Ah , September : The time of class when hot summertime days flex to crisp autumn unity , leafage are burnished in shades of red and Au , and pumpkin spice start its inexorable crawling back into all our spirit . But if you respire deeply you could just smell something else in the air : tonic Apple software updates .
Yes , Apple this workweek drop a slew of revision to almost all of its major platforms ( sorry , macOS , you have to wait until next week ) . You ’ve no doubt already read of contact poster , new widget interfaces , and FaceTime on the Apple TV 4 K , but I want to take a few moments to wax rhapsodic about a few of my favoriteoverlookedfeatures — and , specifically , features that help younotoverlook things .
Because this yr ’s update all bring home the bacon skillful way to voyage the world around us , and even without a second - generation radical wideband chip shot , you’re able to still find exactly what you ’re look for .
No grid, no problem
For those of us of a sure age , it ’s mirthful to reckon back at a time when we could n’t bank on a twist in our sac to tell us where to go — unless that “ machine ” was a gigantic folded - up piece of newspaper . now , we ’re so reliant on our devices to get to our finish that it ’s a substantial shock when we stop up someplace where wecan’trely on them .
Foundry
Apple has in the end deal this deletion in iOS 17 with offline maps , which get you download portions of its single-valued function data for reference even when you do n’t have a web connective . Not only does this feature influence really well , but Apple ’s also provided an uncharacteristic amount of ascendency over incisively how it functions , including letting you bookmark specific area , easily and automatically update those maps , and even prefer to utilize those map when you ’re still connected . But it can be a little hard to find : It ’s all squirreled aside behind your profile picture in the Maps app .
While there are a few places in the US that I do travel to that have limited connectivity , one situation I really previse taking advantage of this is traveling abroad . Because it ’s not trammel strictly to map but also includes directions , estimated reaching time , and public transit selective information , it ’s incredibly handy for getting around without get to spend a fortune on outside datum program or local SIMs . So mayhap getting miss really is a thing of the yesteryear .
Walk this way
I enjoy a good walk , especially when I ’m explore a new urban center , but it ’s a pain to have to constantly pull out my telephone set and correspond Maps — not to mention the risks of looking like a tourist . The Apple Watch has long had walking directions , of course , but I ’ve always sense like they were n’t particularly useful , cueing you only to the next turn you were belong to take , with fiddling setting about your milieu .
In watchOS 10 , Maps ’s walking guidance have gotten a meaning and much - needed overhaul and it ’s simply great . Rather than just providing textual matter for your next bout , your Apple Watch will in reality show you a bird’s - heart view of the mathematical function and your road along it . It ’s a keen use of the bigger and good exhibit on recent Apple Watches and a far more useful way to navigate by fundament . No want to perpetrate out your phone .
During the beta period , I was trip in a urban center I ’d never been to before , and used my Watch for walking directions between a dyad of location . Not only was it far more utilitarian than relying on my phone , but somehow , unlike the premature version of this lineament , it felt , well , futurist .
Remotely interesting
If you ’re an Apple television user , one thing is for sure : you have lose your remote control . That ’s nothing to be ashamed about : it ’s small and fits utterly between couch cushions , and if you hap to have an enterprising tot in the house , that ’s thebest - casescenario — don’t take me how I be intimate .
With Io 17 and tvOS 17 installed , you’re able to eventually trail down that errant minuscule slab of atomic number 47 with the Find Remote feature of speech . It ’s a little slippery to get : you need to give the Apple TV Remote from Control Center , select the name of your Apple TV at the top , and then tap the Find button that appear . Then you ’ll be taken to an AirTag - like user interface where you ’re told , Grover - trend , whether you ’re far from or near the remote . Haptics cue your progress until you ’re alert that the remote is “ here ” and prompt to look around .
Without an Ultra Wideband chip , this process is n’t as precise as with an AirTag , and the Siri Remote does n’t have a built - in speaker to play phone helping you zero in on its exact localization , but at least it help you narrow it down . On the very solar day Apple ’s software come out , I used this feature film to get across down my remote control , you guessed it , between the lounge cushions . Honestly , I should believably juststartlooking there .
