Archive for January 24, 2023

Tuesday, January 24, 2023

macOS 13.2

Juli Clover (release notes, security, enterprise, developer, full installer, IPSW):

The update adds Security Keys for the Apple ID, allowing for physical two-factor authentication, which offers more protection against phishing and unauthorized account access. The update also rolls out Advanced Data Protection for iCloud to all users globally.

macOS 12.6.3 and macOS 11.7.3

Apple (full installer):

This document describes the security content of macOS Monterey 12.6.3.

Apple (full installer):

This document describes the security content of macOS Big Sur 11.7.3.

Previously:

Update (2023-01-25): Jeff Johnson:

Here’s a screen recording of Big Sur after installing today’s 11.7.3 update on an M1 Mac mini with a non-retina display.
The window resize widgets are GONE! WTF?
Safari web extension icons are GONE (but Safari app extension icons are fine).

Update (2023-02-14): Joe Rossignol:

Apple released macOS Big Sur version 11.7.3 in late January with security fixes, but the software update also introduced a new bug that prevents icons from appearing in Safari’s Favorites section, according to widespread complaints online.

Bug Mac macOS 11.0 Big Sur macOS 12 Monterey macOS Release Safari

3 Comments

iOS 16.3 and iPadOS 16.3

Juli Clover (security, Hacker News):

Security Keys for Apple ID provide users with the option to add a third-party security key to their account, which will be needed for authentication when logging into a new device or otherwise accessing an Apple ID.
[…]
Advanced Data Protection for iCloud uses end-to-end encryption to provide Apple’s highest level of cloud data security. The feature was made available to users in the U.S. at the end of last year with the release of iOS 16.2, but iOS 16.3 brings it to all users worldwide for the first time.
[…]
Emergency SOS has been updated to prevent accidental emergency calls. Calls can still be placed by holding down the side button along with either the up or down volume button, but now the buttons must be released in order to place the call.

Previously:

Update (2023-01-25): Steve Troughton-Smith:

I was starting to enjoy using Freeform, but then I realized that individual brush strokes were being lost to iCloud sync between my devices. And not just a render issue, as the stroke objects were just gone 😰 That definitely has me spooked away, even if the iOS 16 release notes mention something tangentially related to it. I feel they may be understating the problem…

Kirk Reynolds:

Data loss happened to me while sharing a Freeform doc. Created something to share with my son. Went to his iPad and it was there as a mostly empty doc with random strokes. Looked back at my iPad and it was the same, with no prior revision to go back to.

Cabinet20:

The notes for 16.3 release specifically mention this is fixed. I hope it’s right.

My wife updated to iOS 16.3 and lost 200 Safari tabs.

AirDrop Bug Datacide Freeform iCloud iOS iOS 16 iOS Release iPadOS iPadOS 16 iPadOS Release MobileSafari

Comments

Ivory 1.0

Tapbots:

Ivory is a brand new app that brings 10 years of experience building the award-winning Twitter app, Tweetbot, over to Mastodon.

[…]

Ivory is currently in Early Access, which means there are features missing and we are actively building them while you get to use the app.

As a big fan of Tweetbot, I’m really excited to see this, though I have little use for it at present since there’s no Mac version. (The iOS version isn’t allowed to run on Apple Silicon Macs.)

Oddly, the app has been available for much of the day but still doesn’t show up in the App Store when I search for it. Lots of other Mastodon clients fill the search results, along with various games and shopping apps. I had to click the direct link.

Federico Viticci:

Elephant aside, what stands out in Ivory is the iconography. For Ivory, Jardine has drawn an entirely new set of icons for the tab bar, compose window, action drawer, and other areas of the app. These icons are lovely: they have a unique line style I haven’t seen anywhere else in iOS; they’re fresh, instantly recognizable, and legible in both light and dark mode. It’s funny how a simple icon set can make Ivory feel so different from Tweetbot, but that’s exactly what I noticed in this first version of the app.
[…]
Ivory is, by far, the smoothest, most responsive Mastodon client I’ve tried on my iPhone and iPad yet. The app’s animations are incredibly fluid on ProMotion displays, and the timeline scrolls quickly with no stutters or other glitches, which I’ve seen in other clients.
[…]
Ivory, like Tweetbot, supports syncing your timeline position via a custom iCloud integration. This has been working very well for me, but as I posted recently, I hope Tapbots will consider implementing Mastodon’s native sync marker API as well.
[…]
The hidden power of filters, however, lies in the ability to create your own with a surprisingly advanced interface. When creating a custom filter, you can include or exclude keywords, then choose to match any or all filters from a selection of the following criteria[…]
[…]
if you hold down the boost icon (boosts are the Mastodon equivalent of retweets), you’ll get the option to boost a post from a different account than the one currently viewing the timeline.

Dan Moren:

While Ivory has been free during the beta period, it will be a paid product within the App Store: you can pay $1.99 per month or $14.99 per year.

Homecoming for Mastodon 1.1

Jeff Johnson (Mastodon):

I found that the federated structure of Mastodon could make it ridiculously difficult to follow people, especially if you’re not on one of the biggest instances such as mastodon.social (which is often closed for new sign-ups). Whenever you’re browsing a web page on another Mastodon instance, you can’t simply click a button to follow someone, because you’re not signed in on that instance. You can only follow someone from your own instance, where you have an account.
The trick is to translate or redirect a Mastodon URL on another instance to the corresponding URL on your instance. The only reliable way I knew to accomplish this was to copy the URL and paste it into the search field on the web page of my own instance, but that method was obviously tedious.

His $1.99 Safari extension adds a toolbar button to automate this. I’ve found this very helpful, not only for following new people, but also for boosting posts from different instances after opening them from NetNewsWire into Safari.

Previously:

Homecoming for Mastodon iOS iOS 16 iOS App Mac Mac App macOS 13 Ventura Mastodon Safari Extensions

1 Comment

Mimeo Acquires Motif

Mimeo:

This acquisition will combine the shared passion for empowering creators and producing top-notch products of both Mimeo and Motif, and strengthens Mimeo’s commitment to delivering best-in-class photo products and innovation for every home and business.

Motif:

Motif and Mimeo have been global strategic partners with Apple for over a decade, first as the photobook providers behind Apple’s iPhoto printing services and now as the top photobook product apps in the Apple Mac App Store. With this acquisition, we will continue the tradition of producing the highest quality photobooks and other photo products from the same facilities trusted by Apple.
[…]
You will continue to be able to design beautiful products on the Motif apps this year, yet every photobook, calendar, and card will be printed and shipped by Mimeo.
[…]
For those that utilize Motif’s image curation and AutoFlow technology, which automatically chooses and lays out the best photos for your photobooks, you will still be able to do so. But now you will also have the option to utilize Mimeo Photos’ advanced layout and design toolset.

I like Motif—both the interface and print quality are superior to Shutterfly—so I’m a bit worried about what this means for the app and service. It sounds like they are implying that the app will be gone after 2023, which means that my old projects may no longer be accessible.

Previously:

Acquisition Business Mac Mac App macOS 13 Ventura Mimeo Photos Motif Photos.app

Comments

RAW Power 3.4

Gentlemen Coders:

Adjust images with incredible precision and power, using special controls in Apple’s RAW decoder.

[…]

Work with your Photos library or Finder folders.

[…]

Rate and flag images. Filter by four criteria.

[…]

Multiple windows and tabs. View and edit multiple folders, Photos albums, and files at once.

[…]

Apply presets and adjustments, Auto Enhance, export, and more to multiple images at once.

Previously:

Mac Mac App macOS 13 Ventura Photography PhotoKit Raw Image Format RAW Power

3 Comments