Apple

The announcement of RCS support on iPhone with iOS 18 was a very big disappointment for me, as I mentioned in my earlier post; however, in recent days, the situation has changed.

I have been waiting patiently for the release of a new version of iOS mainly because of one feature – RCS.

RCS stands for Rich Communication Services. It is an upgrade to traditional SMS messaging, designed to enhance the messaging experience with features like read receipts, typing indicators, high-resolution images, group chats, and sharing larger files. RCS aims to provide an experience similar to messaging apps like WhatsApp or iMessage but integrated into the default SMS app on smartphones.

The main reason I have been looking forward to RCS was the ability to send messages to Android users, other than SMS, but still from the default Messages app.

RCS brings reactions, the ability to send pictures (replacing the outdated MMS service), and shows read receipts. Everything is standard when communicating between iPhone users using the iMessage service.

With the high popularity of WhatsApp, which filled the void and struggle when communicating between Android and iPhone users, RCS was meant to regain the market for native messaging apps.

The phone I am using daily is an iPhone 13 Pro Max, which has been with me for almost 3 years. At the same time, when I got mine, I also got an iPhone 13 for my wife.

Straight after purchase, I opted for AppleCare+ with the monthly payment option. Thanks to the recurring payments, my device is still covered under AppleCare+.

I am considering an upgrade later this year, possibly in September 2024, but I am not rushing into it. My phone is performing well for its age and is still in pristine condition, which is important for potential resale value. The only thing that is showing signs of age is the battery.

After over 33 months of daily use, I started noticing that the battery is not as good as it used to be. With the built-in Battery Health feature, I can see that it’s at 87% of design capacity. It’s not bad for its age.

However, after the same period with her iPhone 13, my wife began to notice that her phone needed to be plugged in much more often.

Recently, we even noticed that the battery surprisingly jumped from 59% to 61%, only to return to 59% shortly after.

This made me start thinking, so I quickly checked her battery health. From Settings > Battery > Battery Health & Charging, we can see that her health is at 80%.

It’s not a bad result after over 33 months, but also not great from the customer’s point of view, especially when you got AppleCare+ purchased.

According to AppleCare+ terms regarding the battery, you are entitled to have your battery replaced free of charge when it falls below 80%.

Exactly, it states “below” 80%, which currently you may think is not met, as the battery health in settings shows exactly 80%.

But what if that value is inaccurate?

Buying a refurbished Apple product is a great way to save money. I purchased my MacBook Air with an M1 chip through this route back in 2021, and the device is still working well.

The good news when buying refurbished items directly from Apple is that they are treated no differently than new devices in terms of support and service. You are eligible to purchase additional protection through AppleCare, just like with new devices.

The savings on refurbished items, compared to the same item new, can be significant. Of course, you can buy them even cheaper if you don’t mind losing the ability to get extra care for them directly through AppleCare, but if you do mind (like me), then there is one more thing that you should think about before going this route.

It took years for Apple to allow gaming emulators on their platforms.

After a failed start with a fake emulator, it was time for the first one that worked and was not preying on someone else’s intellectual property. However, the creator quickly got scared and withdrew the application from the store. You can understand him to some extent, because in reality, David rarely beats Goliath.

Less than a week later, however, we were able to enjoy the Delta emulator, which remains to this day.

Imagine waking up one day to 11 unread emails from Apple asking you to verify your Apple ID. Someone has just created an Apple ID with your email address on their new iPhone!

Recently, I wrote about giving my friend’s MacBook Air from Mid-2013 (A1465) a new life by installing macOS Ventura (13.4.1) on it.

Although this laptop was still working well, it was not compatible with the latest macOS from Apple. However, the OpenCore Legacy Patcher gave it a new lease on life by allowing it to run the latest macOS.

After installing any OS updates on unsupported hardware, you should be prompted to install post-install volume patches (also known as root patches) on your first boot.

By installing Rapid Security Response Update 13.4.1 (c), the system froze at the Apple logo and progress bar at approximately 35% of the loading process during the first reboot.

Thankfully, the solution was not too complicated.

Probably some of us have friends who have MacBook computers. Some of them purchased them some time ago and, despite still working, have been made obsolete and stopped from further support from Apple.

When the device is out of support life, it does not receive any further software updates. This is putting their users at risk of unpatched variabilities but also causing problems using outdated software like Internet Browser.

I got friends who purchased MacBook Air 11th-inch Mid-2013 (A1465) at a very similar time when I purchased my first MacBook Pro. Since then I updated and I am currently on my 3rd with an M1 processor.

Everybody is writing down about the latest Apple TV 4K 2022 model as a perfect premium box for streaming movies. Due to the upgraded main chip and (already) wide support for controllers, everybody is forgetting that this is quite a decent gaming box as well.

I purchased my Apple TV 4K (2021) with the idea, to get back to playing games on a big screen. I don’t have time to invest in game consoles anymore and, for occasional playing, Apple TV as a game console would be a good alternative.

Privacy in recent years is something that everybody is talking about. Some companies undersell their own devices just to gain the information that they will harvest. The others say it aloud that they put privacy on the pedestal, and that includes their devices. This is Apple.

Even if you decided to move away from devices and companies that violate your rights and decided to buy an iPhone, remember, that in the whole of this the weakest link, the hole in a privacy matter is you!