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Tag: asia

  • WhatsApp working on a feature to block messages from unknown accounts

    WhatsApp working on a feature to block messages from unknown accounts

    WhatsApp’s latest beta update for Android is focused on bolstering privacy for its users. This includes a forthcoming feature that will block messages from unknown accounts, enhancing user control and potentially improving device performance.

    WhatsApp is actively developing a feature to block messages from unfamiliar accounts. This feature, slated for a future update, aims to protect users from unwanted or even harmful communications. Users will be empowered to set a limit on the number of messages they’re willing to receive from unknown contacts within a given time frame. Once that limit is surpassed, the app will automatically block any further messages from those accounts.

    This update has a performance angle as well. Spam and unwanted messages can overload the app and slow down your device. By enabling this blocking feature, users can significantly decrease the volume of data the app needs to handle. This reduction in processing load should translate to a smoother and more responsive app experience.

    WhatsApp is no stranger to the battle against malicious activity. They already use automated tools to detect and filter out bad actors while maintaining user privacy. These tools include algorithms designed to spot suspicious behavior and bulk messaging. This new blocking feature adds another layer of user control, allowing people to protect their accounts from spam and potentially harmful content proactively.

    The feature aims to minimize the risks of phishing attempts and malicious content that can compromise both device performance and storage. By filtering out messages from unknown sources, WhatsApp is taking another step towards creating a safer and more secure messaging environment.

    The feature to block messages from unknown accounts is still under development. It’s important to remember that features seen in beta versions might change or even be removed entirely before reaching the final release. However, it’s encouraging to see WhatsApp actively working on new ways to protect its users.

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  • UBS Gets Business Back on Track

    UBS Gets Business Back on Track

    Switzerland’s largest bank indicated that profitability in the second quarter returned to the levels it saw before being forced to rescue Credit Suisse.

    UBS indicated that profit before taxes in the second quarter was $1.5 billion, a media release sent by the group on Tuesday (year-earlier figures are not directly comparable given the first-time integration of Credit Suisse).

    The bank nevertheless said it experienced continued client momentum, with its core wealth management business seeing net new assets of $27 billion.

    Of the net new assets, UBS said $16 billion were fee-generating assets. In the first half, net new assets totaled $54 billion, it indicated.

    Beyond that, UBS’s investment bank saw strong transactional activity, with the Global Markets business, where revenues were up 18 percent, experiencing its best second-quarter performance since 2013.

    Overall, the bank maintained that it had returned to the levels of profitability it had before being forced to rescue its former peer and competitor, Credit Suisse.

    We are now entering the next phase of our integration, which will be critical to realize further substantial cost, capital, funding and tax benefits, the media release stated.

    It realized additional cost savings of $0.9 billion in the second quarter, which corresponds to 45 percent of the cuts it is targeting by the end of 2026.

    By the end of this year, it expects to be in a position to realize 55 percent, or more than half, of its final target.

    The bank also managed to reduce risk-weighted assets in its non-core and legacy business by 42 percent year-on-year while its CET1 capital ratio was at 14.9 percent and its CET leverage ratio at 4.9 percent.

    It also restarted its share buyback program with the total amount of shares bought back at $467 million as of 9 August.

    The outlook for the remainder of the year continues to be «clouded by ongoing conflicts, other geopolitical tensions and the upcoming US elections.

    Entering the third quarter, we are seeing positive investor sentiment and continued momentum in client and transactional activity,» the bank maintained.

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  • eleport and Etihad Cargo partners in line with growing trade flow between Southeast Asia and Middle East

    eleport and Etihad Cargo partners in line with growing trade flow between Southeast Asia and Middle East

    Teleport, an integrated logistics provider, and Etihad Cargo have partnered to inject cargo capacity and frequency into their respective cargo network between Southeast Asia and the Middle East, with plans to increase frequency shortly. This move is against a backdrop of growing airfreight demand and trade between the two regions.

    Trade between the Gulf nations and emerging Asian nations continues to show high growth momentum, surging 35% from US$383bil in 2021 to US$516bil in 2022, and is expected to reach US$757bil by 2030, outstripping growth rate with Western nations such as the US, UK and the Euro Area. At the same time, air freight demand continues to pose double-digit growth across all regions, having risen 14.1% as of June 2024.

    Since signing the partnership in May this year, Teleport has deployed its freighters for Etihad to ship machines, raw materials, phones and chip sets among others, from Ho Chi Minh to Kuala Lumpur twice a week, with onward connection via Etihad’s capacity to Abu Dhabi and beyond. This partnership also enables both parties to maximise the available passenger belly capacity especially out of leisure hubs such as Bali and Phuket, by leveraging on each other’s network strength. Etihad will deepen its connectivity in Southeast Asia on the back of Teleport’s extensive network in the region, while Teleport leverages Etihad’s strong global network to expand its network reach into the Middle East, Europe, Americas and the African regions. By the end of this year, the partnership is expected to see 1600 tonnes of cargo moved between the two destinations with the potential for an increase in flight frequency and new routes.

    Stanislas Brun, Vice President of Cargo at Etihad Cargo said, “We continue to anchor our strategy on key partnerships that will enable us to better serve our customer needs while supporting global trade. This recent partnership with Teleport is important to enhance our connectivity to Southeast Asia, and we are confident that through the integration of their freighter operations and our capacity, we are able to continue to grow and build a more efficient and robust network that better serves both regions, and quickly. The market environment is highly favourable to grow our presence here today, and with a strong air partner like Teleport.”

    Jagedeswaran Nadrajah, Head of Air Partners at Teleport, commented “The integration of Etihad’s global network with our largest Southeast Asia network has opened up a more dynamic way to connect cargo between these two regions – leveraging on the strengths of both our networks. This is valuable to both our existing and new customers trading between two important regions. This sort of synergy is testament to what Teleport has been building through its Air Partners programme as a win-win solution for all Teleport Air Partners, where we can continue to build and grow, and never fly empty.”

  • Uniqlo headhunts managers in Southeast Asia,

    Uniqlo headhunts managers in Southeast Asia,

    Japanese fashion retail chain Uniqlo is expanding its recruitment scheme to India and Southeast Asia where its number of stores have been growing fast.

    In the past two months, Uniqlo’s parent company Fast Retailing has been sending staff to Vietnam, Singapore and the Philippines to meet with students and university directors to discuss partnerships.

    The company has been accelerating recruitment in South and Southeast Asia because of a practical need for more human resources there, its chief adviser Noriaki Koyama said.

    “These regions have great potential for future development, and we will be able to find very talented people there,” said Koyama, who is in charge of human resource strategy.

    Fast Retailing has been setting up many new stores in South Asia, Southeast Asia and Oceania. As of February, it had 367 stores in those areas, up 14% from 2023. It now operates 13 stores in India and plans to have 28-30 outlets in next three years.

    To find potential managers, the company now partners with more than 40 universities in Asia and Oceania to organize internships at local offices and stores. In the fiscal 2023 (which ended in August), it hired 1,100 new graduates globally.

    It also seeks to be competitive in terms of compensation. “We are adjusting the pay scale for our store employees to be among the best in each country, not only in the local retail industry but also in other industries,” said Koyama.

    Around 56% of Fast Retailing management positions are given to non-Japanese staff. The company targets to bring the figure to 80% by 2030.

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  • Vietnam’s coffee export value rises 31% in 7 months

    Vietnam’s coffee export value rises 31% in 7 months

    Vietnam exported 964,000 tonnes of coffee in the first 7 months of 2024, worth nearly US$3.54 billion, down 13.8% in volume but up 30.9% in value compared to the same period last year.

    The Agency of Foreign Trade under the Ministry of Industry and Trade and the Vietnam Industry and Trade Information Center forecast that Vietnam’s coffee exports in the remaining months of the third quarter would decrease due to low supply.

    Supply will not increase until October, when the 2024-25 coffee harvest begins. Statistics from the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development show that the country’s coffee output is estimated at 1.47 million tonnes in the 2023-24 crop year, the lowest level in four years, down 20% compared to the 2022-23 crop year.

    Coffee output in the 2024-25 crop year is forecasted to continue to decrease due to unfavorable weather factors.

    Without including the inventory carried over from the previous year, Vietnam will only have about 200,000 tonnes left to export from now until September.

    However, the Vietnamese coffee industry will benefit in terms of price.

    The Global Robusta coffee prices would fluctuate in a strong and prolonged upward trend due to concerns about scarce supply from Vietnam.

    According to the International Coffee Organization (ICO), the world may face a shortage of Robusta coffee of up to 35 million bags (60kg/bag) by 2040.

  • Foreign businesses step up investment, recruitment in Vietnam amid global shift

    Foreign businesses step up investment, recruitment in Vietnam amid global shift

    Foreign companies, especially Chinese, are investing and hiring more staff in Vietnam to shift their production to the country or expand.

    In the first half of the year recruitment and payroll services provider Adecco saw a 10% year-on-year jump in demand for personnel in manufacturing.

    The positions included specialists and senior quality assurance and supply chain managers with a common requirement being moderate proficiency in Chinese.

    “As Vietnam is attracting lots of foreign investment, there is increasing demand for workers proficient in English and other languages, particularly Chinese, to strengthen connections with international partners,” Adecco said.

    Headhunter Navigos Search reported that manufacturing companies with Chinese investment are shifting to or expanding their operations in Vietnam.

    They require a diverse workforce, with 68.3% preferring experienced personnel and nearly 22% seeking management skills.

    Navigos Search added that demand has increased in the high-tech, components, electronics, and automobile sectors.

    According to recruitment firms, the recent surge in labor demand in the manufacturing sector indicates that foreign companies are embracing the supply chain shift to Vietnam.

    The world’s second largest economy has been one of the top investors this year, with Hong Kong and mainland China accounting for $2.53 billion or 23.4% of new FDI.

    More Chinese companies are relocating due to the China Plus One strategy, which involves diversifying production.

    FDI disbursement hit a four-year high of $12.55 billion, with most of the money going into industrial zones in the north.

    In the second quarter Bac Ninh Province attracted several new investments such as Taiwanese electronics giant Foxconn’s 14.26-hectare circuit board plant worth $383 million in its Nam Son – Hap Linh Industrial Park.

    This month industrial real estate developer KCN Vietnam began work on the second phase of a project that will add over 80,000 square meters of mixed-use warehousing and high-quality storage space in the DEEP C Industrial Zone in Hai Phong City.

    It is launching more projects in anticipation of higher demand from foreign clients as Hai Phong is one of three localities attracting the most FDI in the country.

    In fact, the demand is so high that foreign firms are even considering industrial zones that have yet to be completed.

    Kinh Bac City, another industrial real estate developer, said it has received inquiries for a 20-hectare battery plant from a South Korean investor and a 60-hectare induction cooktop and oven manufacturing factory from a Chinese enterprise, both in Trang Due 3 Industrial Park in Hai Phong. The zone is set to open once it gets approval from authoritie.

    According to HSBC’s July report, Vietnam is a “top FDI destination, surpassing other Southeast Asian countries” amid the global production shift due to its competitive costs and labor.

    Over the past 20 years the country has emerged as a major manufacturing hub and integrated into the global supply chain. Its exports have grown at over 13% annually since 2007, primarily driven by foreign enterprises.

    Its wages for manufacturing workers are lower than in China while other costs, such as energy prices, are also competitive.

    The country has the second lowest electricity rates for production in Southeast Asia and relatively inexpensive diesel, a fuel widely used in industrial manufacturing.

    Another appealing factor is the active support from the government through the tax system.

    The corporate income tax rate is 20% and the government offers tax waivers, deferrals and cuts to aid businesses.

    “Vietnam’s integration into the global value chain has significantly increased over the years and is now comparable to that of Singapore.”

    To sustain the strong investment flow, Vietnam needs to advance further up the manufacturing chain and increase the use of local inputs in production.

    A shortage of skilled labor could pose a challenge to developing high-tech sectors such as semiconductors, logistics and maritime transport. The country’s infrastructure quality, ability to digitalize, streamline trade processes, and energy supply are also factors.

  • Apple showcases Vietnamese game developers on App Store

    Apple showcases Vietnamese game developers on App Store

    Two Vietnamese developers behind the pixel-art game DreamChaser have been featured on Apple’s App Store along with other Southeast Asian talents.

    In a recent spotlight category called “Dare to Dream”, Apple hailed the duo Pham Duy Phuc and Tran Tuan Hiep for building their endless runner game which is rated 4.8 out of 5 by over 500 users.

    “My game development journey is quite rough,” said former IT major Phuc, who left university to pursue game development professionally, as cited by Apple. “I did not know how to draw, so I needed to find an artist. That was how I met Hiep.”

    Hiep took inspiration from Vietnam’s history and tradition to create the game’s colourful pixel-art which depicted the Nguyen dynasty, where the game’s protagonist runs from Hue Imperial Palace to a tranquil bamboo forest while dodging bouncing animals.

    The game became popular when Phuc discussed the experience of making it on YouTube videos. He now has more than 30,000 subscribers.

    “When I uploaded the video about DreamChaser to YouTube, a large number of users started playing it. That was also when I received a massive amount of bug reports from users,” he said. “Seeing players enjoy our game and create their own content based on our work is incredibly fulfilling.”

    Phuc now desires to open his own game studio, with around 10 staff. “I think there is still more room to grow, and that keeps me grinding.”

    Other developers featured in the category included Singapore’s Joan Low who created ThoughtFull Chat, a software which helps connect people who need mental health support.

    Indonesia siblings Andika Pradana and Anggia Lestari were praised for their chemist game Potion Permit.

    Tyme Suteesopon and Sirin (Nanny) Thamakaison from Thailand were mentioned for their creation of an app called WithU, which compiles motivating quotes and appealing artworks created by Thai artists.

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  • Shiseido cites China slump for mid-year operating loss

    Shiseido cites China slump for mid-year operating loss

    Japanese cosmetics powerhouse Shiseido fell by its daily limit in Tokyo trading on Thursday following midyear earnings that were hit by restructuring costs and slumping demand in China.

    Shiseido becomes the latest casualty among luxury brands, including Cartier-owner Richemont and Gucci’s Kering, to be stung by slowing growth and consumer confidence in the world’s second-biggest economy.

    The company said on Wednesday it fell to an operating loss of US$18.44 million in the six months through June, from profit of 13.6 billion the previous year.

    The shares plunged by their daily limit of $4.77, down 15.5 per cent from the previous session close.

    In addition to a slump in sales to China due to changes in purchasing behaviour, the recording of $139.155 million in structural reform costs also affected results.

    Domestic sales were a bright spot, however, benefiting from a tourism boom in Japan fuelled by the weak yen. Some tourists, particularly Chinese, appear to be holding off on buying designer goods at home and splurging in Japan where they are cheaper.

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  • Decathlon Singapore opens new outlet, revamps Kallang store

    Decathlon Singapore opens new outlet, revamps Kallang store

    Decathlon has completed two developments in Singapore: renovating the Decathlon Lab in Kallang and opening a new outlet at Lot One Shoppers’ Mall in the Northwest region.

    The Singapore Lab now features a modern layout with immersive alcoves, offering customers a more interactive and personalised shopping experience. Its new design leads through different sports areas in a circular path, making it easier to find related products.

    In addition, the store introduces digital solutions like a Safe Size digital foot scan, which uses 3D tech to help shoppers find their perfect shoe fit; the Zwift Cycling Turbo Challenge; and watersports testing zones for the Stand-Up Paddle and Kayak.

    Meanwhile, the new Lot One outlet is Decathlon’s 11th click-and-collect outlet in the country and its first in the Northwest. It will offer a range of items, including hiking, fitness, running, and water sports gear.

    The company plans to refresh all its experience stores with similar features over the next two years.

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  • Hanoi retail space rents forecast to surge 18% this year

    Hanoi retail space rents forecast to surge 18% this year

    Rents for retail space could rise by 17-18% this year in downtown Hanoi and by 8-9% on the city’s outskirts, property consultancy CBRE has forecast.

    They might grow by 10% and 3% annually in the next three years, it added.

    CBRE said the average monthly rent in the downtown area in the first half was US$180 per square meter after rising by 11% from a year earlier.

    According to real estate agency Avison Young, in the second quarter the average retail rent rose by 15% in outlying districts. Ground-floor rents saw the highest average hike of nearly 15%.

    Reports from multiple real estate agencies and consultancies suggested that retail rents in the capital are on the rise due to low supply and growing demand from large international brands.

    In the first half it only saw one new project in Ha Dong District, which added 10,000 square meters of space to the market.

    Savills, another property consultancy, said the retail segment saw many transactions in the food and beverage sector in the second quarter.

    Japanese restaurant chain Pizza 4P, for instance, leased additional space to double the size of its current store in the Lotte Center Hanoi skyscraper.

    Gyu Shige, another Japanese restaurant, rented a property in Dong Da District to open its first store in Hanoi.

    As rents increase, the retail space occupancy rate in the city is inching down. According to Savills, it fell by two points year-on-year to 84% in the second quarter.

    David Jackson, CEO of Avison Young Vietnam, said tenants are shifting away from the downtown area to find cheaper and bigger places in the outskirts.

    Savills said six shopping malls and 11 ground-floor retail spaces would be launched in the next two years, mostly in Tay Ho, Dong Da and Hoang Mai districts.

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  • China Airlines’ new contract extends its partnership with Frankfurt Cargo Services (FCS) beyond 25 years

    China Airlines’ new contract extends its partnership with Frankfurt Cargo Services (FCS) beyond 25 years

    Frankfurt Cargo Services (FCS) has earned a new multi-year cargo handling contract with China Airlines, extending their partnership at Frankfurt Airport, Germany’s biggest air cargo gateway, to more than 25 years.

    China Airlines signed its first cargo handling agreement in 2000 with FCS, a subsidiary of Worldwide Flight Services (WFS), part of the SATS Group. Today, it is the most longstanding airline customer of FCS, transporting some 25,000 tons of cargo annually on its Boeing 777 flights connecting Frankfurt and Taipei.

    The new contract commences in August 2024. It also further extends China Airlines’ partnership with WFS, which provides cargo handling for the airline in Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Ireland, Spain, and the United Kingdom as well as in India, Thailand, and North America.

    “Over two decades, we have established a strong collaboration and partnership with China Airlines and its team in Germany. We are proud of the reliable flight operations we jointly deliver and appreciative of the airline’s long-term commitment to FCS. Our success in winning this most recent tender in a very competitive commercial environment is driven by our constant focus on providing high quality service levels and competitive advantages for China Airlines and its customers,” said Claus Wagner, Managing Director of FCS.

    FCS is the largest airline-independent cargo handler at Frankfurt Airport, Europe’s largest cargo airport. With a 48,000 square metres warehouse offering direct access to the airport apron, FCS serves some 50 international airline customers and handles about 600,000 tons per annum. This includes growing volumes of temperature-controlled pharma shipments in its dedicated Good Distribution Practice (GDP) and IATA CEIV Pharma-certified facility.

    FCS also provides solutions for e-commerce and special handling and storage for vulnerable cargo and Dangerous Goods shipments, including radioactive material.

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  • Gold price inches down

    Gold price inches down

    Saigon Jewelry Company gold ring price fell 0.19% to VND77.3 million (US$3,070.81) per tael Wednesday morning.

    Gold bar price was steady at VND79 million per tael. A tael equals 37.5 grams or 1.2 ounces.

    Globally, gold prices edged lower on Wednesday as the U.S. dollar and Treasury yields strengthened, while traders awaited further cues to gauge the size of the Federal Reserve’s likely September interest rate cut.

    Spot gold slipped 0.2% to $2,385.60 per ounce. U.S. gold futures fell 0.3% to $2,425.30.

    “A rebound in U.S. Treasury yields and a firmer dollar translate to some downward pressures on gold prices this morning, as pockets of resilience in U.S. economic data seem to prompt a reassessment of market recession concerns,” said IG market strategist Yeap Jun Rong.

    Downside in gold may be limited by ongoing Middle East tensions and lingering global recession concerns, as markets await further economic data for clarity on U.S. conditions, Yeap added.

    The dollar index rose, making the greenback-priced bullion less affordable for overseas buyers.

  • Carriers struggle to ease aircraft shortage

    Carriers struggle to ease aircraft shortage

    Vietnamese airlines have been taking various measures in the face of a fleet contraction triggered by the manufacturer’s engine recall, including adding and replacing aircraft.

    As of July, 195 aircraft of Vietnamese carriers had been granted air operator certificates (AOC), 36 less than a year earlier. According to the Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam (CAAV), an average of 167 planes were operated during the period, down 51.

    Meanwhile, the CAAV forecast the air transport market in 2024 will record approximately 78.3 million passengers and 1.21 million tonnes of cargo, respectively increasing 7.7% and 13.4% from last year.

    Facing that fact, domestic carriers have continually leased aircraft. So far this year, Bamboo Airways has conducted wet-leasing, also known as ACMI (aircraft, crew, maintenance, and insurance) leasing, of three planes to fly on in-demand routes in the summer travel season like those connecting with Nha Trang, Da Nang, and Quy Nhon.

    General Director of Bamboo Airways Luong Hoai Nam said the firm has strived to add more aircraft to its fleet to serve the domestic market by seeking and negotiating with partners worldwide. It plans to lease another aircraft between now and the year’s end to open some new domestic routes such as Ho Chi Minh City – Da Lat, HCMC – Thanh Hoa, and HCMC – Phu Quoc.

    Le Hong Ha, General Director of Vietnam Airlines, predicted that the aircraft shortage may linger on to 2025. He noted the national flag carrier has devised many solutions, including suspending or reducing the frequency of some routes in off-peak times or inefficient ones, increasing the operational time of each aircraft, and wet-leasing some planes.

    The airline is also boosting flights with attractive ticket prices in early mornings and late evenings. Occupancy rates of the flights to tourist magnets like Hanoi, HCMC, Da Nang, Nha Trang, Da Lat, Quy Nhon, and Phu Quoc that took off after 9 p.m. and before 5 a.m. in May and June were high, reaching 75 – 94%, Ha added.

    For its part, Vietjet plans to receive 10 planes between now and the end of 2024, including eight A321Neos and two E190s. It is scheduled to add more A321Neo, A330-300, E190, and Boeing 737 Max to its fleet in 2025.

    However, CAAV Deputy Director Do Hong Cam pointed out that it is still hard for carriers to lease aircraft due to rising rental, increasing fuel prices, and foreign exchange rate differences. These factors have affected supply and are among the reasons behind airfare fluctuations on domestic routes.

    Sharing the view, Deputy Minister of Transport Le Anh Tuan said the aviation sector will still encounter numerous difficulties in the coming time, including the aircraft shortage, carriers’ restructuring, route rearrangement, higher fuel costs, and foreign exchange differences.

    During the first half of 2024, Vietnamese airlines served nearly 37.5 million passengers, up 3.7% year on year and equivalent to 96% of the figure in the same period of 2019, when the aviation market was enjoying good growth.

    Vietnam’s aviation safety index was rated at 77.1%, up 11.54% from 2016 and well above the Asia-Pacific average of 65.31% and the global average of 68.81%, according to the Universal Safety Oversight Audit Programme of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO).

  • Waze releases emergency update for the iPhone version of the app

    Waze releases emergency update for the iPhone version of the app

    Google-owned Waze uses crowdsourced information to help guide you when you’re driving from point “A” to point “B.” Unlike Google Maps, which has become more than just a navigation app with mass transit information, restaurant reviews, entertainment, and lodging options, Waze uses a combination of real-time traffic info and reports from other “Wazers” to get you to your destination safely, and quickly.

    Waze users running the iOS variant of the app noticed something strange starting about a week ago. The app would lag when the user typed his destination in the “Where to?” field on the bottom of his iPhone. On Reddit, a Waze user with the username DependentDare4758 reported that Waze was sluggish on his iPhone 13 Pro Max running iOS 17.6. He wrote that he had to wait over three seconds to type in every keystroke on his iPhone, and that voice recognition was not operating.

    He also noted that scrolling was “exceptionally sluggish” when he was creating a trip for a later time and date. Additionally, highlights were all over the place covering two arrival times. This same Wazer pointed out that he was not having any of these issues using Waze on his fifth-generation iPad Air and sixth-generation iPad mini. Deleting Waze and reinstalling the app did not help.

    Several Redditors complained about this issue and now we have some good news to pass along. Waze developers have created an emergency update that fixes the issue. The update has started to rollout but is being sent in waves which means that it could be several days before the update arrives on your iPhone. You can look to update Waze manually by looking for and installing the update by following these directions:

    1. Open the App Store app and tap your profile icon in the upper right corner.
    2. On the bottom of the page you will see a list of apps that need to be updated.
    3. If all apps have been updated, swipe down a little from the top of the screen to refresh the page.
    4. Look for Waze and if you see it listed, tap on the Update button.

    Also, later this month, Android users will be able to see turn-by-turn directions, real-time traffic updates, and hazard alerts on their phone’s lock screen. Apple iPhone users should start to see this feature in the fall.

    If you don’t have Waze installed on your iPhone, tap on this link to download it from the App Store. If you’re using an Android device, tap on this link to install Waze from the Play Store.

  • Apple releases iOS 18 Developer Beta 5 with Distraction Controls for Safari

    Apple releases iOS 18 Developer Beta 5 with Distraction Controls for Safari

    Apple’s confusing airport departure board full of different iOS and iPadOS software Betas gets a little more complicated today as the company pushed out the fifth Developer Beta of iOS 18 and iPadOS 18. Don’t confuse these newly released Betas with the iOS 18.1 Developer Beta that came with the Apple Intelligence Beta that was just released on July 29th.

    Available only in the U.S. right now for the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max, the Apple Intelligence Beta comes with some of the AI features that iPhone users have been waiting for since hearing about them at WWDC. Such features include the ability to summarize emails and websites, have AI change the tone of an email or text being written, and record a phone call and have it transcribed in the Notes app.

    Some features, such as the following, won’t be ready until next year. For example, Siri will eventually be able to access data on your iPhone so that the digital assistant can answer a query such as, “What time do I need to pick up my mom at the airport?” Siri will also be able to remove certain distractions from photographs similar to Google’s Magic Eraser. Apple Intelligence will allow rough sketches to be turned into images and custom emoji, known as Genmoji, can be created. Don’t forget that ChatGPT will also become available to compatible iPhone users in 2025.

    So right now, the Apple Intelligence features available in the iOS 18.1 Developer Beta won’t be ready for those not interested in joining the Beta program until October when the stable version of iOS 18.1 is released.

    The build number for iOS 18 Developer Beta 5 and iPadOS 18 Developer Beta 5 is 22A5326f. Apple today also released the watchOS 11 Developer Beta 5 with the build number of 22R5328e, the fifth Developer Beta of tvOS with a build number of 22J5335d, and the fifth Developer Beta of macOS 15 Sequoia with the build number of 24A5309e. The visionOS 2.0 fifth Developer Beta for the Vision Pro was dropped by Apple today with the build number of 22N5297g.

    Distraction Controls is a new feature available in the just released iOS 18 Developer Beta 5. Developed for Safari, it allows iPhone users to have certain distracting features removed from websites. These features include cookie preference popups, sign-in windows, banners to subscribe to a newsletter, and more. Each website will require you to choose the items you wish to have removed. Keep in mind that this is not an ad blocker and ads will reappear when a site is refreshed.

    To use Distraction Control, go to the page menu in Safari and tap on Hide Distracting Items. You then tap on the features you want removed which disappear from a webpage using a cool-looking animation. You can restore the hidden items by tapping on the Show Hidden Items option. The Betas also get rid of the carousel in the Photos app which was done due to user request.

    To update your iPhone or iPad to the fifth Developer Beta of iOS 18 or iPadOS 18 respectively, go to Settings > General > Software Update. Follow the directions to install the Beta.

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