Apple’s M2 chip will make Macs even more efficient

Almost two years since the launch of Apple’s M1 chip — the first ARM-based “Apple Silicon” hardware — we finally have a successor: M2. While the M1 chip was notable for showing what Apple could accomplish with a more efficient mobile design (a dramatic…

watchOS 9 will know what heart rate zones you’re in during sleep and workouts

As expected, Apple has introduced watchOS 9 at WWDC. The new Apple Watch platform includes a big upgrade to fitness features with enhanced metrics that include distance and time intervals. You’ll know when to slow down for a recovery, for instance. There are also heart rate zones (for both sleep and workouts), multi-sport workouts and personal bests that can help you improve performance over time. You won’t always need the wristwear, though— Apple has also promised to offer fitness features on the iPhone.

Fitness+ is more useful, too, with on-screen guidance to help you tackle all-out pushes and recoveries in several workout types. You’ll also find support for AirPlay to devices besides the Apple TV.

A new Medications feature in Health on the Apple Watch and iPhone helps you manage notifications, and will give you alerts when it’s time for your next dose. You can even learn about potentially harmful drug interactions. If you’re taking care of a loved one, they can also volunteer to share their health information with you. Atrial fibrillation tracking, meanwhile, now provides a history to let you know often your heart stays in an irregular rhythm.

You’ll also see some interface tweaks such as banner notifications, a priority-focused dock, a redesigned Calendar app, double-pinch “Quick Actions” gestures and a new Siri presentation. Apple has both revamped existing watch faces (such as Astronomy, Simple and Utility) and introduced new ones like Lunar, Metropolitan and Playtime.

The developer beta of watchOS 9 is available today, with a public beta expected in July. The finished update will arrive this fall for anyone using an Apple Watch Series 4 or later. This is the swan song for Apple’s original smartwatch form factor, in other words — you may want to think twice about buying the Series 3 (still on sale) knowing that it won’t get major updates from here on out.

Follow all of the news from WWDC right here!

Apple expands personal safety features with ‘Safety Check’

Apple is expanding its personal safety features in iOS 16 with Safety Check, a new feature meant to make it easier to lock down privacy and security settings. Safety check allows users to quickly review which contacts may have access to their location or calendar info, as well as the permissions being used by individual apps.

The feature is formatted into a checklist to make it easy to review and revoke access on an app-by-app or contact-by-contact basis. The company said the feature could be particularly impactful for people trying to flee an abusive relationship. In addition to the checklist, there’s an “emergency reset” that allows users to sign out of iCloud, lock down privacy settings and limit incoming messages to only “the device in their hand.”

The update comes after Apple has faced widespread scrutiny over AirTag-enabled tracking features that have since been linked to dozens of reported stalking incidents.

Follow all of the news from WWDC right here!

Apple’s next-gen CarPlay will better integrate with your car’s infotainment system

Apple has designs to reinvent the driving experience with a new generation of CarPlay app, one that more deeply melds the forms and functionality between your vehicle’s infotainment system and your iPhone. The company is remaining tight lipped about what exactly this reimagined version of the app will be able to do — those announcements will reportedly be teased out later next year — but hinted that they would effectively make your phone the “core” of the in-cabin systems. 

According to the company, this evolved CarPlay will source content and information to multiple screens within the vehicle – think Apple aesthetics on your phone, in your home and soon your car — as well as control in-cabin systems like the radio and climate directly through CarPlay. It can even replace the factory-set instrument cluster displays with its own UI so you can read your fuel gauge. Users will also be able to personalize their screens with a variety of widgets, skins and apps.

 Follow all of the news from WWDC right here!

Apple Maps adds multi-stop navigation routes in iOS 16

During the WWDC 2022 developers conference on Monday, Apple executives announced that that its Maps app will be receiving a number of feature updates, including one long sought after by users: the ability to add multiple stops to a route. 

Users will be able to preload up to fifteen stops for a trip on their Mac, then send the route to their iPhone. Further stops can be added on, either tactilely through the phone app or using CarPlay voice commands if you’re already behind the wheel. 

The company is also expanding Maps to nearly a dozen more countries — France, Switzerland, New Zealand, Belgium, Israel, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Monaco, Palestinian Territories, Saudi Arabia and the Netherlands — out from the 10 nations already covered. On the development side, the new version of Maps will make the process of integrating Maps’ high resolution imagery with other apps, like Zillow.

Follow all of the news from WWDC right here!

Apple Pay Later will let you make no-interest payments on purchases

As expected, Apple is adding pay later functionality to its Apple Pay service, the company announced today during WWDC 2022. The feature will allow you to split the cost of purchases into four equal payments over six weeks with no interest and late fee…

Apple adds Undo Send and new dictation tools to Messages in iOS 16

Apple will soon allow you to take back messages you didn’t really want to send. The upgraded Messages app in iOS 16 is getting a new “undo send” feature, as well as the ability to edit chats you’ve already sent and mark threads as unread. The new …