Tag Archives: iPhone

Posted on Author Atlantic Computer Services Categories Blog

Legacy Contacts Shares Data From Those Who Have Passed

The internet has been around for a while at this point and it has brought to mind an issue we’ve never had to deal with until now.

What happens to your digital “stuff” when you die? Does it just go away? Does it simply become inaccessible?

In the here and now the answer has been yes. That’s exactly what happens.

Unless your family and loved ones have access to your accounts and know your passwords there’s simply no way they can access your data after you have died. That matters because there are very few people who make use of the traditional family photo album. Most of us keep our family photos online and usually on the cloud.

Apple understand that and they’re making some small but important changes on that front. In the near future Apple will allow you to pass on your iCloud data to your chosen people when you die. The most recent iOS update contains the first step along that path containing a new “right of survivorship” element.

The new Digital Legacy program was announced earlier this year (2021). With the new program users will be able to designate up to five people as Legacy Contacts. In the event of your death the people you have listed as Legacy Contacts will be able to access any data and personal information you have stored in the iCloud.

To activate Digital Legacy provisions users on the Legacy Contact List will need to provide proof of death and an access key to access your information. Those changes will be available as of iOS 15.2. There has been no word from Apple about when a comparable feature will be available for macOS. With the direction the company is moving in you can bet we’ll be hearing about it soon.

Kudos to Apple for making the change. This brings them into alignment with moves that Facebook and Google have already made.

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Posted on Author Atlantic Computer Services Categories Blog

Apple Has Released iOS 15 With New Features

Apple recently released iOS 15 and iPadOS 15 for its phone/pad products. The latest update brings a number of new features to Apple users.

Here’s a quick overview:

Improvements to Do Not Disturb

This feature has been re-branded as “Focus” and it silences your phone or tablet in a bid to help limit interruptions when you’re in a meeting, busy focused on a particular task or while you’re sleeping.

The difference is that Focus introduces modes that are auto-enabled based on different actions. It syncs between all your Apple devices provided that they’re all running the latest version of the OS. When Focus state is activated on your phone it will auto-activate on your Watch, your desktop PC, and your iPad. Very handy.

Best of all is that you can set exemptions that allow certain contacts to get through so you can be interrupted but only by the contacts you choose.

Live Text

This is a really cool feature. It allows you to pull text from a photo and make it actionable. If you see a flyer on a store window you can take a picture of it and then tap the phone number on the flyer to make a call for instance.

Improved Facetime

Once you upgrade you’ll be able to FaceTime with anyone including Windows and Android users. This works even though there is no FaceTime app for Android or Windows. To use the new feature you’ll send a link to Android/Windows users that will open a FaceTime session in a browser window.

To do this just open your FaceTime app and select “Create Link.” The iOS share sheet will appear and from there you can send the link to whomever you like.

There are plenty of other new features in the latest update but in our view these are the biggest and most exciting. Update to the latest version and check them out at your earliest convenience. This update is well worth prioritizing.

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Posted on Author Atlantic Computer Services Categories Blog

Update Apple Devices Soon For Important Security Patch

Apple released a very important security update today. The update fixes a pair of zero-day vulnerabilities that have been spotted in use in the wild to attack both Macs and iPhones. One of the two has been used to install the Pegasus spyware onto iPhones.

These two vulnerabilities are being tracked as CVE-2021-30860 and CVE-2021-30858 respectively. Both vulnerabilities allow attackers to create malicious documents which can be used to execute commands when opened on vulnerable devices.

CVE-2021-30860 is an integer overflow bug in CoreGrapics. It was discovered by CitizenLabs and it allows attackers to craft poisoned PDF documents that execute commands when opened on devices running either iOS or macOS.

CVE-2021-30858 is a WebKit vulnerability that allows attackers to create a malicious web page that executes commands on vulnerable devices running either iOS or macOS. That is any time vulnerable devices visit the poisoned page.

Apple stresses that both of these have been seen in use in the wilds which makes the application of Apple’s latest security patch a high priority.

Apple has struggled against zero-day vulnerabilities in 2021. So far the company has scrambled to address more than a dozen such vulnerabilities on macOS and iOS. That is compared to eleven found that targeted Windows and Android devices.

Consider the nature of these security flaws and the fact that they’re currently being exploited by hackers around the world. So downloading and applying this security patch is something that should be given top priority by anyone with Apple devices connected to your corporate network.

Kudos to the company for their rapid response. We hope however that the volume of zero-day exploits will begin to taper off in the near future. At this point it is unclear whether this is a sign of things to come and something that represents a larger and more disturbing trend or if it’s just a run of bad luck for the tech giant.

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Posted on Author Atlantic Computer Services Categories Blog

Free Repairs Offered For iPhone 12 Users With Sound Issues

The bad news is some of Apple’s iPhone 12’s have sound issues. If you own an iPhone 12 then you are probably already aware of this.

The good news is that Apple has moved on the issue fairly quickly. The company has introduced a new free-of-charge service program for impacted iPhone 12’s. If your device is defective you can have it repaired at no cost to you.

The company recently published a blog post that had this to say about the matter:

“Apple has determined that a very small percentage of iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 Pro devices may experience sound issues due to a component that might fail on the receiver module. Affected devices were manufactured between October 2020 and April 2021. If your iPhone 12 or iPhone 12 Pro does not emit sound from the receiver when you make or receive calls, it may be eligible for service.”

You’ve got three different options open to you if you have an iPhone 12 suffering from the sound issue:

  • You can take it to the nearest Apple Authorized Service provider and have it repaired.
  • You can take it to the Apple Retail Store nearest you.
  • Or you can contact Apple Support and arrange mail in service via an Apple Repair Center.

If you select this last option you will receive instructions about where to mail your device when you complete the service request on the Apple Support page.

Apple’s quick response here demonstrates once again why the company has an almost Evangelical following. Whether you like the company and the products they make or not give credit where credit is due. The company has a long history of taking good care of its customers.

Kudos to Apple. While it’s unfortunate that the malfunction exists the company has made it delightfully easy to get it fixed.

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Posted on Author Atlantic Computer Services Categories Blog

iPhone Users Getting Secure IDs And Digital Drivers Licenses

Have you ever wished you had a digital ID like a driver’s license? Apple is working to make that a reality.

The company is currently in talks with officials from eight different state government to fold state IDs and driver’s licenses into Apple Wallet.

 

The states in question are:

  • Arizona
  • Connecticut
  • Georgia
  • Iowa
  • Kentucky
  • Maryland
  • Oklahoma
  • And Utah

There’s the day to day convenience that is a natural outgrowth of having a digital copy of your driver’s license and/or State ID. In addition the company is touting the benefits of Apple Wallet to travelers saying that it will make airport check ins faster and more convenient.

Whether that proves true or not is something that remains to be seen but it certainly has the potential to. The idea would be that if you’ve got a digital ID on your person you’ll be able to breeze through at least some TSA checkpoints with a phone tap.

Here’s how the process is being designed to work, per Apple:

  • A consumer would add an ID or license to Apple Wallet as they would a credit card or transit pass.
  • If paired with an Apple Watch the consumer could add the ID to the Apple Watch.
  • The consumer would be asked to use their iPhone to scan their physical driver’s license or state ID card and take a selfie that would be provided to the state for verification.
  • For additional security customers will be prompted to complete a series of facial and head movements.
  • The issuing state would then verify the IDs to be added to Apple Wallet.
  • Once added, the TSA will be able to accept IDs with a tap at the identity reader. Using Face ID or Touch ID the identity information being asked for is shared.

This is big news and potentially huge news especially if it catches on nationwide. Kudos to Apple and the eight pioneering states mentioned above. Exciting times indeed.

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