Apple to go harder on privacy updates

Apple has upped the ante against Facebook by announcing expanded privacy features at its annual developers’ conference.

Images from the keynote at Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference 2021. Picture: Supplied

Apple has upped the ante against Facebook by announcing expanded privacy features at its annual developers’ conference.

When Apple first proposed limiting a company’s ability to glean the personal details of Apple users for marketing, Facebook chief executive Mark Zuckerberg reportedly told staff that Facebook needed to “inflict pain” on Apple.

Facebook ran newspaper ads in the US headed: “We’re standing up to Apple for small business everywhere.” More recently it attacked Apple for charging 30 per cent commission for app sales from the App store. Apple has not buckled to the pressure and is going forward announcing more consumer privacy changes.

Apple senior vice president Craig Federighi yesterday announced more restrictions on the ability of third parties to glean the details of users when using apps and browsing the web.

In Mail, Apple will hide your IP address and location and marketers won’t be able to work out when and if you have opened your emails. You’ll be able to get an app privacy report with details of who has accessed your data across apps.

Apple has also beefed-up its privacy using iCloud. You’ll also be able to set up randomly created email addresses to write emails without giving away your regular email address.

A feature called “private relay” will let users surf the web anonymously. Your data request will be sent via two relay servers, neither of which will know both your IP address and location. Apple says it won’t know who you are and what sites you are visiting.

Note that you will need an iCloud subscription to use random email addresses and the relay service for web browsing. Apple says iCloud subscription amounts will stay the same.

These features are expected to roll out later this year through software updates.

The privacy changes are among a raft of software updates the Cupertino company announced at its virtually-held Worldwide Developers conference for its five main device lines: iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch and Apple TV.

It announced that FaceTime would be rebadged as a fully fledged video communications system, along the lines of Zoom.

Users soon can specify which notifications they are sent based on their digital status, location and time of day. They can choose whether to communicate with workmates or family members at different times of day, and have different apps showing on their home screen in different scenarios.

In other changes, users will be able to copy and paste information from a photo directly into an email, or copy a phone number in a photo and directly dial it.

They’ll be able to access their hotel keys in Apple Wallet ahead of time, and appoint legacy contacts who can take care of their Apple accounts when they pass away. iPhones will be able to check whether you walk steadily, in an effort to ward off a serious fall.