Apple iOS 15.7.1 RC/watchOS 9.1 RC/macOS 13 RC, 12.6.1 RC4, 11.7.1 RC4/iOS, iPadOS 16.1 RC/ macOS 13 Ventura Released

iOS 15.7.1 RC 

Apple today pushed the iOS 15.7.1 RC update (build number: 19H115) to iPhone users. This update is 40 days after the last release. The changelog shows that Apple iOS 15.7.1 provides important security updates, but does not specify the specific update content.

In the previous version, iOS 15.7, Apple fixed security issues for Contacts, Maps, Safari, Safari Extensions, Shortcuts, and WebKit, as well as addressing multiple kernel vulnerabilities.

watchOS 9.1 RC

Apple today pushed the watchOS 9.1 RC update (build number: 20S75) to Apple Watch users. This update is 40 days after the last release. According to Apple's official changelog, this update includes several improvements for the Apple Watch.

• Extend battery life by reducing heart rate and GPS reading frequency on Apple Watch Series 8, Apple Watch SE (2nd generation), and Apple Watch Ultra during outdoor walking, running, and hiking workouts
• Apple Watch can download music over Wi-Fi or cellular when not connected to a charger
• Supports Matter, the new smart home connectivity standard, with a wide variety of smart home accessories that work together across the ecosystem

This update also includes bug fixes for Apple Watch :

• Voice feedback for average pace during outdoor runs may be incorrect
• The estimated rain probability displayed for the current location in the Weather app may not match the estimated probability displayed on the iPhone
• Hour-by-hour weather complications may mark afternoon time as morning time
• Some users may not see progress during strength training sessions
• When receiving multiple notifications, VoiceOver may not announce the app name until the notification is spoken

macOS 13 RC, 12.6.1 RC4, 11.7.1 RC4

Apple today pushed the macOS 13 RC update (build number: 22A379) to Mac computer users. In addition, Apple's macOS Monterey 12.6.1 RC4 update (build number: 21G217) and macOS Big Sur 11.7.1 RC4 update (build number: 20G918) are also released for models with older systems.

macOS Ventura brings functions such as pre-stage scheduling, continuous intercommunication cameras, and FaceTime call relay. Among them, front-end scheduling allows users to seamlessly switch between various apps and windows while focusing on the work in front of them.

Mac users can use the iPhone as a webcam with a Continuity Camera. With Continuity, the Mac can automatically recognize and use the camera of a nearby iPhone without the user having to wake up or select it, and the iPhone can also establish a wireless connection with the Mac.

Continuity Camera brings several new features to all Mac computers, including Portrait Centering and Portrait Mode, as well as new studio lighting. In addition, Continuity Camera leverages the iPhone's ultra-wide-angle camera for desktop view functionality, showing both the user's face and a top-down view of the desk surface.

The FaceTime app also works with Handoff, allowing users to seamlessly switch to another nearby Apple device to continue the call after FaceTime is turned on on one Apple device. Users can start a FaceTime call on an iPhone or iPad, then switch the call to the Mac with a single tap, or start the call with the Mac and switch the call to the iPhone or iPad when they need to leave their seat.

In macOS Ventura, the Weather app and Clock app are optimized for Mac, including all features of the iPhone version.

The official version of macOS 13 Ventura will be launched on October 25th. The "Boundless Notes" app cannot be launched in the official version and will be launched later this year.

iOS / iPadOS 16.1 RC

Apple today pushed the iOS / iPadOS 16.1 RC update (build number: 20B79) to iPhone and iPad users . This update is 40 days after the last release.

iOS 16.1 RC

According to the official changelog, iOS 16.1 RC brings users iCloud shared photo library, real-time activities of third-party apps, etc., and a number of bug fixes. The complete update content is as follows:

iCloud Shared Photo Library

• A separate gallery lets you seamlessly share photos and videos with up to five other users
• Set up rules to easily provide past photos based on the start date or people in photos when setting up or adding to your gallery
• Quickly switch between shared, personal, or both via gallery filters
• Shared edits and permissions allow everyone to add, edit, favorite, delete photos and add descriptions
• The Share switch in Camera allows you to send photos taken directly to a shared gallery, or enable automatic sharing of photos when other participants are detected nearby via Bluetooth

Live Activity

• Live activity from third-party apps is now available on the Smart Island and Lock screen on iPhone 14 Pro models

Wallet

• Key Sharing lets you securely share car keys, hotel room keys and other keys in Wallet using messaging apps like Messages and WhatsApp

Family

• Supports Matter, the new smart home connectivity standard, with a wide variety of smart home accessories that work together across the ecosystem

Books

• Reader controls are automatically hidden when you start reading

Bug fix

• Deleted conversations may appear in the conversation list in Messages
• Smart Island content is not available when using Easy Access

iPadOS 16.1 RC

Apple iPadOS 16.1 RC brings users iCloud shared photo library, front desk scheduling, weather app, etc. The complete update is as follows:

iCloud Shared Photo Library

• iCloud Shared Photo Library makes sharing photos and videos a breeze, with up to five other users in a separate library, and seamless integration with the Photos app
• Smart set rules make it easy to provide past photos based on the start date or people in photos when setting up or adding to your gallery
• Quickly switch between shared galleries, personal galleries, or both at the same time with gallery filters
• Shared edits and permissions allow everyone to add, edit, favorite, delete photos and add descriptions
• The Share switch in Camera allows you to send photos taken directly to a shared gallery, or enable automatic sharing of photos when other participants are detected nearby via Bluetooth

Information

• Editable for up to 15 minutes after the message is sent, and edits are visible to recipients
• Unsend allows you to withdraw a message within 2 minutes of sending it
• Marking it as unread makes it easy to return to the conversation later
• Simultaneous sharing in "Messages" allows you and your friends to watch movies, listen to music, play games and enjoy exciting activities together while sending messages
• Collaboration lets you easily invite others to collaborate on files via Messages and get activity updates in conversations when someone edits a shared item

Mail

• Improved search with more precise and complete results and suggestions as you start typing
• Unsend allows you to unsend an email within 10 seconds of hitting send
• Scheduled Send to send emails at specific days and times
• "Remind Me" allows you to set a date and time to get reminders for specific emails

Safari browser and passkey

• Shared Tab Groups allow you to share a set of tabs with others and see tab group updates instantly during collaboration
• The Tab group starter page lets you add different background images and favorites to each tab group
• Pinned tabs in tab groups allow you to pin frequently visited sites for each tab group
• Safari web translation adds translations for Turkish, Thai, Vietnamese, Polish, Indonesian, and Dutch web pages
• Passkeys support simpler and more secure logins and can be used instead of passwords
• Sync pass keys via iCloud Keychain, making it available on all Apple devices while maintaining end-to-end encryption

Front desk scheduling

• Front Desk Scheduling is a new way of multitasking that automatically organizes apps and windows into one view
• Stackable windows allow you to stack and resize apps to create the ideal workspace
• App Grouping allows you to create collections of apps that you can quickly return to
• Recently used apps are arranged on the left side of the screen, allowing you to quickly switch between different apps and windows

New display mode

• Reference Mode provides reference colors for popular color standards and video formats on the 12.9-inch iPad Pro with Liquid Retina XDR display and can be used as a reference display for Macs with Apple chips with Sidecar
• Display scaling settings to increase display pixel density so you can see more within the app for iPad Pro 12.9-inch (5th generation and later), iPad Pro 11-inch (1st generation and later) ) and iPad Air (5th generation)

Weather

• The Weather app on iPad is optimized for larger displays and includes immersive animations, detailed maps, and a weather forecast module with tap-to-touch operation
• Weather maps show precipitation, air quality, and temperature, view a region-wide map or view it in full screen
• Tap the module to display more detailed information, such as hourly temperature or precipitation forecast for the next 10 days
• Air quality Color-coded display of air quality, grades and categories, air quality and related health advice, pollutant classification, and more can be viewed on a map
• Enjoy thousands of animated backgrounds that change with sun position, cloud cover, and precipitation intensity
• Extreme Weather Notifications notify you when extreme weather alerts are issued for surrounding areas

Game

• The in-game panel activity provides a centralized overview of what friends have achieved in this game, the games they are playing, and all game achievements
• Game Center profile highlights your achievements and leaderboard activity across all games
• Contacts integration shows your friends' Game Center profiles at a glance at what games they're playing and what they've achieved

Live text

• Live text video support lets you interact with the text in the video pause screen to copy, translate, query, share, and more
• Quick Actions let you perform actions with a single tap on detected data in photos and videos to track flights or logistics, translate foreign languages, convert currencies, and more

View image query

• Extracting the subject from the background separates it from the image for copy-pasting into apps like Mail and Messages

Siri

• Easy shortcut settings can run shortcuts directly through Siri without pre-setting after downloading the app
• New settings allow you to send messages directly without Siri asking you to confirm before sending
• "Hey Siri, what can I do?" Discover Siri's capabilities in iPadOS and the app with a single question
• Just say "Hey Siri, hang up" to hang up from Siri and FaceTime calls
• Support emoji, use your voice to insert emoji when sending a message

Dictation

• The new dictation experience supports voice and keyboard or Apple Pencil to enter and edit text
• Auto Punctuation inserts commas, periods, and question marks as you dictate
• Support emoji, use voice to insert emoji

Map

• Multi-stop routing support for adding up to fifteen stops along the driving route in Maps
• In places like the San Francisco Bay Area, London, and New York, transportation fares show the cost of the trip

Family

• The Home app has been redesigned to make it easier to browse, organize, view, and control smart home accessories
• The Home tab now has all accessories, rooms, and scenes in one place, so you can see what's going on at home
• Accessories are categorized by light, environment, security, speakers, TV, and water, and are organized by room for quick access and more detailed status information
• New camera view to display up to four cameras front and center in the Home tab, scroll to see more camera views in your home
• The accessories section has been redesigned, the icons are more recognizable and the colors match the category, and the new operation makes the accessories control more precise
• Supports Matter, the new smart home connectivity standard, enabling a wide variety of accessories to work together across ecosystems, providing users with more choices and greater interoperability

Family Sharing

• Improved child account settings for easier account creation, better parental controls, and age-appropriate media restrictions
• Use Quick Start to easily set up a new iOS or iPadOS device for your child and choose the parental controls you want
• Screen time requests can be sent using Messages, making it easier to approve or deny child requests
• The Family Sharing Checklist gives you tips and suggestions, like updating your child's parental controls, turning on location sharing, or reminding you to share your iCloud+ subscription with everyone

Desktop-level App

• A customizable toolbar allows you to add the most frequently used functions in your app
• Menus provide more context for close, save, and copy operations, making it easier to edit documents and files in apps like Pages and Numbers
• Find and replace apps across the system, including Mail, Messages, Reminders, and Swift Playgrounds
• The Availability Status view in Calendar shows when you create a Calendar meeting when each invitee is available

Security check

• Safety Checkup is a new section in Settings that helps victims of domestic violence or intimate partner violence quickly reset access granted to others
• Emergency Reset lets you take quick steps to reset access for everyone and apps, including disabling location sharing for Find My, resetting app privacy permissions, and more
• Manage sharing and access permissions to help you check and customize which apps and contacts have access to your information

Accessibility

• The amplifier's Door Detection feature determines door location, reads surrounding signs and symbols, and tells you how to open the door
• When a cognitively impaired user plays a game, "co-control" helps them gain support from a caregiver or friend by combining multiple game controller inputs into one.
• Over 20 new languages ​​and regions for VoiceOver, including Bengali (India), Bulgarian, Catalan, Ukrainian, and Vietnamese

Other features and improvements

• New tools in Notes and Markup let you draw and write with watercolors, single-line brushes, and pens
• AirPods Pro (2nd gen) supports Find and Pinpoint for MagSafe charging cases, as well as personalized spatial audio for a more precise and immersive listening experience; same for AirPods (3rd gen), AirPods Pro (1st generation) and AirPods Max
• FaceTime's Handoff feature allows you to seamlessly transfer FaceTime calls from your iPad to your iPhone or Mac and vice versa
• Memoji update includes more sticker poses, hairstyles, headgear, nose shape, and lip color
• Use the camera to translate the text around you in the Translate app
• Photos' duplicate content detection identifies duplicate photos so you can quickly clean up your library
• "Reminders" can be pinned to the top list to help you quickly browse frequently used lists
• Direct access to Focused Search via Search at the bottom of the home screen makes it easier to open apps, find contacts or get information from web pages
• Rapid Security Response is automatically applied between two standard software updates, delivering critical security improvements to devices more quickly

The official version of Apple's iPadOS 16 will be released on October 25th.

macOS 13 Ventura

Apple's official website update information shows that the official version of macOS 13 Ventura will be launched on October 25th, the same time as the official version of iPadOS 16.

macOS Ventura brings functions such as pre-stage scheduling, continuous intercommunication cameras, and FaceTime call relay. Among them, front-end scheduling allows users to seamlessly switch between various apps and windows while focusing on the work in front of them.

Mac users can use the iPhone as a webcam with a Continuity Camera. With Continuity, the Mac can automatically recognize and use the camera of a nearby iPhone without the user having to wake up or select it, and the iPhone can also establish a wireless connection with the Mac.

Continuity Camera brings several new features to all Mac computers, including Portrait Centering and Portrait Mode, as well as new studio lighting. In addition, Continuity Camera leverages the iPhone's ultra-wide-angle camera for desktop view functionality, showing both the user's face and a top-down view of the desk surface.

The FaceTime app also works with Handoff, allowing users to seamlessly switch to another nearby Apple device to continue the call after FaceTime is turned on on one Apple device. Users can start a FaceTime call on their iPhone or iPad, then switch the call to the Mac with a single tap, or start the call with the Mac and switch the call to the iPhone or iPad when they need to leave their seat.

In macOS Ventura, the Weather app and Clock app are optimized for Mac, including all features of the iPhone version.

However, we found that Apple's official website shows that the "Boundless Note" app of macOS 13 Ventura cannot be launched in the official version and will be launched later this year. "Boundless Notes" is a productivity app that allows users to write and draw, jot down flashes of inspiration, or add any needed information.

iPadOS 16

Apple announced that the official version of iPadOS 16 will be launched on October 24, Beijing time is expected to be in the early morning of October 25, applicable to all compatible iPad models, and will be used for weather applications, front-end scheduling, etc. Features brought to older iPad users.

iPadOS 16 brings major updates to the Messages app, new tools in Mail and Safari, a new Weather app, live text in images and videos, and more new ways to interact, among other things. A powerful productivity feature that further enhances the iPad Pro experience:

The front-end schedule brings a new multitasking experience, and can automatically organize various apps and windows, making it easy to quickly switch between different tasks.

The external monitor support scheduled in front of the stage will not be available on October 25th. Officially, it will be launched later this year. It supports resolutions up to 6K, allowing users to organize the workspace in an ideal way, on the iPad and the external monitor at the same time. Each can run up to 4 apps.

The desktop-level app brings a series of new features optimized for the iPad Pro display, making the app more powerful with new elements and new interaction modes, including system-wide undo and redo, a redesigned find and replace experience, a new version of the Documents menu, a customizable toolbar, the ability to change file extensions and view folder sizes in the Files app, and more.

With Reference Mode, the 12.9-inch iPad Pro with Liquid Retina XDR display meets the demands of workflows such as review approval, color correction, and compositing that demand color accuracy and consistent image quality. This means that pro-level users such as photographers, and videographers can edit HDR images and videos with all the life-like details on this device in their hands; cinematographers on the set can Color profiles to preview content.

Apple iPadOS 16 compatible devices include iPad (fifth generation and later models), iPad mini (fifth generation and later models), iPad Air (third generation and later models), and all iPad Pro models.