Apple |OT|

[RockAction]

not sure if this is the place to ask but has anyone on a recent enough Intel MacBook Pro (2016-2019) updated to Monterey?

I have a 2019 MacBook Pro 13" / i5 / 8GB Touch Bar

Currently running on 11.6.4 and its fine

Honestly has never really been great even on Catalina. I heard it bricked some intel MacBooks, but other people reported that it breathes new life into intel MacBooks.

Also the keyboard is fucked! So I'll probably not updated until after I get it back but good to know if its worth doing.

If they send back a keyboard fixed I might just sell this thing because its been such a disappointment since I got it honestly, underperforming for a "Pro", terrible battery life. Just not great.

Had a 2007 MacBook for 10 years, still use a 2011 iMac, runs fine. Hoping these M1s are as good as they seem because I kind of just want rid of this thing.

Anyway, how is Monterey?

thanks

 

[ara]

Subbed to Apple Arcade some days ago and now I'm yet again second guessing my decision to get one of the recent Samsung tablets lol. There are some really fucking solid games for iOS out there, and the whole Arcade thing itself rules since it's always the ads and microtransactions that push me away. Starting to feel like a ridiculous idea to get an Android tablet just for the OLED display, considering there's a very real possibility that the app/game experience will be a big step back.

God, I wish Apple had just stuck with OLED displays for iPad Pros. I could get the bigger one and be happy forever. I'm sure the displays they use right now are good too, but the blooming has me slightly concerned. Apparently the new Macbooks are much better about that, at least, so maybe we'll get drastically improved iPad Pros soon-ish, too...?

 

[grmlin]

All I can say is that the blooming on my 12.9" Pro is only an issue in complete darkness. Other than that it's probably the best screen I ever used on any device, and I own a LG OLED In my living room, an OLED ThinkPad... it's just such a fantastic tablet. There are reports about OLED screens coming to non Pro iPads though, I would wait for the March event and see what they add to the lineup.

Also, yes, Arcade is fantastic. The launch was rough but now there is just so much content, without ads, without nonsense. Also many classics revived, which I love.

 

[ara]

All I can say is that the blooming on my 12.9" Pro is only an issue in complete darkness. Other than that it's probably the best screen I ever used on any device, and I own a LG OLED In my living room, an OLED ThinkPad... it's just such a fantastic tablet. There are reports about OLED screens coming to non Pro iPads though, I would wait for the March event and see what they add to the lineup.

Also, yes, Arcade is fantastic. The launch was rough but now there is just so much content, without ads, without nonsense. Also many classics revived, which I love.

Click to shrink...

Ya, it does sound like the blooming is a non-issue 90% of the time, but as you can probably tell, I'm constantly second guessing my decisions, hahah.

But yeah, I can't afford a new tablet anyway for a couple more months, so I'll have to wait for the March event anyway. Incidentally, do we have a potential timeline for new iPad Pro updates? Later this year? Next year?

Edit: this year, is the current rumor, maybe even "the first part of 2022". I'll wait for that, then.

 

[timeforsana]

The Music app on Mac is so god damn buggy. App is a mess.

 

[Fliesen]

The Music app on Mac is so god damn buggy. App is a mess.

Click to shrink...

On my macMini which is exclusively used as a Plex Media Server - whenever I "screen share" into it, the music app is on a "please enter your AppleID password" loop that doesn't go away …

Have to force quit the music app (no idea why it would even start. The macMini is scheduled to shut down at 1am and boot up at 6am)

 

[Kopite]

Is there a way to disable, turn down the brightness on a DS4 connected to an iPad? I'm using it for Steam Link, but despite trying to lower the brightness on Steam Big Picture it doesn't seem to affect the DS4 at all (I assume that's overridden by the iOS setting)

 

[Book One]

Subbed to Apple Arcade some days ago and now I'm yet again second guessing my decision to get one of the recent Samsung tablets lol. There are some really fucking solid games for iOS out there, and the whole Arcade thing itself rules since it's always the ads and microtransactions that push me away. Starting to feel like a ridiculous idea to get an Android tablet just for the OLED display, considering there's a very real possibility that the app/game experience will be a big step back.

Click to shrink...

when i spent time with Android tablets in the past, it was pretty obvious that devs or google didn't really care at all about the tablet form factor, as apps were really lacking. Don't know if that's improved much over the years. and yeah, arcade has a very solid library.

i get why people would want the oled display, i have an oled tv and it's fantastic, but i often find when people are making android tablet recommendation over an ipad they usually aren't using many apple products anyway and/or are more interested in things like emulation. iPad screens have always been fantastic even if not OLED. My pro is 2 years old and if the mini led rumors for the 11" ipad pro are true I'll probably look to upgrade to that soon. The trade off of losing oled in that instance is not big enough to overcome android tablet shortcomings imo.

 

[Sec0nd]

What are the current rumors and expectations for a 27" M1 iMac reveal date?

My 2015 iMac is finally starting to struggle keeping up with my work requirements. And I'm finding more and more reasons to switch to a PC, mostly gaming related. But I really don't want to switch away from Apple for various reasons, especially since I expect the 27" M1 to be nuts. But I'm definitely eyeing PC builds more and more, and it'd be great to have some sort of time frame for my decision, lol.

 

[Sonix]

What are the current rumors and expectations for a 27" M1 iMac reveal date?

My 2015 iMac is finally starting to struggle keeping up with my work requirements. And I'm finding more and more reasons to switch to a PC, mostly gaming related. But I really don't want to switch away from Apple for various reasons, especially since I expect the 27" M1 to be nuts. But I'm definitely eyeing PC builds more and more, and it'd be great to have some sort of time frame for my decision, lol.

Click to shrink...

Either March 8th (current rumored date for the next event) or around May / WWDC.

 

[Sec0nd]

Either March 8th (current rumored date for the next event) or around May / WWDC.

Click to shrink...

Oh, that's a lot sooner than I was expecting. Was fearing an end of year announcement.

 

[SwampBastard]

About a month ago, I got my first iPhone (13 mini) that I've had in ~6 years. It has mostly been fine, but I have had loads of trouble with the Messages app. This morning I started a group text with five other people from the Messages app on my MacBook. Three of the people have iPhones and the other two have Android devices. The group message went out fine, but when replies started coming in, they were coming back as one-on-one messages instead of being inside the group chat. I've confirmed that the 'Group Messaging' option for Messages is enabled. I also have not had problems with this in other cross-platform group chats, but I think this is the first time I've started one since I've been back on iOS, and it's definitely the first time I've started one from my MacBook. Is there something else I should be looking at to make sure everything stays in one group?

 

[japtor]

About a month ago, I got my first iPhone (13 mini) that I've had in ~6 years. It has mostly been fine, but I have had loads of trouble with the Messages app. This morning I started a group text with five other people from the Messages app on my MacBook. Three of the people have iPhones and the other two have Android devices. The group message went out fine, but when replies started coming in, they were coming back as one-on-one messages instead of being inside the group chat. I've confirmed that the 'Group Messaging' option for Messages is enabled. I also have not had problems with this in other cross-platform group chats, but I think this is the first time I've started one since I've been back on iOS, and it's definitely the first time I've started one from my MacBook. Is there something else I should be looking at to make sure everything stays in one group?

Click to shrink...

I think the main thing I'd check for is the outgoing settings on the Mac (in Messages app preferences I think) and iPhone (under Settings -> Messages I think). Like maybe it sent from your iMessage linked email rather than your phone number, which would probably mess with a group with non iMessage recipients.

 

[SwampBastard]

I think the main thing I'd check for is the outgoing settings on the Mac (in Messages app preferences I think) and iPhone (under Settings -> Messages I think). Like maybe it sent from your iMessage linked email rather than your phone number, which would probably mess with a group with non iMessage recipients.

Click to shrink...

Thank you for your reply. I have done more digging and this seems to be the intended functionality when you send a group message that includes anyone who deigns to use Android. This is so stupid.

 

[Book One]

Thank you for your reply. I have done more digging and this seems to be the intended functionality when you send a group message that includes anyone who deigns to use Android. This is so stupid.

Click to shrink...

Do you have 'Send as SMS' enabled in settings under Messages? I would maybe try that and if that doesn't make a difference try forming the group again after turning it on.

The iMessage compatibility is part of the problem, true,but I'm not sure it's the whole reason. I have a group with two other friends, one is on Android. His media functions are more basic, but we don't have an issue with his replies not coming in.

I know he's using a newer Samsung phone, but don't really know his setup beyond that.

 

[SwampBastard]

Do you have 'Send as SMS' enabled in settings under Messages? I would maybe try that and if that doesn't make a difference try forming the group again after turning it on.

The iMessage compatibility is part of the problem, true,but I'm not sure it's the whole reason. I have a group with two other friends, one is on Android. His media functions are more basic, but we don't have an issue with his replies not coming in.

I know he's using a newer Samsung phone, but don't really know his setup beyond that.

Click to shrink...

Yes, I have that setting enabled in Messages. I really don't understand the problem. I was in group chats with co-workers on iOS for years and never had issues with them getting broken up into individual message threads.

EDIT: I just did a test with friends on different platforms. If I start a group chat from the Messages app on my Mac, it comes across as individual messages. If I start it from my phone, it comes across as a group chat, and I can reply from my Mac without splitting it up.

 

[grmlin]

iOS question:

whenever my son tries to install something from the App Store, I got a request in the past. On my phone, my iPad, and even my wife got one. Now: nothing. Nowhere. Is there anything I can do about it? Any ideas? I tried turning it on and off in the family settings already, without luck

 

[Ambitious]

Save your Phantom wallet details in 1Password | 1Password

Phantom wallet owners can now use the Save in 1Password button to instantly save their wallet details in 1Password.

blog.1password.com

Oh great, they're adding support for crypto shit. 🙄

 

[Book One]

Yes, I have that setting enabled in Messages. I really don't understand the problem. I was in group chats with co-workers on iOS for years and never had issues with them getting broken up into individual message threads.

EDIT: I just did a test with friends on different platforms. If I start a group chat from the Messages app on my Mac, it comes across as individual messages. If I start it from my phone, it comes across as a group chat, and I can reply from my Mac without splitting it up.

Click to shrink...

Interesting. So a Mac thing, then, which would explain why I don't see it on my phone as I don't use a Mac. Probably related to Wi-Fi/cellular then as the Mac is only referencing one.

 

[Futureman]

is there some way to force a MBP to charge to 100%?

I think the 80% thing is to preserve battery health, but I've been using it a lot lately and just opened up at work and it only put me up to 80% last night. Kind of annoying now I only have 80% for the day (should last but still).

 

[Sonix]

is there some way to force a MBP to charge to 100%?

I think the 80% thing is to preserve battery health, but I've been using it a lot lately and just opened up at work and it only put me up to 80% last night. Kind of annoying now I only have 80% for the day (should last but still).

Click to shrink...

I think when you open the battery menu in the menu bar, there is a "Charge now" button which triggers a full charge.

Edit:

 

[HououinKyouma]

Does file type matter on the iPhone when sending photos/videos taken on the phone to Android users? So for example, I'm in a bunch of group chats where the majority of the users have Androids. I have my photos/videos set to capture through "High Efficiency," so it's saving those files as HEIF/HEVC. Does anyone know if that impacts the quality of the photos or videos when sending through MMS? I imagine there's going to be compression with MMS no matter what, but I'm curious about High Efficiency vs. Most Compatible in this case.

 

[japtor]

Does file type matter on the iPhone when sending photos/videos taken on the phone to Android users? So for example, I'm in a bunch of group chats where the majority of the users have Androids. I have my photos/videos set to capture through "High Efficiency," so it's saving those files as HEIF/HEVC. Does anyone know if that impacts the quality of the photos or videos when sending through MMS? I imagine there's going to be compression with MMS no matter what, but I'm curious about High Efficiency vs. Most Compatible in this case.

Click to shrink...

What's supposed to happen is that HEIC/HEVC files get converted to JPEG or MP4 on the fly as needed in certain cases, and I imagine MMS is one of them. But yeah even in Most Compatible I imagine it's still downsampling from original quality anyway.

 

[HououinKyouma]

What's supposed to happen is that HEIC/HEVC files get converted to JPEG or MP4 on the fly as needed in certain cases, and I imagine MMS is one of them. But yeah even in Most Compatible I imagine it's still downsampling from original quality anyway.

Click to shrink...

Makes a ton of sense, thanks for the info.

 

[bytesized]

Hi guys looking for some advice.

I need to buy some iPads for the architecture firm i work for, mainly to do sketching and mark ups on PDF documents, and I'm not sure what the best bang for buck option is. I was looking at the simplest iPads (9th gen i think?) but I see it only works with the apple pencil 1 which I know it has that stupid way of charging. Would you recommend going for a more expensive version so I can get the apple pencil 2 instead? Or is the apple pencil 1 good enough and maybe we can buy some kind of adapter to charge the pencil without using the port in the iPad?

Since these will not be used for anything other than sketching, taking notes and some light use of slack and text apps I guess the power of the basic iPad should be fine right?

 

[Sonix]

Hi guys looking for some advice.

I need to buy some iPads for the architecture firm i work for, mainly to do sketching and mark ups on PDF documents, and I'm not sure what the best bang for buck option is. I was looking at the simplest iPads (9th gen i think?) but I see it only works with the apple pencil 1 which I know it has that stupid way of charging. Would you recommend going for a more expensive version so I can get the apple pencil 2 instead? Or is the apple pencil 1 good enough and maybe we can buy some kind of adapter to charge the pencil without using the port in the iPad?

Since these will not be used for anything other than sketching, taking notes and some light use of slack and text apps I guess the power of the basic iPad should be fine right?

Click to shrink...

Wait another week, if rumors are correct, there should be an Apple event next tuesday where new iPads should be announced.

 

[bytesized]

Wait another week, if rumors are correct, there should be an Apple event next tuesday where new iPads should be announced.

Click to shrink...

Oh nice that you said that, thanks!

 

[grmlin]

Wait another week, if rumors are correct, there should be an Apple event next tuesday where new iPads should be announced.

Click to shrink...

Is the event official already or still rumored?

 

[Sonix]

Is the event official already or still rumored?

Click to shrink...

Not yet announced, typically Apple announces these 5-7 days in advance, so should be going out soon if it happens next week.

Spring Apple Event Invites Could Be Sent Out Tomorrow

Update: We now have invites for a March 8 event! Apple uncharacteristically sent them out less than a week ahead of the event. Invites for...

www.macrumors.com

 

[grmlin]

I see, cool. I hope for M2 Macs as I'm ready for a replacement of my ThinkPad at work. And I want to know if it will be worth waiting a little longer for the update :)

 

[lint2015]

So today Safari 15 on Mac has shit the bed and fails to restore tabs from the previous session. It opens all the windows but each with just empty start page. Even just having a single window with a single tab when quitting Safari will reopen that window with an empty start page.

This happened once while I was using the Safari 15 beta but I was able to fix it by restoring ~/Library/Safari and ~/Library/Containers/com.apple.safari to the last backup before Safari 15 was installed, which Safari 15 then migrated again. This time, since it's been about six months since, I'm reluctant to do that, and restoring those folders from a backup doesn't fix it.

Any suggestions?

 

[japtor]

Hi guys looking for some advice.

I need to buy some iPads for the architecture firm i work for, mainly to do sketching and mark ups on PDF documents, and I'm not sure what the best bang for buck option is. I was looking at the simplest iPads (9th gen i think?) but I see it only works with the apple pencil 1 which I know it has that stupid way of charging. Would you recommend going for a more expensive version so I can get the apple pencil 2 instead? Or is the apple pencil 1 good enough and maybe we can buy some kind of adapter to charge the pencil without using the port in the iPad?

Since these will not be used for anything other than sketching, taking notes and some light use of slack and text apps I guess the power of the basic iPad should be fine right?

Click to shrink...

Bang for buck, yeah the entry level iPad (whatever gen it's on now), which historically has gone on sale pretty regularly for $250 (...although maybe not in the covid times?). The original Pencil is annoying, although I'd say the price is the biggest turn off.

There's the Logitech Crayon for a bit less, with more traditional charging (a Lightning port, and a power button), but loses pressure sensitivity...not sure that'd really matter for your use. For way less, there's what seems to be Crayon knockoffs that look like the Pencil, first one that popped up for me for example:

https://www.amazon.com/Rejection-Compatible-2018-2021-Precise-Writing/dp/B0831BF1FH/

There's a bunch with different designs, some like 1st gen Pencil, others like 2nd (with magnets but not the charging), different charging port (some micro USB, USB-C, or a barrel plug), and prices, but all basically seem to work like the Crayon. Basically just need to search for "iPad stylus 2018" and they'll show up.

But yeah either way might as well wait and see what shows up at the event. It'll be really hard to beat the cheap iPad though, cause everything else is so much more expensive.

 

[maximumzero]

I'm pretty much all set to jump on a 24" iMac the moment they get a refresh, but I keep thinking/wondering if maybe I should opt for a Mac Mini & display instead. Hmm.

 

[Sonix]

Not yet announced, typically Apple announces these 5-7 days in advance, so should be going out soon if it happens next week.

Spring Apple Event Invites Could Be Sent Out Tomorrow

Update: We now have invites for a March 8 event! Apple uncharacteristically sent them out less than a week ahead of the event. Invites for...

www.macrumors.com

Click to shrink...

There it is:

Apple Events

Introducing Apple Intelligence in iOS 18, iPadOS 18, and macOS Sequoia, better health insights in watchOS 11, and a more immersive visionOS 2.

www.apple.com

 

[Beje]

I'm pretty much all set to jump on a 24" iMac the moment they get a refresh, but I keep thinking/wondering if maybe I should opt for a Mac Mini & display instead. Hmm.

Click to shrink...

With a Mac Mini and a display, you'll still have a functional display when the mac mini dies or needs a refresh, especially in this day and age where Macs are the most anti-upgrade, anti-DIY and most planned obsolescense ridden desktop computers.

 

[grmlin]

Excited for the event, still didn't decide if I'll go the MacBook Pro route or Mac Mini + MacBook Air (when I'm on the road or in the office).. both options are somewhat exciting. I like stationary machines but also need a laptop... hmmm

 

[The Real Abed]

Anyone else having QuickLook just up and stop working out of nowhere? I am constantly having to force quit the QuickLookUIService process (A sub-process of the Finder) to get it to work again. I wonder if it's fixed in 12.2.2.

 

[CloseTalker]

I generally love my 13 Pro, but once in a while I'll pick it up off the charger in the morning and the phone will just decide "i'm going to run hot today" for no reason at all, and start draining battery super quickly. a restart generally fixes the issue, but it can be super frustrating.

 

[bremon]

I don't think that issue is exclusive to the 13. My 12 Pro sizzles sometimes when it doesn't seem to have a reason to.

 

[Ambitious]

I thought I had lost my AirPods. Couldn't find them on the desk I usually leave them. I asked Siri about it and it said that they weren't nearby. I had a look at the Find My app, and indeed, the last known location was the bar I visited last week.
I thought about it for a moment, turned around and took them out of my backpack right next to me.

Does anything from this company work properly?
(And no, their batteries were not empty. Far from it.)

 

[lint2015]

I generally love my 13 Pro, but once in a while I'll pick it up off the charger in the morning and the phone will just decide "i'm going to run hot today" for no reason at all, and start draining battery super quickly. a restart generally fixes the issue, but it can be super frustrating.

Click to shrink...

Check the battery usage stats in Settings and report back.

 

[CloseTalker]

Check the battery usage stats in Settings and report back.

Click to shrink...

There's nothing to note, really. Nothing that looks out of the ordinary. I wonder if I was visiting websites that were taking the battery, I can't remember

 

[DominicanPower]

I generally love my 13 Pro, but once in a while I'll pick it up off the charger in the morning and the phone will just decide "i'm going to run hot today" for no reason at all, and start draining battery super quickly. a restart generally fixes the issue, but it can be super frustrating.

Click to shrink...

It happens to me. There's some days where it runs hot and I'm not doing anything intensive. Browsing on the web.

 

[japtor]

When that happens it just seems like there's some runaway process eating through CPU/battery. Might show up under battery settings and be obvious, like some app taking all the usage time despite not being used, in which case just force quitting the app might work, otherwise the easiest thing to do is just restart.

 

[dallow_bg]

I thought I had lost my AirPods. Couldn't find them on the desk I usually leave them. I asked Siri about it and it said that they weren't nearby. I had a look at the Find My app, and indeed, the last known location was the bar I visited last week.
I thought about it for a moment, turned around and took them out of my backpack right next to me.

Does anything from this company work properly?
(And no, their batteries were not empty. Far from it.)

Click to shrink...

Did you use them at the bar?

 

[Ambitious]

Did you use them at the bar?

Click to shrink...

I used them until I got there

 

[The Real Abed]

I used them until I got there

Click to shrink...

It seems to me that the AirPods case doesn't "activate" until you open it. Like you can't check their charge without opening the case because while its closed, it's inactive, but when you open it, it starts talking to your phone. I assume since you had the case open right when you got to the bar to put them away your phone recorded their location. But since you didn't use them afterwards iCloud only knew their most recent location as the last place you were when they were opened.

It's so completely dumb if you ask me. I'd rather the case was more aggressive with communicating with your phone and maybe possibly build the AirTag functionality into them so you can find them much easier if someone else happens to pass by them. (If they don't already with the newest versions) I want to know my AirPods battery levels even if they're in my pocket and closed.

And while we're on the subject, what's the point of the Battery Widget if you can't also see the battery level of your MacBook and iPad as well? Everything's on iCloud. Why not show this info? Why have the Widget only be "connected BlueTooth devices"? That's so dumb and limited. And don't tell me there's a limitation or something because you can literally check the charge level of all your devices from the Find My app. There's no reason to not put all that stuff in the widget. Especially since for me my widget has 4 slots and only 2 of them are ever showing anything unless I happen to have my AirPods case open or the AirPods in my ears. The Battery Widget is such a missed opportunity that I hope they someday fix.

 

[Hud Hastings]

It seems to me that the AirPods case doesn't "activate" until you open it. Like you can't check their charge without opening the case because while its closed, it's inactive, but when you open it, it starts talking to your phone. I assume since you had the case open right when you got to the bar to put them away your phone recorded their location. But since you didn't use them afterwards iCloud only knew their most recent location as the last place you were when they were opened.

It's so completely dumb if you ask me. I'd rather the case was more aggressive with communicating with your phone and maybe possibly build the AirTag functionality into them so you can find them much easier if someone else happens to pass by them. (If they don't already with the newest versions) I want to know my AirPods battery levels even if they're in my pocket and closed.

And while we're on the subject, what's the point of the Battery Widget if you can't also see the battery level of your MacBook and iPad as well? Everything's on iCloud. Why not show this info? Why have the Widget only be "connected BlueTooth devices"? That's so dumb and limited. And don't tell me there's a limitation or something because you can literally check the charge level of all your devices from the Find My app. There's no reason to not put all that stuff in the widget. Especially since for me my widget has 4 slots and only 2 of them are ever showing anything unless I happen to have my AirPods case open or the AirPods in my ears. The Battery Widget is such a missed opportunity that I hope they someday fix.

Click to shrink...

Agree with all of this. I'd love to be able to just swipe to the battery widget and check my laptop's battery level before I have to take it out of the house with me. It's always bugged me about the AirPods too.

 

[Sec0nd]

Not seeing lots of rumors for a 27" M1 iMac unfortunately.

But what are we expecting performance wise from these future units? Is it going to really fight against extremely high end PCs?

 

[Sonix]

Not seeing lots of rumors for a 27" M1 iMac unfortunately.

Click to shrink...

I've just seen a big summary post today, saying it should arrive in spring, though not neccessarily at next weeks event:

Everything we know so far about the Apple Silicon 27-inch iMac replacement - 9to5Mac

Rumors pointed out that Apple could launch a 27-inch iMac replacement, but since the company released the Mac Studio, this could be not the case anymore.

9to5mac.com