A greeting card scam is making the rounds, and it’s particularly insidious because the invitations come from friends whose accounts have been hacked—Adam Engst explains how to identify these phishing attempts and what to do if you fall victim. Also this week, he explores Flighty’s new Airport Intelligence feature, which uses AI to analyze data from various official channels to track disruptions and predict delays at airports worldwide. And if you’ve noticed settings changing mysteriously after iOS updates, you’re not alone—Adam investigates how iCloud Private Relay was silently enabled for one user after an update, leading to Safari connection problems. We briefly link to coverage of ChatGPT’s bizarre goblin obsession and OpenAI’s ongoing attempts to fix it. Notable Mac app releases this week include Camo Studio 2.7.1, GraphicConverter 12.5.2, Path Finder 26.0, and Ulysses 40.
The Flighty flight-tracking app has introduced Airport Intelligence, which uses AI to explain conditions at every airport worldwide, plus a free Flighty Airports webpage showing real-time disruption levels at major airports.
Apple updates sometimes toggle settings without warning. A recent case involving iCloud Private Relay illustrates the problem—and raises the question of whether we can track what changes during an update.
Scammers are hijacking email accounts to send fake party invitations that look like they’re from friends, and even experienced users are falling for them. Learn the red flags, how to alert an affected friend, and what to do if you’re caught.
Watchlist
Virtual camera system rolls out native streaming and multi-camera support to all users. ($49.99 annual subscription, free update, 107.6 MB, macOS 12.3+)
Maintenance update with a modicum of added and updated features for the Swiss Army knife of graphics programs. ($39.95 new, free update, 251.3 MB, macOS 10.13+)
Major upgrade for the file browser alternative to the macOS Finder with a visual and structural redesign across the whole application. ($29.95 anual subscription, free update, 19.4 MB, macOS 10.13+)
Brings several improvements to both the macOS edition and iPadOS edition of the writing app. ($5.99/$39.99 monthly/yearly subscription, free update, 131.7 MB, macOS 14+)
