iOS 8 Tidbits: Randomized MAC Addresses, Safari Credit Card Scanning, Indoor Mapping, and More

[longofest]

If there's no way to disable this randomised MAC stuff, then no iOS 8 device is going to be able to connect to my network at home, or my corporate network at work.

It also means that networks which rely on MAC for authentication (such as the WiFi on the underground here in London) won't work.

Bit silly if you ask me. I'm not sure how a randomised MAC address helps improve security in any way.

If nothing else, it will help encourage the industry from NOT using a MAC address for anything having to do with security or authentication. MAC addresses are too easily spoofed.

 

[nagromme]

I know that in Chrome, using a new search engine is trivial. You type in the URL of the search engine's main page and bam, that's your search engine in Chrome. With Safari on the desktop, on the other hand, I had to install a plugin to get DuckDuckGo working.

I haven't used an Android device in ~19 months, so I couldn't say how they're doing on the other fronts right now.

I was glad to find out about that DDG plugin! I like how DDG has come along. And I liek that I can easily jump to !gi for images, since that's where DDG really falls short.

Safari (on Mac) is not officially getting DDG until Yosemite.

 

[kemal]

Why not have a setting to make the power button into a buy button? Like if you click it twice really fast.

 

[mw360]

Sir Jony's going to freak when he sees that Buy button.

 

[VSMacOne]

Hehe, my Control Center screenshot/find made it on the front page

 

[Zxxv]

I can see grocery stores making use of the indoor mapping feature. I don't know how many times I wish I could pull up maps to find the tomato sause when my wife sends me to the store.

Just ask someone. It's more social and keeps the world friendly.

 

[pdaholic]

Just ask someone. It's more social and keeps the world friendly.

Yeeeaaaaah it also makes for a long trip to the grocery store when you have to keep asking where stuff is...

I agree with star flyer, give me a Safeway/Kroger app in which I can enter my shopping list, and the app will line all my entries up and show me where they are as I walk through the store. Completely efficient, and no need to bother the kid stocking the shelves to show me where the tomato sauce is located.

 

[NT1440]

Apple has been making huge strides in privacy lately: MAC randomization, DuckDuckGo, Ad Identifiers (and the option to reset to a new one), I like where they are going.

 

[dlondon]

Hidden photos - fantastic! Always a little bit embarrassed to open my photos in front of work colleagues just in case! Whatsapp also automatically adds pictures to library - vast majority of these are fine but occasionally, I receive some blue pics! I know I can stop Whatsapp doing this but actually, why should I? It's my phone and I don't mind dirty pics. I just don't want others seeing them!

Moving pictures to a new folder just duplicated (or linked) them so the hide function is a thumbs up from me. (Yes, definitely just my thumbs!)

 

[Cyborg21]

Can somebody tell me what's the benefit of randomized MAC addresses

 

[Zxxv]

Yeeeaaaaah it also makes for a long trip to the grocery store when you have to keep asking where stuff is...

I agree with star flyer, give me a Safeway/Kroger app in which I can enter my shopping list, and the app will line all my entries up and show me where they are as I walk through the store. Completely efficient, and no need to bother the kid stocking the shelves to show me where the tomato sauce is located.

Really you guys have so much trouble navigating a grocery store? Come on

 

[decksnap]

That 'Buy' button is so tacked on and out of place. Since when do the bean counters get their way?

 

[captain kaos]

Id like notes to have access to the font options you normally get in mail etc, and to also have an strike-through font so you can tick off lines when finished (think shopping list).

 

[manu chao]

Will MAC address randomization mess up people who have MAC filtering on their wireless networks? Is it required?

As others have said, the moment your device goes from scanning to trying to connect to a network (either automatically or by user intervention), it probably switches over to the real MAC address. As far as I know, MAC filtering on WiFi networks is only used to control which device can connect to it, not which device is able to see it (but correct me if I am wrong).

And this will actually make the MAC filtering more secure. Because MAC addresses can be spoofed so easily, a malicious person would just need to broadcast a network near to yours to learn all the MAC addresses of your devices as they scan for WiFi networks. If the scanner only receives random MAC addresses it cannot get to the real MAC addresses of your devices. That naturally only works if all your devices use random MAC addresses.

Because it is so easy to read the MAC addresses from my devices, I have switched off MAC filtering (it only provides a small hurdle that would prevent casual attacks but those casual attacks would still need your password). I do hide my networks. I don't expect that to be foolproof either but it prevents casual learning of what kind of names I use or when I am home and awake (the network is switched off while I sleep and when I am not at home). And I also consider this a bit of electronic keeping clean, I don't need to litter my neighbours WiFi access menu. I currently see eleven WiFi networks, in an area where houses have gardens around them and at most two parties occupy one building.

 

[jayducharme]

Still seems useless to me as they aren't gone, but just hidden in one view

Exactly. Seems pretty pointless:

Hidden photos are still visible in the albums view, however, in new "Hidden" album.

So they're not hidden? Or is the "Hidden" album password-protected? Or is it like click-bait, to get someone to go right to your "Hidden" album, bypassing all your other pictures that you really don't want them to see?

 

[lk400]

Yeeeaaaaah it also makes for a long trip to the grocery store when you have to keep asking where stuff is...

I agree with star flyer, give me a Safeway/Kroger app in which I can enter my shopping list, and the app will line all my entries up and show me where they are as I walk through the store. Completely efficient, and no need to bother the kid stocking the shelves to show me where the tomato sauce is located.

Never going to happen. Grocery stores deliberately space things out and put them in weird locations so that you spend more time going up and down the aisles and are more likely to impulse buy.

 

[richwoodrocket]

Yeeeaaaaah it also makes for a long trip to the grocery store when you have to keep asking where stuff is...



I agree with star flyer, give me a Safeway/Kroger app in which I can enter my shopping list, and the app will line all my entries up and show me where they are as I walk through the store. Completely efficient, and no need to bother the kid stocking the shelves to show me where the tomato sauce is located.

There's an app for a grocery store chain near me called wegmans that has their own app and it works exactly like you describe.

 

[Tech198]

interesting.... Randomized Mac addressing

so its like some sort of VM based device (in private/host only mode)

Safari credit card scanning - it would actually be quicker to type it in. First the camera needs to come on, then you need to make sure card is in right position..

i can enter my CC number,expiry date, and CSV much quicker before i would have done all that.

I'm sure it'll have it's purpose.

Images in photos app - Finally, with the option to hide..

Location options improved - Is this gonna be one of those Facebook privacy things ? Where you much tick/untick all options to get it just right ?

Simplicity, Apple seems to have problems in this area.., Any company does, when they add more options..

The two just don't mix..... Apple's loosing it...

Soon, one day we'll see iOS have as many options to go though as Android does..

But we'll still say "ya, but the software is still easy to use"

 

[KALLT]

Apple has been making huge strides in privacy lately: MAC randomization, DuckDuckGo, Ad Identifiers (and the option to reset to a new one), I like where they are going.

Glad that I’m not the only one who noticed.
Federighi highlighted privacy awareness a couple of times during the keynote. They really take it serious this time.

Soon, one day we'll see iOS have as many options to go though as Android does..

But we'll still say "ya, but the software is still easy to use"

If easy to use means that Apple makes all the privacy choices for me, then I’m glad it’s no longer that easy to use anymore.

 

[NT1440]

Glad that I’m not the only one who noticed.
Federighi highlighted privacy awareness a couple of times during the keynote. They really take it serious this time.

I was at work on my lunch break during the keynote in my cubicle, my coworkers looked up startled and laughed when they heard an out-of-the-blue "**** yea!" from my corner when I spotted DuckDuckGo on the slide

 

[Oohara]

iOS 7/8 Notes app looks sooo bad...

Yeah, it really is embarrassing. They can't seriously be thinking about leaving it in iOS 8 without a complete re-design

Sir Jony's going to freak when he sees that Buy button.

That's what most text buttons currently look like with the "show button shapes" options turned on.

IOS still is pretty in many ways and has the most coherent look of any mobile OS for sure, but it sure as heck has its ugly spots. I'm starting to wonder whether Jony is actually alive anymore....or if he's been replaced with a dummy that they carry around to board meetings and the like......

 

[pdaholic]

Really you guys have so much trouble navigating a grocery store? Come on

Hey, I'm the kind of guy that has trouble finding his way out of a box...

...but then again, I use Apple Maps to guide me!

HAAAAAY OOOOOHHHHH! *rimshot*

 

[gnasher729]

Will MAC address randomization mess up people who have MAC filtering on their wireless networks? Is it required?

It doesn't. This is about detecting WiFi routers, and they will be detected no matter if they have MAC filtering turned on. For the connection, the real MAC is used. Does any of your neighbours use MAC filtering? Chances are they do. They still turn up in your list of WiFi routers.

 

[Zxxv]

That 'Buy' button is so tacked on and out of place. Since when do the bean counters get their way?

would be nicer if they copied iOS 5/6 idea of touching the picture like in podcasts to reveal more controls. I really liked that about apple, features you didn't know were there until one day you accidentally touched something. I would always go wow haha and "fall in love" with again. Now it seems about cramming it on the screen and this looses the magic

 

[Arran]

I don't want to accidentally hit "BUY" in iTunes Radio control center. I'm sure I'll still need to confirm, but it will probably switch over to the iTunes Store app and I'll have to home out of that. Sounds annoying.

It sounds extremely annoying. Especially if you're on the go or driving. Distraction could cause an accident. Lawsuit in waiting.

The proliferation of [BUY] buttons is starting to undermine my trust in the device. It appears to have its own agenda: Trying to make me buy something by accident.

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Hide images from photos app, I wonder if this would hide the images from photostream. I can only think of naughty purposes as to why you want to hide images

Guess I lead a boring life! All I have are: copies of documents, where I parked the car, price tags and product labels in stores, whiteboards at work, etc, etc.

What am I doing wrong?

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Can somebody tell me what's the benefit of randomized MAC addresses

Somebody already did!

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That 'Buy' button is so tacked on and out of place. Since when do the bean counters get their way?

Yup. Apple's design sense is slipping.

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Never going to happen. Grocery stores deliberately space things out and put them in weird locations so that you spend more time going up and down the aisles and are more likely to impulse buy.

And if they could put BUY buttons on the floor for you to trip over, they would!