There are so many software innovations presented by Apple on day one of its WWDC 2022 event which, in the next rounds, will also include meetings between Apple programmers and third-party developers.
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During the Apple WWDC 2022 event aired on the big screens of the Apple Park in Cupertino, Tim Cook and his management presented various innovations, starting with those for the software.
On iOS 16 comes something similar to the Apple Watch watchfaces: the lockscreen gains a kind of theme, with an image subjected to the clock. Pressing on the background will bring up the editor to change the clock, image and fonts, or colors. You can also place widgets on the homescreen, such as calendar and weather. Aesthetic improvements also arrive in the backgrounds which, through various combinations, offer multiple styles to range between. In essence, the lockscreen collection will bring with it cascading changes in terms of styles and complications.
The Live activities APIs are coming: essentially thanks to them, apps will be able to show parts in the home widgets that update in real time, such as the delivery status of a purchase, the results of a match, the progress of a workout. With Focus, it will be possible to switch from one lockscreen to another according to the situation: for example, under the work mode you will set a lockscreen with few elements of distraction, focused on your tasks and, at the end of the day, you can switch to a more varied, with personal photos and references to personal activities.
The notifications will come from below and, to avoid the continuous flow typical of some situations, the live notifications window will update on the spot, perhaps to show the updates of a sporting event or the approach of an Uber race that has been called.
With regard to iMessages, it will be possible to cancel sending or correct them as soon as they are sent, but also to delete messages sent in groups or sent to individuals. Thanks to SharePlay, users will be able to watch the contents they have shared through this app: any developer who uses the appropriate API will be able to enable ShareWithYou and SharePlay on their app. Apple has also improved dictation, which allows you to automatically choose the right emoji, recognizes punctuation and leaves the keyboard open, so you can add by hand what is not recognized correctly: by touching a word, you can then replace it with voice.
It will even be possible to dictate the messages to be sent with Siri (which can be used to perform various operations in all the apps that will integrate the App Intents API). IPad Quick Note is coming to iOS.
In the Camera app it improves Live Text, which shortens the distances with Google Lens since it will be able to automatically translate (as also arriving in Translator) the scanned text, or to automatically convert a currency. Live Text will also be operational in the videos and this will allow you to click on the QR Code or link, copy and translate the text. The improvement of the Visual Look Up will ensure that, by touching a recognized subject, it will be automatically cut out and it will be possible to send it on Messages as if it were a sticker with a transparent background. In Wallet, the added keys can also be shared with Android friends, or with those who use an iPhone via iMessage: the number of countries in which this wallet will allow you to store identity cards and driving licenses will then be extended.
Apple Pay, for its part, wherever it is active, will allow (Pay Later) to pay for a product over time, by splitting it, without requiring additional interest for this. Products purchased online via Apple Pay will be traceable until arrival at home via the order tracking function. Through the tap to pay function, the shopkeepers’ iPhone will behave like a POS since it will be enough to place a credit card on it to accept a payment.
Maps has also been updated: in addition to being able to accept transport tickets, like Wallet, it has been redesigned: with the City Experience it will show various 3D details of the buildings (whose display will change when passing from Light to Dark mode), while the multi-stop routing will allow you to add also the intermediate stages of a route. With regard to sport, users will be able to ask Siri for the results of a match and, in some countries (USA, UK, Australia, Canada), Apple news will contain the “My sports” section with all the news on their favorite teams.
Family Sharing will allow you to share Apple service subscriptions with 5 family members, but also to set up and manage more easily the accounts for your children. With Sharing with family, thanks to the Clouds, each member of the family will be able to upload (using the appropriate button in the Camera) their family photos in a common album, in which automatic organization based on face recognition and synchronization (changes of a member will be visible on the devices of the others).
Security will gain the Safety Check function, using which, in the event of the end of a relationship, it will be possible to revoke the partner’s access to the apps, to their position in Find My, protect messages, and restore the privacy settings. Essentially, it will help in resetting access to information that you give to others.
The My Home app has been redesigned and now integrates the Matter protocol, which will allow a wide range of smart devices for home automation to interact with Siri and HomeKit: in the upper part there will be the product categories to filter them and, in the in the case of webcams compatible with HomeKit, they can be viewed in the app in multi-view. CarPlay will adapt to even larger screens of infotainment and will communicate better with the hardware of the cars, showing a speedometer in the portion behind the steering wheel, a map in the center, the data of the passenger compartment temperature taken from the internal thermometer: the iPhone, talking with CarPlay, it will allow you to view the fuel data. On the earphones of Cupertino, the Personalized Space Audio will arrive instead.
4 wachfaces arrive on watchOS 9 (Earth with animations, lunar calendar, playtime with cartoon numbers for children, and the elegant Metropolitan: in terms of functions, it will be possible to block active apps. The Podcast app will allow you to search for new podcasts while new attention will be given to sports activities such as running: here with the movement of the wrist you will see if you keep the center of gravity well and arrive various metrics, such as the time of contact with the ground, the length of the step and the heart rate zones. areas with clean air the watch will invite you to breathe deeply. If you want, you can customize your running training, establishing how often to take a break, the time or the distance to be covered. In the case of workouts with multiple sports activities, watchOS will track automatic switching from one activity to another: the results can be shared with the coach or friends. With Sleep Stages, the iWatch will perform a polysomnography, highlighting with waves and colors the time spent in light, deep, and REM sleep: there will be improvements in the tracking of heart rate variations, with alerts in case of atrial fibrillation and the possibility of sharing the pdf with your doctor. The Medicine section will allow you to write down what the medicines we have to take are used for, setting a sound reminder that reminds us to do so: you can even frame the medicine box to acquire it and set the times of intake.
As for computers, the macOS Ventura operating system arrives. Here the apps can be overlapped or grouped and, with Stage Manager, the app on which we are staying remains in the foreground, while the others are moved to the side, still remaining visible. Spotlight allows you to view more results, with more detail, and do more things, like set a timer. The Mail app improves the search system, has a reminder, allows you to cancel or schedule the sending of emails. On Safari, there will be the possibility to share groups of cards, but also the PassKeys, cryptographic keys in place of passwords for sites and platforms, usable on Mac, iPhone and iPad, created with Touch ID. FaceTime, via simple click (Handoff), will allow you to switch from one device to another without having to disconnect it, while Continuity Camera will allow you to use the iPhone as a webcam, benefiting from functions such as Studio Light, portrait and Center Stage.
On iPadOS 16 will come many new features of iOS. There will also be the Weather app while WeatherKit will allow third party developers to insert weather information into their apps. With Collaboration you will be able to share a document with a workgroup, see who opens the file and in real time who makes changes. It will also be possible to see who, of the people invited, is seeing what we see in Safari: the function will also be integrated with iWork and Notes. Then the Free Form function will arrive (also for iOS and macOS) which, in a call on Facetime, will allow you to view a large whiteboard in which to write down ideas and write notes or paste images, even zooms in forward to save space. Many apps will have functions typical of those for Desktop: in many apps there will be a toolbar at the top that can be customized with the keys related to the most necessary functions, while in File it will be possible to rename and duplicate files, change their extension. It will be possible to create lists in contacts, find and merge contacts – in many system apps there will be an undo-redo option. Split View will not waste pixels since, instead of making apps bigger, it will allow you to view more. Here the Stage Manager will display the smaller app in the foreground and the others on the side to facilitate the transition from one to the other or open more of them together with the adjoining adaptation of the floating windows. In addition, you can set up to launch 3 or 4 apps together with a single tap that will divide the screen. Dulcis in …