Apple is secretly tracking users through a feature that was turned on by default during a previous iOS 17 update. When the Journal app released in December 2023, a privacy setting was automatically switched to on. It allows people to interact with your iPhone when they are nearby. To turn yours off, go to the Privacy & Security tab in the settings folder. It should say'Discoverable by Others'.

Creating stickers from photos is an easily overlooked iPhone feature tucked into iOS 17. Using Apple's machine learning algorithms that quickly separate a subject from its background, it extracts pictures of you, your friends or pets (or anything else it detects as the picture's subject), transforming them into digital decals. It even makes animated stickers from Live Photos to slap onto iMessage chats or Markup tools. Here's how to create your own. In Apple's ecosystem, stickers are digital versions of their real-world counterparts. They debuted in iOS 10, Apple's 2016 iPhone operating system, allowing users to place cut-outs of fun images onto iMessage bubbles for more personalized reactions.

The iPhone-specific app was released in Apple's new iOS 17.2 update and prompts users to write about their lives to'reflect and practice gratitude,' according to the Cupertino company. However, tech experts have pointed out that the app's default settings make your phone discoverable by nearby devices, not just when you use it. The Journal app exploits users' photos, workout data, recent music listening history, and even location data to craft so-called journal entries that are mostly complete before the phone's owner even enters a single word. These capabilities have sparked privacy concerns and fears over the data that may be shared without people's knowledge. Some have also noted the new app's similarity to Google's'Project Ellmann,' which uses the company's ChatGPT rival Gemini to comb through users' data and craft an overarching story of your life.

Apple's AI-powered Journal app is finally here. The new diary entry writing tool was first teased for iOS 17 back in June, but it only became available on Monday with the new iPhone update -- nearly three months after iOS 17 itself came out. After Apple released iOS 17.2, iPhone users can now access to the Journal app, which allows users to jot down their thoughts in a digital diary. Journaling is a practice that can improve mental wellbeing and it can also be used to fuel creative projects. You can create traditional text entries, add voice recordings to your notes, or include recent videos or pictures.

Ahead of the International Day of Persons with Disabilities last Sunday, Apple released a short film that showcased its Personal Voice accessibility feature, which debuted earlier this year in iOS 17. Personal Voice allows users to create digital versions of their voice to use on calls, supported apps and Apple's own Live Speech tool. For those who are at risk of permanently losing their voice due to conditions like Parkinson's disease, multiple sclerosis, ALS and vocal cord paralysis, not sounding like yourself can be yet another form of identity loss. Being able to create a copy of your voice while you're still able might help alleviate the feeling that you'll never feel like yourself again, or that your loved ones won't know what you sound like. All iOS 17, iPadOS 17 and macOS Sonoma users can create a personal voice in case you need it in the future -- whether temporarily or for long-term use.

Kurt "The Cyberguy" Knutsson explains how use the new iOS 17 feature to find information easily. You may not be able to decipher what's in every photo, but now your iPhone can. With Apple's new iOS 17 feature, "Visual Look Up," you can do just that. 'Visual Look Up' lets you snap a picture and search for information about various objects and scenes in your image. Whether it's a famous landmark, a beautiful flower, a cute animal or a delicious dish, 'Visual Look Up' can help you identify and learn more about it.

Kurt "They Cyberguy" Knutsson explains easier ways get Siri to listen to you on your iPhone. Do you ever wish that you could activate Siri without having to say "Hey" first every time? Our favorite virtual assistant on Apple devices got a much-needed upgrade with iOS 17. CLICK TO GET KURT'S FREE CYBERGUY NEWSLETTER WITH SECURITY ALERTS, QUICK TIPS, TECH REVIEWS, AND EASY HOW-TO'S TO MAKE YOU SMARTER How to use Siri without saying "Hey" with iOS 17 update -safari () With iOS 17, you can also now finally make back-to-back requests without needing to say "Siri" again and again when you want something. How to use Siri without saying "Hey" with iOS 17 update -safari () While we're calling out to Siri, here is a useful new tip to read an article out loud for you that you can ask her to do.

Your latest iPhone update is officially here. While the lock screen customizations introduced in iOS 16 formed the big visual change last year, Apple has now applied a similar makeover to your phone calls and contact lists. And at a time when there is no shortage of video call apps and services, it's trying to make FaceTime even more compelling. When I previewed the developer build a month or so ago, I focused on messages and FaceTime, both of which got a lot of attention in this update. After a little more time with the finished product, iOS 17 feels like a big quality-of-life upgrade for iPhone users.

Tech product launches in 2023 have become predictable: Everything now comes with generative AI features that will serve up chatty but knowledgeable text or mind-blowing images. The rollout of the iPhone 15 this week shows Apple opting to Think Different. The new device comes with the A17 Pro processor, an Apple-designed chip to put more power behind machine-learning algorithms. But the features highlighted at the launch event yesterday were generally subtle, not mind expanding. The company appears focused on AI that is intuitive not generative, making artificial intelligence a part of your life that smoothes over glitches or offers helpful predictions without being intrusive.

The Perseverance Rover has found evidence of organic compounds in the Jezero Crater on Mars. Don't get too excited: These compounds could have also developed in nonbiological ways. But even if it's not proof of organic life on Mars, the results hint at complex organic conditions for the "key building blocks for life." Organic molecules like those observed in the Jezero Crater contain carbon and often hydrogen atoms. They're the core components of life as we know it on Earth.