Vision Pro to Gain Apple Intelligence, Spatial Gallery App, and Companion iPhone App

By John Voorhees

Source: Apple.

Apple announced today that visionOS 2.4 will add some big features to the Vision Pro.

For starters, Apple Intelligence is coming to the Vision Pro. When I was at WWDC, I was surprised when there was no mention that Apple Intelligence would be added to visionOS. Since then, visionOS 2.0 and three subsequent releases have debuted without any sign of Apple Intelligence. However, that will change with the release of visionOS 2.4 in April.

Apple says visionOS 2.4 will include:

Writing Tools;
ChatGPT integration;
Genmoji;
Image Playground; and
Other unspecified features

Spatial Gallery. Source: Apple

In addition, visionOS will debut Spatial Gallery, a new Vision Pro app that Apple says will feature “a curated collection of spatial photos, spatial videos, and panoramas from artists, filmmakers, photographers, and more,” including new Immersive video titles.

Apple is also releasing a Vision Pro app for the iPhone that adds:

a new way to download apps and games from the App Store; discover experiences from Apple TV, Spatial Gallery, and more; easily find helpful tips; and quickly access information for their Vision Pro. Enhancements to Guest User make it easier than ever for users to share apps and experiences with family, friends, and colleagues using a nearby iPhone or iPad.

The Apple Vision Pro app. Source: Apple.

Apple says you’ll be able to queue a download from your iPhone for your Apple Vision Pro. I gave up trying to share my Vision Pro with my family almost immediately because it was such a cumbersome process, so better sharing will be welcome. If it works as promised, this sounds like a much better approach:

With new enhancements to Guest User in visionOS 2.4, users can start a Guest User session with their nearby iPhone or iPad. When their device is unlocked, they can choose which apps are accessible to their guest and start View Mirroring with AirPlay, making it easy to guide a guest through their Vision Pro experience.

It’s great to see Apple continue to push the Vision Pro forward with better user experiences, new content, and additional ways to enjoy its unique features.

Apple Intelligence to Expand to New Languages, the EU, and Vision Pro in April

By John Voorhees

Apple has announced that its personal intelligence system dubbed Apple Intelligence will debut in additional languages in April when iOS 18.4, iPadOS 18.4, and macOS 15.4 are released.

In addition to the currently supported languages, Apple will add French, German, Italian, Portuguese (Brazil), Spanish, Japanese, Korean, Chinese (simplified), and localized English for Singapore and India. Developers running the latest betas can start testing their apps in these languages today.

The updates in April will also bring Apple Intelligence features to the iPhone and iPad for EU users and Apple Vision Pro users.

It’s great to see that Apple Intelligence will expand in so many ways soon. For the feature to be widely adopted, localization is important, as is availability in the EU and on as many devices as possible, including the Vision Pro.

Chrome for iOS Adds ‘Circle to Search’ Feature

By Federico Viticci

Circle to Search in Chrome for iOS.

Jess Weatherbed, writing for The Verge:

Google is rolling out new search gestures that allow iPhone users to highlight anything on their screen to quickly search for it. The Lens screen-searching feature is available on iOS in both the Google app and Chrome browser and provides a similar experience to Android’s Circle to Search, which isn’t supported on iPhones.
[…]
To use the new Lens gestures, iPhone users need to open the three-dot menu within the Google or Chrome apps and select “Search Screen with Google Lens.” You can then use “any gesture that feels natural” to highlight what you want to search. Google says a new Lens icon for quickly accessing the feature will also be added to the address bar “in the coming months.”

This is a nifty addition to Chrome for iOS, albeit a far cry from how the same integration works on modern Pixel phones, where you can long-press the navigation handle to activate Circle to Search system-wide. In my tests, it worked pretty well on iPhone, and I especially appreciate the haptic feedback you get when circling something. Given the platform constraints, it’s pretty well done.¹

I’ve been using Chrome a bit more lately, and while it has a handful of advantages over Safari², it lacks a series of foundational features that I consider table stakes in a modern browser for iOS and iPadOS. On iPad, for whatever reason, Chrome does not support pinned tabs and can’t display the favorites bar at all times, both of which are downright nonsensical decisions. Also, despite the existence of Gemini, Chrome for iOS and iPadOS cannot summarize webpages, nor does it offer any integration with Gemini in the first place. I shouldn’t be surprised that Chrome for iOS doesn’t offer any Shortcuts actions, either, but that’s worth pointing out.

Chrome makes sense as an option for people who want to use the same browser across multiple platforms, but there’s something to be said for the productivity gains of Safari on iOS and iPadOS. While Google is still shipping a baby version of Chrome, UI- and interaction-wise, Safari is – despite its flaws – a mature browser that takes the iPhone and iPad seriously.

Speaking of which, I think holding the navigation handle to summon a system-wide feature is a great gesture on Android. Currently, Apple uses a double-tap gesture on the Home indicator to summon Type to Siri; I wouldn’t be surprised if iOS 19 brings an Android-like holding gesture to do something with Apple Intelligence. ↩︎
For starters, it’s available everywhere, whereas Safari is nowhere to be found on Windows (sigh) or Android. Plus, Chrome for iOS has an excellent widget to quickly search from the Home Screen, and I prefer its tab group UI with colorful folders displayed in the tab switcher. ↩︎

The Latest from AppStories and Ruminate

By John Voorhees

Enjoy the latest episodes from MacStories’ family of podcasts:

AppStories

This week, Federico and I each pick two apps you may or may not have heard of or considered using and explain why you should give them a try.

On AppStories+, we extend our picks with several more apps we’ve been testing recently.

This episode is sponsored by:

Memberful – Easy-to-Use Reliable Membership Software
Incogni – Take your personal data back with Incogni! Use code APPSTORIES with this link and get 60% off an annual plan.

Ruminate

A live snack test, some new task managers, and I bought a 15 year old handheld.

Apple Reveals New iPhone 16e with Face ID and 48MP Camera

By John Voorhees

Source: Apple.

Today, Apple unveiled the iPhone 16e, which replaces the iPhone SE. The new iPhone tracks with the rumors that have been circulating for months, but for those who don’t follow rumors closely, it’s worth running down the specs of Apple’s most affordable iPhone, because the changes are significant.

Let’s start with the design. With this update, the phone moves from an iPhone 8-era look to a style that fits in better with today’s iPhones. Similar to the iPhone 14, which debuted a couple of years ago, the new 16e includes a notch at the top of the screen that houses the front-facing camera and other sensors. The screen has been expanded to 6.1” and switched to Super Retina XDR OLED as well.

The new 16e ditches the Home button for Face ID, which goes a long way toward refreshing its look. The new budget phone doesn’t include the Camera Control like the iPhone 16, but it does feature the Action button, which debuted on the iPhone 15 Pro.

Source: Apple.

Notwithstanding the lack of Camera Control, the new iPhone 16e ushers in a significant upgrade to its camera. The single rear-facing camera now features a 48MP sensor, first introduced in the iPhone 14 Pro. That’s a big step up from the iPhone SE, which only had a 12MP sensor. That camera upgrade will pair nicely for photographers with the 16e’s new USB-C port, which is compatible with a wider range of accessories than Lightning, such as external storage.

The new iPhone 16e is powered by an A18 processor, making it capable of running Apple Intelligence. I’m not sure that’s a huge selling point yet, but the increased processor power and memory headroom should also make the 16e far more capable at tasks like transcoding and editing video, too.

A less welcome change is the 16e’s price, which is significantly more than the discontinued iPhone SE. The SE started at $429, but upgrading to this model will cost you at least $599 with 128GB of storage (twice what the SE offered). The price isn’t surprising considering the many updates included in this generation, but it will make it harder for some consumers to justify the purchase.

Another strange omission is the lack of MagSafe. That not only limits how the device can be charged, but it also rules out a wide variety of third-party accessories.

That said, I’m intrigued by the iPhone 16e and may buy one – not because I need a new phone, but because I want a new camera for shooting multicam video with Final Cut Pro for iPad. It’s such an incredibly efficient workflow for shooting videos for the MacStories YouTube channel that I’ve resorted to using my iPad mini’s 12MP camera alongside my iPhone 16 Pro Max. That has worked reasonably well, but the iPad mini’s camera can’t match my iPhone’s. With the 16e, I’d have a lightweight, highly portable option that’s perfect for my needs. Still, the price and lack of MagSafe are issues that make me hesitate.

The new iPhone 16e will be available for preorder starting February 21, with deliveries and in-store availability beginning Friday, February 28.

The Latest from Comfort Zone, MacStories Unwind, and Magic Rays of Light

By John Voorhees

Enjoy the latest episodes from MacStories’ family of podcasts:

Comfort Zone

Niléane is developing an obsession with remotes, but she swears she’s finally got The One, Chris has found a box that lets him store anything, and another color-based challenge leads to controversy (who saw that coming???).

MacStories Unwind

This week, I take listeners back to the animal kingdom, before Federico and I share a couple of TV recommendations. Plus, I show off a recent dream device acquisition.

Magic Rays of Light

Sigmund and Devon highlight this weekend’s debut of Apple Original film The Gorge starring Miles Teller and Anya Taylor-Joy, discuss Sigmund’s experience of working with Vision Pro on a real TV set, and share their thoughts on the Apple Music Super Bowl Halftime Show headlined by Kendrick Lamar.

Apple’s Tim Cook Teases February 19th Event on X

By John Voorhees

Next Wednesday, Apple is holding a launch event for what Tim Cook described on X as ‘the newest member of the family.’ The cryptic post is accompanied by a short video of a shimmery Apple logo framed by a circle with a rainbow border.

Quoting Cook’s post on X, Mark Gurman of Bloomberg says the event will feature an updated iPhone SE.

Apple Resumes Advertising on X

By John Voorhees

Yesterday, it was reported that Apple had resumed advertising on X (formerly Twitter). The company ceased advertising on the site without comment in November 2023, but earlier this week, ads for a Safari privacy feature and the Apple TV+ show Severance began appearing on X. Apple has not commented on why the change was made.

Apple’s relationship with X has been rocky since Elon Musk took over in October 2022. That fall, it was reported that Apple significantly decreased its advertising on the social media platform. That was seemingly corroborated by Musk himself, who said in November 2022 that Apple had ended most of its advertising and threatened to remove X from the App Store. Musk and Tim Cook then met at Apple Park, and they seemingly resolved the rift for about a year.

In the following months, reports surfaced indicating an increase in hate speech on X. In what may be Apple’s only public statement about its advertising relationship with the social media company, Tim Cook told CBS News in September 2023 that Apple was constantly assessing its advertising on X. Then in November, after Musk endorsed an antisemitic post on X, Apple stopped advertising on the platform, though it never explained why.

Last month, The Wall Street Journal reported that Apple was considering resuming its advertising on X. It has now done so, joining many other major brands.

Apple hasn’t explained the reason for the change, which comes hard on the heels of a report of significant increases in hate speech on X during Musk’s tenure. This has led to speculation that the move is an attempt to appease Musk, who has assumed an unprecedented and unelected position of power in the Trump administration. Whatever the reason, though, it’s not a good look for Apple.

Apple’s TV App Launches on the Google Play Store for Android Users

By John Voorhees

Apple has released its TV app on the Google Play Store for Android users. In a press release, Apple stated:

Available around the world, the Apple TV app for Android was built from the ground up to deliver Android users a familiar and intuitive interface. Android users can subscribe to Apple TV+ and MLS Season Pass using their Google Play account on Android mobile and Google TV devices. Apple TV+ also offers a seven-day free trial.

With Major League Soccer beginning on February 22nd and Friday Night Baseball just around the corner, it makes a lot of sense for Apple to expand the TV app’s availability. Android users will have all the same options Apple’s users do including subscribing to Apple TV+, which comes with a seven-day free trial, and MLS Season Pass.

As for the design, the Android version of the TV app looks as expected. It’s an Android-ified version of the iOS and iPadOS version of TV, with a similar layout and functionality controlled with standared Android UI elements.

The TV app can be downloaded for free from the Google Play Store.

For more examples of the TV app on Android, here are shots of it running on Federico’s Lenovo Legion Y700 (2024), which we recently covered on NPC: Next Portable Console: