NPD Breach Reveals Data on Hundreds of Millions, Here’s How to Respond

A few months ago, news broke about the latest massive data breach, this time from a company called National Public Data, a company that collects vast amounts of personal data about individuals from public data sources, including addresses, employment history, criminal records, and Social Security numbers. NPD then sells access to that data to employers conducting background checks, landlords screening potential tenants, banks verifying loan information, and more.

Unfortunately, NPD’s data security was lax, with the company publishing its own passwords in a file that was freely available from its homepage. How many people are affected remains unclear, though it seems likely to be hundreds of millions, if not the three billion reported by some outlets. Precisely what is included in the breach varies by person, but it includes names, physical addresses, phone numbers, dates of birth, and Social Security numbers for many. Email addresses may be included as well.

Put bluntly, this is terrible. It’s bad enough when a firm to which you’ve entrusted your data suffers a breach, but no one affected by the NPD breach had a relationship with the company. NPD was just hoovering up everything it could find and reselling it. NPD is far from alone in this field—numerous other companies do the same thing, and some of them have also suffered data breaches.

What can you do? Honestly, not much. Your data appeared in the breach through no fault of your own, so apart from generally trying to keep the amount of your personal data available online to a minimum (watch social media in particular), nothing you do will make a big difference.

You might be tempted by services that promise to “scrub the Internet!” of your data at people-search sites, but a Consumer Reports study found that they were largely ineffective, working for only about a third of the profiles tested. (The study was admittedly fairly small.) The best of the services was effective less than 70% of the time, and manually opting out at each site was slightly more effective. Plus, the study only looked at sites that offer opt-out options—with companies like NPD, there’s no way to know if they have your data or will remove it if asked.

However, several sites will now tell you if your data was included in the NPD breach, including npdbreach.com and npd.pentester.com. Keep in mind that both come from companies that also offer data removal services, although neither were included in the Consumer Reports study.

Breached companies will often offer free credit monitoring services to affected customers. That’s highly unlikely to happen with NPD because it has no business relationship with the people whose data it lost. But there’s a better approach anyway: placing a freeze on your credit reports. Doing so is free and prevents an identity thief from opening new financial accounts in your name by blocking access to your credit file from prospective creditors. Freezing your credit report has no impact on your credit score.

However, before you freeze your credit reports, check them to ensure they’re accurate. You can get free weekly credit reports from all three credit bureaus at AnnualCreditReport.com, authorized by the federal government, which also offers other useful information about protecting yourself from identity theft. If you discover any mistakes, work with the credit bureau to resolve them.

Once you’ve checked your credit reports, you can freeze them, which you need to do with each of the three credit bureaus:

Security freezes remain in place indefinitely, and many people can leave them that way. However, you’ll need to remove the freeze temporarily if you plan to rent a new apartment or house, take out a loan, apply for a credit card, set up a new mobile phone plan or utility account, apply for a new job, or undergo a background check. All three services provide such a capability online, or you can contact them via phone or postal mail, as mentioned above. It can be hard to think about removing a freeze proactively, so if something that might involve checking your credit score fails unexpectedly, remember the freezes. You might even make an annual reminder in your calendar so you don’t go too long without remembering.

It’s a shame that data breaches have become a fact of life, but that’s unavoidable without significantly stronger privacy regulations that prevent large companies from unnecessarily storing personal data and punishing them when they don’t protect it effectively.

(Featured image by iStock.com/BackyardProduction)

When Should You Should Upgrade to macOS 15 Sequoia, iOS 18, iPadOS 18, watchOS 11, tvOS 18, and visionOS 2?

The calendar has flipped over to September, so Apple will soon release major upgrades for all its operating systems. iOS 18 and watchOS 11 will undoubtedly ship alongside new iPhone and Apple Watch models mid-month. iPadOS 18 is likely to accompany iOS 18, as are tvOS 18 and visionOS 2. Although Apple has sometimes delayed the release of macOS until later in the year, we anticipate that Apple will release macOS 15 Sequoia earlier this year, probably with its siblings. That’s because the company has already said it will release the initial Apple Intelligence features in iOS 18.1, iPadOS 18.1, and macOS 15.1; those will probably debut in October or November.

Apple previewed these releases at its Worldwide Developers Conference in June, and many people have been testing the public betas since. Once Apple judges each of its operating systems to be ready for public consumption, the question arises—when should you upgrade?

Note that we say when and not if. There’s no harm in delaying a major operating system upgrade until Apple has sanded off any rough edges that slipped through testing. But waiting too long puts you at risk from security vulnerabilities, increases compatibility annoyances, and prevents you from taking advantage of new features. Plus, when you buy a new Mac, iPhone, or iPad after these operating systems have shipped, you’ll get the latest version, which could pose problems for your existing apps or compatibility with older hardware or workflows. It’s best to be prepared if you have to replace a device unexpectedly.

Given that we don’t know precisely when each operating system will come out, here’s our recommendation for the general upgrade order that we anticipate and how long we suggest waiting after the release appears. We also share a few new features that might encourage you to upgrade, assuming you have a device that’s new enough to take advantage of them.

Remember, always make a backup before upgrading a Mac, iPhone, or iPad so you can revert if necessary.

iOS 18

It’s usually safe to upgrade iOS fairly quickly because Apple puts significant effort into ensuring that the new iOS version is a good experience for those who buy the new iPhones that come with it. However, because iPhones are so crucial to our everyday lives, it’s worth delaying the upgrade to iOS 18 for a week or two, just in case. After that, you can install it and enjoy the new features.

Even before the Apple Intelligence features start appearing in iOS 18.1, there’s plenty to look forward to in iOS 18. Messages via satellite will let you stay in touch even when there’s no cellular or Wi-Fi service. You’ll be able to personalize your Home Screen layout more by placing apps and widgets wherever you want. App icons and widgets get a new Dark look, and you can even tint them all a certain color. Keep prying eyes out of sensitive apps by requiring Face ID to open them. You can now rearrange and resize controls in Control Center, plus create groups of controls accessible with a single continuous swipe. You can even swap out the flashlight and camera icons on the Lock Screen for other controls. Photos has been redesigned (and simplified after public outcry during the beta). Messages lets you use bold, italics, underline, and strikethrough, but more interesting is the ability to send tapback responses with any emoji or sticker—it’s a great way to respond quickly to messages. Maps gains topo maps and trail networks, including all US national parks, and a new Passwords app extracts your logins and passwords from the Settings app.

As noted, Apple Intelligence features will start shipping with iOS 18.1 and will continue appearing in new versions throughout 2025. They include a smarter Siri, categorization in Mail, writing tools that correct your grammar and summarize long texts, and generative AI image creation—you’ll even be able to make your own emoji. Apple says these features will require an iPhone 15 Pro or iPhone 15 Pro Max; it’s likely that all the upcoming iPhone 16 models will be compatible, though Apple could hold out Apple Intelligence as a reason to buy a Pro model.

watchOS 11

Once you upgrade your iPhone to iOS 18, there’s no reason to delay upgrading your Apple Watch to watchOS 11. Few of the changes are likely to require significant adjustments in your usage patterns, and some may be quite welcome.

When you wear your watch overnight, the new Vitals app displays your heart rate, respiratory rate, wrist temperature, blood oxygen (on units that have it enabled), and sleep duration, showing a typical range and identifying outlier metrics. You can now adjust Activity ring goals for every day of the week or put your rings on pause if you need to take a break for any reason. The Activity app now shows your training load so you can adjust the intensity of your workouts. The Smart Stack interface now includes Live Activities and has been improved to be more intelligent, suggesting widgets based on time, date, location, and daily routines. Finally, Apple enhanced the Photos watch face to select photos automatically, optimizing the subject’s position with the frame and creating a sense of depth. Its Dynamic mode shows a new image on every raise of your wrist.

iPadOS 18

Our general advice is that it’s OK to install iPadOS 18 shortly after it ships. For the most part, iPadOS is a superset of iOS, so if you’re comfortable upgrading to iOS 18, think of iPadOS 18 similarly. The main caveat is when you rely heavily on a particular app. In that case, check with the developer to ensure your app is compatible before upgrading.

Along with most of the features in iOS 18 that aren’t specific to the iPhone (like Messages via satellite), iPadOS 18 finally gains a Calculator app that goes well beyond the basics, offering the Math Notes feature that solves equations written with the Apple Pencil. The Notes app gains live audio transcription, styled highlighting, collapsible sections, and Smart Script, which refines your handwriting to be smoother, straighter, and more legible. You can also paste in typed text, correct spelling inline, touch and drag to reflow text, and scratch out writing to delete it. A new tab bar at the top of the screen promises to provide easier navigation in apps and quick access to app sidebars.

tvOS 18

Regardless of when Apple releases tvOS 18, it’s safe to update within a week or two of release, depending on the level to which you depend on your Apple TV.

tvOS 18 introduces several notable features to enhance the Apple TV experience. InSight provides real-time information about actors, characters, and music from Apple TV+ content, similar to Amazon Prime Video’s X-Ray feature. Apple updated the Enhance Dialogue to provide greater vocal clarity for a broader range of speakers. Subtitles have also received enhancements and now automatically appear when you mute the TV or skip back, or when content is in a different language. People with projectors will appreciate the added support for the 21:9 aspect ratio. New screensaver options include Snoopy and Woodstock, Portraits, and scenes from Apple TV+ shows.

If nothing in that list encourages you to upgrade as soon as tvOS 18 ships, let your Apple TV (the fourth-generation model and later) upgrade itself when it gets around to it, assuming you have automatic updates turned on in Settings > System > Software Updates.

visionOS 2

Since the Vision Pro has been out for less than a year and hasn’t seen widespread adoption, most people can upgrade to visionOS 2 shortly after it comes out. People with mobility issues or disabilities that make the Vision Pro an essential aspect of everyday life should probably wait until early adopters have given the upgrade a thumbs up.

The promised new features should enhance the overall Vision Pro experience. New hand gestures let you open the Home View and Control Center more easily. You can also personalize the Home View in a manner similar to moving icons around on the iPhone Home Screen. The Mac Virtual Display feature now supports an ultra-wide display equivalent to two 4K monitors, making it more useful for travelers who need a lot of screen real estate on the road. Beta testers have praised the new capability to convert 2D photos to 3D spatial photos. SharePlay in Photos lets you and other Vision Pro users on a FaceTime call share and interact with spatial photos, videos, and panoramas. There’s a new Bora Bora environment, and whatever environment you’re in, your Magic Keyboard or MacBook keyboard appears in front of you to ease typing. Finally, the Guest User feature now saves your most recent guest’s eye and hand data so they can skip the setup on subsequent uses.

macOS 15 Sequoia

For most of us, the hardest upgrade decision revolves around upgrading your Mac to macOS 15 Sequoia. Most people should be able to upgrade because Apple dropped support only for two MacBook Air models from 2018 and 2019; otherwise, everything that can run macOS 14 Sonoma can upgrade to Sequoia. (If you have one of those MacBook Airs, consider this an excuse to upgrade—you’ll love the current MacBook Air.) The problem with upgrading macOS is that Apple’s changes are seldom more compelling than keeping your Mac working the way it is now. It can take a few months before the apps you use every day all work without compromise.

What capabilities does Sequoia promise? The big one is iPhone mirroring, which will let you view and interact with your iPhone right on your Mac screen. iPhone notifications can appear on your Mac, and later this year, you’ll be able to drag and drop files, photos, and videos between your Mac and iPhone. New window tiling features make it easy to arrange windows in side-by-side tiles on your desktop by dragging or using keyboard or menu shortcuts. Those who do video calls all day will appreciate background replacements and a presenter preview that shows exactly what you’ll share before displaying it to everyone. The new Passwords app appears on the Mac and syncs securely across all your Apple devices. And you’ll enjoy the same updates to Mail, Maps, Messages, Notes, and Photos as are in iOS and iPadOS.

We always encourage caution when upgrading to a new version of macOS. Wait at least a month or two before upgrading your primary Mac to Sonoma. App compatibility is less of a long-term problem with iOS and iPadOS, but many people rely on older Mac apps that may not work in the latest version of macOS. Even once you’re confident that your apps will work adequately in Sequoia, there may be workflow or intra-office compatibility concerns if some people upgrade and others don’t. And, of course, unanticipated bugs could crop up at inconvenient times—important work takes place on Macs!

Please do not upgrade to Sequoia without first checking with us. With luck, the bug fixes and app updates necessary to give the green light will have appeared by the end-of-year break, which provides some welcome downtime during which you can install and spend some time exploring the new features.

(Featured image by Apple)

Use High-Quality Cables for Optimal Performance and Safety

Apple’s prices for Thunderbolt, USB-C, and Lightning cables often seem unnecessarily high. $69 for a Thunderbolt 4 cable or $19 for a simple USB-C to Lightning cable? Unfortunately, when it comes to cables, you often get what you pay for. Happily, other reputable hardware manufacturers like Anker, Belkin, and OWC sell quality cables for less than Apple. When possible, get cables with braided covers, which tend to last longer because the braided design makes them less prone to kinks, less likely to tangle, and more resistant to abrasion.

Stay away from bargain-priced cables from no-name Chinese manufacturers, and if you see a supposedly genuine Apple cable selling for a too-good-to-be-true price, consider the possibility that it’s counterfeit. Apple created a detailed page that explains how to identify counterfeit or uncertified Lightning accessories.

Why spend more on cables? Inexpensive cables are likely to wear out sooner, but the main concern is that many modern cables carry power along with data. A short circuit could result in hardware damage and, in extreme cases, could generate sparks, smoke, or even fire. While fires are extremely unusual, it’s easy to find reports online.

When it comes to damaging hardware, USB-C is much less of a problem than a decade ago, thanks to Google engineer Benson Leung. After a bad USB-C cable fried his Chromebook, he embarked on a one-man crusade to identify good and bad USB-C cables. Due in part to his efforts, Amazon started prohibiting listings of USB-C cables and adapters that weren’t compliant with the USB-C specs. You may still encounter bad cables Amazon hasn’t identified or dodgy cables sold through other retailers, but the danger is lower than it used to be, particularly with cables from name brands.

Although Apple has now standardized on USB-C cables for charging, Lightning cables remain common for older iPhones and iPads. Both are readily available in gas stations and drugstores, but you’ll do best if you stick with cables from brand-name companies. They cost more, but do you trust a cable sold next to tabloids and Twinkies? It will probably work in a pinch if you need to fill in for a lost or forgotten cable on a trip, but don’t rely on it afterward.

Even the best cables will fail if you mistreat them. Follow this advice to ensure a long life for heavily used cables:

  • Don’t create sharp bends in the cable, especially near the connector. Sharp bends can eventually break the insulation and reveal the wires inside. Even before that, if the wires get too close, they can heat up and melt the insulation.
  • When unplugging your device, pull from the plug instead of farther down on the cord to avoid stress on the connection point.
  • When coiling your cables, avoid wrapping them tightly around something that’s not round. A tight wrap can cause kinks that degrade the wires inside.
  • Don’t put heavy objects on cables or sandwich them between a desk and the wall. Anything that compresses the cable can cause damage.
  • iPhones are fairly water resistant, but try to keep the charging port and cable plug clean and away from liquids. Pocket crud or a droplet in the wrong place could cause a short circuit. Because of their metal jackets, USB-C cables are less susceptible than Lightning to such problems, but it’s still worth being careful.
  • If a cable’s insulation ever breaks so you can see the wires inside, discard it immediately. It’s always worth maintaining a collection of a few cables of every type you use so you can replace damaged cables right away.

In the end, the advice is simple. Spend a little more on quality products from reputable manufacturers so you don’t have to worry about a $3 non-compliant USB-C cable damaging your pricey iPhone or worse. What’s worse? Your house burning down.

(Featured image by Adam Engst)

Apple Announces iPhone 16 Lineup, Apple Watch Series 10, and AirPods 4

It’s September, which brings the annual Apple crops: new iPhones, Apple Watches, and AirPods. At its recent Glowtime event, Apple unveiled the new iPhone 16 lineup, Apple Watch Series 10, and AirPods 4, alongside smaller announcements about existing products. As always, the enhancements in the new products are evolutionary, making them attractive to anyone already looking to buy a new iPhone, Apple Watch, or pair of AirPods. But those who are happy with their current Apple devices may not find the changes worth opening their wallets to upgrade. Pre-ordered products will be delivered and become available in stores on September 20.

After the announcement, Apple revealed on its website that all its next-generation operating systems—macOS 15 Sequoia, iOS 18, iPadOS 18, watchOS 11, visionOS 2, tvOS 18, and HomePod Software 18—will ship on September 16. Wait a week or two before upgrading essential devices to avoid any last-minute bugs, and hold off on Sequoia for a few months or until you’re confident your necessary Mac apps are compatible. Regardless of when you upgrade, make a backup right before in case an unexpected problem forces you to erase and restore.

Let’s look at the new products.

iPhone 16 Lineup

Apple has continued its four-part iPhone lineup this year, with the 6.1-inch iPhone 16 and 6.7-inch iPhone 16 Plus aimed at everyday users, and the 6.3-inch iPhone 16 Pro and 6.9-inch iPhone 16 Pro Max for professional users. The aluminum-cased iPhone 16 models come in brighter colors than last year, including black, white, pink, teal, and ultramarine, with color-infused back glass. The iPhone 16 Pro models are once again encased in titanium in muted metallic colors, this time in black, white, natural, and desert titanium.

Notable features shared by all the iPhone 16 models include:

  • Action button: Introduced in the iPhone 15 Pro models last year, the Action button replaces the Ring/Silent switch above the volume buttons (top iPhone below) with a button whose function you can configure. The Action button is now standard across all models.
  • Camera Control: The multifunction Camera Control below the side button provides flexible control of the Camera app (bottom iPhone below). Click it once to open the app; click again to take a photo or click and hold to record a video. A light press lets you access common camera functions by sliding your finger along the Camera Control.
  • A18 and A18 Pro chips for Apple Intelligence: The base iPhone 16 models are now powered by the new A18 chip, and the iPhone 16 Pro models get the faster A18 Pro. This key upgrade ensures the entire lineup will receive Apple Intelligence features once they ship in October in iOS 18.1. As far as we can tell, the Apple Intelligence feature set is the same across the board, but some features may work more quickly on the Pro models.
  • Enhanced photo, video, and audio features: The Pro model cameras are notably more capable, but all iPhone 16 models can now take spatial photos and videos for playback on the Apple Vision Pro. Plus, the new Audio Mix feature lets users adjust the sound of a video after capture to focus on the voice of the person on camera, make it sound like it was recorded in a professional studio, or put voices in front of environmental sound.
  • Longer battery life: Although it’s tricky to provide real-world estimates, Apple increased the battery size and life in all four models, claiming that the iPhone 16 Pro Max has the longest battery life of any iPhone yet.
  • Messages via satellite and Emergency SOS Live Video: With Messages via satellite, you’ll be able to carry on text chats even when there’s no cellular service, and Emergency SOS Live Video lets you share live video with participating 911 dispatchers. Although these features are compelling, they’re also available to the iPhone 14 and iPhone 15 lineups in iOS 18.

The iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus may not be as technologically capable as their Pro siblings, but they’re closer than ever before, thanks to the addition of the Action button, Camera Control, and A18 chip. Other improvements that set them apart from previous models include an improved 48-megapixel Fusion camera and an enhanced 12-megapixel Ultra Wide camera that enables macro photography.

Despite the improvements in the base models, the iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max stand apart with larger screens and advanced pro features. Last year, Apple introduced a 5x Telephoto camera in the iPhone 15 Pro Max thanks to a tetraprism design; both iPhone 16 Pro models now feature that camera. The Ultra Wide camera also jumps from 12 to 48 megapixels, increasing the quality of macro shots. The main 48-megapixel Fusion camera now provides a faster quad-pixel sensor that enables recording of 4K video at 120 frames per second in Dolby Vision. That sensor is twice as fast as before, eliminating shutter lag when taking 48-megapixel ProRAW or HEIF photos. Audio capture is better, too, thanks to four “studio-quality” mics, and machine-learning algorithms reduce wind noise when capturing audio. It’s also worth noting that the Pro models feature USB 3 transfer speeds of up to 10 gigabits per second (with a supported cable), while the base models are still limited to USB 2.0’s pokey 480 megabits per second.

Pricing remains the same, with the iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus starting at $799 and $899 for 128 GB of storage, with 256 GB and 512 GB options. The iPhone 16 Pro costs $999 for 128 GB, with 256 GB, 512 GB, and 1 TB storage options. The iPhone 16 Pro Max is $1199 for 256 GB, with 512 GB and 1 TB storage options. If those prices are too steep for your budget, the iPhone SE ($429), iPhone 14 ($599), and iPhone 15 ($699) all remain for sale, but none of those will support Apple Intelligence.

Should you upgrade? Nothing in the new models is essential. The new Camera Control may encourage upgrades for those who take a lot of photos, and the iPhone 16 Pro’s new 48-megapixel Ultra Wide camera and 5x Telephoto camera are significant. Apple Intelligence features will require an iPhone 15 Pro or iPhone 16. Otherwise, the older your current iPhone, the more you’ll be impressed by the new lineup’s capabilities.

Apple Watch Series 10

Apple surprised many by introducing the Apple Watch Series 10 with a thinner, lighter design that still provides a larger, brighter screen and works with all existing bands. Apple also swapped stainless steel for lighter titanium in the higher-end models. Those expecting a new Apple Watch Ultra were disappointed; the existing Apple Watch Ultra 2 received a new black titanium finish and matching black Titanium Milanese Loop band.

Notable changes in the Apple Watch Series 10 include:

  • Thinner and lighter: The new case is just 9.7 millimeters thick, nearly 10% thinner than recent models. The aluminum models are 10% lighter, whereas the new titanium models are 20% lighter than the previous stainless steel models.
  • Larger, brighter display: The case sizes grow by 1 millimeter to 42mm and 46mm, but Apple increased the display size to provide 30% more screen area than the Apple Watch Series 4–6 and 9% more than the Apple Watch Series 7–9. The display is also 40% brighter when viewed from an angle and so much more power efficient that the Always-On display can now update once per second rather than once per minute.
  • Faster charging: New features in watchOS 11 encourage wearing the watch at night, so Apple made the Apple Watch Series 10 charge to 80% in just 30 minutes. Daily use can be satisfied with 15 minutes of charging, and 8 minutes is all that’s necessary for overnight sleep tracking.
  • Sleep apnea notifications: The Apple Watch Series 10 can identify sleep apnea by detecting interruptions in normal respiratory patterns using the accelerometer. Sleep apnea affects over 1 billion people worldwide, 80% of whom remain undiagnosed. The feature will also appear in watchOS 11 for the Apple Watch Series 9 and Apple Watch Ultra 2.
  • Audio playback through speakers: Apps could generate audio through the speakers of previous Apple Watch models, but they couldn’t play music or podcasts. That’s now possible with the Apple Watch Series 10, letting you listen even if you’ve forgotten your AirPods.
  • Depth and water temperature sensors: Divers will still want to focus on the Apple Watch Ultra 2, but the Apple Watch Series 10 now features a depth gauge that works down to 6 meters and a water temperature sensor.
  • No blood oxygen sensing in the US: Although the pulse oximeter from previous models remains in the hardware and is available in other countries, a patent dispute prevents Apple from enabling it for units sold in the United States. If Apple can settle the dispute, the feature will become available with a software update.

The Apple Watch Series 10 starts at $399 for a 42mm aluminum GPS-only model; 46mm models cost $30 more, and cellular connectivity adds $100. It’s available in silver, rose gold, and a new polished jet black. Pricing for the titanium models starts at $699 for a 42mm model and includes cellular connectivity; the 46mm models are $50 more. Colors include natural, gold, and slate. Rubber and some textile bands are included at no extra cost; other textile and all stainless steel bands cost $50 to $300 more.

If you don’t already have an Apple Watch Series 9 or Apple Watch Ultra 2, the sleep apnea notifications might be reason enough to upgrade. Being able to listen to podcasts without AirPods might also be compelling for some. Otherwise, there’s little reason to upgrade from an older but fully functional model. That said, the Apple Watch Series 10 is an excellent option for those getting started or upgrading from a much older version. Don’t forget that Apple still sells the Apple Watch SE, which lacks the Always-On display and ECG capabilities but is $150 cheaper. Apple’s comparison page can help you tease out the differences.

AirPods 4, USB-C AirPods Max, and Hearing Aid Feature for AirPods Pro

Apple released a notable update to its AirPods open-ear headphones, refining the AirPods 4 design to provide a single shape that fits more users. It boasts better sound quality thanks to a new acoustic architecture, low-distortion driver, and high dynamic range amplifier. With help from Apple’s custom H2 chip, the new AirPods provide Personalized Spatial Audio with dynamic head tracking, add voice isolation for clearer call quality in challenging environments, and let you respond to Siri announcements by nodding your head yes or shaking it no. The charging case now uses USB-C and can charge wirelessly using a MagSafe, Apple Watch, or Qi charger.

In fact, there are two models of the AirPods 4. (Really, Apple?) The AirPods 4 with Active Noise Cancellation retain the industrial design of the standard AirPods 4 but upgrade the microphones to add modes previously available only on the AirPods Pro, including Noise Cancellation (reduces environmental noise), Transparency (allows environmental noise through), Adaptive Audio (intelligently combines the two), and Conversation Awareness (lowers media volume and reduces background sounds when you start speaking).

Perhaps even more interesting are the changes Apple is bringing to the existing AirPods Pro 2. To improve hearing health, Apple has leveraged findings from the Apple Hearing Study. All modes now feature Hearing Protection, which automatically reduces louder, intermittent noises. A new Hearing Test feature, triggered from an iPhone or iPad, helps users check their hearing. Most notably, a new Hearing Aid feature leverages the personalized profile generated from the Hearing Test to boost nearby sounds, turning the AirPods Pro into what Apple calls a “clinical-grade hearing aid” for mild to moderate hearing loss. These features will be available later this year with iOS 18 or iPadOS 18.

Finally, Apple refreshed the AirPods Max line of over-ear headphones with new colors—midnight, starlight, blue, orange, and purple—and USB-C charging capabilities.

The standard model of the AirPods 4 costs $129, while the AirPods 4 with Active Noise Cancellation are $179. The AirPods Pro 2 remain priced at $249, and the AirPods Max are still $549. It may be hard to justify upgrading from existing AirPods that work fine, but keep these features in mind when it comes time to replace a pair of lost or broken AirPods.

(Featured image by Apple)

When Should You “Ignore Ownership” on an External Drive?

Under the hood, macOS relies on Unix, which is a multi-user operating system. That’s why a Mac can host multiple users who, as long as they don’t know each other’s passwords, cannot see each other’s files. To maintain each user’s privacy, macOS relies on permissions that specify who can do what with any given file or folder. For the most part, permissions work how they’re supposed to, letting you work with all your files and keep any other users on the Mac out of your stuff.

Where things can get tricky is with external drives. In some situations, permissions can prevent you from accessing files written to an external drive on one Mac from another Mac. That happens because the first admin user account created on a Mac is given the UniqueID of 501, regardless of its name. (Because, Unix.) If you create additional accounts, they get UniqueIDs of 502, 503, and so on. Again, the names are irrelevant; all that matters is the UniqueID.

If you write files to an external drive while logged into the 501 admin account on one Mac but then try to access those files from an account with any other UniqueID on that Mac or any other, macOS won’t let you. No 503 account, for instance, can access a 501 account’s files.

There are tweaky Unix solutions to this problem, but Apple realized this would be an issue from the early days of Mac OS X and provided a single-click solution: the “Ignore ownership on this volume” checkbox. When selected, it tells macOS to pay no attention to permissions for all the files and folders on a drive, regardless of what that might mean.

To access this setting, select the drive in the Finder, choose File > Get Info, and expand the Sharing & Permissions section at the bottom. Before you can select the checkbox, click the lock icon and enter your admin password when prompted.

There are three scenarios where enabling “Ignore ownership on this volume” is helpful:

  • Multi-user access: Imagine that you share a Mac with family members or colleagues. You want to keep your email and text message conversations private but need to share numerous other large files stored on an external drive. (For just a few files, use the Shared folder alongside your user folders.) By enabling “Ignore ownership,” you can be certain that all users of the Mac can do whatever they need to with those files.
  • Access from multiple Macs: Suppose you have a portable SSD containing video files you want to display from any Mac. Perhaps they’re canned business presentations or home videos. Since you cannot know what the UniqueID of the current account on any given Mac will be, selecting “Ignore ownership” will ensure that you can open your videos regardless.
  • Juggling user accounts: Although it’s a bad idea to do this willy-nilly, some people regularly create and delete accounts for their own use. Since all the accounts are used by a single person, they don’t think about permissions as an issue, but macOS does unless they select “Ignore ownership.”

In general, when using an external drive to move files between accounts, people, or Macs, select “Ignore ownership” to prevent pesky permissions problems.

But that doesn’t mean you should turn on “Ignore ownership” in every situation. There are some situations where enabling the setting would be inappropriate because it’s essential to preserve permissions:

  • Boot drives: macOS itself relies on specific permissions and won’t even show the checkbox for boot drives. If you’re planning to install macOS on an external drive and use it to boot a Mac (Apple provides instructions), make sure not to select “Ignore ownership” before starting.
  • Time Machine drives: Time Machine cares deeply about maintaining correct permissions, so you should not enable “Ignore ownership” on a drive that you plan to use with Time Machine. After Time Machine starts backing up to a drive, the “Ignore ownership” checkbox disappears.
  • Bootable duplicates and other backups: Similarly, if you’re using Carbon Copy Cloner or SuperDuper to create a bootable duplicate of your boot drive, “Ignore ownership” must be unchecked. Retrospect also warns users to turn off “Ignore ownership” on backup and restore drives to ensure that permissions are preserved. Other backup apps likely have similar requirements.

One last thought. If you run into permissions-related problems reading files from an external drive, it’s worth enabling “Ignore ownership” to see if that resolves your issues. If it doesn’t, or if the problems keep cropping up in different contexts, contact us.

(Featured image based on an original by iStock.com/Rawpixel)

Make the Most of the Mac’s Videoconferencing Capabilities

A side effect of the pandemic is that online videoconferencing improved drastically. Video calls happened before 2020, but videoconferencing wasn’t an everyday activity for most people. Now, with many people working remotely or in a hybrid model, it’s a fact of business life. To support videoconferencing tools, Apple has extended macOS’s basic webcam and microphone capabilities to allow Mac-powered video calls to go beyond the basics. Apple’s enhancements fall into four categories: camera modes and controls, mic modes, reactions, and Presenter Overlay.

Camera Modes and Controls

Apple’s most important additions rely on machine learning to enhance your image or the background. Because of the significant camera and CPU requirements for these features, they require specific setups. All work with any Mac using a sufficiently recent iPhone (excluding the iPhone SE) with Continuity Camera, but several also work with a Mac’s camera.

Here’s what you can do in macOS 14 Sonoma (these features are also available in macOS 13 Ventura’s Control Center, under Video Effects). To access the controls for these features, click the Video menu in the menu bar—it appears whenever the camera is active, but not before. Click each feature to turn it on (green) or off (gray), and each has additional settings you can reveal by clicking the > to the right.

  • Center Stage: Use Center Stage to stay centered in the frame as you move around during the call—it’s great for those who work at standing desks and dislike standing still, but be careful if you leave room clutter near the edge of your camera’s view, because it may be revealed as you move. You can choose between the iPhone’s Main and Ultra Wide cameras; experiment to see which you prefer. It requires an iPhone 11 or later over Continuity Camera or a Mac with Apple silicon using an Apple Studio Display.
  • Portrait: Rather than replace the background like many apps allow, Portrait blurs the background to keep the focus on you. Its slider lets you control the blur level. It works with an iPhone XR or later via Continuity Camera and on Macs with Apple silicon using a built-in webcam or Apple Studio Display. (Zoom and other apps add a Background item to the Video menu as well; Portrait blurs virtual backgrounds, too.)
  • Studio Light: If your room has poor lighting, Studio Light can improve your appearance by dimming the background and illuminating your face. Move the slider to adjust the lighting to your liking. Its Continuity Camera requirements specify an iPhone 12 or later, or a Mac with Apple silicon using its built-in webcam or an Apple Studio Display.
  • Desk View: This mode leverages the Ultra Wide camera of the iPhone 12 or later via Continuity Camera to display both your desk and your face simultaneously, which could help show off physical sketches or other objects. It launches a separate Desk View app and requires additional setup beyond what we can document here. Set aside some time to become familiar with it before attempting to use it in a call.
  • Manual controls: If you’re not using Center Stage, you can zoom, pan, and recenter your face in the frame. Move your pointer over the video preview, after which you can drag the zoom control left or right, drag your image within the frame to pan, and click Recenter to reset any zooming and panning changes you’ve made. These controls require an iPhone XR or later via Continuity Camera, or any Mac connected to an Apple Studio Display.

Mic Modes

Apple also uses machine learning to enhance your audio, providing spatial audio and two special modes: voice isolation and wide spectrum. To switch between these modes, click Mic Mode in the Video menu or the Audio menu in the menu bar—the latter appears if a running app only does audio and the microphone is active. (Again, these are available for Ventura users under Mic Mode in Control Center.) Here’s what they offer:

  • Voice isolation: Use this option to focus on your voice and reduce background sounds in your environment. It’s a good choice for standard video calls.
  • Wide spectrum: This option captures your voice and the sounds in the environment around you. Choose it if you want the other parties to hear music being played or other ambient sounds.
  • Spatial audio: For multi-person calls, spatial audio makes the voices you hear sound like they’re coming from where each person is positioned on the screen. It doesn’t appear alongside the others; we assume it’s included in Standard mode. It requires wired headphones, a Mac laptop using its internal speakers, or an Apple silicon Mac using AirPods.

Reactions

While Apple’s camera and mic modes are generally useful, many people have issues with the Reactions feature, which fills your frame with a 3D effect when you make the associated hand gesture. The problem is that you can inadvertently make such a gesture when it would be highly inappropriate. Imagine filling the screen with balloons while you’re on an important call with a client’s CEO or, if you’re a therapist, accidentally shooting off fireworks while talking through sensitive issues with a patient. Reactions include hearts, balloons, thumbs up, thumbs down, rain, confetti, fireworks, and lasers.

You can turn off the Reactions feature entirely in the Video menu, and we recommend doing so unless all your video calls are informal and light-hearted. When it’s off, you can manually trigger a reaction by clicking its icon in the Video menu.

As with other video-related features, the Reactions feature requires a Mac with Apple silicon or a Mac using Continuity Camera with an iPhone 12 or later.

Presenter Overlay

One problem with sharing your screen while videoconferencing is that the audience no longer sees you. That’s appropriate when everyone should focus on the shared screen, but in other situations, the audience may tune out if they can’t see you. Apple designed Presenter Overlay to combat that problem—it merges your image with the screen you’re sharing. The Large option puts your shared screen behind you, like a news presenter, whereas the Small option shows your face in a movable bubble, so you stay on screen without obscuring much content.

To start using Presenter Overlay, start sharing your screen using the screen-sharing feature of the videoconferencing app you’re using. Then click the Screen Sharing menu in the menu bar, expand the Presenter Overlay section if necessary, and select Large or Small. The video preview shows what your audience sees. (Presenter Overlay has been somewhat flaky in our testing for reasons we don’t understand. If the controls don’t show up, try switching cameras or restarting screen sharing.)

In Large mode, you can move the shared screen to your other side by moving your pointer over the video preview and clicking the button with opposing arrows. In Small mode, you can move your bubble (it’s on your main screen, not the preview window) by dragging it to the desired position.

If you fell into specific videoconferencing habits in the early days of the pandemic, take a few minutes to explore the options that Apple now makes available for improving your video, audio, and presentations. And turn off the Reactions feature if you don’t want to be surprised by an accidental gesture triggering an effect at a potentially awkward time.

(Featured image by Adam Engst)

Five Quick Tips to Ease iPhone and iPad Text Editing and Amaze Your Friends

A friend recently expressed astonishment when she saw us using trackpad mode while editing text on an iPhone. (It works on the iPad, too!) So, even if you already know these tips, do your friends a favor and show them:

  • Tap once to position the insertion point at the start or end of a word.
  • Touch and hold to reveal the magnifier and move the insertion point within words .
  • Touch and hold the Space bar to turn the entire keyboard into a virtual trackpad that lets you move the insertion point above . On the iPad, you can also touch and hold with two fingers anywhere on the keyboard.
  • Double-tap to select a word; keep dragging to select more text, one word at a time .
  • Triple-tap to select an entire paragraph.

(Featured image by Adam Engst with keys from MXW Photo)

Having Trouble with a Public Wi-Fi Network’s Captive Portal Login Page?

When you connect to a public Wi-Fi network at an airport, hotel, coffee shop, or school, you may need to interact with a captive portal login page to be granted access to the network. It might require you to enter login credentials, ask for your name, or make you agree to terms of service. But what if that login page doesn’t appear, or something kicks you off the network and you can’t reconnect? In Safari, navigate to captive.apple.com, which should force the captive portal to display its login page again. If that doesn’t work, remove any custom DNS servers and restart. On the Mac, find custom DNS servers in System Settings > Network > Wi-Fi > Details > DNS. On an iPhone or iPad, go to Settings > Wi-Fi > Network Name > Configure DNS and choose Automatic.

(Featured image based on an original by iStock.com/CreativaImages)

Protect Domains That Don’t Send Email from Email Spoofing

We recently wrote an article for those who manage their own Internet domain names about using SPF, DKIM, and DMARC to prevent your domains from being used in phishing attacks and enhance the deliverability of legitimate email. But what about other domains you own but don’t use for email? To make phishing attacks more believable, spammers sometimes forge email so it appears to come from parked domains that aren’t protected. You can use SPF, DKIM, and DMARC to ensure that forged email that seems to come from your unused domains isn’t accepted. The details are too specific to go into here, but Cloudflare has an excellent article outlining what you need to do.

(Featured image based on an original by iStock.com/Igor Kutyaev)

Be Careful When Scanning Unknown QR Codes

QR codes, those square, blocky codes you scan with your iPhone’s camera to load a Web page, have become ubiquitous. So much so that we seldom pause before scanning any QR code we see. But if you think about it, that’s the same as clicking random links in emails or texts, which is a terrible idea from a security perspective. “Quishing” (QR code phishing) isn’t commonplace yet, but some sources say there are thousands of cases per month. To avoid falling victim to a quishing scam, only scan QR codes from trusted sources, try to verify what a code will do once scanned, and evaluate the yellow URL preview Safari provides (when using other browsers, all you see is Open in Browser Name). Finally, always install iOS security updates promptly because they often address vulnerabilities that could be exploited with malicious data.

(Featured image based on an original by iStock.com/B4LLS)