Category Archives: Apple Health

Episode 266, iOS18, Satellite Messaging on your iPhone



In this episode, we will discuss Apple’ introduction of Messenging via satellite on your iPhone that is now available with iOS18.  With all model of iPhone 14 or later, you can send iMessages or SMS messages via satellite when you’re off the grid with no cellular and Wi-Fi coverage.

Try the Satellite Connection demo To learn how to connect to a satellite, open the Settings app > Apps > Messages, then tap Satellite Connection Demo.
When your iPhone detects that you’re outside of cellular and Wi-Fi coverage, it alerts you — on the Lock Screen, you get a prompt that you can send and receive messages via satellite. Otherwise, you get a notification to Use Messages via Satellite when you open the Messages app.
To send a message, just open the Messages app — you’ll be prompted start accepting messages, if you haven’t already, and your iPhone provides instructions to connect to a satellite to send a text. If you have iPhone 14 Pro or later, the Dynamic Island at the top of the screen has indicator dots that show the strength of your connection and, if your connection could be improved, arrows that direct you to turn left or right. You can tap the Dynamic Island to open Connection Assistant for more help.
If you have cellular or Wi-Fi coverage and you’re messaging with someone who is using Messages via satellite:  In iMessage conversations, you see an alert that your contact is accepting messages via satellite.  After you tap send, you need to also tap Send via Satellite underneath the message bubble. If you have cellular or Wi-Fi coverage and you’re messaging with someone who is using Messages via satellite: If you’re an emergency contact or a member of a Family Sharing group, you can send an SMS message before your contact sends you a message via satellite. They’ll receive the message once they start accepting messages via satellite.

Episode 264: Apple announces Apple Watch Series 10 with many new features



Apple unveiled Apple Watch Series 10, featuring a refined design and bringing new capabilities to an already efficient watch that makes it even more powerful, intelligent, and sophisticated.  Apple Watch Series 10 is the thinnest Apple Watch yet — making it more comfortable than ever — and offers the biggest, most advanced display of any Apple Watch. It also features new sleep apnea notifications; faster charging; water depth and temperature sensing; plus new health and fitness insights and intelligence in watchOS 11.

Available in both aluminum and titanium, Apple Watch Series 10 comes in an array of stunning colors and finishes.
Apple Watch Series 10 features the biggest and most advanced display of any Apple Watch, improving readability and usability in apps like Messages, Mail, or News.
The innovative wide-angle OLED display optimizes each pixel to emit more light at wider angles, and is up to 40 percent brighter than Apple Watch Series 9 when viewed from an angle.
Sleep apnea notifications come to Apple Watch, further expanding its capabilities as an intelligent guardian for users’ health.

Episode 262, Apple celebrates America’s national parks with an Apple Pay donation campaign and new ways to explore with Apple Maps



In this episode, we will discuss how Apple is celebrating America’s national parks with an Apple Pay donation campaign and new ways to explore with Apple Maps.  We will also telll you how to earn an activity award on Sunday, August 25 by participating in a fitness activity.  (Graphics courtesy of Apple Inc.)

This week, Apple celebrates the 108th birthday of the U.S. National Park Service with an Apple Pay donation campaign and new ways to explore with Apple Maps. Photo by Jude Allen. Shot on iPhone 14 Pro.
On August 25, Apple Watch users can earn a limited-edition award and animated stickers for Messages to celebrate national parks.
This fall, Apple Maps users can explore thousands of hikes in U.S. national parks and save them for offline use.
On August 25, Apple Watch users can earn a limited-edition award and animated stickers for Messages to celebrate national parks.

On August 25, Apple Watch users can earn a limited-edition award and several animated stickers for Messages to celebrate national parks.

 


Episode 261, watchOS 11 brings powerful health and fitness insights, and even more personalization and connectivity



In this episode, we will discuss the newest operating system watchOS 11.  watchOS11 brings powerful health and fitness insights, and even more personalization.  Apple is introducing the Vitals app, training load, pregnancy health and new ways to tailor Activity rings.  We will discuss these and more.

watchOS 11 offers breakthrough insights into users’ health and fitness, and more personalization than ever.
With the new Vitals app, Apple Watch users can quickly view key overnight health metrics, receive alerts when two or more metrics are out of their typical range, and gain better context when it comes to their health.
With the new Vitals app, Apple Watch users can quickly view key overnight health metrics, receive alerts when two or more metrics are out of their typical range, and gain better context when it comes to their health.
When users log a pregnancy in the Health app on iPhone or iPad, the Cycle Tracking app on Apple Watch will show their gestational age and allow them to log symptoms for things frequently experienced during pregnancy.
Training load is an insightful new way to measure how the intensity and duration of workouts is impacting a user’s body over time, established using effort ratings available after each.
Apple Watch will establish a 28-day training load, a weighted average taking into account both the effort ratings and duration of users’ workouts over this period.
With the new Vitals app, Apple Watch users can quickly view key overnight health metrics, receive alerts when two or more metrics are out of their typical range, and gain better context when it comes to their health.

Episode 254, Apple Watch can make your golfing experience better



In this episode, we will discuss how Apple Watch is the perfect golfing companion. We will learn more how Apple Watch proves itself as a versatile device for golfers to stay connected, active, and healthy.  We will also cover a suite of great golfing apps offers users course information, as well as tools and insights to keep track of and help improve their game.

Apple Watch is a versatile device for golfers to stay connected, active, and healthy, and with a suite of great golfing apps, users can access course information, tools, and insights to improve their game. Golfshot users can set the pin on each hole to get accurate Strokes Gained statistics on their putting and identify which part of their game needs more improvement.

Apple Watch sensors combined with Golfshot’s Swing ID feature offer a comprehensive analysis of a golfer’s swing from the beginning to the end of the motion.
The API released in watchOS 10 helps detect rapid changes in velocity and acceleration to help users improve their golf swing and performance.
The API released in watchOS 10 helps detect rapid changes in velocity and acceleration to help users improve their golf swing and performance.
Using machine learning, Golfshot offers Auto Shot Tracking on Apple Watch to automatically track every shot.

Episode 247, Apple Sports, a new app for sports fans



In this episode, we will discuss how Apple Sports, a new app for sports fans. The free app for iPhone delivers real-time scores, stats, and more, all designed for speed and simplicity.  Learn all about the app in just a few “Mac Minutes”.

Apple Sports — an iPhone app that offers fans access to real-time scores, stats, and more — is now available to download in the App Store.
Users can customize their scoreboards on Apple Sports by following their favorite teams, tournaments, and leagues.

 

Users can customize their scoreboards on Apple Sports by following their favorite teams, tournaments, and leagues.
Users can customize their scoreboards on Apple Sports by following their favorite teams, tournaments, and leagues.


Episode 242, Apple launches Journal, a new app to reflect on everyday moments and life’s special events



In this episode, we will be discussing Journal, a new iPhone app available starting this week, which helps users reflect and practice gratitude through journaling, which has been shown to improve wellbeing. With Journal, users can capture and write about everyday moments and special events in their lives, and include photos, videos, audio recordings, locations, and more to create rich memories.  It’s a great app to learn how to use and start off the new year journalling your way through the 2024.

Journal, a new iPhone app that helps users reflect on everyday moments and special events in their lives, uses on-device machine learning to create personalized suggestions to inspire a user’s journal entries.
To help inspire journal entries, personalized suggestions can be intelligently curated from a user’s recent activity, such as photos, people, places, workouts, and more.
To help inspire journal entries, personalized suggestions can be intelligently curated from a user’s recent activity, such as photos, people, places, workouts, and more.
Journal uses on-device machine learning to create personalized suggestions to inspire a user’s journal entries.

Episode 235, iPadOS 17 brings new features improving versatility and personalization



In this episode, we will discuss Apple releasing iPadOS 17 recently bringing with in many new levels of personalization and versatility to iPad.  We will be covering these features with screenshots on the podcast website https://macminutes.blubrry.net.  For full details, go to the Apple iPadOS 17 website located at https://apple.com/ipados/ipados-17

iPadOS 17 takes iPad even further with new levels of personalization, beautiful and helpful custom Lock Screens, easier ways to find and share information, and intelligent features to help get things done.
The Lock Screen is redesigned to be more beautiful, personal, and useful.
A new stickers experience in Messages lets users express themselves, be creative, and share ideas on the fly.
Users can leave an audio or video message in FaceTime.
Users can securely share health data and receive important notifications about their loved ones’ health in the Health app.
In Freeform, users can create expressive boards with new drawing tools and a diagramming mode.

Episode 233, watchOS 10 launches bringing significant new features to Apple Watch



In this episode, we will discuss the Apple released this week watchOS 10, an update which I have used, and is a significant update. This is bringing a new visual language to apps to see more information at a glance, a new Smart Stack to show relevant widgets right when they’re needed, and delightful new watch faces. Bluetooth connectivity for power meters, speed sensors, and cadence sensors arrive for cyclists, unlocking new metrics and Workout Views, and cycling workouts will automatically show up as a Live Activity on iPhone and utilize the full screen. We will talk about these new features and more.

watchOS 10 is available today, delivering redesigned apps, a new Smart Stack, additional watch faces, new cycling and hiking features, and tools to support mental health.
Introducing the Smart Stack, which enables users to see timely information that adapts to their context.
Modular Ultra takes advantage of the large display of Apple Watch Ultra, using the outermost edge to present real-time data, including seconds, altitude, or depth.
Apple Watch calculates personalized Power Zones, used to easily see the current zone and track how long is spent in each, which is an effective and popular way of improving performance.
The Compass app automatically generates two new waypoints when available: a Last Cellular Connection Waypoint and a Last Emergency Call Waypoint.

Episode 230, America Celebrates National Parks; Projected Apple Event coming in September



In this episode, we will discuss the announcement this week about Apple celebrating America’s National Parks, including several activities including a fitness activity award; and our projected product announcement event for September.