Can you finally merge two Apple Accounts? Not quite, but Apple now lets you migrate purchases between Apple Accounts, a long-awaited feature that comes with a host of caveats. Adam Engst explains how to use a new iOS 18 privacy enhancement that enables you to lock and even hide any iOS app using Face ID or Touch ID—helpful for keeping prying eyes away from sensitive apps. Apple has also launched a sweeping new Apple Health Study in collaboration with Brigham and Women’s Hospital to explore how technology can improve everything from mental health to metabolic function. Lastly, could Apple’s research into expressive robotics reintroduce some much-needed personality to its hardware design? Notable Mac app releases this week include Fantastical 4.0.5 and Cardhop 2.3.4, iStat Menus 7.1, Lightroom Classic 14.2, Mellel 6.3, Microsoft Office for Mac 16.94, Modern CSV 2.2, Moneydance 2024.3, Parallels Desktop 20.2.1, and Transmit 5.10.8.
No, it’s not April Fools’ Day. After decades of requests, Apple has finally introduced a feature allowing users to migrate purchased apps, music, and other content between their Apple accounts.
Apple’s ambitious new health study seeks to enroll 500,000 participants to explore the connections between technology use and various aspects of physical and mental health.
If you want to ensure that someone using your iPhone can’t peek into private apps, read on to learn about a new feature in iOS 18 and iPadOS 18 that lets you require Face ID or Touch ID authentication before the app opens.
Apple’s Machine Learning Research group has published a paper and a corresponding video showcasing the importance of expressive qualities in robots created for human interaction. Adam Engst wonders whether this could signal a revival of Apple products displaying some personality.
Watchlist
Improvements and fixes for the bundled calendar and contact apps. ($56.99 annual subscription new, free update, various sizes, macOS 12+)
Maintenance release for the menu bar system monitoring utility. ($11.99 new, free update, 19.9 MB, macOS 11+)
Brings a new image adjustment feature and performance enhancements. ($9.99/$19.99/$59.99 monthly Creative Cloud subscription, free update, macOS 13.1+)
Improves footnote and endnote functionality. ($69.99 new, free update, 105.9 MB, macOS 10.13+)
Maintenance update focused on improvements and bug fixes for Outlook. ($149.99 new for one-time purchase, $99.99/$69.99 annual subscription options, free update, macOS 12+)
Adds print and PDF export capabilities to the CSV manipulation app. ( Free/$39/$59, free update 27.1 MB, macOS 10.11+)
Personal finance management app improves performance of iCloud Drive syncing. ($65 new, free update, 153.4 MB, macOS 12+)
Bug fixes for the virtualization software. ($99.99 Standard Edition, free update for subscribers, macOS 10.14.6+)
Maintenance update for the file transfer app with improvements and bug fixes. ($45 new, free update, 37.4 MB, macOS 12+)
