ISSUE 18.34.F • 2021-09-06

Not a Plus Member yet? Join today!

ADVERTISEMENT

The secure enterprise password manager 1Password is the world’s most-loved password manager, with top ratings from G2Crowd and Trustpilot, and has been named top password manager by leading media outlets including Wired, The New York Times, and CNET. 1Password makes it simple to create and share unique, strong passwords. With 1Password, you can securely share everything you need to work together, and give employees access to logins, documents, credit cards, and more, on all their devices. Try 1Password Business free for 14 days!

UPDATE

As described so well in Brian Livingston’s recent article Apple plans to break its end-to-end encryption (AskWoody Plus 2021-08-30), Apple recently announced an initiative to combat Child Sexual Abuse Material (CSAM) using technological solutions in its various devices. Brian pointed out that Apple’s solution was fraught with dangers, including the fact that this surveillance technology would inevitably be used for other purposes.

Brian also noted that various entities voiced strong opposition to Apple’s idea, including objections from the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF).

The overwhelming pushback caused Apple to reconsider and, on September 3, it announced that it would “take additional time” to rethink its proposed solution. Apple’s “announcement” was not prominent; it is in fine print on the Child Safety page at Apple’s website but not, for example, in its Newsroom. The nature of its reconsideration is unknown at this time, but the language used by Apple implies that it will eventually deploy its solution.

Susan Bradley and Will Fastie researched this update.

MICROSOFT 365

By Peter Deegan

There are critical changes coming to the Teams, To Do, and Outlook mobile apps for iPhone, iPad, and Android.

Recent announcements from Microsoft mean some updates are necessary for Teams and To Do apps, and some Outlook mobile users are in for a nasty surprise within the next few weeks.

From early October on, the Teams app for iOS will require iOS 14 or above (it’s currently 14.7).

That means Microsoft is breaking its own support policy for Apple products. Microsoft’s supposed policy with Office for Mac and iOS is to support the current and latest two versions of the operating systems. The current Office apps for iOS and iPadOS work with v12, v13, and v14.

iOS 14 works on iPhones 12, 11, X, 8, 7, 6s, 6s Plus, and SE (first and second generation).

If you’re using iOS 13 or lower, you’ll be out of luck. The current Teams app v3.17.0 will keep working but won’t be updated, and that’ll be a problem with the regular changes to Teams.

No reason has been given for this major policy change. It could be technical, with some Teams feature requiring iOS 14 capabilities. Or it could be a money-saving decision by Microsoft, reducing development costs involved in supporting older iOS versions. Most likely, it’s a combination of both.

Before the end of October, make sure all your To Do apps (Windows, Mac, iOS, or Android) are up to date. Microsoft is changing the backend service for To Do; only v2.49 apps and later will be able to cope with the switch of services. The current app is v2.50

This should not be a problem for most because the apps should automatically update. If you suspend updating for some time, make sure To Do is refreshed soon.

There’s a little trap if you’re updating from v2.48 or a previous version of the app. Stay logged in to To Do during the update. Microsoft warns, “If you log out before updating to version 2.49 or higher, you will lose all un-synced data.”

Starting 13 September 2021, Outlook mobile (Apple and Android) will stop syncing calendars on Facebook, Meetup, and Evernote.

I’m afraid there’s nothing you can do to retain Outlook integration with these rivals to Microsoft.

It’s a typical Microsoft move; it plays nice with rival services until it has built up the popularity of its own software. Remember “social connectors” and the big promises made in Outlook 2010? They linked Outlook with other social networks — for a while, until it became inconvenient for Microsoft. Then it was dumped.

Join the conversation! Your questions, comments, and feedback about this topic are always welcome in the AskWoody Lounge!

Peter Deegan is the author of Windows 10 for Microsoft Office Users, Microsoft 365 for Windows: Straight Talk, Eye-Catching Signs with Word, Christmas Cheer with Office, and others. He is the co-founder and editor in chief of the Office Watch site and newsletters since they started in 1996.

If you purchase after clicking this ad, AskWoody may receive a small commission.

You’re welcome to share! Do you know someone who would benefit from the information in this newsletter? Feel free to forward it to them. And encourage them to subscribe via our online signup form — it’s completely free!

Like what you see in the AskWoody FREE newsletter? Become a PLUS member! As a Plus member, you’ll receive the full newsletter, including all our great content about Windows, Microsoft, Office, 365, PCs, MS-DEFCON Alert notifications, useful and safe freeware, and Susan Bradley’s sought-after patch advice. Plus membership also allows continuous access to the complete archive of nearly two decades of Windows Secrets and AskWoody Newsletters. Naturally, Plus members have all the benefits of free membership, including access to the popular AskWoody forums. The cost? We’re supported by donations — choose any amount for a one-year membership. Every little bit helps.  Join AskWoody PLUS Today!