O'Grady's PowerPage

  • Apple releases AirTag 2 firmware update, chases after unknown AirTag issues

    Apple releases AirTag 2 firmware update, chases after unknown AirTag issues

    It’s not the biggest firmware update in the world, but if you’re an AirTag 2 owner, it could come in handy.

    Apple has released a new firmware update, version 3.0.45, which addresses a privacy/security issue in which an AirTag that isn’t yours, or that you may not have permitted, has been located as traveling with you. In such a case, you can locate the offending AirTag with Precision Finding and cause it to make a beeping noise.

    This, in turn, may help to alleviate some tracking concerns that have been prevalent since the original AirPods were released in 2022.

    The update only applies to the new second-generation AirTags,

    Apple’s change log notes have cited the change as follows:

    • Updates the unwanted tracking sound to more easily locate an unknown AirTag during Precision Finding.
    • Bug fixes and other improvements.

    It’s unknown as to how Apple has changed the tracking sound, but the fix appears to be similar to the update Apple delivered to the original AirTag in 2022. Back then, Apple adjusted the tone sequence to make unknown AirTags easier to find.

    While there’s no way to force the AirTags to update their firmware, and you’ll have to wait until they’re within Bluetooth range of your iPhone, if you want to see the firmware version of your AirTags, follow these steps:

    • Open the Find My app.
    • Tap the Items tab.
    • Select your AirTag in the list of items.
    • Tap the name of your AirTag, and the serial number and firmware version will appear.

    Stay tuned for additional details as they become available.

    Via Macworld and support.apple.com

  • Apple offers $400 discount on Studio Display XDR, makes VESA mount optional during buying process

    Apple offers $400 discount on Studio Display XDR, makes VESA mount optional during buying process

    If you’re hankering for Apple’s nifty-but-rather-pricey Studio Display XDR, it’s now available at a $400 discount if you snag it without a stand.

    The display has received a rare Apple price drop, wherein it had debuted at a starting price of $3,299 last month, whether you opted for the model with VESA mount or the model with Apple’s tilt-adjustable stand.

    Apple has quietly updated the pricing for the unit to make the VESA mount option $400 cheaper, bringing the price down to $2,899.

    Alongside the pricing strategy change, Apple has also tweaked the purchasing flow on Apple.com to make the new default price tiers for the Studio Display XDR more evident.

    Prior to this, the first step of the buy flow on the website presented the user with a choice of glass texture, either standard or nano-texture. With the pricing update, the glass choice is now the second step in the buy flow, while the choice of the stand is now the first option. This ensures that the lowest entry-price configuration is now the first choice seen by the buyer.

    Unfortunately, the cheaper non-XDR Studio Display has not been extended the same courtesy. Whether you pick the Studio Display stand or VESA mount option, they are both still offered at the same $1,599 price. On the base Studio Display, you only get a tilt-adjustable stand as standard. The height-adjustable version remains a $400 upgrade.

    Stay tuned for additional details as they become available.

    Via 9to5Mac and Apple

  • Apple issues security update for iOS 18 users, focuses on DarkSword exploit

    Apple issues security update for iOS 18 users, focuses on DarkSword exploit

    It’s not often that Apple issues a security update for a substantially older operating system. Still, when a hefty exploit comes out, there are exceptions to the rule.

    Apple on Wednesday will issue software updates to devices still running iOS 18 to protect them from an exploit called DarkSword, which can silently take over an iPhone if it visits a website infected with the malicious code.

    Apple devices running iOS 26 are already protected against DarkSword, but Apple has surprisingly taken the time to issue a patch for iOS 18 users who’ve decided not to update to iOS 26, even if their iPhone suppport it.

    Apple offered the following comment to Wired:

    “Tomorrow we are enabling the availability of an iOS 18 update for more devices so users with auto-update enabled can automatically receive important security protections. We encourage all users with supported devices to update to iOS 26 to receive our most advanced protections.”

    As usual, iPhone users can install the updates by opening up the Settings app, going to General, and selecting the Software Update option. Those with automatic updates turned on will see the new software installed automatically.

    This marks the second time in the last few weeks that Apple has issued a critical update to iPhones running out-of-date operating systems. Back on March 11, the company issued a patch to protect users from a different iOS hacking toolkit known as Coruna. The patch was for older devices that can’t run iOS 26. Apple recommended that everyone else update to the latest OS version that their device supports.

    The practice of protecting an older operating system version is known in the cybersecurity world as “backporting,” and it tends to be avoided as companies focus on current operating system versions.

    Per Google, the DarkSword exploit has been used by various hacker groups to break into the iPhones of users in Malaysia, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and Ukraine. Last week, the exploit kit was posted to the open-source code repository GitHub, making it even more likely to be used by bad actors.

    Stay tuned for additional details as they become available.

    Via MacRumors, Wired, and Google

  • Rumor: Apple’s upgraded version of Siri will allow for multiple commands to be issued at once

    Rumor: Apple’s upgraded version of Siri will allow for multiple commands to be issued at once

    Despite its delays, Apple seems to be shooting for the moon with the revamped Siri.

    According to Bloomberg, the revamped agent may be able to understand multiple commands in a single sentence. Back in 2023, Apple added the ability for Siri to take back-to-back commands, asking one after another without pausing to say “Siri,” or “Hey, Siri.” The new format will be able to string the command together without having to pause and ask for something else.

    The new feature is rumored to be in testing and will reportedly appear in iOS 27, macOS 27, and iPadOS 27, which will be announced at WWDC 2026.

    Anonymous sources close to the story have said that certain new Siri features are being labelled internally as “Preview,” which could imply that they’ll arrive after the initial launches of Apple’s upcoming operating systems, or could be released as beta test versions.

    It’s rumored that these changes will allow Siri to better compete with other AI voice assistants, such as ChatGPT. The future version of Siri is expected to also work as a chatbot that will summarize internet information through what Apple calls World Knowledge Answers.

    If Apple stays true to form, though, this means the new Siri may be available to developers and beta testers in June 2026 — but the public won’t see it until September.

    Stay tuned for additional details as they become available.

    Via AppleInsider and Bloomberg