Apple is working on letting users send emergency messages from remote locations

Apple’s future iPhone lineup may let users send emergency messages to first responders and contacts when there’s no cellular connectivity, according to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman.

The report dismisses the widely circulated rumor that the iPhone 13 would support Low Earth Orbit satellite communication connectivity and enable users to text and call over a satellite network. Instead, Mark Gurman says that Apple is working on two emergency messaging tools that won’t be ready to be shipped until next year.

The first feature, called Emergency Message via Satellite, will be integrated right into the Message app and allow users to text emergency services or friends and family over a satellite network when there’s no cellular connectivity. It will appear as a third protocol — alongside SMS and iMessage — inside the Message app. Messages sent using this option will appear as gray bubbles — instead of the usual green and blue bubbles —  so that they can be quickly identified. The report says the users will be able to text their emergency contacts simply by typing “Emergency SOS” in the recipient field. Emergency texts will even bypass the Do Not Disturb mode on the recipient’s phone.

Meanwhile, the second emergency feature will allow iPhone users to report crises like plane crashes or fires and quickly get help. The feature will also be able to collect more specific information like if the user needs search-and-rescue services, if the crisis involves weapons, and if someone has suffered a traumatic injury. The feature can also automatically send details like the user’s location, medical history, age, height and weight, and so on to concerned authorities.

As per the report, the new emergency messaging tools won’t be ready at least until next year. As such, they are unlikely to debut on the upcoming iPhone 13 series, which is reportedly launching next month.

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Featured image by CardMapr.nl on Unsplash

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EcoFlow’s September Sale Has Big Discounts on Portable Power Stations

EcoFlow is kicking off a huge September sale featuring their best portable power stations. EcoFlow specializes in products that are designed to keep your electricity flowing, in the event of a power outage or off-grid situations. Some of their best DELTA and RIVER power stations are discounted throughout September, giving you an opportunity to invest in one of these important disaster-prevention solutions. Don’t wait for the power to go out, get a portable power station now and take advantage of these deals.

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EcoFlow RIVER Pro

MSRP: $649

Sale: $549

Need a little extra juice for those extended getaways? The EcoFlow RIVER Pro is designed for longer vacations away from the grid. Fast recharge times allow you to spend minimal time worrying about your power, and more time enjoying nature.

EcoFlow River Pro

Step into the wild with a massive 720Wh of battery capacity. RIVER Pro is the powerhouse for your off-grid adventure. Keep up to 10 devices powered on at once and recharge in record times via car (in 8 hrs), solar (4-8 hrs), or standard AC outlets (in 96 mins).

Purchase options:

• EcoFlow website
• Amazon

EcoFlow RIVER Max

MSRP: $549

Sale: $449

The RIVER Max is the best solution for weekend getaways where you’ll be away from the power grid. It’s small and light enough to fit in the back of any vehicle, with the rest of your camping gear. Use the host of outlets to make sure all of your devices are powered, even large appliances.

EcoFlow River Max

Double the capacity of the RIVER with RIVER Max and keep all your devices powered on at once on your weekend getaway. With a detachable extra battery, you have up to 576Wh of capacity that can be fully recharged in 1.6 hours, which is the fastest on the market. You can also power up to 10 devices simultaneously.

Purchase options:

• EcoFlow website
• Amazon

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EcoFlow 160W Solar Panel

MSRP: $449

SALE: $329

The EcoFlow 160W Solar Panel is designed to produce maximum power at any time of the day when paired with an EcoFlow power station. The solar panel has a high conversion efficiency of 21-22% and can fully charge a RIVER Pro in 6-12 hours. It is portable, foldable, and compact, weighing only 15.4lbs / 7kg.

EcoFlow 160W Solar Panel

Purchase options:

• EcoFlow website
• Amazon

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EcoFlow DELTA + 160W Solar Panel

MSRP: $1,848

Sale: $1,599

Consider getting the full solution of the power station and a solar panel, to help you keep the lights on during an unforeseeable amount of time. The combination of EcoFlow’s 160W solar panel and the DELTA, can help you be completely power-independent. While this is a great solution for emergencies, it can also be a good way to bring power to a barn, shed, or any type of structure that isn’t hooked up to the grid.

EcoFlow DELTA + 160W Solar Panel

The EcoFlow 160W Solar Panel has a high conversion efficiency of 21-22%. Combine the 160W Solar Panel with an EcoFlow Power station to enjoy improved solar charging in cold and cloudy environments (fully recharged in 10.5 to 21 hours).

Purchase options:

• EcoFlow website
• Amazon

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This is the perfect opportunity to get started with your disaster planning or off-grid adventures. Because of EcoFlow’s modular design in all of their products, you can always expand on an entry-level setup. These deals will be available through September, so take advantage of them while you can.

We thank EcoFlow for sponsoring this post. Our sponsors help us pay for the many costs associated with running XDA, including server costs, full time developers, news writers, and much more. While you might see sponsored content (which will always be labeled as such) alongside Portal content, the Portal team is in no way responsible for these posts. Sponsored content, advertising and XDA Depot are managed by a separate team entirely. XDA will never compromise its journalistic integrity by accepting money to write favorably about a company, or alter our opinions or views in any way. Our opinion cannot be bought.

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Apple Music is adding classical music content from Primephonic

Apple has acquired Primephonic, a classical music streaming service, and the company plans to integrate the app’s functionality and playlists into Apple Music. A release shared by Apple reveals that Apple Music subscribers will soon be able to enjoy a significantly improved classical music experience. The company also plans to add better browsing and search capabilities, by composer and by repertoire, detailed displays of classical music metadata, and other new features to Apple Music in the coming months.

Talking about the acquisition, Oliver Schusser, VP of Apple Music and Beats, said, “We love and have a deep respect for classical music, and Primephonic has become a fan favorite for classical enthusiasts. Together, we’re bringing great new classical features to Apple Music, and in the near future, we’ll deliver a dedicated classical experience that will truly be the best in the world.”

The release further reveals that Primephonic is no longer accepting new subscribers and the service will be taken offline starting September 7th. Next year, Apple plans to launch a dedicated classical music app, which will feature Primephonic’s classical user interface and a host of additional features.

If you’re an exiting Primephonic subscriber, you’ll receive a prorated refund back to the original payment method based on the days left in your subscription. You will also get six months of Apple Music for free. This will give you access to all of Primephonic’s classical albums in lossless formats, along with hundreds of classical albums in Apple Music’s Spatial Audio. Primephonic will send out emails to current subscribers with additional details and a link to redeem the free Apple Music subscription in the coming days. For more information, check out the FAQ section on Primephonic’s website.

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Bose’s new QuietComfort 45 headphones offer better ANC capabilities and a 24-hour battery life

In July this year, we first got wind of Bose’s new noise-canceling headphones — the Bose QuietComfort 45. An FCC certification listing of the headphones gave us a good look at their design and highlighted some features. Earlier this month, we spotted the headphones in another leak, which revealed more details about its features and pricing. Bose has now finally announced the QC45 headphones, and they’re everything the leaks chalked them up to be.

Although the new Bose QuietComfort 45 (or QC45) headphones look a lot like the older QC35 II, they come with a couple of new features. The headphones offer (via The Verge) improved noise cancellation, a new transparency mode called “Aware Mode” to help you hear your surroundings, upgraded calling performance, and longer battery life.

Bose claims that the new QC45 offers significantly better noise-canceling performance than the QC35 II, especially in the mid-range frequencies, making them a great pick for commuters. However, unlike the more premium Bose 700, the QC45 only offers two noise-canceling modes — quiet and aware. The headphones also boast of better microphone performance, thanks to a beam form array that helps with voice isolation on calls and a rejection array that cancels out distracting nearby sounds. In addition, the Bose QC45 offer multipoint pairing support for two connections simultaneously.

As mentioned earlier, the Bose QC45s also offer better battery life than the older model. Bose claims that the headphones can last up to 24 hours on a single charge. The headphones also offer fast charging support, with a fifteen-minute charge adding three hours of playback time.

The Bose QC45 headphones are already available for pre-order on the company’s website. The headphones will go on sale in the US starting September 23rd, and they will be available in two colorways — black and white smoke — for $329. You can pre-order the headphones right away by following the link below.

Bose QuietComfort 45

The QuietComfort 45 are Bose's latest noise-canceling headphones that offer better ANC and longer battery life than the previous model.

Pre-order at Bose

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One UI 3.1.1 update brings new features to older Samsung foldables

Samsung’s latest foldables, the Galaxy Z Fold 3 and Galaxy Z Flip 3, launched with One UI 3.1.1. The software release packed several new features to enhance the foldable experience, including multi-active window and natural window switching support, a pinned Taskbar, the ability to customize app aspect ratio, and more. Samsung is now rolling out One UI 3.1.1 to older devices, bringing these new features to the Galaxy Z Fold 2, Galaxy Z Flip 5G, Galaxy Z Flip, and the Galaxy Fold.

In a recent blog post, the company announced that it will start rolling out One UI 3.1.1 to older Galaxy foldables starting August 31. The update will bring the following features to the devices:

Drag & split

With One UI 3.1.1, users with older Galaxy Z series devices will be able to easily open links in a split-screen view by dragging them to the edge of the screen. The feature will work with Samsung Internet, Samsung Notes, My Files, Messages, MS Office, OneNote, OneDrive, and more.

Drag & split support will be available on the Galaxy Z Fold 2, the Galaxy Z Fold, the Galaxy Z Flip 5G, and the Galaxy Z Flip with the One UI 3.1.1 update.

Multi-active window & Natural window switching

Multi-active window support will let you open up to three apps simultaneously on the Galaxy Z Fold 2 and the original Galaxy Fold. The feature will also let you adjust the height and width of all open windows to suit your needs. In addition, the Natural window switching feature will let you easily reorient open apps by dragging and placing them in any layout you want.

Unlike Drag & split, multi-active window and natural window switching will not be available on the Galaxy Z Flip 5G and the Galaxy Z Flip.

Set aspect ratio for apps

One UI 3.1.1 will also let users set a custom aspect ratio for all apps, allowing them to make the most out of the foldable displays. As you can see in the attached image, the feature will let you set a custom aspect ratio for apps like Instagram, so that it covers the entire foldable display.

As with the multi-active window and natural window switching features, the ability to set custom aspect ratios for apps will be limited to the Galaxy Z Fold 2 and the original Galaxy Fold.

Pinned taskbar

Galaxy Z Fold 2 and Galaxy Fold users will also get the ability to pin apps to a persistent taskbar with the One UI 3.1.1 update. This will let you easily access your most frequently used apps on the home screen. Additionally, the feature will let you switch between your favorite apps without the need to head back to the home screen or the app drawer.

The feature will not be available on the Galaxy Z Flip 5G and the Galaxy Z Flip.

Along with the features mentioned above, One UI 3.1.1 for older Galaxy foldables will also give users the ability to rotate all apps, view certain apps in a split-screen view, force Flex Mode on unsupported apps, and mirror the cover screen with the main screen. For more details about the new features, check out Samsung’s official announcement post by following the link above.

It’s worth noting that Samsung has also started rolling out One UI 3.1.1 to a host of other devices, including the Galaxy S10 series, the Galaxy S20 series, the Galaxy Note 10 series, the Galaxy Note 20 series, and the Galaxy A52 5G. However, the features mentioned above are not available on these devices.

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The Windows 11 release date is officially set for October 5

Today, Microsoft is announcing that the official Windows 11 release date is October 5. Of course, as Microsoft has said this whole time, it’s not coming to everyone on day one. It’s going to be a staged rollout.

First of all, new hardware with Windows 11 is going to start being released in October. You’ll also see newer eligible devices receive the update in the very beginning. As Microsoft tests more devices, it will expand the rollout, and it’s expected to be offered to everyone by mid-2022.

You’ll also need to make sure that you have a compatible CPU. In fact, a lot of system requirements have changed this time around, but the requirement of an Intel eighth-gen or newer, AMD Zen 2 or newer, or Qualcomm Snapdragon 850 or newer processor is the biggest one. TPM 2.0 is also a requirement, but that’s been a requirement on new PCs since 2016, long before any of the supported processors shipped.

If you don’t meet these requirements, you can always install via an ISO image, but then you might not get updates. The alternative is to stay on Windows 10, and even if you do that, you’ll still be supported until October 14, 2025.

Obviously, there are a whole bunch of new features that are coming in Windows 11, the most obvious being an all-new design. You’re going to see a brand-new Start Menu and a centered taskbar. There are rounded corners throughout the OS, and with that new subtle look, there are more subtle system sounds, such as when you change the volume. It also comes with new gaming features with features like DirectStorage and Auto HDR, features that were previously exclusive to the latest generation of Xbox consoles.

There’s even more in terms of design though. You can now have different wallpapers in virtual desktops. You’ll also find an all-new Widgets section, which is mostly News and Interests under a new banner and a new design. Snap Layouts lets you hover your mouse over the maximize button to snap in different parts of the display, and then there are Snap Groups to call up groups of windows. Windows 11 is also optimized for touch, letting you use gestures on the screen that you’re already used to from the touchpad.

Teams Chat is new too. You’ll find the icon in the taskbar, and you can use it to chat with friends, even if they’re not using Teams. One feature that was promised that won’t arrive in time is Android app support. That’s coming later this year.

The Windows 11 release date is October 5. As mentioned, there’s going to be new hardware as well, and stuff being sold now is already being billed as ready for Windows 11. Microsoft noted in its blog post that this is a great time to buy a new PC, and that’s the whole idea behind the new requirements, although the company also outlined things like improved performance and fewer crashes.

While it’s going to be a slow, staged rollout, you’ll still be able to use tools like the Media Creation Tool to install Windows 11 on your machine early.

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Android app support in Windows 11 delayed, likely until next year

When Microsoft announced Windows 11 earlier this year, it unveiled a lot of exciting new features. For example, it comes with an all-new design, Snap Layouts, Teams Chat, and a lot more. But one of the most interesting features in Windows 11 was that it was going to support Android apps by way of the Amazon Appstore. After the announcement, both Teams Chat and Android app support weren’t in the original previews. But while Teams Chat has been there for a little while now, Android apps still aren’t, and Microsoft confirmed today that the feature isn’t going to be in Windows 11 at launch either.

As of Tuesday morning, there are no more secrets left around Windows 11. Microsoft announced the Windows 11 release date, and it confirmed the features that will be included. Android apps is not one of those features. Specifically, the blog post said that the feature will arrive for Windows Insiders in the coming months, which is exactly the terminology that Microsoft used to describe Android app availability back in June when the first Windows 11 preview was released.

And while Microsoft has continuously said that it’s going to bring Android app support to Windows 11 users later this year, it’s remained tight-lipped about specifics. And yes, the Redmond firm regularly says it’s bringing things to users when it actually means that those things are only coming to Windows Insiders, as misleading as that may be.

I had already heard from sources that Android apps in Windows 11 were delayed. What I wasn’t sure about (and I’m still not sure about) is if the delay comes from development of the Windows Subsystem for Android, or if it comes from Amazon’s end of things with building Appstore integration into the Microsoft Store. I suspect that it’s the latter, as it’s no secret that Microsoft employees have been testing out Android apps on their own devices for a long time now.

There are a few things that can happen here. Microsoft could wait until fall 2022 to release the feature. After all, Windows 11 is only going to be once a year, unlike the biannual schedule that Windows 10 had. It’s possible that the Redmond firm could hold the feature back as a big hero feature for the major update. It’s also possible that Android app support could be delivered as a separate update. The Windows Subsystem for Android could be delivered through Windows Update, and the Amazon Appstore could show up in the Microsoft Store.

Either way, it seems like actual Windows 11 users – meaning those that aren’t beta testers – won’t be seeing Android app support until next year. It’s bad news for those that were looking forward to it. After all, it means that in order to get it, you’ll have to commit to the Windows Insider Program, which can lead you to having a potentially unstable machine for a whole year until next year’s Windows 11 update. Or, you can just buy an Android tablet.

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