The results of our poll asking which Apple services TidBITS readers use are in, with iCloud+ proving the most popular by far, followed by a surprisingly strong showing from Apple TV+. Apple Arcade and Apple Fitness+ brought up the rear, but remember, TidBITS readers aren’t representative of the overall Apple audience.
In an announcement that the tech press likely cares about more than everyday users, Apple said Messages will support the RCS messaging standard alongside SMS and MMS sometime next year.
We’ve been dealing with some server-side issues of late, and Adam Engst takes you behind the curtains to apologize for an email delivery failure and explain how we blocked an onslaught of spambot-created accounts.
Apple has released details about Contact Key Verification, an upcoming option in Messages that lets you manually verify an iMessage correspondent’s identity without relying on encryption data managed centrally by Apple. The feature also watches for anomalies, warning you when changes prevent it from guaranteeing a conversation is with the same person.
AT&T has joined T-Mobile and Verizon in offering wireless home Internet service. Julio Ojeda-Zapata tested AT&T Internet Air and found it a good value—but not good enough to replace his Xfinity wired broadband. He thinks wireless home broadband is a great fit for many, though.
Which Web browsers do TidBITS readers use on their Macs? Safari, of course, but Firefox proved surprisingly popular, and an emphasis on privacy may account for several other unexpected deviations from global browser share numbers.
The Browser Company of New York has unveiled Arc Max, a collection of five experimental AI tools. From Ask on Page to Tidy Downloads, we explore how Arc Max enhances browsing. But are these AI tools genuinely useful? Learn how The Browser Company approaches AI and follow along to see which features survive the trial period.
Sure, Apple announced the iPhone 15, Apple Watch Series 9, and Apple Watch Ultra 2 at its Wonderlust event on 12 September 2023. But we weren’t expecting these additional announcements.
Regular unpinned “Today” tabs once again sync between windows and devices in the recently released Arc Web browser. The Browser Company explains why Today tab syncing was removed and then restored a few months later.
The new Web browser Arc has left its beta releases and waitlist behind. If you’re unhappy with your browser or perform significant work in a collection of websites every day, Adam Engst recommends you try Arc.
There’s nothing new about notification adware, system-level alerts from malicious websites that try to lure you into sharing login credentials, credit card info, or other personal information. A recent uptick in reports caused Adam Engst to explore the topic more deeply to help readers learn to identify and eliminate abusive notifications.
Google's new .zip top-level domain has raised concerns from the security community due to the ease with which it enables ambiguous URLs that could be used in phishing attacks.
The Gmail-specific email app Mimestream has emerged from a multi-year public beta with a 1.0 version that’s familiar, fast, and fluid. Adam Engst explains why he has chosen Mimestream as his preferred email client.
The Web browser Arc has made a larger difference in jaded tech reviewer Adam Engst’s digital work life than any app in decades. Read his deep dive on what sets Arc apart from other browsers.
After learning more about the nitty-gritty of consumer-level cloud storage services for an article, Adam Engst is introduced to LucidLink, which promises high-performance cloud storage using a completely different model.