WhatsApp is working on a simpler way to find out where your friends are. Right now, if you want someone to share their address or pinpoint where they are on a map, you have to type out a message and wait. A new update spotted in early testing shows the popular chat app is building […]
The post WhatsApp Will Soon Let You Request Someone’s Location In Chats appeared first on The Mac Observer.
The odds of this change in standards causing a security breach and your messages being exposed seem unlikely, at least right now. But after scrolling through conversations and seeing what’s going on, I feel Apple has omitted important signals for users when iMessage suddenly stops being used during a conversation.
[…]
The impact of that hit me while revising my book: when iMessage isn’t available, Apple tells you only inline. Despite all the information Messages displays about iMessage being encrypted, the inverse state is faint. This kind of negative knowledge, or information about something not happening, can often be as important as something that does happen. A warning about a fuel tank approaching empty is the kind of information every driver (or pilot) needs, for instance. If you think end-to-end encryption—or Apple-based encryption—is critical for you, then a pop-up message or other warning is what you would expect.
[…]
If you’d like to prevent Messages from downgrading security, you have options, although they may not be fully desirable. All of these are managed on an iPhone at Settings: Apps: Messages. You can’t control these message settings from an iPad or Mac.
This recently happened to my mother, and it was very confusing for her. For unknown reasons, while at home on Wi-Fi, she got signed out of iMessage. But it was not clear to her that this had happened or that she should try to sign back in. She was not aware that the Messages app supports multiple protocols or what the different bubble colors mean. All she noticed was that certain messages (e.g. ones sharing files) would no longer send and that she was not receiving some of the messages that people were sending to her. She saw the inline warning about encryption and interpreted it as that the sender was using a newer form of encryption that her phone didn’t support, so maybe she needed to upgrade.
I went over to take a look and quickly figured out that she was signed out of iMessage, but I couldn’t fix it. I kept getting errors that iMessage couldn’t be activated, even after rebooting the phone. Eventually, much later and again for unknown reasons, activation succeeded.
Update (2026-10-20): Boris Yurkevich:
My concern is that the Retry as Text Message toggle no longer exist. Just a couple of weeks ago my sister sent me an iMessage while I was flying. I was not reachable. Later she told me that messages turned from blue to green.
Apple introduced iMessage within Messages in 2011 as its house-brand, end-to-end encrypted messaging product. The promise of iMessage is that posts are always encrypted, using servers and technology developed by Apple and controlled by it. The encryption keys reside on your device, stored so Apple can’t access them, and no third party should ever have the leverage to retrieve them. (There’s a big proviso there, which I’ll explain at the end of this article.)
Despite exploits uncovered over the many years since iMessage first appeared, the core protocol has never been breached, only device exploits or iCloud-backup extractions that allowed access to stored messages. That’s a strong track record. Apple has continued to tinker with improving iMessage encryption, while also adding an optional method of ensuring conversation integrity, Contact Key Verification.1
But in researching the update for Take Control of FaceTime and Messages, a lengthy ebook that covers those two apps plus the Phone app 2, I discovered you could be lulled into a false sense of security based on what you assumed iMessage was and was not.
The odds of this change in standards causing a security breach and your messages being exposed seem unlikely, at least right now. But after scrolling through conversations and seeing what’s going on, I feel Apple has omitted important signals for users when iMessage suddenly stops being used during a conversation.
Messages supports four kinds of communications, each with its own encryption standards and limitations, except for iMessage:
Apple sensibly organizes messages into conversations: a series of messages with another person or in the same group of people. However, that presentation method intentionally hides most of the details about how different communications protocols may be used within a single conversation. Apple likes to keep things simple.
As you start a conversation, Messages offers all sorts of visual signals that let you know when you’re using iMessage, as reassurance and branding:
That feels like a lot of reinforcement of the point! And, when you’re using iMessage, you probably expect you’re always using it throughout a conversation. But within an iMessage conversation, things can go wrong, and the system downgrades to the next commonly available option.
The hierarchy of Messages standards ranks, from most to least desirable:
The impact of that hit me while revising my book: when iMessage isn’t available, Apple tells you only inline. Despite all the information Messages displays about iMessage being encrypted, the inverse state is faint. This kind of negative knowledge, or information about something not happening, can often be as important as something that does happen. A warning about a fuel tank approaching empty is the kind of information every driver (or pilot) needs, for instance. If you think end-to-end encryption—or Apple-based encryption—is critical for you, then a pop-up message or other warning is what you would expect.
Look through the images in this story to see real-world examples I encountered this summer. In one, my wife and I are texting in a conversation that goes back almost two decades. For unknown reasons, Messages couldn’t perform a secure interchange—no security warning appeared, but something prevented iMessage from doing its usual handshake dance. So it defaulted without an alert to RCS, and noted that inline (see the figure’s top).
Because Messages supports RCS encryption, it can use it with other iCloud users, too, allowing encryption to continue even though it’s not iMessage encryption. Then, equally oddly, it went right back to iMessage (see near bottom).
If a conversation switches to an unencrypted communications method, there’s no warning; only, as you can see in another example, the gray inline message in a group chat of iMessage users (encrypted) shifted to unencrypted RCS when I added someone whose device didn’t support iMessage or encrypted RCS.
So how can you be sure what’s in use without scrolling around for sure? At any given time, the Info pane always shows the current state of encryption. This figure below shows two RCS conversations: on the left, an unencrypted one; on the right, an end-to-end encrypted session.
Because it’s RCS, Apple won’t vouch for the integrity of the session on the right! The Messages label reads “Apple can’t verify the software used on receiving devices,” and provides a link with more technical information and disclaimers. This is fair: Apple is relying on an infrastructure it doesn’t control.
With the above scenarios, I don’t believe Apple is putting us in jeopardy, nor do I think you should be particularly worried about it, unless you’re someone already in a high-risk category, like a political figure, human-rights advocate, or journalist. However, I keep thinking about how what we don’t know can still hurt us.
If you’d like to prevent Messages from downgrading security, you have options, although they may not be fully desirable. All of these are managed on an iPhone at Settings: Apps: Messages. You can’t control these message settings from an iPad or Mac.
This set of options and Messages’ presentation of encryption feels overdue for an overhaul.
I mentioned at the outset there was a proviso about accessing stored messages. The one exception to the end-to-end encryption rule is if you have iCloud for Messages enabled. In certain configurations, someone who manages to gain access to your Apple Account could retrieve an iPhone or iPad backup, retrieve that backup, and use an encryption key stored in it to decrypt messages and extract your data. That someone could be a law-enforcement agency, not just a hacker.
Because the Messages in iCloud encryption key is stored in the clear in the backup, this is the one scenario in which Apple can be compelled to provide information under the right legal framework that would allow a government-connected agent to examine your iCloud-synced messages. This is also an exploit that a criminal or other party could take advantage of.
You can avoid this end-to-end encryption loophole in one of two ways:
I suggest picking one. While, again, it’s unlikely your privacy would be breached, most of modern life feels like it’s about finding out how your privacy was, in fact, breached. Why not take action before that happens, however much we trust Apple’s infrastructure and integrity?
BlueFerry traz iMessage e SMS do iPhone direto para Linux via Bluetooth, sem depender de Mac ou nuvem.
O post BlueFerry: iMessage e SMS do iPhone chegam ao Linux por Bluetooth apareceu primeiro em Blog do Edivaldo - Informações e Notícias sobre Linux.
The way Apple combines work and personal iCloud accounts left some employees able to access confidential documents after departing the company, reports The Information. The site spoke to more than half a dozen former Apple employees who were unknowingly left with access to sensitive content.
[…]
Apple told The Information that the OpenAI lawsuit is unrelated to any files left available on iCloud and that it does not pursue legal claims against former employees who accidentally have Apple documents in their personal iCloud accounts.
[…]
In a now-settled legal dispute, chip company Rivos claimed Apple intentionally lets former employees retain access to files “as part of a planned effort to generate a pretextual basis to sue the employees and their new employer for ‘stealing’ Apple material.” In the Rivos case, an employee was targeted for keeping work files in his personal iCloud account.
The documents included confidential material such as plans for product launch events. The former employees said they made no effort to retain access and unexpectedly found the files mixed with their personal iCloud data.
The problem reportedly grew from Apple’s practice of encouraging employees to connect their personal Apple IDs to company-funded iCloud storage.
[…]
Apple also relied heavily on iMessage for workplace conversations and file sharing before rolling out Slack around 2019. Former employees could retain old iMessage conversations and attachments, while Apple could terminate their Slack access when they left.
If you use your personal Apple ID, you get a magic “Apple Work” folder in iCloud Drive. When you leave Apple, that “Apple Work” folder disappears. But any other files or folders that were shared with you that were outside that magic folder are still in your iCloud Drive, because it’s still your personal iCloud account.
[…]
You still have the same Apple ID account, even though you no longer have an employee @apple.com email account. Overall, this is a humane way of dealing with digital identity. Your Apple ID account is you, the person, not “example@icloud.com”, one specific unique email address. And you, the person, may well have multiple email addresses — all of which can be associated with your one Apple ID account. That makes Apple IDs more nuanced and complicated than a simple mapping of one email address = one account. And it obviously makes access restrictions more complicated.
Yesterday, OpenAI released messages to show that Apple employees (with permission) retained access to the departing employee’s personal iCloud account so that they could access work files that were stored there. It’s just a mess that both the software and corporate policy encourage mixing everything in one account.
As many things I know about Apple, this whole thing both makes perfect sense and feels absolutely bonkers.
Previously:
Apple’s challenge against the EU’s designation of its App Stores and iOS platform as “gatekeepers” was dismissed by Europe’s top court on Wednesday, reports Reuters.
[…]
The company also disputed the classification of iMessage as a number-independent interpersonal communications service, or NIICS, which would subject the app to EU telecoms rules. But the General Court said Apple’s actions regarding the iMessage service are inadmissible.
Back in 2023, Apple acknowledged that it qualified under the then-new definition of being what the EU called a gatekeeper service. But key to that is the size of the operation, and since 2024, Apple has been claiming it runs five smaller App Stores rather than one large one.
[…]
“Irrespective of the devices in question,” ruled the judges, “those stores have the same purpose, namely to connect app developers with end users in order to facilitate the distribution of software applications.”
Apple disagreed with the decision but didn’t say yet if it would appeal. “We firmly believe the DMA’s mandate goes beyond what is lawful and proportionate, threatening to erode decades of privacy and security protections we’ve built and leaving our users vulnerable to new risks,” an Apple spokesperson said in a statement to multiple outlets. “We will continue advocating for the innovation and privacy our European customers deserve.”
Apple still has two cases pending with EU courts. The first is a challenge to the EU Commission’s decision last year forcing Apple to open iOS to third-party developers, and the second is an appeal against the €500 million fine imposed in April last year for anti-steering violations.
Previously:
If you’ve ever sent what you thought was a clear butterfly emoji only for your friend to see something totally different, or used a cucumber when you really meant “I’m in a full-on pickle,” Apple is about to make your iMessage life a lot smoother. The latest Unicode Emoji 18.0 release, heading to all capable Apple devices next spring, brings fresh symbols while standardizing old ones so everyone sees the exact same thing.
Written by Jennifer Daniel (Unicode Emoji Subcommittee Chair), the new additions and refinements tackle exactly the kind of tiny frustrations that break the flow in fast-paced iOS conversations:
Cracked Smiling Face: For When “I’m Fine” Is a Lie
This one hits hard. The Cracked Face emoji visually shows that moment your “everything’s perfect” mask starts to splinter. On Apple devices, it will render with the emotional depth iOS users expect — perfect for those “haha yeah…” replies that actually mean the opposite.
Pickle Emoji Finally Gets Its Own Jar
Yes, we had a cucumber. But a pickle? That’s been through it. The new Pickle separates the fresh veggie from the fermented survivor, giving you the perfect shorthand for “I’m in a situation.” Apple’s crisp rendering will make it pop in every group chat.
Monarch Butterfly: No More Blue-vs-Orange Mix-Ups
One of the biggest wins: the Monarch Butterfly. Previously, depending on the phone, you might have sent a blue Morpho aesthetic while your recipient saw the iconic orange-and-black traveler. Now standardized, the Monarch brings themes of resilience and long-distance journeys straight to your iPhone keyboard with perfect consistency.
More Highlights Coming to Apple Devices
• Lighthouse: Your new symbol for guidance through stormy times.
• Meteor: Distinct from the wish-making Comet. Ideal for “everything is exploding” energy.
• Eraser, Directional Thumbs, and a Net with Handle that works as an action verb — catching vibes, pulling in ideas, or netting chaos.
These changes reflect Unicode’s ongoing push for better interoperability, and Apple continues to lead by delivering them with beautiful, high-fidelity artwork that feels native to iOS. No more “what does this look like on your end?” texts — just seamless emoji communication.
Next spring, when these roll out, your keyboard gets richer, your reactions get sharper, and those little digital misunderstandings shrink just a bit more.
Why This Feels Especially Apple
Apple has always treated emoji as a core part of the iMessage experience. With Emoji 18.0, that experience gets even stronger: more expressive tools, fewer visual mismatches, and designs that take full advantage of Retina displays and Dynamic Island flair.
MacDailyNews Take: For emoji aficionados, Spring 2027 can’t come soon enough!
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The post Apple’s Emoji 18.0 update will quietly fix years of cross-platform confusion appeared first on MacDailyNews.
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