iOS 12 beta

[rockymtnhigh]

Sure, that's true, but I'm still using iTunes to back up my iPhone. Until Apple gives us all 32 GB of included iCloud space (or, really, Apple, don't we pay enough in ?Tax when we purchase new devices that we should get our device's capacity in iCloud storage gratis?) I'll use my local storage. Plus, I have AT&T U-verse ADSL with a coffee-stirrer-sized upload speed of 1.5 Mbps. Synching over WiFi would be painful.

Now, the incremental updates to iOS are packaged differently, so I will update over the air (usually a few hundred MB versus two GB for the iTunes package) and is therefore faster, but since this was a new version, I clicked on the "Download and install later" while I was able to remove my iPhone and go do other things.I saw over on MacRumors one of the members say the 40 mm ?Watch Series 4 has the same screen area as the old 42 mm ?Watch. I have to say I will probably end up with that size when supply catches up and our EPP discount kicks in.

Oh, go for the 44. The extra space is really noticeable. You might not think it would, but I can just read stuff so much more easily.

 

[Foxbat]

Okay, here's a good question: How useful will Siri Shortcuts turn out to be? I created one to try out the feature and It's lacking, but that could be as much on the app I'm trying to get to run as the Shortcut app itself. Plus, Siri told me I needed to unlock my iPhone before she could continue, pretty much eliminating the usefulness of the shortcut.

Maybe as Apps add the Shortcut API things will get better, but I like the potential.

 

[TheForce]

Interersting how much bigger it looks in the shot. I did the same, and the differencde seems minor. BUT when I received a text message, it was much more readable.

I am veyr pleased with the new watch.

Aside from the ability to read, it also has a larger battery for longer time between charging

There are many hidden features in iOS12. You can access the text font size and it will reformat the text that is too tiny on the screen to a new size that is easier to read.

I tried to experiment with the Hearing aid feature. This turns your Airpods into a hearing aid with noise canceling. It's called "Live Listen" once you activate it in your control panel. This app needs more work. The latency makes all speech sound like double talk. This is not going to replace a real hearing aid lojke they claimed.

Roland-
Shortcuts can save time especially when you want to access something deep inside an app's menus. I did one for Weather Radar Map, using the command "show weather radar" It opens the weather channel app and accesses the radar map fast. I added one to open my checking account register at my bank and with face ID it opens the app, logs me in and then opens the checking account in a second. No scrolling through menus or declining the popups.

You can write your own shortcut for apps that do not have the API yet too. For security reasons why would you ever want a shortcut to access your data without unlocking your phone?

 

[rockymtnhigh]

Aside from the ability to read, it also has a larger battery for longer time between charging

There are many hidden features in iOS12. You can access the text font size and it will reformat the text that is too tiny on the screen to a new size that is easier to read.

I tried to experiment with the Hearing aid feature. This turns your Airpods into a hearing aid with noise canceling. It's called "Live Listen" once you activate it in your control panel. This app needs more work. The latency makes all speech sound like double talk. This is not going to replace a real hearing aid lojke they claimed.

Roland-
Shortcuts can save time especially when you want to access something deep inside an app's menus. I did one for Weather Radar Map, using the command "show weather radar" It opens the weather channel app and accesses the radar map fast. I added one to open my checking account register at my bank and with face ID it opens the app, logs me in and then opens the checking account in a second. No scrolling through menus or declining the popups.

You can write your own shortcut for apps that do not have the API yet too. For security reasons why would you ever want a shortcut to access your data without unlocking your phone?

Not really seeing improved battery life, but my AW3 really was stellar on that. But it's still very good. 77% at 4pm, after an hour bike ride, powered by Cyclemeter on AW, and an hour walk with the dog using Workout. (My iPhone XS on the other hand, is going to take time adjusting from the incredible battery on the 8 plus).

One big positive on the watch. When I am done excercising with Cyclemeter, it uploads to the iPhone much more quickly, and without a lag of the data getting into Health and Activity.

 

[Scott Greczkowski]

I am getting 2 days on my Series 4 Watch. Which is about the same I was getting o. The series 2.

I do notice that the screen comes on easier and more with the series 4 than it did with the series 2.


Sent from my iPhone using the SatelliteGuys app!

 

[Foxbat]

You can write your own shortcut for apps that do not have the API yet too. For security reasons why would you ever want a shortcut to access your data without unlocking your phone?

In my case, the App I was trying to open is TuneIn Radio, and I want to listen to a stream while driving in my Escape without having to disable "Do Not Disturb while Driving", unlock, open the Music Folder, start the TuneIn App, and select the channel I want. I don't seem to be able to specify the channel I want in Shortcuts, either.

 

[Scott Greczkowski]

So today they released WAZE for CarPlay. And after using it all night, I got to say I am disappointed in it... and now my favorite app is Google Maps.

Waze just seems like a giant step backwards after using Google Maps for the last week.

Its hard to explain why I don't like it, but use Google Maps for a week (in satellite view mode) and then try using Waze. I think you will get what I am saying.

 

[TheForce]

Scott, I haven't tried waze yet in my Honda Car play. The main advantage to using waze over Google traffic is the social media alerts that tell you what the problem is up ahead. Do you get that feature on car play. If not then I don't see any advantage to Waze over Google Traffic with the color coded highways. ( I believe Apple Maps doers the same )

FWIW- My Ford GPS used to have traffic when subscribing to Sirius Travel Traffic Link, But while I still have that subscription, they now make you pay even more for Traffic. Travel Link also gives you an overlay of weather radar. I hope Car Play will soon offer weather radar maps.

 

[Scott Greczkowski]

It’s not just that the interface is a big step back, but the route being shown is just wrong.

This is the third time I used it and it shows me driving on the wrong street. I am actually on the highway and nowhere close to the road it says I am on. I am on the orange road.

I don’t have that issue with Apple or Google Maps.

Sent from my iPhone using the SatelliteGuys app!

 

[TheForce]

I've seen that in some cities on other nav systems but what you showed is awful. I'm sure it will get better as they work out the bugs. I guess you already compared to the display on your iphone to determine if this is just a car play issue or a WAZE issue. WAZE was bought out by Alphabet/Google you know.

 

[navychop]

And a sad day it was.


Sent from my iPhone using the SatelliteGuys app!

 

[rockymtnhigh]

I've never liked Waze, and have not kept it installed on my phone. Always so cartoonish. I might install it to see how bad it is, but Google Maps and Apple Maps are working quite well. I wish there was more control over text size in G Maps. Sometimes the road names are just way too large, and unpleasant.

 

[klang]

What's up with the smiley faces in the first screenshot aboov

I've never liked Waze, and have not kept it installed on my phone. Always so cartoonish.

Above is the first time I've seen a screenshot of Waze. Cartoonish is right.

 

[Pepper]

Well that's true, but unless they're all identical models, you'll be downloading a copy for each one any way you do it. Not like Windows or MacOS where you can get an ISO/DMG and install every machine from it, each copy of iOS is customized for the specific device model configuration.

Well, seems Apple has improved their iOS development a bit since the last time I looked closely. I did some poking around on Download iOS Firmware for iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch, Apple Watch and Apple TV. and discovered that with some of the recent models, they are no longer building a separate, unique iOS install image for each and every device type.

The same firmware file works on the iPhones 7+ and 8+ and regardless of GSM or Global variant. Same for the iPhones 7 and 8, and also the 6 and 6S and the 6+ and 6S+.

 

[TheForce]

What's up with the smiley faces in the first screenshot aboov

The only reason to use Waze in my opinion is it has real time social media posts from drivers on the road. Yes, this is probably illegal in many states as it is like texting but drivers do it anyway. I won't debate the negative side of it. Rather for those who want to use it over the traditional maps is information that is current on highway conditions. If I get into a traffic tie up on an interstate, I would like to know what is going on up ahead. So when I see red traffic on my GPS, we open up Waze and click on those emojicons and read the information, like Semi accident blocking two left lanes. There are also posts that will show where speed radar or cops along side of the road.

I don't use Waze for general navigation although it is capable. I only open it when there is a problem and I want to know what that problem is. It is the 21st century CB radio. If you refuse to know what is happening because you think the look is "cartoonish" then that is your loss.

When coming through Austin, TX last April, Waze allowed me to get off the interstate and take the back roads to save an hour of traffic jams due to many accidents not showing up on my regular GPS maps. I became one less car in that traffic mess.

 

[harshness]

Well, seems Apple has improved their iOS development a bit since the last time I looked closely. I did some poking around on Download iOS Firmware for iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch, Apple Watch and Apple TV. and discovered that with some of the recent models, they are no longer building a separate, unique iOS install image for each and every device type.

While device independence is a great thing for programmers it is often the beginning of the end for device performance. Too many layers of abstraction dulls the fastest processor.

 

[rockymtnhigh]

New feature in WatchOS. I am in Chicago, and walked about 15 minutes from the train station to my hotel. About 10 minutes in, the watch said, it looks like you are doing a walking workout, shall I turn on workout? I said yes, and it captured the prior ten minites worth of walking.

I turned walking workout on this afternoon as I left lunch, and when I got to the hotel and up the elevator, it said, It looks like your workout is finished.

I have to say, I like it!

 

[TheForce]

I am getting 2 days on my Series 4 Watch. Which is about the same I was getting o. The series 2.

I do notice that the screen comes on easier and more with the series 4 than it did with the series 2.


Sent from my iPhone using the SatelliteGuys app!

Same here Scott.have done two tests and today I'm down to 17% after 52 hours of use. The first few days I was getting only 24 hours but I was doing lots of on time testing and setting up new stuff.



Also, on WAZE. I finally got a chance to get in my wife's car and check it out. The arrow location is accurate on my Honda Accord. There is no access to the social media comments that I saw. I saw a number of little avatar icons but no comments, only on the iphone.

 

[TheForce]

New feature in WatchOS. I am in Chicago, and walked about 15 minutes from the train station to my hotel. About 10 minutes in, the watch said, it looks like you are doing a walking workout, shall I turn on workout? I said yes, and it captured the prior ten minites worth of walking.

I turned walking workout on this afternoon as I left lunch, and when I got to the hotel and up the elevator, it said, It looks like your workout is finished.

I have to say, I like it!

I haven't experienced that indoors on the treadmill. Yesterday's tests indoors on the treadmill did not register much so I think I'm back to doing what I know works to get the green ring exercise credits in the log.

It's too bad the Apple system requires so much setup just to be able to log your exercise. I wish it would be more automatic like the stand up log is.

I'm now going to focus on a "shortcut" to set up my frequent common exercise routines.

 

[rockymtnhigh]

I haven't experienced that indoors on the treadmill. Yesterday's tests indoors on the treadmill did not register much so I think I'm back to doing what I know works to get the green ring exercise credits in the log.

It's too bad the Apple system requires so much setup just to be able to log your exercise. I wish it would be more automatic like the stand up log is.

I'm now going to focus on a "shortcut" to set up my frequent common exercise routines.

Never really had an issue. I have the workout icon on my watch face, press it, and select outdoor walk, or run, or cycle. Whatever I do frequently shows up first. Or just say "Hey Siri, start workout walk."