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News bites – the stories you may have missed

Plenty of Apple, iPhone, and iPad news gets released every single day – but we know you’re busy, so we’ve got your back. Here, we’ve picked out some of the most important stories from the past week or so and summarized them for easy digestion. You’re welcome.

Let’s take a quickfire look at some of the most interesting recent headlines of late. As ever, click through to read the full stories if you want to know more!

iOS 15 to let you create Face ID/Touch ID passwords

There are loads of golden iOS 15 features that Apple simply didn’t have time to cover in its WWDC keynote this week – we’ve rounded up a bunch here. But one particularly useful addition was highlighted by Apple engineer Garrett Davidson in a WWDC developer session. It seems iOS 15 will enable you to create new online passwords using only Face ID or Touch ID authentication. The feature is called ‘Passkeys in iCloud Keychain,’ and whenever you create a new online account you’ll be able to use a passkey in place of the usual string of text. Your iPhone will generate a super-secure passkey for you, store it securely in iCloud Keychain, and make it accessible through a look or a touch.

New app lets you relive the good old days of iOS 4

A new app from US developer Zane enables you to experience iOS 4 on current iPhone hardware. OldOS, which is currently available through TestFlight (follow the link above), is “designed to be as close to pixel-perfect as possible” to the original iOS 4. Zane claims that the app is fully functional, and could conceivably be used as a second OS. Launched back in 2010, iOS 4 was the first of Apple’s mobile operating systems to come with the ‘iOS’ moniker. It introduced folders to the Home Screen, supported custom wallpapers, and added App Switching to the equation. It was also the OS associated with arguably Apple’s most iconic phone of all, the iPhone 4.

TikTok and WeChat no longer banned in US

US President Joe Biden has reversed the Donald Trump administration’s ban on the popular TikTok and WeChat apps. Trump’s executive orders were issued in 2020 on the grounds that the Chinese-owned apps posed a national security risk, but were never enforced as federal judges held up the process. President Biden’s actions now appear to have permanently thwarted his predecessor’s efforts, though Biden has ordered a security review of foreign-owned apps. For now, America’s Gen Z-ers can issue a collective sigh of relief, before turning it into a snappy 30-second meme and chatting about it endlessly with their friends.

Amazon takes on Apple Music 1

Amazon has launched Amazon Music DJ Mode, a new on-demand listening experience that would appear to be a direct response to Apple Music 1. US Prime members and Amazon Music subscribers can now opt into the service, which features DJ-hosted stations dedicated to hip-hop, country, and pop. Amazon is also promising “music insights from industry experts and tastemakers” and “drop-ins from top artists”. Popstar Billie Eilish has joined up to provide the first of these DJ Mode events, which is appropriately titled The Billie Eilish Takeover.

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