Apple Opens WWDC19 With First Dedicated IPad OS and Beefed Up Phone Security

Craig Federighi, senior vice president-software engineering, noted that sharing location with a third-party app can enable useful experiences for iPhone users, but “we don’t expect to have that privilege used to track us.” Apple built in protections in iOS 13, including the ability to share location with an app “just once” and require the app to request permission again next time it’s needed, which drew extended audience applause. If users allow an app to continually monitor location in the background, Apple will give users reports so “you’ll know what they’re up to.” Some apps try to work around protections by scanning for Bluetooth or Wi-Fi signals to infer location, Federighi said: “We’re shutting the door on that abuse as well.”

Federighi showed a screenshot giving iPhone users the ability to log in using Facebook or Google credentials, which can be convenient but “come at the cost of your privacy.” Federighi said personal information is sometimes shared behind the scenes, and sign ins “can be used to track you.” Apple’s solution is “Sign in with Apple,” which gives users a fast way to sign in “without all the tracking.” Developers can put a Sign in with Apple application programming interface in their app, he said. When consumers tap the button, they’re authenticated with Face ID on the phone and logged in without revealing any personal identification.

The iPad, floundering recently before making a rebound in recent quarters, is gaining more utility. It gets a dedicated OS; multitasking capability in the Split View feature; support for external drives, allowing users to plug in USB, SD cards and a camera or to log into a Server Message Block server; and the ability to function as a second monitor in Sidecar mode for the latest Mac operating system, dubbed Catalina. Apple is now billing the iPad as a “desktop experience." Users can work with multiple files and documents from the same app simultaneously, or quickly view and switch between multiple apps using a slide motion in iPadOS.

Apple Watch users will be able to get apps from the App Store for the first time and to buy and install them without an iPhone as enabler. Among new apps designated for Apple Watch are an audio books app, for Apple books, and voice memos to record thoughts. Apple Watch apps are designed for quick interactions, said Federighi. A tip calculator also includes the ability to split a bill with friends, and a streaming audio API allows them to stream music, podcasts and live sports directly from the wristband. New software features will be available this fall as a free update for Apple Watch Series 1 and later paired with iPhone 6s or later phones running iOS 13.

More Watch OS additions include a noise meter that measures ambient noise in decibels, a feature demonstrated at the event that elicited notable cheers from the audience. The Watch will also be able to stream audio from MLB games from a dedicated app, Apple showed.

AirPod software is up for a refresh, too. Users will be able to tap a button to share a song with another Air Pods user. Twitter user @OfficialJoelF found that functionality useful: “You can share audio with other AirPod users! Handing somebody your ear buds is a thing of the past," he tweeted.

IPhone users who have amassed scores of photos in their phone libraries over the years could use the artificial intelligence and management capabilities built into the latest iOS. Software will help users organize photos by day, month or year in a visually appealing way, the company demonstrated. @mashable tweeted: “Photos on iOS is now smart enough to hide duplicates.”

For Twitter users who angsted over the weekend over rumors predicting the death of iTunes music libraries, Federighi gave the news that the iTunes app is being divided into three in the latest Mac OS. @Gizmodo tweeted: “iTunes wasn't killed, it was just split up." That should appease concerned Apple customers like @sarang orders who tweeted over the weekend “Apple is shutting down iTunes...I better still be able to use the desktop version. I have all my music on there :/ I still use an iPod.”

Several tech websites applauded Apple’s move to divide iTunes into separate apps for music, TV and podcasts in Mac’s latest OS. Wired found “no reasonable defense of iTunes as it exists today, a program that eventually strayed so far from its origins that it managed to wholly alienate users who actually relied on it for music." The program on iOS "has already been effectively sidelined thanks to standalone apps for Music, TV, and Podcasts,” it said, and doing the same on the Mac OS “simply brings Apple’s offerings into alignment.” To sync devices, users will now use the Finder feature, it said.

With a historical perspective, Wired saluted the music program: “In its earliest iteration, iTunes revolutionized how and where people could access music. Its later bloat tells the story of how digitization ate the world," it said. "And in the negative space of its obsolescence, you can see a fourth age take hold, in which streaming reigns.” ITunes “is dead,” said the publication. “Fine, good riddance. But also farewell, and thanks.”