Are RCS messages encrypted?
The short answer is no, but the devil is in the details.
With iOS 18, Apple has introduced RCS messages, which is a new industry standard in messaging that allows you to send high quality videos and photos instead of those abysmally low-resolution photos and videos you currently send to your fellow Android users.
RCS also supports delivery and read message receipts just like iMessage.
In a nutshell, it makes your interaction with non-iPhone users more like iMessage, while still keeping the green bubble.
Not all carriers support RCS, but remember one thing.
One very important thing.
RCS is not end-to-end encrypted.
According to Apple’s site:
Apple’s implementation of RCS is based on the industry’s standard. RCS messages aren’t end-to-end encrypted, which means they're not protected from a third-party reading them while they're sent between devices.
Besides the messages themselves, What other sensitive information about you can be transmitted when using RCS?
More than you think:
User identifiers are exchanged for your carrier and their partners to authenticate your device and provide a connection. These identifiers could include but are not limited to your IMEI, IMSI, current IP address, and phone number. Your current IP address might also be shared with other RCS users.
It’s funny how all the news around RCS focuses on high end photo and video transmission, but no one emphasizes that it is just as insecure as regular SMS/MMS.
If you really want to have secure group chats that allow high quality images and videos, stick with a more secure platform such as WhatsApp.
Or better yet, you could just convince your friends to get an iPhone and use iMessage, which is end-to-end encrypted.
Your new iPhone is going to get stolen unless you watch your window like a nerd.
Tyler Lacoma from CNET discussing how criminals are stealing iPhones this holiday season:
They follow package deliveries and nab the shipment the moment it's dropped off. In most cases, these thieves run up and grab a package from a porch or doorstep only seconds after the delivery person leaves.
Reports indicate that these thefts are frequently occurring with AT&T iPhone purchases and FedEx deliveries, although the details can vary.
Across the United States, especially on the East Coast. Cases have been reported in New York, Massachusetts, Florida, Texas, Virginia, Georgia, Pennsylvania and other states. In some cases teens and young adults have been apprehended and accused of stealing these packages, while in other cases the thieves have not been caught.
How are thieves able to do this?
Two important reasons. First, these thieves are somehow getting tracking numbers or similar tracking information for iPhone deliveries, so they get real-time updates about when and where packages are delivered, allowing them to swoop in the moment the package status changes.
Second, AT&T is one of the few telecom companies that -- in many cases -- doesn't require signatures for high-value deliveries like iPhones. That allows thieves to steal packages when they are left unattended.
Yes, having a signature required is a step in making sure your device isn’t stolen, but I have never been asked for a signature even though UPS requires it too. They just ring the bell (sometimes) and walk away. With their crazy schedules, I doubt any delivery carrier will get signatures to the extent they need to, especially during the holiday season.
Assume you’re at risk regardless of which carrier you’re getting your phone from, not just AT&T.
Your best bet is to be home and have someone watching the window.
Apple's MagSafe Battery Pack 3 years later - why it is still the most versatile battery pack.
Announced back in July 2021, Apple’s MagSafe Battery Pack was the first official MagSafe battery bank. Although it doesn’t have the capacity of many cheaper alternatives in the market, it arguably has the most versatility.
That versatility all comes down to its lightning port.
Apple is phasing out the lightning port, but the fact is there are still millions, if not hundreds of millions of people who still use a lightning iPhone.
You and I might have switched to USB-C, but we all probably know at least one person in our families that has a lightning iPhone.
If you plug in your MagSafe Battery Pack with a lightning cable and have your iPhone attached, it will charge both the battery pack and the iPhone. That’s a given.
What most people find surprising is that if you plug in your iPhone via USB-C to charge while the battery pack is attached, it will charge your iPhone and reverse charge your battery pack.
If you are ever stuck in a pinch and need to borrow someone’s “iPhone cable,” you don’t have to worry about what cable they hand you because you can top up both devices with either lightning or USB-C.
I have mine since launch day back in July 2021, and it has still held up well. I recently tested it on my 15 and 16 Pro Max devices, and the software integration is still there, with some false promises:
iPhone can charge to approximately 90% while using a MagSafe battery pack.
Not sure why it says that because the most this battery could charge an iPhone is 70% for an iPhone 12 or 13 mini.
In actuality, my 16 Pro Max charged from 20% to 59%, which is on par with Apple’s claim of 40% for the 12, 13, and 14 Pro Max.
This device technically is not supported on any of the iPhones 15 and 16 according to their website, but it still works.
Once again, not the most capacity, but still has great versatility for those situations where all you have access to is a lightning cable.
Even though it is discontinued, you can grab one on eBay for less than $50 compared to the $99 it was when new.
This is the one reason why you need iPhone Mirroring on your Mac.
With macOS Sequoia and iOS 18, you can now seamlessly mirror your iPhone to any of your Macs.
It might seem pointless since whatever you can do on your iPhone you can do bigger on the Mac, but there is one reason, one critical reason, why you need this feature.
As much as we love our Macs, there are always times where it just doesn’t want to work as magically as Apple would make you think.
You get an iMessage on your iPhone, but it doesn’t show up on your Mac.
You get a WhatsApp message on your iPhone, but it doesn’t show up on your Mac.
You need to login to your bank and need your 2-factor code that was texted to you, but it doesn’t show up on your Mac.
Are you getting it?
With iPhone Mirroring, you will never miss a message from any app since you literally have your iPhone on screen. No more frustration and forcing yourself to reboot your Mac right then and there when you are in the skin of it in order to make all the things sync perfectly.
Just mirror your iPhone and reboot later when it’s convenient for you.
Great macOS Sequoia tips Apple didn’t tell you about.
Quinn Nelson put up a great video a few weeks ago, showcasing some of the more useful and nerdy features of macOS Sequoia. It’s a long video, but you can easily use the time stamps in the video description to find the features that you like most.
The biggest helping feature for me in macOS Sequoia? The ability to tile your windows more effectively and easily with simple keyboard shortcuts.
Traded in your iPhone for a new one? Apple might owe you money.
Michael Burkhardt from 9to5Mac:
Apple users across the globe have been reporting that they’re receiving refunds for AppleCare+ on iPhones they purchased and traded in years ago. Seemingly, there isn’t anything specific triggering the refund, but there are a number of varying cases.
Some refunds were over $200 which is unusual since AppleCare+ only costs $199, and some refunds were just a couple of bucks. The high refund could also be due to Apple charging you for AppleCare+ monthly after you had already traded in your device.
The best way to get your refund is to call Apple instead of waiting for them to send you the refund since you could be waiting 3 years.
iPhone Mirroring on a desktop Mac only works well if you have these devices.
To put it simply, you need a Magic Trackpad or a Magic Mouse to get the full iPhone mirroring experience. If you use any other mouse, the experience is not good.
Transitions stutter, and clicking and holding your normal mouse to swipe left and right on your home screen is imprecise. Very often the iPhone triggers “jiggle mode” to edit your home screen when you just wanted to swipe left or right. Scrolling with the click wheel is also not smooth at all.
And yes, I have a very capable wired mouse.
Swiping left, right, up, and down on the Magic Trackpad just feels more natural for operating iOS since it is a touch-based OS. The experience is very similar to my iPad Pro with a Magic Keyboard.
I haven’t tested the Magic Mouse, but if you love the Magic Mouse, I am sure it will work just as well since it uses a similar touch interface.
Thankfully, Apple’s Magic Trackpad is worth the cost compared to the Magic Mouse, especially now that it is USB-C.
Buy the M4 MacBook Pro if you are a true display enthusiast.
The new MacBook Pro has been lauded for its M4 line of chips and increased RAM for the same price as last year.
Now we have even more great news.
It turns out that Apple has updated the displays without mention to a quantum dot display, which provides better motion performance and punchier colors.
Ross Young, who has over 25 years in the display industry, has confirmed the transition to quantum dot display film.
Even the blur busters confirmed the M4’s visual performance vs an M1 MacBook.
3 security reasons why you should upgrade to iOS 18.
iOS 18 is Apple’s latest software update for iPhones, and with it you get 3 very important security features that will make it harder for others to snoop around your devices and make it easier for you to manage your ever-growing digital footprint.
1. Passwords app
This is an underrated feature, but having a dedicated Passwords app from Apple breaks the barrier for most people to start organizing their passwords. Apple already had its own password manager in the past, but it was buried in the Settings app making it hard for most people to use.
You can even create shared group where you can share passwords with others, which is great for families.
The app also has a built verification code system like Google Authenticator, so you can save all your 2-factor authentication codes all in one place. (do they sync over the cloud?)
You can even create new passwords from the app so you don’t have to come up with them yourself. Check out Apple’s website for more info on the passwords app.
2. Locking and hiding your apps
Every app can now require authentication, either via Face ID or Touch ID. Simply tap and hold any app, and select the “Require Face ID” option (It will say Touch ID if you have an iPhone SE 2nd gen or later). This is an easy and secure way to protect your most private information from people who also might share your device.
For all 3rd party apps, you can also require Face ID and hide the app from your homescreen. This does also disable notifications and critical alerts from the app, so be careful.
To “un-hide” the apps, you just need to go to your hidden apps folder under App Library, and tap on it to initiate Face ID, and it will reveal the hidden apps. Touch and hold the app of your choice and select, “Don’t require Face ID.”
3. “Inactivity Reboot”
This is the hero feature of iOS 18.
This feature was added by Apple in iOS 18.1 as an extra security and safety measure against hackers and thieves. If your phone goes unused for 3 days (72 hours to be exact), the phone automatically reboots itself even if it has plenty of battery power.
It was initially thought to be 4 days, but it has been confirmed to be 72 hours.
This reboot puts your iPhone in a more secure state, also known as “Before First Unlock,” or BFU state. Every time your iPhone reboots, it requires your password before it enables Touch ID or Face ID, making it harder for hackers to retrieve information from the phone with older hacking devices since the data is encrypted.
Per TechCrunch:
“Inactivity reboot” effectively puts iPhones in a more secure state by locking the user’s encryption keys in the iPhone’s secure enclave chip.
Once someone unlocks their phone with their password, the phone is now in “After First Unlock,” state or AFU.
Security researchers use their own simplified terms. Phones that have had their password entered are “hot” devices, while freshly rebooted phones are “cold” devices:
Tihmstar said that many forensic companies focus on “hot” devices in an AFU state, because at some point the user entered their correct passcode, which is stored in the memory of the iPhone’s secure enclave. By contrast, “cold” devices are far more difficult to compromise because their memory cannot be easily extracted once the phone restarts.
Although it might be a nuisance for law enforcement, it is another deterrent for thieves and hackers until they find more sophisticated ways to steal data from your iPhone.
For the general consumer, it is another victory for data privacy and security.
AirPods Pro 2 gets approval to be used as a clinical-grade hearing aid.
The engineering put into the AirPods Pro 2 is just phenomenal, but it also begs the question:
What percentage of hearing loss can be attributed to AirPods?
Or the even bigger question:
Since Apple was part of the music revolution with the iPod in 2001, what percentage of hearing loss can be attributed to Apple?
It’s not fair to blame Apple for hearing loss since they’re not forcing anyone to listen to music (or anything else) on absurdly high volumes, but it’s still something to think about.
At least they’re trying to raise awareness and fix it with the newly updated AirPods Pro 2.
How to tell if your iPhone is charging slow.
Tim Hardwick from MacRumors:
In iOS 18, Apple has introduced a clever new way to identify if your iPhone charging setup is running at less than optimal speeds. The new feature appears directly in Settings, making it easy to spot when you're not getting the fastest possible charge.
This is a good way to test out any suspicious 3rd party chargers that claim fast charging when in fact they are not. Just go to Settings > Battery, and you will see the slow charger warning.
The article also contains more interesting details about other factors that cause slower charging:
If you keep accessories like headphones connected during wireless charging, your device automatically limits power to 7.5W to meet safety standards. Running demanding apps, playing graphics-intensive games, or streaming video at high brightness while charging can also reduce charging speeds as your iPhone manages power and heat. Lastly, it's worth bearing in mind that charging in a warm environment may cause your iPhone to temporarily pause charging until the temperature falls.
The slow charging warning is not something to be alarmed about as Apple clarifies on their website:
With iOS 18, if iOS detects that your charging experience could be improved, you'll see a Slow Charger message in Settings > Battery. This doesn’t mean that there’s anything wrong with your iPhone or charger; it just means that your iPhone could charge faster by using a higher-wattage charger.
I did verify that my 8-foot USB-C cable rated at 240W connected to an Apple 67W power brick was slow charging my iPhone, which was a surprise to me.
Some of the best wallpapers for your desktop.
Filip Chudzinski has some great wallpapers he managed to make inspired by, “the immaculate interior design
of Apple Stores around the world.”
I have used these on my Mac for nearly a year, and they’re great.
The iPhone 16 camera control button is a worse shutter button.
Took my kids go-karting this past weekend, and since I was far away, I used the 5x telephoto zoom to capture some photos. Not only did I not use the camera control button to snap photos, but I purposely avoided it (which is very easy to do).
5x zoom is already a bit unstable when it comes to taking photos, and to add more instability with the physical shutter button would have resulted in worse photos than just touching the screen.
Buy this phone for the great camera, not for the lackluster camera button.
M4 Mac Mini - can you actually upgrade the storage after purchase?
Yes, you can technically upgrade the storage after purchasing the new Mac mini, but it won’t be easy. If you need a lot of storage and you prefer not to buy any external storage, just upgrade the device through Apple when purchasing. This process could void your warranty and will be more expensive if you mess up.
Aluminum Jet Black vs Titanium Slate Apple Watch Series 10 vs Black Ultra 2- which finish is more durable?
Hodinkee’s review of the Apple Watch Series 10 and the Black Ultra 2 by Tantan Wang led me down a rabbit hole about watch durability. Here is what he said about the Jet Black Apple Watch production process:
Apple achieves this finish by fully polishing the case, anodizing the aluminum, then using a black dye that gets fully absorbed into the case (not a traditional coating like PVD). The case is sealed and you get a deep black like I've never seen before on an Apple Watch, even the older DLC steel versions, and is way smoother to the touch than any watch with a black coating on it.
The titanium Series 10 watches are coated with a Physical Vapor Deposition (PVD) coating, and the Black Ultra 2 is coated with a Diamond-like Carbon (DLC) coating.
Which is the most durable? Wang describes this in another article:
To frame our reference, 316L steel has a hardness of around 150HV on the Vickers scale. When looking at many PVD supplier websites, it looks like many common PVD treatments will yield 2500-2800HV….In my personal experience, many of the black PVD-coated watches that I've owned have started seeing wear in less than a year. It's part of the charm, but for those who are obsessed with the condition of their watches, PVD may not be the way to go…
With DLC, you get something that is extremely hard to scratch and can range from matte anthracite to deep gloss black, based on the proportion of the carbon mix. Looking at some supplier websites, DLC coatings can commonly range from 5000-9000HV for hardness. For reference, a diamond is rated at 10000HV on the Vickers scale.
To summarize simply:
Jet Black Series 10 - black dye coating - hardness level unknown - retail price $399
Titanium Slate Series 10 - PVD coating - hardness level 2500-2800HV - retail price $699
Black Ultra 2 - DLC coating - hardness level 5000-9000HV - retail price $799
The Jet Black is on paper the least durable of the bunch. I am sure the ink coating is much cheaper and allows Apple to keep the same price for the Jet Black vs the other aluminum finishes. DLC coatings are the most expensive and naturally more durable, but all of these watches will still show bare metal when hit hard.
For day to day bumps, each of these watches should do just fine.
Check out Wang’s piece if you really want to nerd out about black watch case coatings.
Apple Watch Magnetic Link Band Impressions
I tried this band on with the Slate Titanium Series 10 watch. It was very comfortable on the wrist and the magnetic attachment was strong enough to make me confident that it won’t accidentally fall off with even the harshest of movements.
I noticed that all the color options for the link band are dark colors, probably because it would stain easily from sweat and just daily normal use. I could also tell it was made from microtwill and not leather, which is a shame. It won’t age as well as leather would, and leather gives off a more premium feel.
That being said, this is not a band you would use when working out. It is more suited for professional use or special occasions.
At $99, I would rather get the Milanese loop which is more durable and just as classy.
Jet Black Apple Watch vs Slate Titanium - can you tell the difference?
I went to an Apple Store yesterday and got to try on the Slate Titanium Apple Watch with the magnetic link band.
The slate is a shade or two lighter than the Jet Black, but I feel more confident with the slate watch since it is more durable and the screen is made of sapphire. I honestly thought I was holding the jet black watch at first, but I had to turn it around and read the back to confirm that it was in fact the titanium slate watch.
That alone is reassuring for those who want the Jet Black but are leaning towards the Slate Titanium. You can’t really tell the difference in color unless they are side by side, and even then it’s very miniscule.
If you’re low on funds, get the Jet Black, but make sure you inspect its quality.
If you don’t mind spending the extra $250-$300 on the Slate Titanium, you won’t regret it.
Either way, don’t buy from Apple since you can get good discounts on Amazon right now.
Here are two shots of the Jet Black (outdoor photos) vs the Slate Titanium (in Apple store).
Do you see any significant difference?
M4 MacBook Pro nano-texture display - what the experts are saying.
The new M4 MacBook Pro comes with the option of a new nano-texture display, which is the first time we are getting a matte display on an Apple laptop in years.
Should you get the $150 option? Whether you go 14-inch for 16-inch, here is what the experts are saying:
What features do older iPhones get with iOS18.1?
Great writeup by Chance Miller showing all the features you get even if your iPhone doesn’t support Apple Intelligence.
Apple Intelligence is only supported on the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max, and all iPhone 16 models.
If you have an older iPhone, then check out the link to see what features you will get with iOS 18.1.
The best feature in my opinion the ability to drag and drop files from your iPhone to your Mac and vice versa:
Making good on its promise from WWDC, iPhone Mirroring now supports the ability to easily drag and drop files between your iPhone and your Mac. This feature requires both iOS 18.1 and macOS Sequoia 15.1. Then, when you’re using iPhone Mirroring, you can wirelessly move files back and forth just by dragging and dropping.
Jet Black Apple Watch Replacement was worse - part 4
I was excited to get my replacement Jet Black Series 10 Apple Watch, and after unboxing it in a dimly lit room, all looked good. I didn’t have a chance to set it up, but I carefully tucked it in my drawer since I had to get ready for work.
The next day, I actually looked at it under some light, and there it was, a huge scratch that was on the body of the watch..