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Next Wednesday, Apple is holding a launch event for what Tim Cook described on X as ‘the newest member of the family.’ The cryptic post is accompanied by a short video of a shimmery Apple logo framed by a circle with a rainbow border.
Quoting Cook’s post on X, Mark Gurman of Bloomberg says the event will feature an updated iPhone SE.
In iOS 18.2, Apple introduced the ability for users to set their default apps for messaging, calling, call filtering, passwords, contactless payments, and keyboards. Previously, it was only possible to specify default apps for mail and browsing, so this was a big step forward.
While apps like 1Password quickly took advantage of these new changes, there have been few to no takers in the calling, contactless payments, and messaging categories. Enter DefaultSMS, a new app that, as far as I can tell, seems to be the first to make use of the default messaging app setting.
Default SMS is not a messaging app. What it does is use this new setting to effectively bounce the user into the messaging app of their choice when they tap on a phone number elsewhere within iOS. Telegram, WhatsApp, and Signal are the options currently supported in the app.
Initial setup is quick. First, you select the messaging app you would like to use within DefaultSMS. Then, you head to Settings → Apps → Default Apps → Messaging and select DefaultSMS instead of Messages.
When you tap on a phone number, DefaultSMS will launch your chosen messaging app to start a conversation.
Now, whenever you tap on a phone number from a website, email, note, or other source within iOS, the system will recognize the sms:// link and open a new message to that number in your default messaging app, now specified as DefaultSMS. The app will then bounce you into your messaging app of choice to start the conversation. The developer says the process is 100% private, with DefaultSMS retaining none of this information.
It’s worth pointing out a few things about the app:
So why does this app exist? I put this question to the developer, Vincent Neo, who said, “The focus of the app is more towards countries where a significant part of the population already prefers a specific platform very frequently, such that users are very likely to prefer that over other platforms (including SMS), similar to your case, where everyone you know has WhatsApp.”
Quite simply, DefaultSMS allows you to choose which app you want to use to start a conversation when you tap a phone number, rather than always reverting to Messages. The app also highlights a flaw in the phrase “default messaging app”: there are still no APIs for apps to receive SMS messages. Until those are added, we will have to rely on clever third-party utilities like DefaultSMS to get us halfway there.
DefaultSMS is available on the App Store for $0.99.
Yesterday, it was reported that Apple had resumed advertising on X (formerly Twitter). The company ceased advertising on the site without comment in November 2023, but earlier this week, ads for a Safari privacy feature and the Apple TV+ show Severance began appearing on X. Apple has not commented on why the change was made.
Apple’s relationship with X has been rocky since Elon Musk took over in October 2022. That fall, it was reported that Apple significantly decreased its advertising on the social media platform. That was seemingly corroborated by Musk himself, who said in November 2022 that Apple had ended most of its advertising and threatened to remove X from the App Store. Musk and Tim Cook then met at Apple Park, and they seemingly resolved the rift for about a year.
In the following months, reports surfaced indicating an increase in hate speech on X. In what may be Apple’s only public statement about its advertising relationship with the social media company, Tim Cook told CBS News in September 2023 that Apple was constantly assessing its advertising on X. Then in November, after Musk endorsed an antisemitic post on X, Apple stopped advertising on the platform, though it never explained why.
Last month, The Wall Street Journal reported that Apple was considering resuming its advertising on X. It has now done so, joining many other major brands.
Apple hasn’t explained the reason for the change, which comes hard on the heels of a report of significant increases in hate speech on X during Musk’s tenure. This has led to speculation that the move is an attempt to appease Musk, who has assumed an unprecedented and unelected position of power in the Trump administration. Whatever the reason, though, it’s not a good look for Apple.
Apple has released its TV app on the Google Play Store for Android users. In a press release, Apple stated:
Available around the world, the Apple TV app for Android was built from the ground up to deliver Android users a familiar and intuitive interface. Android users can subscribe to Apple TV+ and MLS Season Pass using their Google Play account on Android mobile and Google TV devices. Apple TV+ also offers a seven-day free trial.
With Major League Soccer beginning on February 22nd and Friday Night Baseball just around the corner, it makes a lot of sense for Apple to expand the TV app’s availability. Android users will have all the same options Apple’s users do including subscribing to Apple TV+, which comes with a seven-day free trial, and MLS Season Pass.
As for the design, the Android version of the TV app looks as expected. It’s an Android-ified version of the iOS and iPadOS version of TV, with a similar layout and functionality controlled with standared Android UI elements.
The TV app can be downloaded for free from the Google Play Store.
For more examples of the TV app on Android, here are shots of it running on Federico’s Lenovo Legion Y700 (2024), which we recently covered on NPC: Next Portable Console:
Earlier today, Federico released a collection of four advanced Todoist shortcuts as part of his Automation Academy column, an exclusive perk of Club MacStories+ and Club Premier.
Federico started using Todoist again a few months ago specifically because it has a robust web API:
There were several reasons behind my decision to return to Todoist, but the most important one was its web API. I’m convinced that our modern AI era is marking a resurgence of web services, and I wanted to find something that could theoretically support some kind of connection to an AI assistant (such as ChatGPT or Gemini) down the road. At the same time, I also wanted something that could be easily _and_consistently automated. With more responsibilities coming into my life, it’s essential for me to automate all the boring parts of my job that can happen without my manual, time-consuming input. With the combination of a REST API and native Shortcuts actions, Todoist simply felt like the perfect candidate.
Federico is absolutely right. As I recently wrote for Club members, web apps have been on the rise for a long time, and the trend is only accelerating with the ascension of AI tools. As a result, knowing how to use web APIs with Shortcuts is only going to become more important over time. Sure, you can often manage to scrape information from a website directly, but you’re much better off with a thoughtfully designed REST API that can fetch data for you in a structured way.
Today’s Automation Academy installment is the perfect place to get started. Todoist’s API is rich and thorough, and Federico takes readers through each of his four shortcuts in a methodical but conversational way that concludes with key takeaways readers can use in other contexts.
I struggled with implementing web APIs in Shortcuts for a long time. Web APIs aren’t easy. But today’s Academy lesson is the perfect introduction that starts with the basics and builds up to more advanced techniques, helping readers do more with Todoist and apply their new skills to other web APIs they encounter.
Automation Academy is just one of many perks that Club MacStories Plus and Club Premier members enjoy including:
On top of that, Club Premier members get AppStories+, an extended, ad-free version of our flagship podcast that we deliver early every week in high-bitrate audio.
Use the buttons below to learn more and sign up for Club MacStories+ or Club Premier.
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Enjoy the latest episodes from MacStories’ family of podcasts:
This week, Federico and I say goodbye to the AppStories+ pre-show and hello to the new post-show. Then, for the main event, we update listeners on how MacStories plans to cover AI news and tools.
On AppStories+, Federico and I share the AI tools we are using ourselves.
This week, Brendon, Federico, and I consider how the Switch 2 will impact the wider handheld market, recap the specs and benchmarks for the Legion Go S and 2, and cover new devices coming from Anbernic and AYANEO. Then, Brendon shares his experience running Bazzite on the ASUS ROG Ally X.
Yesterday, Apple published a support document explaining how to migrate purchases from one Apple Account to another for users everywhere except the EU, UK, and India. This process solves a very particular problem for users who have separate Apple Accounts for digital purchases across Apple’s storefronts and want to consolidate everything under one account, which Stephen Hackett recently went through.
I’m in the same boat. I started buying music from iTunes on a Windows PC for an iPod before I owned any other Apple products. Those purchases were linked to one email address. Later, when I got my first Mac, I got a .Mac email address, which became a MobileMe account and, finally, an iCloud account. That left me with an iCloud account for iCloud services and a different address for my music, movies, TV shows, apps, and other purchases.
I’ve gotten used to the process of signing in to different accounts for iCloud and my purchases, but every now and then, it causes some hard-to-troubleshoot conflict somewhere. That’s why I’m glad to see there’s now a process for moving everything to one account. However, having also lived through many iCloud headaches over the years, I think I’ll wait a while before attempting a migration. iCloud is one area where being an early adopter doesn’t always pay off.
Today, Apple announced a broad-based research study that is being conducted in a partnership with Harvard’s Brigham and Women’s Hospital. The study, which U.S. residents can access through Apple’s Research app, aims to evaluate how technology can play a role in understanding health and wellness changes.
In the company’s press release, Sumbul Desai, M.D., Apple’s vice president of Health, explains:
Research and validation are part of the foundation of all of our work in health, supporting the innovative features we bring to our users across devices. The valuable insights we’ve gained since launching the Research app have allowed us to bring innovative new tools to our users — including the Vitals app on Apple Watch and Walking Steadiness on iPhone — and surface new insights in areas of health that have long been undervalued, like menstrual and hearing health. We’re thrilled to bring forward the Apple Health Study, which will only accelerate our understanding of health and technology across the human body, both physically and mentally.
If you live in the U.S. and meet the minimum age requirements, you can sign up to participate in the study through the Research app.
It’s been six years since the original Powerbeats Pro debuted, so it’s no surprise that Beats has finally updated them. The new wireless headphones, which are great for running and other activities because they hook over your ears, have a slimmer, more vertical design and other new features.
Powerbeats Pro 2 include Apple’s H2 chip from the AirPods Pro 2 and AirPods 4. That means the new model supports active noise cancelation, transparency mode, Personalized Spatial Audio, longer battery life (up to 45 hours with the case), and improved sound quality. The new headphones are Beats’ first to feature heart rate monitoring, too. Colors include Jet Black, Quick Sand, Hyper Purple, and Electric Orange. The Powerbeats Pro 2 are also IPX4 sweat and water resistant. The headphones’ case is 33% smaller and supports Qi charging.
Over on 9to5Mac, Chance Miller has a hands-on review of the Powerbeats Pro 2. Regarding the heart rate monitoring, Chance explains that:
Each Powerbeats Pro 2 earbud has a built-in heart rate monitor comprised of four components. First, there’s an LED sensor that emits green LED light at a rate of over 100 pulses per second. This light is emitted through the skin and hits your red blood cells. The photodiode then receives the reflected light from the red blood cells that is modulated by the red blood flow. There’s an optical lens that helps direct and separate the transmitted and received light, along with an accelerometer to ensure accuracy and consistency in data collection.
If you’re a Powerbeats Pro fan and in need of replacing an aging pair, Beats’ latest version looks like a nice update. I used to use Powerbeats, but I switched to the Beats Fit Pro to take advantage of the more capable H1 chip. However, I could see myself giving Powerbeats Pro 2 a try when my headphones need replacing.
The Powerbeats Pro 2 are available to order now for $249.99 on Beats and Apple’s websites. Deliveries and in-store availability will begin on February 13th.
