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!

Google’s latest Pixel feature drop includes a Teenage Engineering music app

Google’s newest Pixel feature drop is meant as much for spur-of-the-moment creativity as it is everyday conveniences. The company is rolling out a June feature update that, with a separate download, offers a free music-making tool from Teenage Engineering. The Pocket Operator for Pixel app (shown at middle) turns your videos into music and video “cut-ups” with a mix of sounds, patterns and visual effects. You’ll need a Pixel 5 or newer to get started, but It could be worth a try if you’d like to craft beats during your downtime.

The feature drop also lets you see imagery from your Nest Doorbell on your Pixel phone’s lock screen (pictured at left). You’ll know right away if it’s worth answering the door. And if you need to show proof of your COVID-19 shots, you can now take a screenshot of your digital vaccine card and create a shortcut for your home screen (right). This will only be available in Australia, Canada and the US, but could be helpful if you still need to show proof of vaccination to hop on a flight or enter a venue.

Other upgrades include a previously beta-only Conversation mode in the Sound Amplifier app (to enhance chats for people with hearing loss), a reminder to turn off your flashlight and (soon) air quality alerts for Australia, India and the US. You’ll also find a trio of new Pride-themed wallpapers from Yann Bastard, while skin tone-friendly image filters are now active in Google Photos.

The update starts rolling out today to Pixel 4 and later devices. You can also expect broader support for existing features, including Car Crash Detection in Canada as well as new languages in Messages’ chat translation (Dutch, Korean, Thai, Traditional Chinese and Turkish).

LastPass no longer requires a password to access your vault

Just because you use a password manager doesn’t mean you want to enter passwords every time you check that manager… and now, you don’t have to. LastPass has launched an option to access your vault using a passwordless sign-in — it’s the first password manager with this feature, the company claims. Grant permission through the LastPass Authenticator mobile app and you can update account info on the web without entering your master password.

The approach relies on FIDO-compliant password-free technology. The feature is available to both personal and business users. LastPass is also promising options beyond the Authenticator app in the future, such as relying on biometric scans or hardware security keys.

It may seem odd to rely on a phone app to check passwords on your PC, and LastPass already takes care of some headaches through its browser extension. Still, this promises to take more of the pain out of password managers. It might also convince you to use a stronger password for your vault knowing that you’ll only rarely need to type it in.

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