Enlarge / A blurry, ghostly Persona in visionOS 1.0. They should at least look less bad in visionOS 1.1. (credit: Samuel Axon)

Apple has released a long list of medium-sized software updates for most of its devices today. The macOS Sonoma 14.4, watchOS 10.4, tvOS 17.4, and visionOS 1.1 updates are all available now, and most of them add at least one or two major features as they fix multiple bugs and patch security vulnerabilities.

The visionOS 1.1 release is the first major update for Apple's newest operating system, and as our coverage of the headset has demonstrated, there's still plenty of low-hanging fruit to fix. Most notably for people who are trying to use the headset for work meetings , Apple says that there have been multiple changes to the look of Personas, the 3D avatars that show up in your place when you're video chatting with the Vision Pro on your face. The update improves "hair and makeup appearance," "neck and mouth representation," and "rendering of the eyes," and while it's clear that it's an improvement over the 1.0 release of Personas, the core uncanniness still seems to be intact. The Persona feature is still labeled as a beta.

Apple has also made tweaks to the appearance and functionality of the headset's virtual keyboard, improved the Virtual Display feature's Mac connectivity, and added a handful of mobile device management features for IT administrators.

Enlarge / The iPhone 15 Pro. (credit: Samuel Axon)

Apple yesterday released iOS and iPadOS 17.3 as well as watchOS 10.3, tvOS 17.3, and macOS Sonoma 14.3 for all supported devices.

iOS 17.3 primarily adds collaborative playlists in Apple Music, and what Apple calls "Stolen Device Protection." Collaborative playlists have been on a bit of a journey; they were promised as part of iOS 17, then added in the beta of iOS 17.2, but removed before that update went live. Now they're finally reaching all users.

When enabled, Stolen Device Protection requires Face ID or Touch ID authentication "with no passcode fallback" for some sensitive actions on the phone.

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  The new tvOS home screen in tvOS 17 puts six icons in a row instead of five. It was the most I had noticed about a tvOS update in years. [credit: Andrew Cunningham ]

Consider this a mini-review: Apple is releasing tvOS 17 today, and the update is probably the most useful one that Apple has released since the very early days of tvOS in 2015 .

Why? Not because of some stunningly innovative new feature or a great app that tames the tangle of competing streaming services. It's because Apple added an extra column of app icons. There are now six icons in a row instead of five. Revolutionary.

That probably comes across as more sarcastic or cutting than poor tvOS deserves. It is genuinely nice to have that extra column of icons, particularly in the top row where apps can use the carousel that consumes the top half of the Apple TV's home screen.

Enlarge / The iPhone 14 Pro. (credit: Apple)

Apple has released a new batch of software updates for all of its platforms today, adding some of the last noteworthy features to iOS 16, iPadOS 16, and macOS Ventura before it announces their replacements at its Worldwide Developers Conference next month. The iOS and iPadOS 16.5 updates and macOS 13.4 update are available to download now.

Apple is mostly done adding marquee features to these versions of its software, and the list of improvements is short. The biggest addition in iOS, macOS, and iPadOS is a sports tab in the Apple News app, which apparently makes it easier to follow sports news. And they resolve an issue across all operating systems that would keep Screen Time activity from being synced properly. And iOS and iPadOS pick up new Pride-themed wallpapers.

The iOS and iPadOS 16.5 and macOS 13.4 updates also fix some outstanding bugs. In macOS, there’s a fix for a problem that would keep Macs from using an Apple Watch to unlock, plus a fix for Bluetooth keyboards taking too long to connect after a restart. The iOS update fixes a Spotlight freezing bug and problems with the Podcasts app in CarPlay.

Enlarge / The 2021, 24-inch iMac with Apple's M1. (credit: Samuel Axon)

Apple released new updates for most of its software platforms today, including macOS Ventura 13.3, iOS 16.4, iPadOS 16.4, tvOS 16.4, and watchOS 9.4.

These are all feature updates, meaning they actually add new functionality in addition to fixing bugs or addressing security vulnerabilities.

iOS and iPadOS 16.4 add a number of minor features. The headliner is (of course) 21 new emojis, like new heart colors, additional animals, and a shaking head. Beyond that, though, Apple says you'll see improved voice isolation on phone calls, support for notifications from web apps that have been added to your phone's home screen, new ways to weed out duplicates in your Photos library, and a number of bug fixes.

Enlarge / The new Freeform app included in the iOS 16.2 and macOS 13.1 updates. (credit: Apple)

Apple has released the final versions of macOS 13.1, iOS 16.2, and iPadOS 16.2 to the public after a few weeks of beta testing. In addition to the standard bug fixes and security patches, these updates include the collaborative Freeform app that was announced back at WWDC, increased use of end-to-end encryption for iCloud data , and (for iPhones) the vocal-reducing, karaoke-friendly Apple Music Sing feature.

Freeform uses your AppleID and iCloud to sync changes on a large, bulletin board-esque canvas between multiple users in real time. Input can include typed text, images, files and documents, shapes, and handwritten text or images done with an Apple Pencil, creating something that is similar in form to a shared note or document but with more input flexibility. Users can have multiple boards shared with different groups of people, communicating in real time via Messages or FaceTime.

The iCloud encryption additions are grouped together under the "Advanced Data Protection" banner, and they expand the service's use of end-to-end encryption. Device backups for iPhones and iPads can be fully encrypted, as can Safari bookmarks and data from the Photos, Notes, Voice Memos, Reminders, Shortcuts, and Wallet apps. Calendar and Mail data remain unencrypted "because of the need to interoperate with the global email, contacts, and calendar systems."