Mac, iOS and Apple Watch users get a trifecta of software updates

Apple's quietly rolled out software updates to OS X El Capitan, iOS 9 and Watch OS today. The updates bring a lot of improvements, fix bugs and improve the compatibility of these operating systems with various third-party apps.

OS X 10.11  for El Capitan gets bug fixes and improvements related to Office 2016 which has been quite problematic, Mail, VoiceOver also get updates and Apple's released more than 150 new emoji characters including some for tacos and the much anticipated middle finger emoji.

For iOS 9.1, Live Photos functionality on the iPhone 6S with motion sensing capability that avoids recording Live Photos when the iPhone is moving, we also get new wallpapers incliuding Mars, Jupiter, and Neptune. It is has been noted that this release is in preparation for AppleTV (coming next week) and the iPad Pro (November).

For WatchOS 2.0.1, focus is on a fix for an issue that could cause software updates to stall. Fixes for issues that were impacting battery performance. A resolution for an issue that could prevent a managed iPhone from syncing iOS Calendar events to Apple Watch. All of these updates are available via Software Update right now.

Airmail for Mac gets El Capitan ready with new update

Airmail for the Mac is all set to take on the new features of El Capitan and possibly even iOS with its latest update. It now supports features like split screen and has preference syncing via iCloud. It even now has support for Handoff, too. The app also now supports native integration of Wunderlist and Todoist. Plus, it gets a bit of an interface redesign, too.

Source: Lifehacker | Download: iTunes App Store ($11.99)

iOS 9 and OS X El Capitan Public Beta is available now

Anyone interested in previewing Apple's still unfinished and in-development iOS or Mac OS software can sigh up for the Apple Beta Software Program. This allows early builds of the upcoming OS's which are slated for a Fall release. While access to new features and interface changes are always fun, do consider that there may be some bugs or issues with beta software, the whole point is to use the applications, find the bugs and report back to Apple so they can speed up and improve their development. 

As with most beta software, users are advised to back-up their devices and urged to install the beta software on devices they don't depend on for critical work or personal use.

Revamped two-factor authentication coming to iOS 9 and El Capitan

User security and privacy is ever-present in Apple's mind so it comes as no surprise that the upcoming versions of iOS 9 and OS X El Capitan are going to feature stronger two-factor authentication procedures to ensure improved security.

As with previous methods, any device that you sign into using two-factor authentication in iOS 9 or El Capitan becomes a trusted device that can be used to verify identify when signing into other devices or services linked to an Apple ID.

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