In brief: Apple has been discussing new functions like spatial video, PDF AutoFill, and the new journaling app all year. This week, a series of updates delivered those promised additions and many more features throughout the company's product stack. Here's a brief rundown.
The latest Apple operating system updates add several features to the iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple TV, and Apple Watch. The new functionality affects weather tracking, messages, videos, health, and more. Developers included numerous security fixes as well.
A new feature called Enhanced AutoFill comes with iOS 17.2, iPadOS 17.2, and macOS Sonoma 14.2. Macs, iPhones, and iPads can now use machine learning to automatically identify fields in PDFs, allowing users to enter information like names and addresses more easily.
Users with iPhone 15s looking to purchase Apple's upcoming Vision Pro AR headset can now begin capturing "spatial videos" to eventually view on the device. The footage appears as flat 1080p 30fps recordings on the phone or a standard monitor. However, when viewed with Vision Pro, they become immersive 3D movies. The feat is made possible by the primary and ultrawide cameras on the iPhone 15 and 15 Pro Max. To create a spatial video, open the Camera app in landscape mode and tap the spatial video icon. Be careful, though. A one-minute spatial video is around 130MB.
Another iOS 17.2 addition is Apple's Journal app. Rather than only allowing users to write text entries, Journal incorporates the company's other software to combine photos, video, audio, news articles, and locations to record daily events. Filters, bookmarks, intelligent suggestions, and reminders can help users navigate their timelines and maintain a journaling habit.
The weather app also receives improvements on iPhones, iPads, and Macs, providing new ways to track precipitation, wind, moon phases, air quality, and more. Meanwhile, Messages now allows users to scroll up to their first unread message and pick up where they left off more easily when reading long text conversations.
A Siri update makes reaching and recording health data easier on iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch Series 9, and Apple Watch Ultra 2. With voice commands, users can note when they took medications, log their blood sugar, ask how long they slept, check step counts, and more.
Additionally, Apple has completely revised the Apple TV app on all devices. A new sidebar streamlines navigation between sports, Apple TV+ content, users' purchases, and other sections. On Apple devices, the new interface also includes shortcuts to other installed streaming apps, like Netflix or Prime Video, to consolidate movies and TV shows into a single hub. The Apple TV update also takes another step in the iTunes Store's gradual retirement. On iPhone, iPad, and Apple TV, iTunes apps will start redirecting users toward the Apple TV app.
Check out all the new features and fixes for iOS 17.2, iPadOS 17.2, macOS Sonoma 14.2, tvOS 17.2, and watchOS 10.2 in each system's patch notes.