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Apple’s Release Notes Reveal How the Pandemic Is Quietly Transforming Our Tech
Now our Memoji can wear masks too
Sometimes, for fun, I read app release notes. I know, I know — my definition of fun is different from everyone else’s. But once a year, I’m not the only one as technology aficionados around the world join in, poring over the notes Apple releases as part of its Worldwide Developers Conference.
You can tell a lot about a company from its release notes. There are the companies that detail every change, no matter how minor, and there are those that phone it in: “Bug fixes and performance improvements” every time. There are comedic notes: “All bugs that were fixed in this release were too small for the eye to see or too fiddly for human words to describe.” And there are the weird ones. Dwarf Fortress, I’m looking at you: “Stopped elves from being pleased with unethical trades,” “Made all undead respectful of one another,” “Cleaned up the bear situation.”
Release notes are a strange artifact. For an industry preoccupied with standards, structure, and order, they offer a rare moment of freedom. There are conventions, sure, but within reason, you’re free to write what you want. Tumblr’s release notes were once a short story about the making of the app. I like things like that. It’s a reminder that behind all this technology, there are humans who sometimes just lark about.
Simplified unlock process
The coronavirus, with its constant presence, has managed to spread not just from person to person but into all facets of life. Even my beloved release notes aren’t free from it. “Simplified unlock process for devices with Face ID when you are wearing a face mask,” Apple writes in the iOS 13.5 release notes. “Exposure Notification API to support COVID-19 contact tracing apps.” Even your Memoji, the personalized, animated emoji you can create on iOS, can now wear masks. It’s a sign of the times that one of the world’s biggest technology companies has changed its fundamental authentication system to take into account the pandemic. But it’s also a sign of the times that these same technology companies are positioning themselves as our saviors, even checking that we’re washing our hands properly. “Apple Watch uses the motion sensors…
