Share Facebook Twitter Reddit Almost a year after they were first announced, Apple has finally shipped AirPlay 2 and Messages in iCloud (see “iOS 11 Gets Smarter in Small Ways,” 5 June 2017): AirPlay 2: While iTunes on the desktop has allowed you to send audio to multiple AirPlay receivers for years, AirPlay 2 finally brings this feature to iOS with the iOS 11.4 update. The tvOS 11.4 update also makes the fourth-generation Apple TV and Apple TV 4K into AirPlay 2 receivers and, intriguingly, HomeKit accessories. While iTunes on the desktop has allowed you to send audio to multiple AirPlay receivers for years, AirPlay 2 finally brings this feature to iOS with the iOS 11.4 update. The tvOS 11.4 update also makes the fourth-generation Apple TV and Apple TV 4K into AirPlay 2 receivers and, intriguingly, HomeKit accessories. Messages in iCloud: With this innovative feature, your iMessages will be stored in the cloud and actually sync properly between devices. (Wait, weren’t they already supposed to do that?) As always, we recommend holding off on installing any major updates until you’ve backed up your devices and waited a few days to see what, if any, unwelcome repercussions they may bring. iOS 11.4 You can install the iOS 11.4 update (306.5 MB on the iPhone X) from Settings > General > Software Update or via iTunes. Besides AirPlay 2, the main feature of iOS 11.4 is Messages in iCloud. (We discuss AirPlay 2 later in the article since it spans three operating systems.) This feature was included in some of the iOS 11 beta releases last summer but removed before release. Before we explain how to turn on Messages in iCloud, there are two things you should understand: Once enabled, it’s a pain to turn off because your device must first download all the messages from iCloud. When you turn it on, your messages in the Messages app count against your iCloud storage quota. While actual messages likely won’t use much space, photos, videos, and other attachments will. But if you use iCloud backup for your iOS devices, Messages in iCloud might be a win for you, since your messages will no longer be included in iCloud backups. And since each iOS device using Messages in iCloud no longer backs up its messages and attachments to iCloud, that could save you a ton of iCloud storage! In the screenshot below, you can see the difference between Josh’s iPhone X, which has Messages in the Cloud enabled, and his iPad Pro, which did not. Despite the iPhone X having way more stuff on it, its iCloud backup took up a fraction of the space of the iPad Pro. After Josh enabled Messages in iCloud on his iPad Pro, his iCloud backup size shrank from 3.9 GB to just a hair over a gigabyte, and his overall iCloud usage decreased by about 3 GB. Regardless, we think it’s shameful that Apple is effectively charging for message-sync features that are generally free on other Internet messaging clients. But, unlike most messaging clients, iMessage is end-to-end encrypted, and that’s still true even if you use Messages in iCloud. Messages in iCloud offers two advantages over regular Messages syncing: Messages no longer take up space on your devices. Your messages sync perfectly. Sign into a new device and all your messages appear in iMessage—supposedly even in order! Delete a message on one device, and it disappears from the other devices. You apparently don’t have to enable Messages in iCloud to fix the longstanding “jumbled message” bug in the Messages app that causes messages to display out of order. The release notes specify that iOS 11.4 “addresses a Messages issue that could cause some messages to appear out of order.” To enable Messages in iCloud, go to Settings > Your Name > iCloud and turn on Messages. To check and see how much space your Messages take up, tap Manage Storage on that screen and look next to the Messages listing. To disable Messages in iCloud, turn off Messages in Settings > Your Name > iCloud, but it’ll take a while to complete because your device has to download all the messages first. Frankly, we don’t yet know what this could break, so don’t be too flippant about flipping this switch. (To learn how to enable Messages in iCloud on your Mac, see “macOS 10.13.5 High Sierra Brings Messages in iCloud,” 1 June 2018.) For messages to upload to iCloud, your device must be connected to Wi-Fi and power. Otherwise, you’ll see a message telling you that uploading is paused. iOS 11.4 also includes a number of other improvements: Enables teachers to assign their students reading activities in iBooks with the Schoolwork app Fixes an issue where certain character sequences could cause Messages to crash Addresses an issue in Safari that could prevent logging in or accessing files on Google Drive, Google Docs, and Gmail Fixes an issue in Health that could prevent data syncing Fixes an issue that could prevent users from changing which apps can access Health data Resolves an issue that could cause an app to appear in an incorrect location on the Home screen Fixes an issue where CarPlay audio could become distorted Fixes an issue where selecting music from your iPhone could fail when playing music over Bluetooth, or when connected to USB in some vehicles tvOS 11.4 The release notes for tvOS 11.4 mention just one thing: AirPlay 2 support. Specifically, when you install tvOS 11.4 on a fourth-generation Apple TV or Apple TV 4K by going to Settings > System > Software Updates > Update Software, you can now use it as an AirPlay 2 receiver or to send audio to multiple devices. After you install the tvOS 11.4 update and your Apple TV boots back up, you’re asked in which room your Apple TV is located. If you have HomeKit set up, you’ll notice that some of those room names are HomeKit rooms. That’s because your Apple TV is now counted as a HomeKit accessory. For more information on HomeKit and HomeKit rooms, see “A Prairie HomeKit Companion: Core Concepts” (3 November 2016) and Josh’s book, Take Control of Apple Home Automation. HomePod 11.4 Like the other updates, the HomePod 11.4 update focuses on AirPlay 2, making each device an AirPlay 2 receiver and letting the HomePod send audio to other AirPlay 2 receivers. The other big feature is stereo pairing, which we explain below. Also, the HomePod can finally interact with your iCloud calendars: ask it something like, “When is my next haircut?” and it should tell you! Michael Cohen says that you can also use Siri on your iPhone to control the HomePod. Try telling it something like “Tell HomePod to play.” In theory, you shouldn’t need to install the HomePod 11.4 firmware manually, but if you need or want to, Apple has instructions. In short, open the Home app on an iOS device that’s signed into the same Apple ID as the HomePod. When you select the Home tab, in the upper-left corner tap the Add and Edit Homes arrow button that generally indicates something to do with location—no, we have no idea why Apple tied it to that button. Then tap Software Update and tap Install. AirPlay 2 Now that you have all the relevant devices updated, using AirPlay 2 is simple in iOS: Open Control Center, look at the media control platter, and tap the button in the upper-right corner to reveal output devices. The circles to the right of the output device names indicate eligible AirPlay 2 receivers. Tap each one to check it and send audio to that device. If one of the receivers is already playing audio, you will be asked if you want to replace what’s playing. From the media control platter, you can use the sliders to adjust the volume of each device independently. To stop playing to multiple devices, either tap the checked circles to deselect individual devices or tap a single device (not the add/remove circle), such as your iPhone’s speakers. Note that the AirPort Express doesn’t support AirPlay 2 (the AirPort Express in the screenshot above is called TV Extender).<doc-sep>Get your iPhones and iPads out because iOS 11.4 is now available for download. For iOS users, the software update finally adds the long-awaited Messages in iCloud feature, which syncs your iMessages across all of your Apple devices. iOS 11.4 also brings stereo pairing support for HomePod and AirPlay 2 for compatible devices. Messages in iCloud is the big one for iOS users. With the feature, all your iMessages are stored in iCloud. When you delete one message from one device, it'll delete on all your other synced devices. HomePod stereo pairing lets you connect two of the smart speakers together. iOS 11.4 also adds Calendar support to HomePod. AirPlay 2 is available for all iOS devices and HomePod (no news on Mac support yet). The feature lets you stream lag-free music to AirPlay 2-compatible speakers and create multi-room speaker setups. How to download As always, before updating your iOS device, we recommend backing up your data. Whether that's through iCloud or iTunes, it's better safe than sorry in the event something goes wrong during the installation process. To get the iOS 11.4 update on your iOS device, go to Settings —> General —> Software Update. The update is live as of 1 p.m. ET. If you don't see the update, try again a little later. (Apple's servers may be slammed due to the influx of downloads). Below are the devices that can be updated to iOS 11.4. iPhone: iPad: iPod touch<doc-sep>Apple has released the first iOS 11.4.1 beta to registered developers for testing on iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch. iOS 11.4.1 likely focuses on bug fixes to any issues created by yesterday’s iOS 11.4 release. iOS 11.4 delivers major new features including Messages in iCloud, AirPlay 2, and stereo support for HomePod. Check out our hands-on coverage below: Of course the new developer beta version comes just days before iOS 12 is expected to be unveiled at WWDC and released as a developer beta. In recent years, Apple has had these bug fix beta versions run alongside more exciting feature updates around WWDC. As ever, we’ll update if any notable changes are discovered in iOS 11.4.1 — and stay tuned for coverage from WWDC on Monday where 9to5Mac will be reporting from the keynote in San Jose. As a reminder, if you deleted your developer profile from iOS to see yesterday’s update, you’ll need it back to see today’s developer beta. Subscribe to 9to5Mac on YouTube for more Apple news: FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More. Check out 9to5Mac on YouTube for more Apple news:<doc-sep>
There are few things more annoying than your iPhone running out of space. Thankfully, Apple’s Messages in iCloud feature for iOS 11.4 could be a solution. After six public betas, Apple officially released its latest software update Tuesday. This upgrade brought iPhone and iPad users a few new features ahead of the much-anticipated iOS 12 update expected to be unveiled during WWDC 2018 on June 4. But while iOS 11.4 won’t be as game-changing as what is likely to come, it brought the long-awaited Messages in iCloud feature. iOS 11.4 Messages in iCloud: How It Works The new feature syncs your messages across all of your Apple devices, meaning that if you delete a conversation on your iPhone it will also disappear on your iPad. This is done by using Apple’s iCloud storage to back up your text history while keeping a copy of them on your device. This not only spares you from having to go through all of your devices to delete messages you’ve already deleted before, but it can also free up tons of space that your texts are soaking up. Just think of how many photos you send back and forth with friends. Why not move all that to the cloud and let your hardware breathe? I regularly delete my conversations, and they still take up over a GB of space. If you’re someone that likes to keep a chronicling of your past conversations, you’ll likely be carrying around multiple gigabytes worth of texts. (If not, you’ve probably been using the space-saving lifehack of auto-deleting messages older than 30 days.) While a few gigs might not seem like a lot for today’s phone storage standards, it can still eat up a sizable chunk of, say, the iPhone 7’s 32GB total space. Messages in iCloud lets you locally store only your most important conversations, while keeping your complete messaging history in the cloud. Setting this up only takes a couple of taps. iOS 11.4 Messages in iCloud: How to Get Started Follow the steps below to get to the iCloud menu and toggle "Messages" on. Once you have iOS 11.4 installed to your iPhone or iPad, navigate to the “Settings” app. Then tap your name at the top of the page, select the “iCloud” option, which will take you into a whole new menu where you can manage what information you want saved to the cloud. Simply swipe the “Messages” button so that it’s green to begin. Done? Congrats! Now you can send all the photos and videos you want (well, within reason) without worrying about eating up your entire hard drive.