iOS 15 kicked things off for this year's WWDC keynote. It's not the biggest update for the mobile operating system to date, but it has quite a few noteworthy new additions.
12 of the most exciting new features in iOS 15
Security
Apple wants to replace passwords with passkeys secured by Face ID and Touch ID
Passwords have been around long enough that it's a ubiquitous element to securing things just about anywhere. But while there are always strides to make them as secure as possible, there's always that chance it won't be enough. Which is why companies like Apple and many others are working on new ways to go beyond the password.
tvOS 15 supports signing into apps with Face ID or Touch ID on the iPhone
Signing into supported apps on the Apple TV, thanks to updates to tvOS, is relatively easy. However, Apple is simplifying the process with the upcoming launch of tvOS 15. As outlined today in a developer video, the set-top box's software will soon support signing in via biometric security. On an iPhone.
Apple’s privacy efforts expand in iOS 15, macOS Monterey, iPadOS 15, and watchOS 8
One of the major selling points for Apple and its platforms is privacy and security. So it's no surprise to see the company making improvements in these areas with its next big updates. In this case, Apple is expanding its privacy efforts across its most popular platforms.
Apple won’t force you to upgrade to iOS 15 if you don’t want to
Apple already doesn't "force" iOS users to upgrade. In fact, it keeps track of folks out there in the wild still running earlier versions of its most popular operating system. However, the company does try to have plenty of reasons to upgrade. This year, though, if you want to stay on iOS 14, Apple appears to be okay with that.
NetFence is an effective outgoing firewall for jailbroken iPhones & iPads
Most people view the internet as a powerful tool for accessing information in an instant, but advertising companies see it in just the same way — often utilizing the very internet connection you depend on for said information to track your every move and report back with personally identifiable statistics.
A firewall can help preserve your anonymity and privacy over the internet by giving you the distinct choice to allow or deny these connection requests. That’s just one reason why a newly released jailbreak tweak dubbed NetFence by iOS developer FoxfortMobile might be of interest to you.
No2Theft4 alerts iPhone owners to thieves, takes their photo, and sends location data to email or SMS
Nobody likes it when their iPhone gets stolen, either by pranksters or actual thieves, and while Apple’s Find My app can certainly help you track it down, it’s limited in its feature-centric capacity.
iOS developer Elias Sfeir knows this, and that’s why he spent the time to make a popular jailbreak tweak known as No2Theft. Today, we’re excited to share that No2Theft4 — the fourth iteration of this handy anti-theft extension — is now available for all pwned iOS 12-14 devices.
Apple devices remain vulnerable to a WebKit flaw that could permit malicious code to run
Safari's WebKit rendering engine has a flaw that could crash the browser and enable malicious code execution, and Apple hasn't yet patched it even though a fix's been available for weeks.
Apple’s first iCloud data center in mainland China goes online
Apple's first iCloud data center in mainland China, built in co-operation with a state-owned company, has now officially gone online following more than two years of preparations.
STORY HIGHLIGHTS:
Apple's first iCloud data center in mainland China is now operational. Chinese users' iCloud data is operated by GCBD, a state-owned company. A recent NYT report cast a spotlight on Apple’s iCloud “hard bargain“ in China.Arbitrary code execution achieved on iOS 14.5.1 and below, write-up purportedly coming at a later date
Apple just yesterday released iOS & iPadOS 14.6 to the general public to lay the groundwork for Apple Music’s upcoming lossless playback option, support Apple Card Family, and more. But that's not all...
Also worth noting is that iOS & iPadOS 14.6 patched a number of security vulnerabilities, including one that purportedly allowed security researcher @xerub to gain arbitrary code execution by simply parsing a carefully crafted certificate.
Everything you should know about jailbreaking A11 devices on iOS 14 with checkra1n
Thanks to the checkm8 bootrom exploit that powers it, the checkra1n jailbreak has earned a reputation for its resilience. No mere software update can patch this exploit, and so susceptible devices (those equipped with A7-A11 chips) should effectively be jailbreakable for life...
Apple promotes App Tracking Transparency with latest ad
Earlier this year, Apple finally welcomed App Tracking Transparency to the iOS features list. And now the company is ready to promote it with new privacy ads.