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Tech Radar Interviews Craig Federighi and Alan Dye About iOS 16’s Lock Screen Changes→

Lance Ulanoff, writing for Tech Radar, has an in-depth look at the changes coming this fall to iOS 16. Ulanoff also interviewed Apple’s Apple SVP of Engineering Craig Federighi and Apple VP of Design Alan Dye for his story with the two executives providing a behind-the-scenes look at the technology and thinking behind the many changes coming this fall.

Regarding iOS 14’s Home Screen widgets, Federighi told Tech Radar:

We knew this was a multi-act play, and we knew our next venue would be the Lock Screen.

We saw a real opportunity to take that area that really has evolved slowly over time but has never seen this kind of massive step forward, and to do something really big – but something very Apple and very personal. So, this is an act of love this year,” he added.

The challenge for Dye’s design team was to create a system for customizing the Lock Screen that was simple, but also looked good:

From a Design Team perspective, our goal was to create something that felt almost more editorial, and to give the user the ability to create a Lock Screen that really… ends up looking like a great magazine cover or film poster but doing it in a way that’s hopefully really simple to create, very fun, and even with a lot of automation there,” said Dye.

Dye and Federighi also revealed that styles suggested for your Lock Screen wallpapers vary depending on the photo:

Dye told us that if the system doesn’t think the photo will look great, it won’t suggest it, a point of care and attention that helps guide the user towards more visually arresting Lock Screens.

“You get something so much more compelling than just laying a filter over the photo,” added Federighi.

Tech Radar’s story also covers the machine learning-based technology that allows iOS 16 to segment your photos so parts can overlap with the time, focus modes, and more. There’s a lot here and many interesting insights from Federighi and Dye worth digging into if you’re interested in design and how it’s implemented from an engineering standpoint.

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MacStories Unwind: Stranger Things and the Khadas Tea

AppStories+ Deeper into the world of apps
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AppStories+ Deeper into the world of apps

This week on MacStories Unwind, John is hooked on Stranger Things, Season 4, and Federico shares his experience using a dedicated iPhone DAC.

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John’s Pick:

Federico’s Pick:

AppStories, Episode 278 – 2022 Apple Design Award Winners: The AppStories Interviews→

It’s been quite a week. We’ve recorded daily episodes of AppStories in the Club MacStories+ Discord community, covering everything from our initial reactions to Monday’s keynote to the features of each of the OS updates announced. It’s been a lot of fun and we’re not quite finished, but the highlight of the week was the opportunity to interview three of the Apple Design Award winners in Apple’s podcast studio, where I recorded in person with the ADA winners with Federico joining us remotely on the big screen.

We interviewed Claire d’Este of Savage Interactive, the maker of Procreate, which won an ADA in the Inclusivity category, Curtis Herbert of Breakpoint Studios, the creator of Slopes, which won in the Interaction category, and Joe Lee, of Netmarble, the developer of MARVEL Future Revolution, which won in the Innovation category. It was a fantastic mix of apps and games and an excellent conversation about the qualities that make an app or game an Apple Design Award-winner.

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Curtis Herbert (left) and Joe Lee (right).

Curtis Herbert (left) and Joe Lee (right).

Thanks again to Apple for making the interviews possible and a highlight of our week, and thanks to Claire, Curtis, and Joe for taking the time to share their experiences as developers with us.

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AppStories, Episode 280 – WWDC 2022: The M2 MacBook Air and macOS Ventura

In yesterday’s installment of AppStories’ special WWDC series, we were joined by Myke Hurley to talk about the M2 MacBook Air, as well as Stage Manager and gaming on macOS Ventura.

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On AppStories+, I went behind the scenes about the logistics of interviewing Apple Design Award winners in Apple’s podcast studio and Federico and Myke need to know more about the presenter who showed off Apple’s Big Sur Theater at its Developer Center.

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Safety Check Lets Victims of Domestic or Intimate Partner Violence Reset Privacy Settings

Safety Check is a new iOS privacy feature that allows users whose safety may be at risk due to domestic or intimate partner violence to review and revoke access previously granted to their partner. Apple developed the feature in consultation with groups that support the victims of domestic and intimate partner violence, including the National Network to End Domestic Violence, the National Center for Victims of Crime, and Wesnet, The Women’s Services Network.

Speed is important when someone’s safety may be at risk. Instead of hunting app-by-app to undo privileges granted to a partner, Safety Check includes an emergency reset that signs a user out of their iCloud account on other devices that might be in a partner’s possession, stops sharing their location, resets privacy permissions across all apps, and limits messaging to the device they have with them.

Safety Check also includes tools to manage sharing with people and apps. The feature can show you what you’re sharing and with whom and then change the access settings if you’d like. For apps, each type of private information that’s shared is listed and can be disallowed. It promises to be a great way to perform a periodic personal privacy audit.

With the number of apps we use and people we share with growing all the time, a tool like Safety Check is critical. It eliminates the need to go hunting for multiple privacy settings by consolidating the information in one place, which is important if you’re someone whose safety is at risk.

You can follow all of our WWDC coverage through our WWDC 2022 hub or subscribe to the dedicated WWDC 2022 RSS feed.

Apple Introduces iCloud Shared Photo Library and New Family Sharing Setup Features

Sharing photos among family members has never been easy on Apple’s platforms. Photos and albums can be shared individually or in batches, but it’s a manual process that too often, I, and I’m sure many others, don’t bother to do. The result is that members of the same household often end up with different collections of images from the same events. iCloud Shared Photo Library is designed to solve that problem with a single, shared photo library to which each participant can contribute.

iCloud Shared Photo Library allows you to share your photos with up to five other people. Your shared iCloud photo library is separate from your own library, and you’re in control of what you contribute to the group library. If you want, you can share everything in your personal photo library. You can also pick and choose individual photos or share everything after a particular date or shots of a certain person.

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AppStories, Episode 279 – WWDC 2022: iPadOS’ Desktop-Class Features and Updates to Reminders

On the latest installment of AppStories’ special WWDC series, Federico and John dig in deeper on the desktop-class features being added to iPadOS and the new functionality in Reminders on all platforms.

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On AppStories+, Federico and John answer listener questions about the betas, iPadOS, and more.

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To learn more about the benefits included with an AppStories+ subscription, visit our Plans page, or read the AppStories+ FAQ.

Apple Provides a Sneak Peek at the Future of CarPlay

During the WWDC keynote, Apple dedicated a substantial segment to a CarPlay sneak peek in an already-packed presentation. It seemed like an odd choice because Apple said cars supporting the new features announced won’t be announced until late next year. However, given the depth of integration with vehicles that the new features will require and the relatively slow pace of technology adoption in the auto industry, it’s not shocking at all that Apple decided to use the keynote to sell automakers on the new CarPlay.

CarPlay was introduced in 2014. Today, the iOS feature, which integrates system apps like Maps, Phone, Messages, Music, and Podcasts, as well as third-party apps, with your car’s entertainment system, feels like it’s everywhere. In fact, during the keynote, Apple said 98% of new cars include CarPlay as an option, and 79% of new car buyers will only consider a CarPlay vehicle (including me).

Those impressive statistics didn’t happen overnight, though. It took years for CarPlay to reach critical mass. Cars and their internal systems just don’t turn over nearly as fast as technology progresses. That’s why Monday’s preview struck me as an attempt to get the ball rolling with car manufacturers.

What Apple showed off during the keynote was nothing short of a way to replace all of a car’s instruments and controls with a CarPlay interface. The company previewed a wide range of screen sizes and shapes that could display an auto’s speed, engine temperature, and fuel level, plus control heating, air conditioning, and the car’s radio, all of which require a deeper connection to a car’s systems than is currently possible with CarPlay. Apple also demonstrated multiple design options that will be available with CarPlay to allow manufacturers (and hopefully users) to customize a car’s UI.

It’s notable that this isn’t the first time that Apple has signaled an expansion of CarPlay’s role in your vehicle. In 2019, I wrote about Apple’s announcement at WWDC that it was working with car manufacturers to bring CarPlay to in-car screens with irregular sizes and shapes. That WWDC session didn’t cover new functionality, but it signaled that Apple was interested in breaking free from CarPlay’s rectangular confines to live on a car’s other screens. Three years later, Apple has a much more compelling argument for automakers.

It will be interesting to see how widespread the adoption of the features Apple demoed will be. The company listed 14 automakers like Land Rover, Mercedes, Porsche, Nissan, Volvo, Honda, and Ford that they are working with, but it remains to be seen which models will adopt the new CarPlay and how quickly. As with the original CarPlay introduction, the list of manufacturers skews toward luxury brands, although I expect that over time, these features will trickle down to other manufacturers and models as they did after CarPlay debuted.

I’ve been a big fan of CarPlay, ever since we got a Honda Accord with it in 2016. Since then, CarPlay has evolved and grown more capable every year to the point where I feel a little lost in a car that doesn’t have the feature. Although the first cars with the new CarPlay won’t be announced for about 18 months, my hope is that the technology’s reputation and track record will lead to faster adoption than when it debuted. In the meantime, until I can theme my car’s dashboard, I’ll keep myself busy customizing my iOS 16 Lock Screen.

You can follow all of our WWDC coverage through our WWDC 2022 hub or subscribe to the dedicated WWDC 2022 RSS feed.

Apple Updates Its Human Interface Guidelines

Apple’s platforms have seen a lot of changes to their designs in the past few years, so it’s not surprising that the company has released an extensive update to its Human Interface Guidelines. As Apple explains in a post on its Design website:

Apple’s Human Interface Guidelines (HIG) is a comprehensive resource for designers and developers looking to create great experiences across Apple platforms. Now, it’s been fully redesigned and refreshed to meet your needs — from your first sketch to the final pixel.

The web-based guide, which has been evolving since Apple’s earliest days, is broken into six top-level categories: Foundations, Patterns, Components, Inputs, Platforms, and Technologies. There’s a wealth of information in each section organized by subtopics and fully searchable, with quick links to designing for each OS too. Later this year, Apple will add change logs, which should make keeping up on the latest changes simple.

Searching the HIG.

Searching the HIG.

Browsing through the updated HIG, it’s clear that a lot of work went into making it just as easy for designers and developers to find the specific information they need as it is to browse the guide’s many topics. Of course, every topic is illustrated with examples, links to related topics, and cross-referenced with Apple’s developer documentation too. Whether or not you build apps, if you’re interested in design, the HIG is a great way to learn more about the design of the devices so many of us use every day.

You can follow all of our WWDC coverage through our WWDC 2022 hub or subscribe to the dedicated WWDC 2022 RSS feed.