In September 2017, Apple released updates for its iOS devices, Apple Watch, Mac computers, and Apple TV. The iOS update was described in the November issue of AccessWorld. The three remaining operating system updates have themselves been updated and will be discussed in this article.
Apple Watch
Apple released watchOS 4 on September 19. You must have iOS 11 on your iPhone prior to installing watchOS 4. Update your Apple Watch by first making sure it is at least 50 percent charged and on the same WiFi network as your iPhone. The watch must be on its charger during the entire update process. In the Watch app on your iPhone, go to General > Software Update and follow the prompts for the update. Here are some of the major changes.
Apple Watch Series 3
Along with watchOS 4, Apple began selling the Apple Watch Series 3. There are two versions of the Series 3: Apple Watch GPS and Apple Watch GPS + Cellular. The GPS starts at $329 and the Cellular model starts at $399. The Cellular version does not require that an iPhone be in Bluetooth range. Calls can be made and received directly from the watch. The watch must be connected to your wireless carrier and there will be an extra monthly fee for this service. You will need to set up cellular on your watch. Make sure you have your login information for your carrier.
New Faces
Apple has introduced some new watch faces. The Siri face automatically contains relevant information about your day including appointments, reminders, and weather forecast. There is a kaleidoscope face and a Toy Story face. On the Toy Story face, you can choose rotating characters or just Buzz, Woody, or Jessie. All the faces can be found in the Watch app's Face Gallery on your iPhone.
New Complications and App Layouts
Apple has added two new Complications: News and Radio. There are now two app layouts: the default grid view and the new list view. List view puts apps in alphabetical order. Select list view by first going to the apps screen. Then do a force touch in the middle of the screen. VoiceOver will speak the two options. No matter which option is chosen, you can scroll through the apps with the digital crown.
The Dock
The Dock can show recently used apps or it can show favorite apps. In the iPhone's Watch app, go to Dock and choose either Recents or Favorites. If choosing the Favorites option, app order can be arranged.
Activity
The Activity app can give more alerts to help meet your movement, exercise, and standing goals. You can receive messages during the day. For example, you can get a message suggesting how much longer you need to walk to reach your exercise goal. Activity messages can be controlled via the Watch app on your iPhone.
Workout
The Workout app has options for swimming in a pool or open water. High intensity interval training is now an option in the app. Simply double tap on any exercise in the Workout app and you will get a brief countdown and the timer will start. Flicking up and down on the listing for an exercise gives options to change your goal or to start exercising.
There are three pages in the Workout app once an exercise is started. The first page has controls to pause and end the workout. The current time is also displayed. The second page has metrics such as active calories and total calories. The third page has player controls if you are listening to music.
In the Watch app on your iPhone, go to the Workout app. There are new customizable features including the ability to change which metrics are displayed for each exercise. Select Workout View in the Workout app. Then choose the exercise and select which features you want displayed.
You can now set a playlist to start playing as soon as you start your workout. On the iPhone's Watch app go to Workout and select Workout Playlist. Unfortunately, Siri cannot shuffle the playlist (since you are not in the Music app).
If you do not want to be disturbed during your workout go to the Watch app on your iPhone and select General > Do Not Disturb. The first control is Workout Do Not Disturb. You will not receive any notifications when the Workout app on your watch is running. Once the app is closed, you will again receive notifications.
Heart Rate
After you have been inactive for 10 minutes, the Heart Rate app can now notify you if your heart rate has remained above a designated number of beats per minute. On your iPhone, select the Watch app and go to Heart Rate. Choose the number of beats per minute.
Music
If you are an Apple Music subscriber or have an iCloud music library, you can now stream music with your Apple watch. The main screen in the Music app has your playlists. You will need to choose a sound destination. For example, I selected my AirPods. Once the playlist is selected, the next screen will have the standard controls: Previous, Track, Play, and Next Track. The next control is a button labeled Track List. Activating this button does more than just display the list of songs. It also gives you options to Shuffle and Repeat.
There is a new Radio app that includes NPR, ESPN, Apple's Beats 1 radio station, and numerous other radio stations.
You can now send an email directly from your watch. Open the Mail app and perform a force touch. A New Message button will appear. Selecting the button will bring up fields for selecting recipients, adding a subject, and composing a message. Siri cannot send a message from your watch.
My Experience
I initially installed watchOS 4 on my Series 1 Apple Watch. There were no problems with the way the watch worked with the new update. I then purchased a Series 3 GPS + Cellular. This watch is significantly faster than the Series 1. Cellular calls are very clear and the watch is very responsive. It is very convenient not to need my iPhone to make and receive calls.
Mac
Apple released macOS High Sierra on September 20. Upgrade by going to the Mac app store, check for the update, and download macOS High Sierra.
At Apple's World Wide Developers Conference in June, Craig Federighi, VP for Software Engineering, explained, "High Sierra is all about deep technologies that provide a powerful platform for future innovations on the Mac. But we couldn't help ourselves; we also added some refinements." Here are some of the main changes.
New File System
High Sierra introduces Apple's new file system, APFS, for the Mac. This system is also in iOS 11. APFS is secured with encryption and has built-in crash protection. It is significantly faster than the previous file system. Files on the Mac are converted automatically during the installation process.
Safari
There is a new feature in Safari called Auto Play. It is active by default. When you go to a website that tries to play audio immediately, the audio will be blocked. If a video is playing, its audio content will be blocked. If you want audio content to play, this feature can be disabled in the Websites tab of Safari Preferences.
There is an option in Safari to set the Reader for all websites or just specific sites. By default, the reader is turned off. You can still activate the reader whenever it is available on any website.
Reading PDF Documents
For the first time, Mac users are able to read accessible PDF documents unless they are in graphics format (such as jpg). By default, Apple uses Preview, a pre-installed app, to read PDFs. Users can navigate the document and read labels.
VoiceOver and Different Languages
VoiceOver is now capable of reading many different languages, such as Spanish, French, Chinese, and Hebrew, in addition to English. You can customize a different voice for different languages. Only one voice can be added per language. Check out the speech section of the VoiceOver Utility. There is a button to add a language and a table listing the many languages.
Braille Support
According to Apple's vision accessibility page, "In macOS High Sierra, you can edit seamlessly in Grade 2 Braille, viewing your edits in the context of the actual line of text. Converting between braille and text happens automatically so you see only Grade 2 Braille. VoiceOver is also the only screen reader that supports more than one braille display at a time. So in a meeting or class, you can present what's on your screen to multiple braille users simultaneously. And for sighted users who sit alongside you, there's an onscreen braille panel that displays both braille and plain-text versions of the descriptions spoken?by?VoiceOver."
Changing Speech Parameters
The key combination for changing speech rate, voice, pitch, intonation, and volume has been changed and made more cumbersome. The Shift key must now be added. Therefore, the combination is Shift + VO + Command + Right Arrow or Left Arrow to cycle through the options and then Shift + VO + Command _ Up Arrow or Down Arrow to make the adjustment. The original commands are now used for the VoiceOver rotor.
iTunes and Apple Music
Although the latest version of iTunes was not released at the same time as High Sierra, iTunes has undergone a significant change. There are now only five main pop-up menu options from which to choose: Music, Movies, TV Shows, Podcasts, and Audio Books.
Some new settings in the Account menu relate to Apple Music. The Choose Artists for You option first provides a list of genres and then has a list of artists in whichever genres you select. A new option, Start Sharing with Friends, is also in the Account section. This feature lets your friends know what you are listening to allows you to share playlists.
Quick Nav
In Safari, VO + Q will toggle single-letter navigation. Make sure Quick Nav is on before using this command.
tvOS 11
The update for Apple TV was released on September 19. Get it by launching the Settings app on your TV. Then go to System > Software Updates > Update Software and follow the prompts.
Apple TV 4K
This new version of Apple TV costs $179 for the 32 GB model and $199 for the 64 GB model. These new TVs have support for 4K and high dynamic range color. This means the picture is significantly more detailed, there is more texture, and colors are more vivid than on older televisions.
AirPods
It is no longer necessary to go through the paring process with the Apple TV and your AirPods. They will now be listed as a speaker option if the TV is linked to an iCloud account.
Home Screen Sync
If you have more than one Apple TV in your home on the same iCloud account, all the TVs can have the same home screen. You can arrange the apps on one screen and they automatically will be arranged the same way on the other Apple TVs in your house. This feature is an On/Off toggle. Go to Settings > General > Accounts > iCloud > Home Screen Sync.
Conclusion
These updates are worth installing. Since their initial release, they have themselves been updated and Apple has fixed some bugs.
Related articles:
- Apple's 2017 Worldwide Developers Conference by Janet Ingber
- Exploring and Using Apple AirPods Cordless Bluetooth Earbuds by Janet Ingber
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