Headline, July 02 2022/ ''' '' STUDENTS -SMARTPHONE- STARTLES '' '''

''' '' STUDENTS -SMARTPHONE-

 STARTLES '' '''

PHONE UPDATES - INCREMENTAL AND OVERDUE : AROUND THIS TIME EVERY YEAR - OUR SMARTPHONES become a reminder to always be ready for change.

That's because Apple and Google announce updates to the operating systems that power our iPhones and Android phones.

Soon, the software that makes the devices tick will have design tweaks and new features - in other words new things to learn.

This month, Apple introduced iOS 16, the next version of its iPhone operating system. It will include new features like a redesigned lock screen and the ability to edit text messages.

Last Month, Google introduced Android 13, which features a streamlined wallet app for storing credit cards and important documents like vaccine records. Both companies also said they were improving their apps for sending text messages.

The new iPhone and Android operating systems will arrive on our phones as free updates in autumn.

Apple and Google often accompany these software updates with grandiose language and promises. ''Today we're going to push our platforms further than ever,'' Timothy D. Cook, Apple's chief executive, said in a prerecorded video for the event announcing the new software.

But in reality, lots of the changes - especially the ability to retroactively edit a text - are incremental improvements that feel as if they should have happened a long time ago. Here are the most noteworthy updates to look for.

REVISING THE IPHONE LOCK SCREEN

Apple said it was making a change to the first thing anyone sees when using an iPhone : the lock screen.

In the past, people could modify only the wallpaper on their lockscreens. But with IOS 16, iPhone users can customize the lock screen by choosing from different fonts and colors for the clock.

People will also be able to pin ''widgets'' which are essentially shortcuts to apps like the phone's calendar and fitness data tracker, to the lock screen.

These customizations could help us tailor our phones to our lifestyles. Consider that the new software will let an iPhone user create a number of custom lock screens for different occasions.

For example a lock screen dedicated to work could show a wallpaper of your office building and contain a calendar widget with your next meeting appointment. A lock screen for personal time could show a wallpaper of your dog and an exercise widget.

The idea is that people will be able to switch among lock screens to better accommodate their needs throughout the day.

EXPANDING MESSAGING APPS

GOOGLE is building into its messaging app a technology called Rich Communication Services, which can send high-resolution images and large files. It will also let people create group conversations, as most modern messaging apps do.

Apple, meanwhile, is making changes to iMessage so that iPhone users can edit or recall messages after they are sent. Retroactive message editing, which would spare us the embarrassment of bizarre autocorrect typos or the accidental pocket text, has been a feature people have wanted for.

BEEFING UP USER PRIVACY

These dates, no software update would be complete without a Big Tech company's proclaiming that it cares about our privacy.

That's because the tech companies want users to feel safe sharing personal data, especially as European regulators and others have cracked down on them over the issue.

So naturally, Apple and Google said they were offering more protections to user data in their next operating systems.

Apple, which has long allowed iPhone users to give family members and romantic partners permanent access to their location data, said it would provide deeper controls for such data sharing, should an intimate relationship go awry.

Its new software feature, Safety Check, will let people quickly review and revoke access to such data so that they can protect their information from abusers.

Google said it would give users more control over what data was shared with third-party apps.

In the next version of Android, people will also be able to give apps access to just certain photos instead of their entire camera roll - a measure of protection against malicious apps that disguise themselves as photo-editing software.

IN ONGOING CONCLUSION

IF many of the tweaks feel long overdue, that's because they are. Just as smartphone hardware upgrades have become more and more incremental, the software is also inching toward becoming better - but unremarkably so.

The Honour and Serving of the Latest Global Operational Research on Technology, iPhone and the esteemed users, continues. The World Students Society thanks author Brian X. Chen.

With respectful dedication to all the esteemed users of Smartphones, Tech Giants, Apple, Google, Samsung, and then Students, Professors and Teachers of the world.

See Ya all prepare and register for Great Global Elections on The World Students Society - for every subject in the world : wssciw.blogspot.com and Twitter - !E-WOW! - The Ecosystem 2011 :

Good Night and God Bless

SAM Daily Times - the Voice of the Voiceless