Apple CarPlay gets icon boost, EV charging upgrade in iOS 18.4

Image: MacRumors

Apple's recent iOS 18.4 update quietly introduced notable enhancements to CarPlay, offering users with larger infotainment screens an expanded icon layout and improved electric vehicle routing.

MacRumors discovered that iOS 18.4 now displays three rows of app icons on CarPlay for vehicles with larger displays, up from the standard two. This allows for quicker access to more apps, reducing driver distraction. However, this feature appears limited to cars with larger screens, such as the 14-inch display found in the Toyota Tundra and is not visible on smaller displays like the 9-inch screen in a Honda Civic.

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Apple News+ to serve up thousands of recipes in new Food section

 Photo: Apple

Apple is expanding its News+ subscription service with a dedicated Food section, set to launch in April alongside iOS 18.4 and iPadOS 18.4. Subscribers will gain access to tens of thousands of recipes sourced from leading culinary publishers, including Allrecipes, Bon Appétit, Food & Wine, Good Food, and Serious Eats.

The new section will also feature curated articles on healthy eating, restaurant reviews, and kitchen essentials, all selected by Apple News editors. The recipe format within News+ is designed for ease of use, with clear ingredient lists and step-by-step instructions.

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Apple patches critical iPhone security flaw

Photo: Digital Trends

Apple has released iOS 18.3.1 and iPadOS 18.3.1 to patch a critical security flaw that could allow attackers to steal data from locked iPhones and iPads.

The vulnerability, discovered by security expert Bill Marxzak and reported by Citizen Lab at the University of Toronto, bypasses the USB Restricted Mode, a security feature designed to prevent data extraction from locked devices. Apple confirms the vulnerability has been exploited in the wild, though details of the attacks remain undisclosed.

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Useful Apple Intelligence features are coming

Image: Apple, OpenAI

Apple is gearing up to launch updates for its operating systems—iOS 18.2, iPadOS 18.2, and macOS 15.2—that would bring more useful artificial intelligence-powered features. The update introduces ChatGPT integration and the iPhone 16-exclusive visual intelligence that shows information about photos.

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