Technology

Universal Control is Apple’s most impressive new feature in years

Published

2 years ago

March 16, 2022

It’s been month for Mac desktop setup aficionados. Apple simply launched the Studio Show, its first vaguely reasonably priced (as in not $6,000) new monitor in additional than a decade. However there’s one other new choice that I’ve been testing that flips all the thought of an exterior monitor on its head. Common Management is now out there in iOS 15.4 and macOS Monterey 12.3, and if you may make it work in your setup, you actually must attempt it.

Should you haven’t heard of Common Management, it mainly helps you to use your Mac’s keyboard and mouse or trackpad to regulate your iPad (or one other Mac, although I haven’t been capable of take a look at that). Simply nudge your cursor to the facet of your Mac’s monitor, and it’ll leap on over to the iPad prefer it was one other monitor hooked as much as your Mac. Nevertheless it’s not a Mac monitor — it’s nonetheless an iPad. Only one which you can management with the keyboard and trackpad you have been utilizing seconds in the past together with your Mac.

You’ve been in a position to make use of iPads as wired or wi-fi exterior Mac screens for a few years via official or third-party means. With Common Management, although, you’re nonetheless utilizing iPad OS on the iPad’s display screen — you simply don’t should take your fingers off your Mac’s enter gadgets to get there. It’s multitasking between a number of OSes and gadgets as a substitute of simply a number of apps.

Whenever you first join, your cursor “pushes via” from the Mac’s display screen to the iPad’s.

Screenshot by Sam Byford / The Verge

Why would you wish to do this? Truthful query. I haven’t been utilizing iPadOS as a lot as a major work working system since Apple determined to start out making good laptops once more, however there are nonetheless issues that I want it for over macOS. Specifically, it’s finest for targeted use circumstances the place you solely want one or two issues on-screen directly. Social media and leisure apps are often higher on the iPad than the Mac, for instance, if the Mac even has a local app within the first place. I spent at the moment largely engaged on my Mac Mini with Slack and Twitter pinned to my iPad Professional display screen on the facet, generally switching to the YouTube app for analysis. Hey, something to chop down on browser tabs and Electron apps.

What’s actually spectacular about Common Management is that it bridges the hole between the 2 working techniques, making it greater than only a neat option to get round Bluetooth re-pairing. You’ll be able to drag a file out of your iPad proper over to your Mac desktop and vice versa. Copy and paste works completely. It signifies that any work I do on one machine can immediately be introduced over to the opposite. You don’t even have to set something up — simply put your iPad subsequent to your Mac, attempt to transfer the cursor throughout the screens, and Common Management will work out what you’re making an attempt to do. It doesn’t require Apple peripherals, both. I’ve been utilizing it with my Magic Trackpad alongside a Blissful Hacking Keyboard attached over Mini USB, of all issues.

This should have been an enormous technical and design problem. Common Management is definitely arriving later than anticipated; it was introduced at Apple’s final Worldwide Builders Convention in June final yr however hasn’t been prepared till now. The additional time appears to have been definitely worth the wait, although, as a result of it’s labored nearly seamlessly for me. That hasn’t been the case with Sidecar, Apple’s characteristic that turns the iPad into a standard exterior Mac monitor, which has all the time been laggy and unreliable in my expertise.

*Right here’s how one can allow or disable Common Management in System Preferences. As you’ll be able to see, it’s nonetheless listed as a beta characteristic.*

Even after its delayed public launch, Apple does nonetheless listing Common Management in System Preferences as a characteristic that’s in beta. I haven’t run into any main issues, however at the moment, I did want to show it on and off a few occasions to get it to attach at first. Hopefully, that’s one thing that will get ironed out quickly sufficient when Apple feels able to take away the beta label.

In beta state, although, Common Management is already an instance of Apple at its finest. This isn’t an apparent characteristic or one which hundreds of individuals may have been crying out for. However it’s a characteristic that’s made attainable by the truth that there are quite a lot of iPads and Macs on the market that Apple has full management of the software program for and a characteristic that can make a comparatively small variety of folks very glad via its sheer wizardry. Rely me amongst these folks.

Technology

Apple’s next AirTag could arrive in 2025

Published

6 hours ago

May 20, 2024

Press Room

Apple’s next AirTag could arrive in 2025

You may not have even thought about replacing your AirTag yet, but Bloomberg reports that Apple is working on a new one that could arrive in mid-2025. The new AirTag will reportedly feature an updated chip with better location tracking — an improvement it might need as competition among tracking devices ramps up.

By the time Apple rolls out its refreshed AirTag, the Bluetooth tracking landscape will look a lot different on both Android and iOS. Last month, Google revealed its new Find My Device network, which lets users locate their phones using signals from nearby Android devices. Even Life360, the safety service company that owns Tile, is creating its own location-tracking network that uses satellites to locate its Bluetooth tags.

In last week’s iOS 17.5 update, Apple finally started letting iPhones show unwanted tracking alerts for third-party Bluetooth tags. If an unknown AirTag or other third-party tracker is found with an iPhone user, they’ll get an alert and can play a sound to locate it. The feature is part of an industry specification created to prevent stalking across iPhones and Android devices. Several companies that make Bluetooth tracking devices, including Chipolo, Pebblebee, and Eufy are on board with the new standard.

Technology

How to connect your AirPods to your iPhone, iPad the easy way

Published

6 hours ago

May 20, 2024

Press Room

How to connect your AirPods to your iPhone, iPad the easy way

While the sonic quality of the AirPods certainly works across most devices with a Bluetooth connection, the real magic and a plethora of useful features really shine when you connect AirPods with other Apple devices. If you use the same Apple ID across all your Apple devices, you can really take advantage of the seamless auto-connect features.

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A woman listening to her AirPods (Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson)

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How to connect your AirPods to your iPhone

Before you start, make sure you’ve installed the latest version of iOS on your iPhone and be sure your AirPods are charged and in their case. If you’ve already connected your AirPods to your iPhone, it should connect automatically if you are signed in with the same Apple ID you used to sign onto your Mac. If not, here’s how to connect them to your iPhone.

Unlock your iPhone and go to Settings
Scroll down and tap Bluetooth, then turn on Bluetooth (if it isn’t already on)
The toggle next to Bluetooth should be green, not grayed out.

Steps to connect your AirPods to your iPhone (Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson)

Now, grab your AirPods case with the AirPods inside, then hold it next to your iPhone with the case top open.

Steps to connect your AirPods to your iPhone (Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson)

At this point, a setup animation will show up on your iPhone screen.
Tap Connect and you should be ready to listen.

Steps to connect your AirPods to your iPhone (Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson)

MORE: 8 INCREDIBLY USEFUL THINGS YOU CAN DO WITH AIRPODS

How to connect your AirPods to your iPad

Before you start, make sure you’ve installed the latest version of iOS on your iPhone and be sure your AirPods are charged and in their case. If you’ve connected your AirPods to your iPad already, it should connect automatically if you are signed in with the same Apple ID you used to sign onto your Mac. If not, here’s how to connect them to your iPad.

Open up your iPad and go to Settings.

Steps to connect your AirPods to your iPad (Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson)

From Settings, scroll down and tap Bluetooth.

Steps to connect your AirPods to your iPad (Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson)

Then, tap the button on the right once so that it turns green.

Steps to connect your AirPods to your iPad (Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson)

Keep your iPad open to this screen and take out your AirPods.

Steps to connect your AirPods to your iPad (Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson)

From here, a setup animation will appear on the iPad. Tap Connect.

Steps to connect your AirPods to your iPad (Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson)

Your AirPods should appear under the list of available devices in your Bluetooth settings on the iPad. Now tap your AirPods, and there you go.

Steps to connect your AirPods to your iPad (Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson)

Kurt’s key takeaways

In a nutshell, AirPods are popular because they’ve got great performance, reliability and are easy to use, especially if you’ve already got other Apple products in your life. They just get you, you know? They move between your iPad to your iPhone without a hitch – it’s like they’ve got a mind of their own. And setting them up is super simple. It’s like tap, tap, boom – you’re connected.

In what ways do you think the AirPods’ features could be further enhanced when paired with Apple devices? Let us know by writing us at Cyberguy.com/Contact.

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Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson is an award-winning tech journalist who has a deep love of technology, gear and gadgets that make life better with his contributions for Fox News & FOX Business beginning mornings on “FOX & Friends.” Got a tech question? Get Kurt’s free CyberGuy Newsletter, share your voice, a story idea or comment at CyberGuy.com.

Technology

Two students find security bug that could let millions do laundry for free

Published

13 hours ago

May 20, 2024

Press Room

Two students find security bug that could let millions do laundry for free

A security lapse could let millions of college students do free laundry, thanks to one company. That’s because of a vulnerability that two University of California, Santa Cruz students found in internet-connected washing machines in commercial use in several countries, according to TechCrunch.

The two students, Alexander Sherbrooke and Iakov Taranenko, apparently exploited an API for the machines’ app to do things like remotely command them to work without payment and update a laundry account to show it had millions of dollars in it. The company that owns the machines, CSC ServiceWorks, claims to have more than a million laundry and vending machines in service at colleges, multi-housing communities, laundromats, and more in the US, Canada, and Europe.

CSC never responded when Sherbrooke and Taranenko reported the vulnerability via emails and a phone call in January, TechCrunch writes. Despite that, the students told the outlet that the company “quietly wiped out” their false millions after they contacted it.

The lack of response led them to tell others about their findings. That includes that the company has a published list of commands, which the two told TechCrunch enables connecting to all of CSC’s network-connected laundry machines. CSC ServiceWorks didn’t immediately respond to The Verge’s request for comment.

CSC’s vulnerability is a good reminder that the security situation with the internet of things still isn’t sorted out. For the exploit the students found, maybe CSC shoulders the risk, but in other cases, lax cybersecurity practices have made it possible for hackers or company contractors to view strangers’ security camera footage or gain access to smart plugs.

Often, security researchers find these security holes and report them before they can be exploited in the wild. But that’s not helpful if the company responsible for them doesn’t respond.