whether Apple will enable support for sideloading with the arrival of iOS 17.4 in the coming weeks or whether the functionality can be enabled with the existing code on iOS 17.3 that was rolled out earlier this week. As the DMA deadline approaches, we can expect to learn more about Apple’s plans to deal with iOS app sideloading in the EU in the coming weeks. 

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Nokia G42 5G Android 14 Update Reportedly Rolling Out to Users in India



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Beeper Takes Down Beeper Mini App From Google Play Store After iMessage Saga: Report

Beeper Mini has been involved in a long-running saga of promising to facilitate iMessage to Android users, getting blocked by Apple, and finding repeated workarounds to make the service work. The messaging platform seems to be running out of options now, as the Beeper Mini app has reportedly been removed from Google Play Store. The latest development follows an announcement from the Beeper team last month that said the app had received its final update, pretty much giving up the fight to make iMessages reliably work on Android phones.

According to a report from 9to5Google, the standalone Beeper Mini app, which enables blue bubbles iMessage texting on Android phones, has been removed from the Play Store. The Beeper team announced the decision officially Thursday via a message to Beeper Cloud users.

The iMessage feature from Beeper Mini has also been moved to the ‘Labs’ section in the Beeper Cloud app. “We have moved iMessage to ‘Labs’ in Beeper Cloud and removed Beeper Mini from the Play Store,” the message to Beeper Cloud users reportedly said. While the Beeper Mini app is no longer available to download from Google’s storefront, it can still be sideloaded via the apk file available on the Beeper website. Beeper Cloud is still available on the Play Store.

Additionally, Eric Migicovsky, the cofounder of Beeper also provided further update on the company’s roadmap in the announcement message. According to the report, the company is working to add 14 other chat networks to the Beeper Mini Android app, which it calls its number 1 priority. “It’s a completely new app, with a new design, built for top speed and performance,” the message reportedly added. The company also said that improvements to the Beeper desktop app are on the way, including a performance boost.

Last month, Beeper announced a final update for the Mini app on its blog. After multiple workarounds and fixes to get iMessage working stably on Android phones, the company admitted that its efforts were “unsustainable” in the long term. The company said it was no longer going to issue fixes for its app if Apple were to disrupt the service. “As much as we want to fight for what we believe is a fantastic product that really should exist, the truth is that we can’t win a cat-and-mouse game with the largest company on earth,” the Beeper team said.

Apple, which has constantly blocked Beeper’s efforts to run iMessage on Android phones, has claimed that the Beeper Mini app poses “significant risks to user security and privacy.” The Beeper team, however, denies that claim, accusing Apple instead of monopolising the iMessage service to sell more iPhone.

Earlier in December 2023, Beeper Mini, after launching, getting blocked by Apple, and finding a workaround, announced that its new fix to run iMessage on Android phones would require Beeper users to access a Mac for registration.

Will the Nothing Phone 2 serve as the successor to the Phone 1, or will the two co-exist? We discuss the company’s recently launched handset and more on the latest episode of Orbital, the Gadgets 360 podcast. Orbital is available on Spotify, Gaana, JioSaavn, Google Podcasts, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music and wherever you get your podcasts.
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ChatGPT App Could Soon Be Set as the Default Assistant on Android Phones: Report

The rise of generative AI applications like OpenAI’s ChatGPT and Microsoft’s Copilot have made existing standard AI voice assistants like Siri and Google Assistant feel obsolete. Where advanced chatbots can hold human-like conversations, respond to queries on multiple topics, and can now even pull real-time information from the Internet, AI assistants on phones can do limited tasks. The ChatGPT app on both iOS and Android goes a long way in substituting the default assistant on the device. But now, OpenAI’s wildly successful chatbot, could likely properly replace Google Assistant on Android smartphones.

A report by Android Authority says that a code within the latest version of the ChatGPT Android app suggests that it could be set as the default assistant on an Android device..

According to the report, ChatGPT version 1.2023.352, which released last month, included a new activity named ‘com.openai.voice.assistant.AssistantActivity.’ The activity remains disabled by default, but can be manually enabled and launched. Once launched, it shows up on the device screen as an overlay with the same animation as ChatGPT app’s voice chat mode, the report claims. “This overlay appears over other apps and doesn’t take up the entire screen like the in-app voice chat mode. So, presumably, you could talk to ChatGPT from any screen by invoking this assistant,” it adds.

It’s clear, however, that assistant mode is a work in progress. The animation that plays when launching the activity reportedly doesn’t finish and the activity shuts down before you can interact with the chatbot. The report also says that the code required for the ChatGPT app to work as a “default digital assistant app” exists only partially. The ChatGPT app also seems to be missing necessary declarations and metadata tags that would allow it to be set as the default assistant on a device.

The AI assistant wars on mobile phones are about to kick off, with Google Assistant and Siri scrambling to catch up to modern chatbots. The ChatGPT app rolled out its voice chat feature for all free users on Android and iOS in November, effectively allowing the app to act as a voice assistant. Bear in mind, however, that free ChatGPT users cannot access real-time information from the Web on the app, so you can’t ask the chatbot about the latest sports scores or the weather forecast in your city, for example. You can, however, do that on the GPT-4 powered Bing app or the new standalone Copilot app from Microsoft, which launched on both Android and iOS last week.

While Android users don’t yet have a way to bring up the ChatGPT app easily with a gesture, like they would bring up the Google Assistant, iPhone 15 Pro users can simply bind the app with the dedicated Action Button, to bring it up and start conversing with the press of a single button. Google, meanwhile, is hard at work to bring Bard, its own generative AI chatbot, to Google Assistant. The company also recently announced Gemini, its most powerful AI model to date that would compete with OpenAI’s GPT-4 model.

Apple, on the other hand, seems to the one lagging behind in the AI assistant race. The iPhone maker is reportedly working on an AI-infused iOS 18 that will likely power its next lineup of smartphones. The default voice assistant on the upcoming iPhone 16 is said to get a major AI update, with the Siri team reportedly rejigged in Q3 2023 to work on including large language models (LLMs) and artificial intelligence-generated content (AIGC).

Will the Nothing Phone 2 serve as the successor to the Phone 1, or will the two co-exist? We discuss the company’s recently launched handset and more on the latest episode of Orbital, the Gadgets 360 podcast. Orbital is available on Spotify, Gaana, JioSaavn, Google Podcasts, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music and wherever you get your podcasts.
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Telegram Update Brings Redesigned Calls, Thanos Snap-Style Animation for Deleted Messages, More

Telegram, the popular messaging platform, has rolled out a new update that brings improvements to the calling feature, adds a new animation for deleting messages, and includes a massive update to its bot platform that adds reactions and more. The new update follows the Christmas update to the app, that brought new customisations to channel appearance and the ability to share posts in stories. The latest update has already rolled out on both Android and iOS platforms.

The Telegram 10.5.0 update, which released December 31, brings a few upgrades to the calling feature. Telegram calls, which are end-to-end encrypted, have been fully redesigned, with new dynamic animations and backgrounds that change based on whether a call is incoming, active, or ended. According to a blog post detailing the update, the new calls interface is less resource hungry than before, thus reducing battery drain and ensuring smoother operation on older devices. Additionally, the update includes call quality improvements and a host of bug fixes. Telegram says that improvements to call connection and audio quality are on the way, too.

The update also brings a Thanos snap-style animation for deleting messages. The experimental animation was first introduced in November for auto-deleted messages only on iOS. Now, the disintegration animation plays whenever you delete any message on the Telegram app on both iOS and Android.

Lastly, Telegram has also rolled out what it claims to be the largest update to its bot platform in history. Telegram bots let developers add more automated tools and features to the messaging app. “…bots can now react to messages and manage reactions, quotes, and links, send replies to other chats or topics, and much more,” the Telegram blog said.

Back in October last year, a Telegram update brought advanced reply options, letting users quote specific parts of any message and reply to those. The app also received link preview customisation options and account colour customisations for Premium users.

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Microsoft Copilot Now Available for Android Users as a Standalone App; May Come to iOS Soon

Microsoft Copilot appears to have been quietly rolled out to Android users. Copilot, driven by the latest OpenAI models GPT-4 and DALL-E 3, is capable of generating content and creating visuals from basic text descriptions and requests. It is Microsoft’s Bing Chat AI chatbot and other existing AI features rebranded and bundled together as a generative AI assistant. Although the company has not announced the release officially, Microsoft Copilot is currently listed on Google’s Play Store and is available for download to all Android users.

The Play Store listing (first spotted by Neowin) of Microsoft Copilot lists the app as free-to-use, suggesting there could be in-app purchases. As per the listing on the Play Store, the app was last updated on December 19. Microsoft rebranded its Bing Chat AI to Copilot in September this year. However, unlike Bing Chat, the new app is completely dedicated to providing access to Microsoft’s AI conversation helper. There is no distraction from Bing’s search engine or rewards, but advertisements will show up occasionally in this new app.

Copilot, as suggested by the listing, offers free access to OpenAI’s GPT-4 and DALL-E 3 artificial intelligence models, which are claimed to help offer users “fast, complex, and precise responses, as well as the ability to create breathtaking visuals” from simple text cues. 

The Microsoft Copilot app for Android does not require users to sign in to a Microsoft account. However, the company explains that signing in using a Microsoft email ID would allow “more questions” and “longer conversations” with the chatbot. The app also asks for an approximate location permission but it is not mandatory to share. A toggle within the Microsoft Copilot application enables users to turn on GPT-4 access, which the app also warns will be “slower while being creative.”

Meanwhile, a report by Windows Latest citing internal sources suggests that Microsoft is working on an iOS version of Copilot. The report claims that it is “nearly ready” and could launch soon although it does not detail a timeline. For the time being, iOS users can access Microsoft Copilot via the Bing Chat app.

Is the iQoo Neo 7 Pro the best smartphone you can buy under Rs. 40,000 in India? We discuss the company’s recently launched handset and what it has to offer on the latest episode of Orbital, the Gadgets 360 podcast. Orbital is available on Spotify, Gaana, JioSaavn, Google Podcasts, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music and wherever you get your podcasts.
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Apple, Google May Have to Allow Third-Party App Stores, Payments in Japan: Report

Japan is reportedly working on new regulations that will require big tech giants including Google and Apple to permit app downloading from outside their official app stores — Google Play, App Store. The legislation is expected to be sent to parliament next year. The two tech companies are currently facing regulations from various governments to open their in-built app stores and allow users to install apps from third-party sources. The iPhone maker is expected to bring changes to its App Store policies to comply with the European Union’s new Digital Markets Act (DMA).

As per a new report by Nikkei Asia, the Japanese government is preparing laws that will require Apple and Google as well as other similar companies to allow users to download apps outside their official app stores and let alternative payment methods for any apps. With the latest move, the government aims to stimulate competition and curb abuse of the tech giant’s dominant position in the Japanese market.

The legislation is reportedly slated for submission to parliament next year. The legislation could focus on four areas — app stores and payments, search, browsers, and operating systems. Once approved, the regulations would allow the Japan Fair Trade Commission (JFTC) to impose fines on companies for antitrust issues. It would be able to fine firms up to 6 percent of the revenue generated from illegal activities. More details about the regulations are expected to be out before spring next year. 

The legislation is expected to let Japanese companies to have third-party app stores on iOS and Android platforms. Developers might also be able to choose payment systems from local firms with lower service charges.

Japan’s rumoured antitrust legislation seems to be similar to the European Union’s Digital Markets Act. The DMA is expected to come into full force in 2024. As per DMA, companies with more than 45 million monthly active users and a EUR 75 billion (roughly Rs. 670 crore) market capitalisation are to be considered gatekeepers providing a core platform service. The DMA requires Apple to enable developers to publish their iOS apps outside of the App Store.

Apple is reportedly working on allowing users in the European Union to sideload iPhone apps. An upcoming iOS version is expected to enable sideloading of apps in select regions.

Apple unveiled its first mixed reality headset, the Apple Vision Pro, at its annual developer conference, along with new Mac models and upcoming software updates. We discuss all the most important announcements made by the company at WWDC 2023 on Orbital, the Gadgets 360 podcast. Orbital is available on Spotify, Gaana, JioSaavn, Google Podcasts, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music and wherever you get your podcasts.
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Resident Evil 4 Remake Now Available on iPhone 15 Pro, iPad and Mac at a 50 Percent Discount

Resident Evil 4, the acclaimed 2023 remake of the survival horror classic from 2005, is now available on the iPhone 15 Pro and select iPad and Mac models. The game released on compatible Apple devices on Wednesday. While RE4 is listed for free on Apple’s App Store, accessing the full title would require in-app purchases. RE4 remake originally release for PC and consoles on March 24 and received critical acclaim for the visual and mechanical improvements it brought to 2005’s Resident Evil 4. The remake also earned three nominations at this year’s The Game Awards, including the top prize for Game of the Year.

Publisher Capcom showed off Resident Evil 4 remake for Apple devices at the iPhone 15 series launch event in September. The graphics-intensive title, meant to be played originally on PC, PS4, PS5, and Xbox Series S/X, will run on the iPhone thanks to Apple’s new A17 Pro GPU present on the latest iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max. RE4 remake can also be played on iPad Pro and iPad Air models running on M1 and M2 chips, and on Mac models with M1, M2 or M3 chips onboard.

The App Store listing for Resident Evil 4 went live back in September, with the pricing for the game set at a hefty Rs. 3,599. A small part of the base game can be played for free, but the full game would require an in-app purchase. The main game, however, is available on the App Store right now with a 50 percent discount, which brings the price for the base game (with bonus) down to Rs. 1,799. The discount ends January 17 and all purchases made before the date will include bonus attache cases and charms. The Separate Ways DLC and the Extra DLC Pack for the title are priced at Rs. 589 and Rs. 859, respectively.

Playing the game without a compatible controller would clutter the touchscreen on iPhone and iPad with on-screen touch control buttons. Apple, too, recommends playing the game with a controller. It’s also worth noting that RE4 save data cannot be uploaded and downloaded between MacOS and iOS devices. The game requires iOS 17.0 or later on iPhone 15 Pro models, iPadOS 17.0 on compatible iPad models, and macOS 13.0 or later on compatible Macs.

Resident Evil 4 on the iPhone 15 Pro
Photo Credit: Capcom

Resident Evil 4 puts you in the shoes of federal agent Leon S. Kennedy, assigned to rescue the president’s daughter. He tracks her down to a remote village in rural Spain, but finds a dangerous cult with horrific secrets and a legion of followers standing in his way. RE4, primarily a survival horror title, features third-person shooting with an “over-the-shoulder” perspective — a common gameplay trope in action titles first pioneered in the original Resident Evil 4.

In addition to the RE4 remake, Capcom also released Resident Evil Village, 2021’s first-person survival horror title, on iPhone 15 Pro phones and the M1-and-above-equipped iPads on October 30.

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Beeper Mini Now Requires Users to Access a Mac to Send Blue Bubble iMessage Texts From Android

Beeper Mini has had a busy two weeks. The messaging app first introduced iMessage support on Android phones without the need for an Apple ID earlier this month. Then, Apple sprang into action and blocked the company’s iMessage service citing security concerns. Beeper scrambled to get iMessages working on Android, eventually resuming service with some restrictions. The Apple ID requirement, for once, was back. Now, the messaging app has provided another update on its iMessage service. Beeper now requires Android phone users to have access to a Mac for the service to work reliably.

In a reddit post Tuesday, the Beeper team provided a status update for an iMessages fix on Android devices. “We’ve found a solution to stabilize the iMessage situation for Beeper Cloud and Mini,” the company said in the post. The solution is that Android users must have access to a Mac computer for iMessages to work with blue text bubbles on an Android phone.

“When you connect iMessage on Beeper, we need to send identification information called ‘registration data’ from a real Mac,” the Beeper team explained in the post. “We have, up until now, we been using our own fleet of Mac servers to provide this. Unfortunately, this has proven to be an easy target for Apple because thousands of Beeper users were using the same registration data.”

Beeper Mini announced that it will publish an update for Beeper Cloud (Mac version) on Wednesday that would generate unique registration data for each user. “This 1:1 mapping of registration data to individual user—in our testing—makes the connection very reliable,” the post said. It’s also worth noting that the Mac registration isn’t a one-time thing; Beeper users would need to have continued access to a Mac for iMessage to work. Beeper Mini needs to regenerate Mac registration data once every week or every month even after initial connection, in which case a Mac computer must be switched on regularly.

The company also mentioned that users without a Mac could ask a friend on Beeper with a Mac for their registration data. According to Beeper, their testing showed that up to 20 iMessage users could safely use the same registration data.

While Beeper’s latest update enables stable iMessages with Apple ID for Android users, it certainly presents hurdles by requiring continued access to a Mac computer.

Released December 5, Beeper Mini promised iMessage service to Android users without requiring an Apple ID. The standalone Android app connects directly to Apple’s servers, allowing users to send messages that appear as blue bubbles to iMessage users — as if sent from an iPhone. The messaging app also supports features like read receipts, typing indicators, high quality media sharing, stickers, reactions, voice notes, and GIFs.

Apple, however, quickly blocked the app soon after its launch citing privacy and security concerns. The iPhone maker said in a statement that it acted against Beeper Mini’s iMessage service as it exploited “fake credentials.” Apple said that the techniques used by Beeper “posed significant risks to user security and privacy.”

Beeper Mini restored its iMessage service on December 11, but required users to users to log in using an Apple ID since phone number registration was unavailable. The company said that it had deregistered all phone numbers from the platform and all messages would be sent and received via the email address used in the user’s Apple ID.

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