Apple on Monday released a bunch of software updates for its devices, including iOS 16.2 and iPadOS 16.2. In addition to new features, today’s updates come with multiple security patches – even for users who still have devices running iOS 15. Read on as we detail all the security patches coming with iOS 16.2 and today’s updates.

Apple is set to make a monumental change to the App Store on the iPhone. In response to looming regulations in the European Union, Apple has software engineers and services employees working on a project to “allow alternative app stores” on the iPhone and iPad. This change could launch as soon as iOS 17 next year.

Alongside iOS 16.2 and updates for iPad, Apple TV, and Mac, Apple is also rolling out watchOS 9.2 for Apple Watch users today. The update includes a handful of notable changes and new features, including Race Route, Crash Detection improvements, and more. Head below for the full release notes.

Along with the release of iOS 16.2, Apple on Tuesday also released iPadOS 16.2 for iPad users. While the new version of the operating system comes with the same refinements as the iPhone version, it also adds new features specific to the iPad – such as support for external displays when using Stage Manager.

Following the release of iOS 16.2 and other software updates, Apple also made tvOS 16.2 available to Apple TV users on Monday. The update brings multi-user voice recognition for Siri and also Apple Music Sing with the karaoke experience to the Apple TV operating system.

Alongside iOS 16.2, the latest update for Mac is now available for all users. macOS 13.1 comes with the new Freeform app, end-to-end encryption for Messages, Photos, backups, and more in iCloud, and a variety of bug fixes.

iOS 16.2 is now rolling out to everyone after several weeks of beta testing. Starting today, iPhone users everywhere can now upgrade to iOS 16.2 with new features such as Apple Music Sing, more advanced encryption features for iCloud, the new Freeform collaboration app, and much more. Head below for a recap of everything new in iOS 16.2.

Apple’s new Emergency SOS iPhone via satellite feature is live with support for more countries coming soon. Read on for how to test iPhone Emergency SOS messages via satellite so you know how to use it in case you ever need to rely on it.

Earlier this fall, Best Buy and Apple teamed up to launch the “Mac Upgrade Program” that many buyers have been waiting on for years. Today, Best Buy has announced an expansion of the new Upgrade+ program, now allowing users to choose iMac and Mac Studio models, building on the MacBook Pro and MacBook Air models that were included at the initial launch of the program.

One of the ironies of Apple’s long-running battle with the FBI over the agency’s desire for a security backdoor into iPhones is that it could have taken advantage of one which already existed: The fact that iCloud backups of iPhones didn’t use end-to-end encryption. Apple has now finally fixed this with Advanced Data Protection (ADP).

ADP not only closes a privacy hole which should have been closed a long time ago, but will also relieve Apple of the need to engage in any similar legal battles in future …

With Lensa AI taking the top slot in the App Store charts, thanks to the viral appeal of its “magic avatars,” brace yourself for a deluge of AI photo apps – both real and fake.

AI and machine-learning have so far been buzzwords that developers love to include, whether or not their apps really use it – but the open-source Stable Diffusion deep learning tool is currently blowing minds, and Lensa AI is using it to turn selfies into impressive avatars …

A series of tweets from Tim Cook in Japan include the usual fare – praising developers who work with Apple, celebrating the use of Apple tech in education, and so on – but one less usual one. Cook also tweeted a photo of a visit to Sony’s secretive camera sensor facility in Kumamoto.

It’s not exactly a secret that Apple’s camera sensors are made by the Japanese company: Sony model numbers have been found in iPhone teardowns for years now. But it is the first time I can recall Apple’s CEO openly mentioning this …

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In this episode of Apple @ Work, Weldon Dodd from Kandji joins the show to talk about the new Device Harmony platform and the plans for 2023 and beyond.

Apple today announce the expansion of its Emergency SOS via satellite feature to more regions. The satellite connectivity feature is now available to iPhone 14 customers in the United Kingdom, France, Germany and Ireland.

The feature is rolling out today. Emergency SOS via satellite allows iPhone 14 users to send short emergency text messages, in places where Wi-Fi and cellular service is unavailable.

The watchOS App Store has seen many important third-party apps leave the platform in recent years, and it seems that this is still an ongoing problem. This time, Microsoft has announced that its two-step verification app “Microsoft Authenticator” will no longer work with the Apple Watch.

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A neat under-the-radar feature coming to iPhone with iOS 16.2 is the ability to customize Live Activities for “More Frequent Updates.” But even though the capability is valuable, you may not want it turned on for all available apps, more on that below. Here’s how to enable Live Activities more frequent updates on iPhone.

Ulysses, the popular Markdown editor and writing app, is getting an important update this week with version 29. The update now lets users organize their writing into Projects with dedicated sections, Keyword Pools, and more. Read on as we detail everything that’s new in Ulysses 29.

Apple’s design language has been copied by many other companies over the years, but one of the worst offenders has always been Xiaomi. With its new Xiaomi 13 flagship, the company is staying true to its age-old strategy, opting for a design that could easily be mistaken for an iPhone at first glance.

Apple is now rolling out a firmware update for its AirTag item tracker. The update comes ahead of the release of iOS 16.2, which is expected to be made available to the public in the coming days. Here’s what you need to know about this new update.

Apple’s latest macOS updates are reportedly causing Wi-Fi connectivity issues for some M1 and M2 MacBook users. The issues center around internet connectivity being slower than expected, leading to drops in video calls and other issues. Some users are also reportedly experiencing complete drops in Wi-Fi connectivity.

Sonos first launched its custom EQ software called Trueplay back in 2015 which has evolved over the years to dial in the best acoustic performance based on the room you’re using the speakers. After a curious delay, the Sonos app now appears to support using an iPhone 14 or 14 Pro to configure Trueplay.