As of December 18, Apple has officially discontinued iCloud backup support for devices running iOS 8 or earlier. To continue using iCloud backups, devices must now be updated to iOS 9 or later. This change was initially announced to Apple users in November, urging those with older devices to prepare for the update.
If you’re still using iOS 8 or an earlier version, iCloud backups are no longer an option. However, there’s a workaround: you can create manual backups using a Mac or a Windows PC. For devices that support an update beyond iOS 8, upgrading the software will restore iCloud backup functionality.
The most current version of iOS, iOS 18.2, is packed with new features and performance improvements. It supports all iPhones released since the iPhone XS, XS Max, and XR, which debuted in 2018. For iPad users, the latest iPadOS 18.2 is compatible with devices starting from the seventh-generation iPad (2019) and later models.
Beginning with iOS 9, Apple introduced CloudKit, which serves as the backbone of iCloud backups. This innovative framework has significantly improved how developers manage app data and user interactions, providing a more secure and seamless experience.
Secure Data Storage
CloudKit ensures app data is stored securely in iCloud, enabling users to access information across multiple devices effortlessly. Developers can choose between public and private databases to control data visibility and protect sensitive user information.
User Authentication
By leveraging Apple ID credentials, CloudKit simplifies user authentication. This eliminates the need for users to create new accounts or remember extra passwords, making app engagement quicker and easier.
Flexible Data Management
CloudKit allows developers to incorporate both collaborative and private features into their apps. This flexibility ensures that shared data is accessible while sensitive information remains protected.
If you own an iPhone or iPad released in the last few years, this update won’t affect you. However, for those using older devices, it might be the perfect time to explore the latest Apple products. Upgrading to a newer device will not only ensure compatibility with iCloud but also provide access to the latest features, security updates, and performance improvements.
For guidance on what to choose next, check out our top recommendations for the best iPhones and iPads to find the ideal device for your needs.
In the world of laptops and 2-in-1 devices, many manufacturers now offer cellular connectivity as a standard feature. For users who need to stay connected at all times, an integrated 5G modem, complementing traditional Wi-Fi, is a critical capability. However, MacBook Pro users are left out of this trend.
Apple has consistently avoided adding cellular connectivity to its MacBook lineup, even as it becomes a premium feature in many Windows laptops. Instead, Apple relies on the seamless ability of macOS devices to tether via an iPhone hotspot. While this approach works well for users already in the Apple ecosystem, it does not address the demand for built-in 5G—a feature valued by professionals and frequent travelers.
This gap in Apple’s offerings may soon change. The company’s $1 billion acquisition of Intel’s modem division in 2019 appears to be bearing fruit, starting with the upcoming iPhone SE. Expected to be the first Apple product featuring an in-house modem, the iPhone SE will compete in the mid-range smartphone market, albeit with specifications slightly below Qualcomm’s equivalents.
Apple’s plans for its modem technology don’t stop at the iPhone SE. According to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman in his Power On newsletter, Apple intends to expand the modem's use to other product lines. Lower-end iPads are expected to follow, serving as a testbed for the new technology.
Interestingly, Apple is strategically introducing its modem in lower-priced, consumer-focused devices, rather than its flagship products. This cautious approach allows Apple to fine-tune its technology before rolling it out to its premium hardware.
Once the iPhone and iPad adoption proves successful, Apple is expected to bring its home-grown modem to the Mac lineup. The MacBook Air and MacBook Pro are likely candidates to receive this feature, finally bringing Apple’s laptops in line with the 5G-equipped devices offered by Windows manufacturers.
When this happens, Apple will address a long-standing demand for a fully connected MacBook, positioning its laptops as viable options for professionals who require always-on connectivity. Until then, Windows laptops continue to hold a key advantage in this area.
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Today, Tesla confirmed that an official Apple Watch app is coming soon. As part of the 2024 Tesla Holiday Update, the carmaker will officially release a watchOS version of the Tesla app. It will start arriving as part of an over-the-air (OTA) update that starts rolling out next week.
The app will let users see the current battery charge level, open their car’s frunk, and remotely enable the climate control system. The most notable capability, however, will be using it as a phone key.
A phone key, which lives on smartphones via an application, allows users to lock, unlock, and start the vehicle. In Tesla’s car, the phone key communicates via Bluetooth signals and unlocks the doors as soon as a person pulls the door handle.
Likewise, when users walk away carrying the paired smartphone, the Walk-Away Door Lock system automatically locks the doors. Users have to go through authentication, and once a device is registered as a trusted phone key, they won’t even require internet connectivity to access all the features.
The number of authenticated phone keys allowed by a Tesla car is limited, presumably for safety reasons. Take, for example, the entry-level Tesla Model 3, which only allows up to three phone keys simultaneously.
Tesla cars also support NFC-based car unlocking, similar to the key card the brand offers. Tesla’s blog post doesn’t specify whether the watchOS app will rely on Bluetooth, NFC, or both.
In addition to releasing an Apple Watch app, the Holiday update will also let users watch and locally save clips recorded by their car’s cameras in Dashcam and Sentry Mode. Users will also be able to specify battery charging levels when they reach their destination and check the precipitation situation on the Map.
“When in Reverse, your vehicle will alert you if it detects a pedestrian or vehicle crossing behind you,” says the update note shared on X. In case a cross-traffic object is seen, the car will also issue an audible alert.
On the more playful side of things, there’s a new Emissions feature. It allows you to set any seat to "fart on contact," which means a fart sound will play when someone sits on that seat. It's a digital whoopee cushion and the third such fart feature from Tesla, which also has "fart on demand" and "fart on turn signal" settings.
Those are far from the only new features announced by Tesla. A post on X — Elon Musk's version of Twitter — has the full details. Among the notable updates include the ability to set a preferred battery level upon arrival at your destination, a new alert for cross-traffic while in reverse, and Cybertruck's "Santa Mode" that turns your car's avatar into a sleigh.
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That Apple is currently working on ways to measure blood pressure is no secret. Bloomberg's Mark Gurman has been reporting on the possible addition of a blood pressure monitor for Apple Watch going back at least to April 2022.Gurman predicted that Apple would introduce this feature in 2024, but that didn't materialize.
Now the U.S. Patent Office published a patent application of Apple's relating to an Apple Watch with Blood Pressure monitoring.
Apple notes that it can be difficult to precisely determine conventional blood pressure parameters, such as systolic and diastolic blood pressures, using oscillometry measurement techniques. It may be desirable to more precisely determine events associated with a blood pressure measurement, including the closing and/or opening of a blood vessel during a compression measurement.
Apple's patent covers a blood pressure measurement device that uses a liquid filled sensing chamber to measure blood pressure of a user.
An inflatable chamber is first filled, which, together with a sensing chamber and a pressure sensor, work to detect the resulting 'vibrations' that occur in the user's blood flow. In simple terms: Blood pressure is the externally applied pressure required to stop blood flow. Korotkoff sounds, the sounds or 'vibrations' that are emitted when pressure is applied to blood flow via a non-invasive procedure, can then be measured.
The patent mentions that the chamber is filled with liquid - what advantages liquid offers instead of air is not immediately clear, as liquids, unlike gases (and ultimately air) are considered incompressible.
The patent was created by Apple hardware engineer Caleb Han, an 11-year veteran.But as always, just because Apple is patenting a particular technology doesn't necessarily mean it will be implemented in the next Apple Watch, or even at all.
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