Jay Peters
I’m so tired.
9to5Mac reported on the seven new emoji added in iOS 18.4’s latest developer beta, and Apple’s take on “Face with bags under eyes” feels very appropriate for this year.
iOS
iOS is Apple’s operating system for the iPhone and iPad. It’s also the basis for tvOS for the Apple TV and watchOS for the Apple Watch. It’s even beginning to infiltrate the Mac in some ways. Apple has worked hard to keep iOS private and secure, and it has a huge ecosystem of apps via its official App Store. Some have argued that it is too locked down, but the trade-off is that it’s fast and stable for most users.
Wes Davis
The Vision Pro Spatial Gallery app is out now in beta.
Vision Pro owners should see the app if they install the visionOS 2.4 developer beta today. Last month, Apple described Spatial Gallery as containing a curated selection of spatial videos, photos, and panoramas, including things like behind-the-scenes clips from Apple TV Plus shows like Severance and Shrinking.
iOS 18.4’s second developer beta, which is also out now, adds the iOS Apple Vision Pro app, which lets you browse and remotely install Vision Pro apps.
Andrew Liszewski
Turn iMessage into the Nintendo DS’ PictoChat.
Idrees Hassan has created a free iOS app called PicoChat that recreates the Nintendo DS’ messaging experience in iMessage, as spotted by Overkill.
You can type out messages on a tiny keyboard or make drawings to send to your contacts, complete with a simulated stylus that appears onscreen as you doodle. The app generates a PictoChat-themed image of your message you can send to others, giving them a similar experience without installing the app.
Thomas Ricker
CarPlay adds another row of apps.
The new row comes courtesy of Apple’s latest iOS 18.4 beta, but it only seems to show up on cars with larger displays. A welcome change while we wait for CarPlay 2 to arrive... someday.
Dominic Preston
Get your own Gemini.
Three months after adding a dedicated Gemini app to iOS, Google is making that the only place to use its AI assistant on an iPhone. Gemini no longer works in the standard Google app. The move comes just after Google added support for Gemini’s Deep Research mode to mobile, including iOS.
Gemini is no longer available in the Google app for iOS
[androidcentral.com]
Umar Shakir
Waze on CarPlay now has one less annoyance.
A new interface update adds search and quick navigation buttons to the main screen on the right side, so you don’t have to tap to make the top bar appear to start your next trip, 9to5Google and autoevolution report. The new shortcut button lets you tap to quickly begin navigating to home or work based on the time of day.
Allison Johnson
Jess Weatherbed
Andrew Liszewski
You’re running out of time to get Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp Complete for $9.99.
The new version of Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp -- free of in-app purchases -- debuted last December at $9.99 for a limited time.
For those who have been dragging their feet on buying the new Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp Complete for either iOS or Android, that limited time offer runs out before the end of this week. At 1AM ET on January 31st, the game will increase in price to $19.99.
Wes Davis
WhatsApp is testing multiple account support on iOS.
You can log into multiple WhatsApp accounts on one iOS device in a recent iOS beta version, writes WABetaInfo.
In the case of Android phones, which have had the feature since 2023, you need a multi-SIM card phone and a second phone number to register another account.
Jay Peters
68 percent of all iPhones are already on iOS 18.
And 76 percent of iPhone introduced in the last four years are on it, too, according to Apple’s iOS adoption stats that were spotted by 9to5Mac. The figures, from Apple, are “As measured by devices that transacted on the App Store on January 21, 2025.”
App Store - Support - Apple Developer
[developer.apple.com]
Jess Weatherbed
Wes Davis
The TikTok lock-out effect.
You can catch the national mood from time to time using the iOS App Store’s top free apps list.
After today’s TikTok chaos, the top 20 apps there are taken up mostly by VPNs and video editing or social media posting apps, with a little ChatGPT and Temu sprinkled in for good measure.
1/3It’s a good day for lesser-known VPN and video editing apps. Screenshot: iOS App Store
Wes Davis
Apple Intelligence features are coming to the macOS Mail app soon.
The Apple Mail app in macOS 15.4 will be able to use AI to sort your emails by categories like transactions or promotions, as well as surface “Priority” emails at the top of your inbox, according to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman in today’s Power On newsletter.
The features have already been part of the iPhone mail app since iOS 18.2.
Jess Weatherbed
AirPods now require four steps to turn off noise cancellation.
Before, it only took one step to eliminate audio processing and extend battery life on newer AirPods.
Apple removed the “Off” toggle from the default modes after introducing hearing protection features to noise control in iOS 18. To restore it, open the Settings app, tap your connected AirPods, and toggle on “Off Listening Mode.” They will still default to Transparency mode when you connect, however.
Andrew Liszewski
Disney’s iOS app now makes it easier to skip food lines.
A recent update to the Disneyland and Walt Disney World mobile apps now lets users track the status of mobile food orders (from select venues in Disney’s US parks) on the iPhone’s lock screen or in the Dynamic Island. Users can also notify a restaurant to start preparing their order once they’re nearby, without having to open the mobile app.
Wes Davis
iPhone phishing scams want you to reply.
Bleeping Computer points out why so many of those phishing texts about packages or unpaid tolls urge you to reply with something like a “Y” these days.
It’s because when the iOS Messages app’s “Filter Unknown Senders” option is on, links from those senders are disabled by default. Replying activates the link so you can tap it, which savvy Verge readers know you should never, ever do.
Phishing texts trick Apple iMessage users into disabling protection
[BleepingComputer]
Richard Lawler
The Watch Duty: Wildfire Maps app has been downloaded 1.5 million times in two days.
Per NBC reporter Scott Budman. As a “one-stop shop for everything needed during a fire emergency,” the Watch Duty app has become a lifeline for people trying to navigate the wildfires around Los Angeles.
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