With all of the hype round Apple Intelligence within the newest iOS/iPadOS 18 and macOS Sequoia updates, it’s straightforward to overlook that Apple can be nonetheless releasing software program updates for its different gadgets just like the Apple TV, Apple Watch, and Imaginative and prescient Professional.
None of these gadgets are on the AI bandwagon, and sure received’t be anytime quickly, however they’ve nonetheless obtained new updates right this moment within the type of tvOS 18.2, watchOS 11.2, and visionOS 2.2, every with some helpful enhancements.
What’s new in tvOS 18.2
The Apple TV will get an replace that brings the long-awaited (by a few of us) Snoopy screensavers. Apple confirmed these off throughout its June Worldwide Builders Convention (WWDC), however the beagle and his feather good friend have been lacking in motion when tvOS 18.0 arrived, with a notice on Apple’s web site that mentioned they’d make their debut later this 12 months.
Snoopy and Woodstock first appeared within the third tvOS 18.2 beta final month, offering a fourth various to the longstanding aerial and picture slideshows and the portraits screensaver that arrived in tvOS 18.0 in September.
The brand new screensaver works such as you’d anticipate, displaying animated clips of Snoopy, and typically Woodstock, as much as varied antics, finally transitioning to Snoopy sleeping on his doghouse. It’s basically a big-screen model of the Snoopy Apple Watch face.
Sadly, a 3rd new tvOS 18 screensaver, TV and Films, has but to look and should, in actual fact, have been cancelled. This screensaver promised to indicate “gorgeous visuals” from fashionable Apple TV+ originals. Nonetheless, Apple quietly scrubbed all mentions of it from its web site final month, leaving it with an unsure future.
Just like the Portraits screensaver that arrived in September, Snoopy is just obtainable on the 2021 Apple TV 4K (second-generation) and later fashions. Customers of the most recent Apple TV mannequin — the third-generation 2022 Apple TV 4K — may also benefit from new ultra-widescreen facet ratios appropriate for cinematic dwelling theatre projectors. These embrace 21:9, 2.37:1, 2.39:1, and a pair of.40:1 settings, plus a fair crazier 32:9 panoramic view. There’s additionally assist for the DCI 4K format utilized by the film projection business, which works out to a 1.9:1 facet ratio with its 4096 x 2160 decision.
What’s New in watchOS 11.2
Whereas the watchOS 11.2 replace is rather less thrilling, it brings two new options that may be helpful for each videography and motivating you to remain in form.
The official launch notes point out that the “Digital camera Distant app can pause recording of iPhone video,” which is exactly what it appears like. Apple added a pause function to the iPhone as a last-minute addition to iOS 18. Now watchOS 11.2 brings the identical functionality to the Apple Watch app for controlling the iPhone digital camera.
Whereas it appears like a small factor, we’ve already discovered it to be a giant assistance on our iPhones, because it lets us file a number of pictures in a single video moderately than filling up our digital camera roll with quick clips. Sadly, it doesn’t work with the iPhone 16 Digital camera Management, however at the least Apple Watch assist will assist for these conditions the place you’re mounting your iPhone on a tripod — and it’s right here simply in time for household vacation occasions.
For health fans — even informal ones — Apple is supplying you with one more reason to maintain closing your rings each day. watchOS 11.2 provides a brand new set of All Rings Closed awards, and the most effective a part of these is that they’re retroactive.
Because the title suggests, these will present badges as you hit sure milestones in closing all three of your rings — Transfer, Train, and Stand. Nonetheless, in contrast to good week and month awards, these commemorate the overall variety of instances you’ve closed all of your rings, whether or not as a part of a streak or not. They begin at 100 after which go as much as 365, 500, 1000, after which in increments of 250 past that.
There doesn’t appear to be an higher restrict, though the Apple Watch has solely been available on the market since April 24, 2015, which 3,500 is the very best badge anybody ought to have the ability to legitimately earn proper now, even when they purchased it on launch day with a 100% good file of closing their rings each single day since then. One individual confirmed off a 3,250 award that was dated Could 30, 2024, which is fairly spectacular because the Apple Watch had solely been round for 3,325 days at that time. An ideal 3,750 award received’t be achievable till July 29, 2025.