iOS 10.1 full release notes
Camera and Photos

Introduces Portrait Camera for iPhone 7 Plus that creates a depth effect that keeps your subject sharp while creating a beautifully blurred background (beta)
People names in the Photos app are saved in iCloud backups
Fixes an issue where opening the Camera app would show a blurred or flashing screen for some users
Fixes an issue that caused Photos to quit for some users when turning on iCloud Photo Library
Improved the display of wide color gamut photos in the grid views of the Photos app
Maps

Transit support for every major train, subway, ferry, and national bus line, as well as local bus systems for Tokyo, Osaka, and Nagoya
Sign-based transit navigation including layouts of all underground structures and walkways that connect large transit stations
Transit fare comparison when viewing alternative transit routes
Messages

New option to replay bubble and full screen effects
Messages effects can play with Reduce Motion enabled
Fixes an issue that could lead to contact names appearing incorrectly in Messages
Addresses an issue where Messages could open to a white screen
Addresses an issue that could prevent the report junk option from displaying with unknown senders
Fixes an issue where videos captured and sent in the Messages app could be missing audio
Apple Watch

Adds distance and average pace to workout summaries in the Activity app for outdoor wheelchair run pace and outdoor wheelchair walk pace
Fixes issues that may have prevented Music playlists from syncing to Apple Watch
Addresses an issue that was preventing invitations and data to appear in Activity Sharing
Fixes an issue that was allowing Activity Sharing to update over cellular when manually disabled
Resolves an issue that was causing some third-party apps to crash when inputting text
Other improvements and fixes

Improves Bluetooth connectivity with 3rd party accessories
Improves AirPlay Mirroring performance when waking a device from sleep
Fixes an issue where playback would not work for iTunes purchased content when the “Show iTunes Purchases” setting is turned off
Fixes an issue where certain selfie apps and face filters used with the FaceTime HD Camera on iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus did not display a live preview
Fixes an issue in Health where individual strokes are converted to separate characters when using the Chinese handwriting keyboard
Improves performance of sharing websites from Safari to Messages
Fixes an issue in Safari that caused web previews in tab view to not display correctly
Fixes an issue that caused certain Mail messages to be reformatted with very small text
Fixes an issue that caused some HTML email to be formatted incorrectly
Fixes an issue that in some cases caused the search field to disappear in Mail
Fixes an issue that could prevent Today View Widgets from updating when launched
Fixes an issue where Weather widget sometimes failed to load data
Fixes an issue on iPhone 7 where Home Button click settings would not appear in search results
Fixes an issue that prevented spam alert extensions from blocking calls
Resolves an issue that could prevent alarm sounds from going off
Fixes an issue where audio playback via Bluetooth would cause the Taptic engine to stop providing feedback for some users
Resolves an issue preventing some users from restoring from iCloud Backup
iOS 10.1 is compatible with iPad 4 and above, iPhone 5 and above, and iPod Touch 6G.

I guess it depends on your usage of space . 16 GB will be sufficient for light users . I hope Apple will upgrade iPhone SE minimum storage to 32 GB

RM Is Now The Official Currency For iTunes, App Store, and Apple Music in Malaysia

True to our previous report, Apple has implemented Ringgit Malaysia as the official currency for its platforms in our market. The change can already be seen on iTunes Store, App Store, and Apple Music on iPhone and iPad as well as iTunes for Mac and Windows right now.

As pointed by several of our readers, it seems that the pricing in RM is slightly better than what users have to pay if they used a direct currency conversion from RM to USD. For example, the Apple Music individual subscription previously costs USD 3.99 (about RM 17.70) while family subscription is priced at USD 5.99 (about RM 26.60) but with the RM implementation, Apple Music subscription plans are now listed as RM 14.90 and RM 22.90 respectively.

Another example that we noticed is Deadpool which is priced at USD 14.99 (about RM 66.50) while the movie costs much lower at RM 29.90 in iTunes Malaysia. At the same time, apps such as the Malaysian-made Tiny Guardians and Super SteamPuff which cost USD 0.99 (about RM 4.40) in United States are listed at RM 3.90 in iTunes Malaysia.

Surely, plenty of similar examples exist throughout all three content platforms. Meanwhile, Apple has come up with a list called Treat Yourself on iTunes Malaysia in order to celebrate the occasion

Apple today released iOS 10.2 to the public, marking the launch of the second major update to the iOS 10 operating system since it launched on September 13. iOS 10.2 has been in testing since October 31, with seven betas seeded to developers and public beta testers.

The iOS 10.2 update is available as a free-over-the-air update for all iOS 10 users, and it can also be downloaded via iTunes.

As a major 10.x update, iOS 10.2 introduces new features and design tweaks to iOS 10. It includes a new "TV" app, which is designed to serve as an Apple-designed TV guide that aims to simplfy the television-watching experience and help users discover new TV shows and movies to watch.

Along with the TV app, Apple recently debuted the long-awaited Single Sign-On feature, allowing cable subscribers to sign in once with their cable credentials to access all live cable content available within various apps. Single Sign-On is available for Single Sign-On is currently available for CenturyLink Prism, DirecTV, Dish, GVTC, GTA, Hawaiian Telcom, Hotwire, Metrocast, Service Electric, and Sling TV. Both Single Sign-On and the TV app are available across multiple devices, including the Apple TV.

A range of new emoji are included in the update, like clown face, face palm, selfie, fox face, owl, bacon, avocado, croissant, and more. There are more than a hundred new emoji, including several profession emoji available in both male and female genders. Apple has also redesigned many existing emoji, adding more detail to make them look more realistic.

iOS 10.2 also includes new wallpaper, revamped sorting options and some design tweaks to the Repeat and Shuffle buttons in the Music app, new "Celebrate" and "Send With Love" Screen Effects, an option for preserving camera settings, a TV widget, and new TV settings.

Apple Support app makes US App Store debut

After a month of availability in the Netherlands, Apple's standalone hardware and software support app landed in the U.S. App Store on Tuesday, complete with customer personalization via iCloud integration, live chat options, recent service history and more.



First sighted in the Netherlands in November, the new Apple Support app for iOS bears a U.S. release date of Dec. 14, but is available for download as of this writing.

As noted at the time of its international launch, Apple Support provides users technical documents, the ability to scheduled service appointments at nearby Apple retail stores, personal support via phone, chat or email, and case history information, among other assets. In many ways, the new app is an iOS port of Apple's support website.

Once the app is downloaded and a user is logged in, Apple Support provides a list of all devices associated with that person's Apple ID. Tapping on a device pulls up a product pane with options to view specific hardware details like an iPhone's serial number and IMEI, as well as general Support Documents covering a range of topics. The product details screen also informs users of current or lapsed AppleCare coverage status.

Much like Apple's online support portal, the standalone app guides users through a series of documents that assist in self-diagnosing and solving a variety of problems. For example, tapping on support options for an iPhone 7 Plus, then clicking on the topic "Battery, Power & Charging" brings up a list of potential or commonly occurring issues.

In some instances, like "Battery questions or troubleshooting," Apple features a Support Document and link to a web article, in this case information regarding how best to maximize battery life. To streamline the servicing process, the app automatically creates a support case when navigating to featured documents.

Options for contacting a support specialist, and estimated chat and phone wait times, can be found under topics that lack sufficient support documentation. Other queries might require a user to bring in their hardware for service, in which case a Genius Bar appointment scheduling tool is provided.

Apple ceases iOS 10.1 and 10.1.1 code signing with release of iOS 10.2



Apple routinely stops signing code for older iOS and macOS iterations to protect users from potential bugs or security vulnerabilities patched with the most recent software revisions. In addition, invalidating obsolete code helps ensure a consistent experience across devices.

Released last Monday, iOS 10.2 introduces Apple's new "TV" app, which acts as a smart repository for streaming video content. Sampling TV shows and movies from multiple apps, "TV" lets users watch the shows they love and surfaces new content through a recommendation system.

In addition to "TV," iOS 10.2 also delivers redesigned emoji and more than 100 new characters.

The latest point update also includes a number of performance enhancements for first-party apps. For example, Photos gained improved stabilization and faster frame rates for Live Photos, while Messages nets new "love" and "celebration" full-screen animation effects. HomeKit also receives a buff with notification support for connected accessories.

As for bug fixes, iOS 10.2 addresses issues in Photos, Messages, Music, News, Mail, Accessibility features and more.

Finally, Apple's latest mobile OS update includes a widget for the Videos app, three new wallpapers, a "Preserve Camera" setting and a "Press and Hold to Speak" setting for the home button.

Alongside iOS 10.1 and iOS 10.1.1, Apple stopped signing for tvOS 10.0.1 on Tuesday after tvOS 10.1 landed last week.

Apple Music ranks ninth in 2016 Nielsen charts of most-used mobile apps

Apple Music was the ninth-most popular smartphone app in the U.S. this year in terms of average unique users, according to new Nielsen research data, despite it being heavily iOS-focused and of less use without a paid subscription.

The app picked up just under 68.4 million users in tracking between January and October, Nielsen said. That's an increase of 20 percent year-over-year, placing it above the Amazon app's 65.5 million.

All of the spots above Apple Music were controlled by either Facebook or Google, including apps like Gmail, Instagram, Messenger, and YouTube. Leading the pack was the core Facebook app, with over 146 million users —up 14 percent annually.



Apple Music does have a presence on both iOS and Android, but the service's global subscription base is only around 20 million. That would imply that many people are only briefly checking the app out without paying. It's installed by default on iPhones, iPads, and iPod touches, on which it also handles local music playback.

Maxis Offering eSIM for iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max, And IPhone XR Starting 25 February

While the Apple iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max, and iPhone XR already have eSIM support, only a small number of Malaysian telcos are currently able to support the feature. Having said that, Maxis is looking to change that scenario next week.

Thanks to Amanz, we now know that Maxis intends to get out support for the eSIM feature starting 25 February, which is tomorrow.

For those up unaware, An eSIM is an embedded SIM within a phone that allows phones to connect to use specific telco services within a country. The feature is useful, negating the need to acquire a physical SIM card whenever traveling to a certain country.