MacLife March 2023

THE NEW YEAR is usually a quiet time of the year for most of us — reflecting on the past, and looking to the future. It’s also a time when you tend to spend less money, what with the fallout of the spending spree of the holidays gone by. With that in mind, it’s nice to get something a little extra to help things along when you do make a purchase on the things you enjoy. I am, of course, referring to Mac|Life, and this very issue. You won’t find it inside, because it’s not technically inside (we don’t print enough pages, you see), but “within” your copy is a bonus guide to the Shortcuts app for Mac or iOS/iPadOS. If you’ve not used Shortcuts before, or even if you have,…

THE NEW YEAR is usually a quiet time of the year for most of us — reflecting on the past, and looking to the future. It’s also a time when you tend to spend less money, what with the fallout of the spending spree of the holidays gone by. With that in mind, it’s nice to get something a little extra to help things along when you do make a purchase on the things you enjoy. I am, of course, referring to Mac|Life, and this very issue. You won’t find it inside, because it’s not technically inside (we don’t print enough pages, you see), but “within” your copy is a bonus guide to the Shortcuts app for Mac or iOS/iPadOS. If you’ve not used Shortcuts before, or even if you…

APPLE HAS BEEFED up security for user data and communications in the cloud with three new features. > iMessage Contact Key Verification: On top of the existing end–to–end encryption in iMessage, this adds a way to further verify that you are messaging only with the people you intend. It is designed for the same high–risk users as Lockdown Mode — journalists, diplomats, activists, and so on. Conversations between users who enable the feature receive automatic alerts if a very advanced adversary, such as a state–sponsored attacker, ever succeeds in breaching cloud servers and inserting its own device to eavesdrop on messages. For even higher security, users can compare a Contact Verification Code in person, on FaceTime (which has also used encryption since launch), or through another secure call. > Apple ID Security Keys: Apple…

APPLE HAS BEEFED up security for user data and communications in the cloud with three new features. > iMessage Contact Key Verification: On top of the existing end–to–end encryption in iMessage, this adds a way to further verify that you are messaging only with the people you intend. It is designed for the same high–risk users as Lockdown Mode — journalists, diplomats, activists, and so on. Conversations between users who enable the feature receive automatic alerts if a very advanced adversary, such as a state–sponsored attacker, ever succeeds in breaching cloud servers and inserting its own device to eavesdrop on messages. For even higher security, users can compare a Contact Verification Code in person, on FaceTime (which has also used encryption since launch), or through another secure call. > Apple ID…

WANT TO TURN your iPhone, iPad, or third–gen Apple TV 4K into a karaoke machine? That’s the promise of Apple Music Sing, a new feature that enables Apple Music subscribers to sing along to their favorite songs. On compatible devices with iOS 16.2, iPadOS 16.2, or tvOS 16.2, Apple Music Sing takes the existing lyrics featured in Apple Music to the next level. In songs that support Apple Music Sing, lyrics not only display in real time as before, but are highlighted syllable by syllable, with background vocal lines separated out to avoid any confusion. You can optionally lower the volume of the lead vocals so you can take the lead. And a duet view shows the different voice parts of supported songs on opposite sides of the screen, making it…

WANT TO TURN your iPhone, iPad, or third–gen Apple TV 4K into a karaoke machine? That’s the promise of Apple Music Sing, a new feature that enables Apple Music subscribers to sing along to their favorite songs. On compatible devices with iOS 16.2, iPadOS 16.2, or tvOS 16.2, Apple Music Sing takes the existing lyrics featured in Apple Music to the next level. In songs that support Apple Music Sing, lyrics not only display in real time as before, but are highlighted syllable by syllable, with background vocal lines separated out to avoid any confusion. You can optionally lower the volume of the lead vocals so you can take the lead. And a duet view shows the different voice parts of supported songs on opposite sides of the screen, making…