Last week, Apple revealed that it had disabled the Walkie-Talkie feature on Apple Watch due to an exploit that could have allowed someone to secretly eavesdrop. With the release of watchOS 5.3 and iOS 12.4 today, Apple has restored Walkie-Talkie functionality for Apple Watch.

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Apple is today launching the ECG app in two additional countries. With the release of watchOS 5.3, the ECG app and irregular heart rate notifications to Canada and Singapore.

The electrocardiagram sensor hardware is included in all Apple Watch Series 4 units, but is disabled through software in countries where it has not got approval. The good news is Apple Watch Series 4 owners in Canada and Singapore can now update to watchOS 5.3 to use the ECG app.

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In a profile of Apple SVP Jeff Williams, now widely expected to be next-in-line for the CEO job whenever Tim Cook decides to leave the company, Bloomberg cites employee sources that paint a picture of Williams as a Cook-doppelganger.

Williams now oversees all of Apple’s hardware development and design. The report says a weekly review meeting is formally called ‘New Product Review’, but some employees refer to it as the ‘Jeff Review’, as it is he who they need to impress.

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Apple is apparently in advanced talks with Taiwanese display manufacturers to introduce microLED displays into its products as soon as next year, via Economic Daily News.

The company is apparently readying an Apple Watch featuring a microLED screen, replacing the current OLED panel manufactured by LG Display.

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I’ve been thinking a lot about my kids, and how we will approach technology as they get older. I recently wrote about our approach to social media, and that led me to thinking about how I will approach cell phone usage in their lives. My oldest son will turn nine this year, so it’s something I know is going to come up sooner rather than later. After thinking about the role of a cell phone in a child’s life, I’ve realized that an Apple Watch with a LTE connection will eventually become the perfect kid cell phone. We’re not quite there yet technology-wise, but I can see a day when all the stars will align. expand full story

I’ve been exploring the world of Peloton since the exercise bike showed up in my home office last week. While Peloton does not work with GymKit, there are two Apple features that work with the workout system.

Peloton bikes and treadmills offer limited Apple Music integration for streaming music subscribers with linked accounts. Workouts tracked with the Peloton system can be saved to Apple’s Health app, too, although logging sessions with Apple Watch requires some configuration.

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