New member joining in February was Maggie Zabder

ADAM ENGST 12 February 2025

Don’t miss the sight of pigs soaring majestically above the snow-covered peaks of Hades: Apple has published a support article explaining how to migrate apps, music, movies, TV shows, books, and other digital purchases from one of your Apple Accounts to another.

You can choose to migrate apps, music, and other content you’ve purchased from Apple on a secondary Apple Account to a primary Apple Account. The secondary Apple Account might be an account that’s only used for purchases. You’ll need to know the primary email address or phone number and password for both accounts, and neither account should be shared with anyone else.

We’ve been asking for this capability for decades, as Glenn Fleishman did in “Apple ID Becomes Mac OS X and iCloud Glue” (8 September 2011). Put simply, it might be welcome if you have long used one Apple Account in Settings and System Settings for iCloud and other key features but another for Media & Purchases.

Purchase migration isn’t available to users in the European Union, the United Kingdom, or India, likely due to legal, financial, or data privacy regulations. However, for Apple users throughout the rest of the world, it’s an answer to “Why can’t I merge two Apple Accounts?” that we never thought we’d get.

Ironically, when Tonya and I were testing Apple Invites last week (see “Streamline Event Planning with New Apple Invites Service,” 4 February 2025), she experienced some confusion because her everyday Apple Account is tied to a rarely used mac.com email address rather than her primary email address. Attempting to respond to an invitation with her primary email address led her down a rabbit hole when she discovered it was linked to another unused Apple Account, likely created decades ago for testing purposes. “If only you could merge the two,” I joked, never realizing it would become possible just days later.

In reality, migrating purchases from one account to another is not the same as merging accounts. Apple specifies that iCloud data, account balances, and personalized recommendations in Apple’s media apps won’t transfer from the secondary account, and you won’t be able to edit any App Store reviews created with your secondary Apple Account. Other users have noted that TestFlight betas also don’t transfer. Apple doesn’t mention in-app purchases, so while it seems logical that they would transfer, if they’re important to you, perhaps hold off until more information becomes available.

Rather than detailing the migration process, I recommend that you read Apple’s documentation, which is highly detailed, extremely specific, and full of caveats. It explains why you might want to migrate purchases, who can migrate purchases, what to do before migrating purchases, how to perform the migration, what happens when you migrate, why migration might fail, how you can undo migration, and the consequences of undoing migration.

Be sure to read everything carefully if you’re considering migration. In particular, be aware that after migration, the secondary account can no longer be used for Media & Purchases unless you explicitly undo the migration. And once you undo a migration, that account can’t be migrated again for a year, so you don’t want to goof around. I also recommend waiting a few weeks to increase the likelihood that Apple has fixed any bugs that might affect you.

It’s slightly odd that you can initiate migration only from an iPhone or iPad, but Apple is undoubtedly betting that almost everyone in this situation will have an iPhone or iPad along with a Mac. It makes sense to reduce the chance that the feature could cause problems on the Mac when relatively few will need it at all, and almost no one will use it more than once.

ADAM ENGST 4 February 2025

Whenever Apple releases a new app like Clips, Journal, or Freeform that’s unlikely to appeal to most Apple users, I wonder what internal discussions led to its development, especially when it’s entering a crowded space. With the new Apple Invites, the answer is slightly more apparent: to encourage iCloud+ subscriptions to boost Services revenue. But will people use it over established invitation services like Evite or Paperless Post? Or just plain email or texts?

Apple Invites helps you create event invitations, invite people, play music at the event, and collect photos. It’s focused on social events—you wouldn’t use it to organize a business meeting. Anyone can respond to an invitation regardless of whether they have the Apple Invites app, an Apple Account, or even an Apple device. However, event creation is limited to iCloud+ subscribers and joins other iCloud+ features like expanded iCloud storage, Private Relay, Hide My Email, HomeKit Secure Video, and custom email domains.

Apple Invites is available for iPhones running iOS 18 and through iCloud.com. Although the Web app appears identical to the iPhone app, no dedicated iPad or Mac app exists. Unlike competing invitation services that offer free tiers with paid upgrades to remove ads and add features, Apple Invites requires an iCloud+ subscription for any event creation but has no ads. iCloud+ subscriptions start at $0.99 per month for 50 GB of storage. There is no limit on the number of events you can create or guests you can invite.

Creating and Sharing an Event

The event creation workflow in Apple Invites is straightforward. First, you give your event a name, set a date and an optional time, and specify a location. Next, you can customize the invitation by adding a background. Apple offers a selection of pre-made images, but you can also use a photo from your library or create one with Image Playground if you have access to Apple Intelligence. Additionally, you can enhance the event by attaching an Apple Music playlist, allowing attendees to listen and contribute songs. Finally, you can set up an iCloud Shared Album where everyone involved can upload and view photos from the event.

After you create your event, it’s time to share it. You can either create and share a public link or invite people directly—it’s similar to sharing in other Apple apps. Apple Invites enables you to build a list of frequent invitees, but you can also search through all your contacts. Invitations are managed entirely via URLs, which open in any Web browser. Guests must enter an email address to RSVP; if it matches an Apple Account, they’ll need to sign in. Otherwise, they must verify it by entering a six-digit code sent to that address.

Managing Guest Responses

After signing into an Apple Account or verifying an email, guests can view details and RSVP by clicking the Guest List tile. Note the small calendar icon at the top. Clicking it will download an ICS file to add the event to a calendar.

Clicking the Guest List tile opens a dialog that allows the guest to indicate their attendance plans, which they can change at any time. They can also tweak their name (“Adam’s Doppelganger” was originally my test email address) and add a note explaining their response or providing additional information. I’m not wild about the darkness of the interface; I had trouble seeing the Submit link in the upper-right corner when the dialog was set against the dark brown of the screen.

As people begin to RSVP, the host receives notifications, and the Guest List starts to fill up. Anyone can see who else is coming, but only the host can remove people from the event. Interestingly, only those with Apple Accounts seem to be permitted to invite others here. Once again, there’s a notable lack of interface contrast with the View Information pop-up that appears when you tap the ••• button next to a guest.

Hosts can send messages to all attendees who have RSVPed. I suspect that guests with the app receive a push notification, but those without it receive an email that requires clicking through to iCloud instead of simply displaying the text in the message.

My event has yet to happen, and I wouldn’t enable Apple Music or an iCloud Shared Album for a simple dinner anyway, so I can’t comment on those experiences. However, I suspect they’re fine since they’re based on longstanding Apple systems.

Host Controls and Settings

The remaining tools available to the host are more interesting. At the top of the screen, a calendar button adds the event to your calendar. Next to it is a ••• button that provides options for editing the event, duplicating it—a nice touch for events that are likely to recur—and adjusting event settings.

These settings include allowing individuals to bring extra guests—the Guest List tile updates to enable guests to indicate if they’re bringing a plus-one, and they can modify their description to clarify. The Approve Guests option would be helpful if a public link were shared more widely than anticipated. If a photo background poses a privacy concern, it can be removed from the invitation until guests have accessed it with a verified email address or through a private link. Additionally, a description of the background can be added for those utilizing a screen reader. Lastly, the host has the option to duplicate the event, cancel it, or pause replies.

Final Thoughts

I’m quite impressed with Apple Invites. I expected it to be a somewhat cheesy app that lacked key features or was difficult to use effectively outside the Apple ecosystem. Instead, Apple appears to have done a solid job of considering what’s necessary for both hosts and guests.

A possible omission is a built-in way for guests to communicate with the host or the entire group. However, in many situations, guests can respond to the host using the same channel through which they received the invitation link. Those who joined via a public link may not have a direct connection to the host, but they can always view the host’s email address by clicking the settings icon at the top right of the Web interface. Nevertheless, setting a description may be all that’s necessary in most instances.

While it’s easy to suggest that Apple Invites provide full group communication, upon reflection, that might not be a good idea. Since it works across platforms, Apple Invites only knows guest email addresses. If it were to enable chat within the invitation, email notifications of new messages could quickly become bothersome.

One hurdle to the adoption of Apple Invites may be that invitations will only come from Apple users. It’s not that Apple Invites won’t work for those outside the Apple ecosystem; it’s that many Apple users may hesitate to use something that feels Apple-focused with friends and family who don’t own Apple devices. I often feel reluctant to use an Apple-focused service like Shared iCloud Albums with non-Apple friends—although I don’t intend it as a push to convert them to a different platform, I worry it could be perceived that way. Additionally, my experience is that many individuals who don’t use Apple devices view them as overly expensive and somewhat elitist. While they don’t comment on my usage, they might see it as presumptuous for me to expect them to use an Apple service.

If you’re less reluctant about feeling like you’re imposing Apple services on non-Apple users than I am, give Apple Invites a try and let us know how it works for you.

ADAM ENGST 17 February 2025

As iPhones and iPads become an increasingly integral part of our daily lives, it’s not uncommon to have an app that contains information so personal that we wouldn’t want others to stumble across it. That could include a child using your iPhone to play a game or a friend swiping through photos you want to show them. To prevent unauthorized access, some apps containing personal data now offer options that require biometric authentication or a separate passcode before allowing access.

A new feature in iOS 18 and iPadOS 18 now enables you to protect any app with Face ID or Touch ID. It’s simple to set up and use: just touch and hold an app, then select Require Face ID from the menu that appears. The device will then prompt you to choose whether to require Face ID only or hide the app to prevent others from realizing it exists.

After enabling the option to require Face ID, your device will ask you to authenticate whenever you try to open the app or display its content in other places. With Face ID, you’ll barely have time to read “Face ID required to open App” on an otherwise blank screen before the app appears. With Touch ID devices, I assume you’ll need to move your finger to the Home or top button, which won’t be as seamless. If biometric authentication fails—like when Face ID doesn’t work for me because I’m not wearing my glasses and I hold the iPhone too close to my face—you must tap Try Face ID Again before trying to authenticate again. If multiple attempts fail, you’ll be asked for your passcode.

Hiding the app is more involved. When you tap Hide and Require Face ID, the device explains what will happen, although not very clearly. First, it says that the app “will no longer be visible on your iPhone, except in a few places such as Settings.” I’m unsure what other places Apple has in mind, but the apps I hid also vanished from Settings > Apps. Second, under “Obscured App Appearance,” Apple says that the app “will be obscured on your Home Screen and in a folder for hidden apps in the App Library.” This is just poor writing. The app isn’t “obscured” on your Home Screen; it disappears entirely from the Home Screen.

You could interpret the App Library’s behavior as “obscured,” though I wouldn’t describe it that way. A new Hidden folder appears at the bottom of your App Library but doesn’t display its contents until you tap it and authenticate with Face ID. Then, the icons of all the hidden apps appear, and tapping one opens it.

To turn off the feature, touch and hold the app icon on the Home Screen, in the App Library, or in Spotlight, and then choose Don’t Require Face ID from the menu that appears. If you want to reveal a previously hidden app but retain biometric authentication, you’ll have to toggle the entire feature off and back on.

Overall, Apple has done a commendable job of giving users more control over their privacy with specific apps. It’s important to remember that if you trust someone with your passcode, it could grant them access to your otherwise secure apps. However, it’s unlikely that anyone with passcode access would accidentally discover an app that’s hidden or even just restricted to the App Library. Security through obscurity is far from guaranteed, but it’s sufficient in many low-impact situations.

Charles Martin | Jan 15, 2025

Notes can record audio and provide transcriptions, starting with iOS and iPadOS 18.

Notes can record audio and provide transcriptions, starting with iOS and iPadOS 18.

The Notes app in iOS 18 and iPadOS 18 makes it easy to add an audio recording to a note, and create a written transcription of it if desired. Here's how to do it.

It has long been possible to add an audio recording to a note created in the Notes app, but in earlier iOS versions it was a little more cumbersome. Users would open the Voice Memos app, record the audio, and then attach that recording to a new note in the Notes app.

As of iOS 18, that functionality is directly available in Notes — though it is still somewhat hidden until you know how to find it. The big change compared to the previous Voice Memos app is that Notes can now also provide a written transcript of what was said, if you are using an iPhone 12 or later.

It is important to note that the audio transcription feature is available only for various versions of English. This includes US and UK versions, along with Australian, Irish, New Zealand, and South African.

This new feature will be a godsend to students, board members, employees, and the secretaries of organizations everywhere.

Being able to quickly and easily reference a written version of what was said in a meeting or classroom will help users retain the information better. They will also be able to summarize key points, and separate action items from other information.

Having the original audio to review is also useful. As with audiobooks, re-listening to a speech or lecture can add the speaker's tone, passion, and context to their words, making it come alive in a way that a straight transcript cannot.

While not always 100 percent accurate, the transcript feature will make your notes more valuable to you, and more shareable with others. On devices capable of running Apple Intelligence, the summarizing feature within it can create the summary itself if the user desires. 

Recording inside the Notes app

When you first open a new note in Notes, you'll see a plus button on the lower right side of the note, just above the on-screen keyboard. Tapping it will pop up a set of tools to use in your note.

These include font controls, bullet lists, table tools, an attachment button, drawing tools and, if available, an Apple Intelligence button.

• Tap on the attachment button.
• A menu of options comes up, including "Record Audio."
• Tapping that will cause a "New Recording" screen to appear, just as it does in the Voice Memos app — which is still available as a separate app.
• To start a recording, press the red button at the bottom of the screen, and check that the iPhone's mic is picking up your voice.

Three iPhone screens show audio editing with waveforms, playback controls, and a transcript. The last screen displays a saved note with text from the audio.

You can pause the recording to collect your thoughts and then resume, or just record an entire meeting, lecture, or panel directly.

• Press the record button again to stop the recording.
• To the left of the record button is a "word bubble" button with quote marks in it.
• Tapping that button will provide a real-time transcript of the audio.

Adding and viewing the transcript, and more

You can also wait until the recording is done, and tap the Done button to the right of the record button to generate a transcript. The full transcript will then appear in a new window, with an audio block in gray and the first couple of lines of the transcript along with a "play" button.

To add the recording to your note:

• Look for the "three dots" icon at the top right, and tap it.
• Tap "Add Transcript to Note."
• You can then edit the transcript to correct any errors.

You also have another option in that same menu to copy the transcript, which allows you to paste it directly into another program — such as a word processing app, a blog post, or other options.

You can also record and transcribe audio on any iPad model that supports iPadOS 18 or later. Audio transcription from the Notes app is also available on any Mac with an M1 processor or later, and running macOS Sequoia or later.

If it is available on your Mac, you can also use Apple Intelligence tools to summarize the transcript, proofread it, or rewrite portions in a different style. 

With Apple Intelligence, you can summarize a transcription directly in Notes.

Apple Intelligence is currently available on the iPhone 15 Pro or Pro Max, or the iPhone 16 models. It's also available on iPads using the A17 Pro or M1 or later chips running iOS 18 or later, and Macs running macOS Sequoia 15.1 or later, and using an M1 chip or better.

ADAM ENGST 12 February 2025

In August 2024, Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman reported that Apple is working on a “tabletop home device that combines an iPad-like display with a robotic limb.” While the company often conducts hardware and software research that may never make it into a product, Gurman’s suggestion that a tabletop robot could come to fruition has recently garnered some public support. In a blog post introducing their research paper, Apple’s Machine Learning Research group examines how robots might interact more naturally with humans. They write:

Nonverbal behaviors such as posture, gestures, and gaze are essential for conveying internal states, both consciously and unconsciously, in human interaction. For robots to interact more naturally with humans, robot movement design should likewise integrate expressive qualities—such as intention, attention, and emotions—alongside traditional functional considerations like task fulfillment, spatial constraints, and time efficiency. In this paper, we present the design and prototyping of a lamp-like robot that explores the interplay between functional and expressive objectives in movement design.

Since this is a situation where showing is better than telling, the blog post includes a video demonstrating the differences between an expressive robot and one that’s merely functional. The contrast is striking, with the expressive robot evoking the playful lamp in Pixar’s famous Luxo, Jr. animation intro. To paraphrase Lloyd Price’s 1959 hit, it’s got personality.

Unfortunately, while some Apple products have captivated users, personality has been in short supply in recent years. That hasn’t always been the case: the original Macintosh introduced itself with, “Hello, I’m Macintosh. It sure is great to get out of that bag!” and stated that you should never trust a computer you can’t lift. The iMac G3 set the world on its ear with its gumdrop design and splashes of Bondi Blue color, which led to the curvy, colorful iBook G3, complete with its integrated handle. Later, the iMac G4 featured a round base and a movable screen on a chrome arm that could only have been inspired by Luxo Jr. (and, in fact, one of the commercials was directed by Pixar founder John Lasseter). The Power Mac G4 Cube may have been a commercial flop—and it certainly had usability issues—but it was meant to be showcased like modern art. Even the first click-wheel iPod, minimalist though it was, provided an unparalleled tactile experience, and the first MacBook Airwas impossibly thin.

But the iPod heralded an era in which Apple began to pare down its industrial designs, giving us ever smaller, sharper iPods and then the iPhone, Apple TV, and iPad, along with a series of slab-like Macs. (The cylindrical Mac Pro was an exception but lacked charisma despite its unconventional appearance.) They’re all sleek and elegant, but they’re also essentially blank slates. iPods were the music they held, while iPhones, iPads, and Apple TVs are whatever app is active. Macs have mostly been distilled into their screens or squat blocks of metal. (At least the Apple silicon iMacs have some color, and you can personalize an Apple Watch with your choice of band.) They’re conduits, not objects with their own personalities. The HomePod and HomePod mini are small exceptions, but they’re still mostly about fitting in on a shelf. The Vision Pro is amazingly dorky and evokes strong reactions, but Apple intends it to disappear in favor of a virtual environment. It’s not a thing; it’s an experience.

While it’s tempting to wonder if Apple’s research robot hints at a revival of product personality, I’m not holding my breath. Apple’s target market is now literally everyone in the world, leading to designs that prioritize universal appeal over distinct personality. Here’s hoping I’m wrong and that an upcoming personable tabletop robot brings some character back to Apple’s product line.

Charles Martin | Dec 27, 2024

The AppleInsider weekend news hub and Zoom/podcasting studio.

Charles really loves his mostly-older Apple gear, but 2025 is going to be a year of change. Here's how he gets work done at AppleInsider.

I only develop and write stories for AppleInsider on the weekends, hence my Weekend Editor title. As a result, I have a pretty modest setup and workflow compared to most of the full-timers.

Versatility for travel is one of my key requirements, since I am on the road at various times of the year. Even when I'm at home, I'm often in a cafe or occasionally doing local radio as a "computer guru," or on Zoom teaching online tech classes.

As a result, the center of my Apple universe when it comes to writing articles is my MacBook Pro, which is no longer a recent model. It is, in fact, one of the very last of the Intel-based MacBook Pros.

To be specific, it's a 2019 15.4-inch that runs a 2.3GHz 8-core Intel Core i9 with 16GB of RAM, 512GB of internal storage, and both Intel built-in graphics and a Radeon Pro 560X. It's still reasonably fast for a Mac despite the lack of an M-series chip, and has the touch bar — which I find useful for my core apps.

My primary uses of this computer are writing, online research, photo editing, and Wordpress — none of which need a particularly beefy or high-end computer. I purchased it in December of 2019 for half of its usual $3000-plus price, because it was being cleared out to make room for the 2020 models.

It's attached to a 4K external monitor, and I tend to use an Apple Bluetooth trackpad rather than the built-in one when I'm at home. I have a couple of hubs — the one seen above for home use, and another for the iPad Pro — to give me Ethernet and HDMI, along with USB-A ports and a camera card reader for times when or if I need them.

I mostly use my MBP most in a corner-desk setup, where everything I might need for writing, website work, Zoom meetings, FaceTime and podcasting are all at my fingertips. I use mostly Byword for writing, Pixelmator Pro for graphics, Luminar for photo editing, and Safari as my preferred browser.

Because I serve as tech support for many clients, friends, and relatives — not all of whom have Apple products — when I'm not working here, I also keep up to date with Windows. I have a current Lenovo laptop that probably feels pretty unloved most of the time, but it really helps me help people who work with Windows 10 and 11.

The machine I can't live without: the iPad Pro

Occasionally, I have to fulfill some of my AppleInsider duties entirely on my second-gen 11-inch iPad Pro, which I got new in 2020. Thanks to a HyperDrive USB-C hub, I can add photos or connect to a hotel TV if needed.

This keeps things light, which is important for me when traveling. In 2024 alone, I visited five countries and more than half a dozen cities.

With the iPad Pro, a USB-C hub, the Magic Keyboard case, and a travel bag to carry it all, that's nearly all I need for technology on the go. That is, apart from my iPhone 12 and reliable internet, of course.

An iPad hub by Hyper and an HDMI cable lets me use my iPad Pro on a 27-inch monitor.

When I sometimes need to bring the MacBook Pro with me as well, the iPad can be used as a secondary screen wirelessly, which is very useful. When I only have the iPad Pro, I often use the hotel's TV as my main screen — thanks to either AirPlay, or my travel hub and an HDMI cable.

Apart from its lighter weight, the iPad Pro and Magic Keyboard case also fits on tray tables in coach class, where my larger MacBook Pro would be a bit awkward, and that's invaluable for working while flying. The battery life of the iPad Pro never fails to impress me.

My other must-have bit of tech gear are my second-generation AirPods Pro, which I got new in 2022. The noise cancellation is a must while traveling and in restaurants, and now the hearing protection features are invaluable when I opt to go to loud rock concerts or other noisy events.

2025 is a rebuilding year

While I still get a lot of reasonably quick use out of my current gear, I do like to upgrade before the machines start to falter or lose too much resale value. As all three of my main Apple devices are four years old or older, 2025 and the raves over the M4 chip are really pushing me to upgrade.

Boxing Week deals — or after-Christmas sales as they are known in the US — provide a serious opportunity to comparison-shop deals with local cellular providers for iPhones. One of our local tech chains decided to start the holiday discounts early, so I took the opportunity on Christmas to finally upgrade my iPhone 12 to an iPhone 16 Pro, as I tend to take a lot of photos.

While I've enjoyed the screen space of my current 16-inch MacBook Pro, I really need a main computer that can run Apple Intelligence. The M4 Mac mini is looking like a steal at its new price, though I might want to continue with an M4 MacBook Pro instead — but if I do that, I'm downsizing to the 14-inch model this time around, as I prefer the more-compact size for travel (check discounted prices).

I'm also keen on updating my 11-inch iPad Pro to the M4 model, though this is probably the least urgent upgrade. If that should prove unaffordable until tax-refund time, I might instead replace my pair of first-gen full-size HomePods if a new model appears.

I currently use my HomePods for streaming music, but also as my TV's speakers via the Apple TV 4K, the combination of which has been very enjoyable and truly among my favorite pieces of household tech. A further smart-home upgrade to HomePod, which seems to be in the works, would be really great.

Clearly, 2025 is going to be a bit of an expensive year for me. Even though my main uses of Apple gear probably pale in sophistication to many of our readers, I have to maintain my "guru" status for my many friends and relatives who count on me for technical support — and this means reasonably upgrading my PC arsenal for best results.