Macworld The AirTag from Apple is a compact tracking device that has an extremely long life and precise locating ability in the right circumstances. Unlike a GPS tracker, which requires cell service and may drain a battery quickly, an AirTag relies on the distributed Find My network of iPhones, iPads, and Macs that hundreds of millions of people around the world carry with them, and uses Bluetooth LE to signal that hardware. While there are a thousand positive and legitimate ways to use an AirTag, it can be abused when someone tracks you without your knowledge, which potentially exposes you to a dangerous situation. For example, back in December 2021, the York regional police department in Canada announced that AirTags…

Macworld On Tuesday, Apple and Google announced a joint initiative to prevent the misuse of Bluetooth online tracking devices, such as Apple’s AirTag. The two companies have developed a specification that is being proposed as an industry standard for iOS and Android and has the backing of many third-party companies that offer such trackers, including Chipolo, eufy Security, Pebblebee, Samsung, and Tile. “Apple launched AirTag to give users the peace of mind knowing where to find their most important items,” said Ron Huang, Apple’s vice president of Sensing and Connectivity. “We built AirTag and the Find My network with a set of proactive features to discourage unwanted tracking–a first in the industry–and we continue to make improvements to help ensure…

Macworld It’s been a long time since you could only get an iPhone directly from Apple or from AT&T. Today, they are offered by all major carriers and big retailers, and many of them want to entice you to buy with them by offering special deals. Of course, you can still buy from Apple directly, either in-store or online, but you can probably find a lower price elsewhere. That’s particularly relevant if you’re looking at devices that Apple itself no longer sells. The company still sells the iPhone 13 (that link will also take you to the iPhone 13 mini), but it discontinued the iPhone 13 Pro when the 14-series handsets came out in fall 2022. If you want to go Pro, you’ll need to shop…

After rolling out a major update to Spotify for iPhone earlier this month, Spotify is now updating its desktop app for Mac a new navigation interface. In a blog post today, the company announced a new “Your Library sidebar” that it says is more customizable and makes it easier to access your Spotify collection. more… The post Spotify revamps Mac app with new ‘Your Library’ sidebar; here’s how it works appeared first on 9to5Mac.