Photo: Nilay Patel / The Verge Apple is rolling out iOS 18 and iPadOS 18, which will introduce a bunch of new features to the iPhone and iPad. One of the biggest changes with today’s launch is the addition of RCS messaging, which should help improve communication with Android users. First announced in June, RCS messaging will finally allow iPhone and Android users to share high-res photos and videos, see typing indicators, and use read receipts. (Messages from Android users will still appear in green bubbles, though.) Some other messaging upgrades in iOS 18 include new text effects and formatting options in iMessage and the ability to schedule messages to send later. iPhone users will also be able to send messages via satellite. Additionally, iOS 18 includes new... Continue reading…

Image: Apple Apple officially released macOS Sequoia on Monday, bringing features like the ability to wirelessly mirror your iPhone on your Mac, window tiling tools, and more. There are Apple Intelligence features on the way, too, but they aren’t available yet. iPhone mirroring is arguably the coolest new feature in macOS Sequoia, and in his testing, my colleague David Pierce said it might change how you use your phone. When you open the phone mirroring app, your iPhone pops up, and you can navigate around it using your mouse and type things with your keyboard. Your iPhone’s notifications can also show up on your Mac. And later this year, you’ll be able to drag and drop things between your iPhone and your Mac. I’m excited to mess around with the... Continue reading…

The Apple Watch Ultra’s Modular face can display watchOS 11’s Training Load feature and information from the Vitals app. | Photo by Victoria Song / The Verge Apple has just released watchOS 11, the latest version of its smartwatch operating system, alongside iOS 18 and iPadOS 18. The update, available for the Apple Watch Series 6 and later models, will finally allow users to take rest days without breaking their activity streak and introduces FDA-cleared sleep apnea detection. Sleep apnea is a condition that can cause a person to stop breathing during sleep and can lead to an increased risk of hypertension and Type 2 diabetes if left untreated. Apple’s sleep apnea detection feature, which uses the accelerometer to monitor for small wrist movements associated with sleep interruptions, was announced alongside the new Apple Watch Series 10 and is now available for both the Apple Watch Series 9... Continue reading…

The marquee feature isn’t here yet, but there’s still a lot to appreciate in iOS 18. | Photo: Allison Johnson / The Verge It’s a weird year for iOS. Usually, the new software version arrives all at once. Not so with iOS 18. The foundational stuff has arrived, and in a normal year, things like RCS support and a redesigned control center would be more than enough. But iOS 18’s headline feature, Apple Intelligence, isn’t even part of this initial release, and we may not see some of its most interesting features until well into 2025. The iOS 18 rollout starts now, and it’s just going to keep on rolling for the foreseeable future. iOS 18 is an ambitious update, even without Apple Intelligence in the picture. Customization options are at an all-time high, and with some tinkering, you’ll be able to personalize your iPhone like never before. It’s almost... Continue reading…

Image: The New York Times Wordle now has a native app for Meta Quest so that you can easily play the game in virtual reality. The free app is available for Meta Quest 2, Meta Quest 3, and Meta Quest Pro. Based on screenshots in a Meta blog post and an NYT video, the game looks like, well, Wordle in VR: you’ll have six attempts to guess a five-letter word. But if you have wanted to play the game in an app on your Quest, that’s now something you can do. Image: The New York Times “We’re always looking for unique and creative opportunities to reach audiences with our games,” NYT Games general manager Jonathan Knight says in an interview for Meta’s blog post. “This collaboration reflects our embrace of innovative technologies and exploration of... Continue reading…

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge Amazon employees will be required to return to the office five days per week starting on January 2nd, 2025. “...we’ve decided that we’re going to return to being in the office the way we were before the onset of covid,” CEO Andy Jassy says in a memo sent to staff on Monday. Employees have been required to work from the office three days per week since May 2023, and Jassy says that “if anything, the last 15 months we’ve been back in the office at least three days a week has strengthened our conviction about the benefits.” Jassy says that staffers won’t have to be in the office to deal with things like a sick kid or a house emergency. “But, before the pandemic, it was not a given that folks could work remotely two days a week, and that... Continue reading…

iOS 18 has just been released by Apple with over 250+ features. Still, the company has also released iOS 17.7 for those who don't want to upgrade just yet. With this software update, Apple says it's only bringing bug fixes and security improvements. Interestingly, all iPhone users running iOS 17 can run iOS 18. However, we can't say the same about iPadOS, as Apple cut a few tablets from the new iPadOS 18 update. That said, if you're unsure about iOS 18 new features or general stability, you can give yourself extra time and update to iOS 17.7. For those iPad owners who can't update to iPadOS 18, iPadOS 17.7 is also available. Still, Apple will eventually "force" iPhone users to udpate to iOS 18. So if you want to keep running the latest iOS 17 update, you should update to iOS 17.7 right now. For iOS 17.6 and iPadOS 17.6, Apple added these features: Apple News+ is getting Live Activity support for Home Screen and Lock Screen, so you can keep following games and other factual stories happening at that moment. It also brings a new Messages app setting that lets you filter unknown senders if they’re international senders. Besides iOS 17.7 and iPadOS 17.7, Apple released macOS Sonoma 14.7 and macOS Ventura 13.7. It's unclear if the company will continue updating old software versions with new features, as it usually doesn't. With iOS 18/iPadOS 18/macOS Sonoma cycle, Apple is betting big on Apple Intelligence, which is expected to land on its devices starting next month in beta. With this AI platform, Cupertino expects to gain momentum, as OpenAI, Google, and Microsoft have introduced breakthrough features using Large Language Models. Below, you can learn more about iOS 17, including its top features, latest updates, supported devices, and so much more. Don't Miss: iOS 17: Features, release date, beta, supported devices, and more The post Apple releases iOS 17.7, if you don’t want upgrade to iOS 18 just yet appeared first on BGR. Today's Top Deals Today’s deals: $199 iPad 9, $99 TP-Link WiFi 7 router, $400 off Narwal Freo X Ultra robot vacuum, more Amazon gift card deals, offers & coupons 2024: Get $375+ free Best Apple deals for September 2024 Today’s deals: $129 AirPods 3, Nintendo Switch game sale, $30 Fire TV Stick 4K, $16 TOZO earbuds, more

The iPhone 16 phones will start being delivered to buyers on Friday, at which point we'll finally be able to put Apple's claims about the new devices to the test. One of the most interesting aspects of the iPhone 16 phones is battery life. We should see improvements over the iPhone 15 across the board. The iPhone 16 Pro and 16 Pro Max will offer better battery life than any previous models. At least, that's what Apple says. What Apple didn't say is that battery replacements will be more expensive for the iPhone 16 Pro and 16 Pro Max. You'll have to pay $119 instead of the $99 battery service fee that Apple will charge for all the other iPhone models. Longtime iPhone users who keep their devices for several years won't like that price hike. But there might be good reasons Apple is charging more money to replace the iPhone 16 Pro and Pro Max batteries. Continue reading... The post iPhone 16 Pro battery replacement will cost $20 more – here’s why that’s not bad news appeared first on BGR. Today's Top Deals Today’s deals: $40 Sony headphones, $50 Ninja blender, $140 AirPods 3, $60 foldable camera drone, more Today’s deals: $199 iPad 9, $99 TP-Link WiFi 7 router, $400 off Narwal Freo X Ultra robot vacuum, more Best deals: Tech, laptops, TVs, and more sales Today’s deals: $100 off Sihoo Doro C300 Pro office chair, Rare Nintendo Switch OLED sale, Anker chargers, more

By David Danks & Mike Kirby/The Conversation A self-driving taxi has no passengers, so it parks itself in a lot to reduce congestion and air pollution. After being hailed, the taxi heads out to pick up its passenger – and tragically strikes a pedestrian in a crosswalk on its way. Who or what deserves praise for the car’s actions to reduce congestion and air pollution? And who or what deserves blame for the pedestrian’s injuries? One possibility is the self-driving taxi’s designer or developer. But in many cases, they wouldn’t have been able to predict the taxi’s exact behavior. In fact, people typically want artificial intelligence to discover some new or unexpected idea or plan. If we know exactly what the system should do, then we don’t need to bother with AI. Alternatively, perhaps the taxi itself should be praised and blamed. However, these kinds of AI systems are essentially deterministic: Their behavior is dictated by their code and the incoming sensor data, even if observers might struggle to predict that behavior. It seems odd to morally judge a machine that had no choice. Read moreSection: NewsScience & SpaceHistoryAncient TraditionsRead Later 

House Republican leadership continues to work on trying to get the votes to pass House Speaker Mike Johnson's, R-La., six-month government funding bill, Punchbowl News reported.