One of the interesting new features introduced at WWDC was Sign In with Apple. It’s a new sign-in system made by Apple that’s meant to replace other platforms offered by Facebook and Google. The idea here is that Apple’s system ensures your data stays safe and doesn’t get abused by third-party developers.
Sign In with Apple lets you login with Face ID or Touch ID, and it only lets you share your name and email address with apps. And if some apps do require your email address, you can share your actual email address with them — or better yet, Apple can help you mask your actual email address. This works by Apple creating a unique email address for each app you login to, and simply forwards email to that unique/fake email address to your actual email address. That way, the apps never get your actual email address.
And all of this is actually really great. Apple’s system might be the only single sign-in system that keeps your data safe. But here’s the thing: iOS apps will be forced to use the new system, which is a bit unfriendly on Apple’s side.
Apps that offer third-party sign-in will require to offer Sign In with Apple as an option when iOS 13 launches later this year. “Sign In with Apple will be available for beta testing this summer. It will be required as an option for users in apps that support third-party sign-in when it is commercially available later this year,” Apple said.
That’s not particularly a bad thing, especially since Sign in with Apple makes logging into apps much quicker and safer. And Apple forcing apps to offer its own service as an alternative to those provided by Facebook and Google will allow the service to reach more users quickly, and hopefully replace the horrible systems provided by other companies, especially Facebook.
The problem, however, is that it’s not really clear how Sign In with Apple works on other platforms. If you create an account on your iPhone or iPad, it’s not clear how you would access that same account from an Android device, a Windows laptop, or just from any other laptop on the web. It’s a bit of a mystery for now.
Apple's changes in iOS 13 for iPhone are coming soon.
James Martin/CNET
Soon iOS 13, Apple's newest software for iPhones, will bring a slew of features big and small to your phone. Dark mode, new photos tools and a swipe-able keyboard are some of the bigger ones, with new Maps tools, security features and the ability to customize Memoji avatars folded in for good measure. While Apple highlighted certain features, keep in mind that the company often reserves some surprises for the iPhone reveal each September. There may be more features still to come.
One big change to iOS 13 is that it doesn't directly fuel the iPad. Apple split off a new OS just for tablets called iPad OS. The new iPad OS is based on iOS for iPhone, so you'll find similarities with the phone's core features there.
The iOS 13 unveiling at Apple's annual WWDC developer conference comes just weeks after Google, Silicon Valley's other titan of tech, trickled out more details about Android Q, Apple's chief software rival. Today with iOS 13, it's Apple's turn to woo app-makers and wow future buyers with everything that iPhones and iPads running iOS 13 will soon be able to do.
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Apple's ability to engage buyers with iOS 13 is particularly important in 2019. The iPhone-maker has seen iPhone sales slow in step with competitors across the board. Meanwhile, the next iPhones will likely lag behind other Android rivals in key features like support for 5G speeds, periscope zoom and a standalone night mode for ultraclear camera shots. But over the years, Apple has proven that it can create must-have software tools and apps, like FaceTime video and iMessage.
Dark mode, which replaces a light screen with a dark screen, comes across core apps in iOS 13, including the calendar, music, and photos apps. This appears to be system-wide, but we'll need to see if there are any exceptions. Dark mode is a popular trend across apps, and will come to Android Q, too.
Android users have been swiping their keyboards to type for years, through a number of third-party apps, like Swype and Swiftype. At long last, Apple has added the ability, letting you trace a word to spell it out.
Apple calls it QuickPath Typing. In theory, it's faster and just as accurate as pecking away at the virtual keyboard, and you still get spelling suggestions as you go along.
The feature is especially useful for one-handed typing.
Now you can swipe in addition to typing.
Apple
Portrait lighting for photos, rotate a video
A new photos tab gives you access to some of the new tools Apple's adding here. For example, you can now remove duplicate photos and highlight best shots.
Portrait lighting, the tool within your iPhone's native camera app, adds more lighting effects to smooth your skin -- you can also change the intensity and location of your light for portrait lighting.
More editing filters add accents called vignette, vibrance, auto enhance and noise reduction.
Photo editing gets a boost, too, with a new ability to adjust pictures by tapping and dragging with your finger. The editing tools also come to video, which means -- yes -- you can rotate a video if you accidentally shoot it in the wrong orientation. You can apply the new filters and video effects as well.
Other new camera features in iOS 13
The photo apps will automatically organize photos by year, month and date, which will make it easier for you to find photos.
Live photos and videos play as you scroll.
View photos based on each day, month or year.
New photo tolls will come to your iPhone in iOS 13.
James Martin/CNET
Find My Phone and Find My Friends joins forces
The rumors were right. Apple folded Find my Phone and Find My Friends into a single app called Find My. While locating nearby friends is fine, the real value is in finding your lost or missing devices (e.g., the iPhone that fell behind the couch) even when they're offline, using a Bluetooth beacon.
The tool is encrypted and anonymous, Apple says, and it won't let phone thieves install or reboot your iPhone unless you activate it.
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Sign in with Apple won't share your email address
A new privacy feature called Sign in with Apple logs you into accounts and apps without having to add your email address, which Apple says will protect users from third-party apps track that want to them.
This is Apple's version of logging in with Facebook and Google, with one major exception. Those tools can be used to track you online, but Apple's version will use your iPhone or iPad to authenticate your credentials when you log in. You tap to authenticate with Face ID without revealing any personal information about yourself.
You can also choose to share or hide your email address, and can ask Apple to create a random email for the app or service that forwards to your actual email address, therefore masking your real identity without making you use a junk account.
Apple also blocks apps to track your location from Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, and lets you decide if you'd like apps to ask your permission each time it requests your location data.
Siri, Apple's new voice assistant, gets an audio update in iOS 13. Instead of clipped voices, Apple is hoping the new Siri sounds smoother and more natural to your ears. Using AI software (a neural talk-to-speak network, specifically), Siri will speak with fewer gaps and non-human sounding modulations.
Create personalized shortcuts using a new Shortcuts app.
Suggested automations so you can customize your and create a template.
Siri reads messages as soon as they arrive and you can instantly respond.
Share a movie or song with friend with one tap.
Hand off a phone call or music from your iPhone to your HomePod.
CarPlay: Siri smart suggestions work here, like suggesting you open your garage door when you get close to home.
Siri Suggestions comes to the Safari browser.
James Martin/CNET
Memoji avatars come to Messages, stickers
Apple's Messages apps will now get support for Memoji profiles, which puts a thumbnail of your Memoji (an emoji of your face) into the Messages app. New controls let you go in depth with customization, makeup, even adding braces to your teeth. You also get a sticker pack across your iOS 13 devices.
iMessages will also now work on Dual SIM phones (unfortunately, we don't have more detail than that).
New apps in iOS 13
Mail: Gets rich new fonts.
Notes: A new gallery view, support for shared folders.
Reminders: You can add details for when and where to remind you of an item.
Smart lists: Will let you tag a person in order to trigger sending a notification to another person, for example when you set up a time to talk.
Maps: Gets Apple Carplay support by the end of 2019. You'll be able to see roads, beaches, parks and buildings, tag a place for favorites. Collections will give you a list of favorites to share with friends. Look-around will give you a high-def 3D view of the area. Landscape view will smoothly move down the street, letting you tap labels to learn more about new places.
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More new iOS 13 features
Send call spam straight to voice mail and silence unknown callers.
Mute thread in Mail.
Add attachments to events in Calendar.
Time-synced lyrics when you play music.
Support for 3D AR apps like Minecraft Earth, coming to iOS 13 this summer.
Face ID unlocking is now 30 percent faster.
New font support.
Apps launch 2x faster.
Downloads are 50% smaller and updates 60% smaller.
Apple unveiled macOS Catalina yesterday with support for iPad apps and lots of new features, but a big change for developers and power users was missing from the on stage presentation. Starting with macOS Catalina, Macs will now use zsh as the default login shell and interactive shell across the operating system. All newly created user accounts in macOS Catalina will use zsh by default. Bash will still be available, but Apple is signaling that developers should start moving to zsh on macOS Mojave or earlier in anticipation of bash eventually going away in macOS.
Apple hasn’t explained exactly why it’s making this change, but bash isn’t exactly a modern shell as it’s implemented in macOS, and a switch to something less aging makes a lot more sense for the company. Apple is stuck using version 3.2 of bash that has been licensed under GPLv2, as newer versions are licensed under GPLv3. Apple has kept clear of using GPLv3 packages in macOS as the license is generally more restrictive to companies like Apple that sign their own code and it includes explicit patent grants, too.
While a number of Mac developers have already moved on to even more modern shells like Fish, zsh is more compatible with Bourne shell (sh) and mostly compatible with bash. There’s a lot more flexible autocomplete with zsh, and if you’re interested in moving to zsh on macOS Mojave then there are plenty of helpful guides for getting the best terminal setup and getting used to zsh before bash is fully phased out.
Once iOS 13 rolls out, you'll be able to use these console controllers easily with your device, no workarounds needed. With Apple reportedly spending "hundreds of millions" to get games to be a part of its subscription package, it's good to know that controllers we already generally like and probably have laying around will be able to keep doing their job.
Update from today's #WWDC: official DualShock 4 support will be coming to iOS, iPadOS, and tvOS this fall. We'll keep you posted! pic.twitter.com/yqrd9Yx2vq
ICYMI: @Apple announced at WWDC today that Xbox Controllers with Bluetooth will be supported on the next versions of tvOS and iOS. Thrilled to bring the award-winning controller to more gamers later this year. 🎮📺📱
Apple's WWDC keynote took place this morning at 10:00 a.m. Eastern, and nearly 12 hours later, the company has finally shared the full video recap of today's event on its Events website and on the Events app on the Apple TV.
With the full keynote now available, people who missed the original presentation can now catch up with all of the announcements and features that were shared today.
Apple usually updates the keynote to its own website shortly after the event, and then later in the week, shares the full video on YouTube.
For those who don't want to watch the entire video, we've shared a highlights version that covers all of the important features in just nine minutes, so make sure to check it out.
Our own event recap also includes all of our coverage today, which is a a great way to get an in-depth look at much of what Apple announced at WWDC.
At its annual developers conference Monday, Apple(AAPL) is expected to announce new features and design for the operating systems that run on iPhones, iPads, Macs, Apple Watches and Apple TVs.
iOS 13 could get a dark mode, improved Siri capabilites and an undo gesture, but we could also see an end to the 18-year old iTunes software on Macs as Apple(AAPL) switches to separate music, TV and podcast apps. Enhanced fitness tools on the iPhone and Apple Watch, as well as a possible update to the Mac Pro, are also expected.
The announcements will kick off Apple's World Wide Developers Conference, which brings in thousands of developers from around the world who want to learn more about making apps for the Apple ecosystem.
The event, which is held at San Jose Convention Center, will be live streamed on Apple's site, starting at 10 am PT/1 pm ET.
CNN Business will be there live reporting on each update.
