iAutomate everything
Is there such a thing as over-automation? (Photo: Apple)
As the sole Android user among my friend groups of Apple aficionados, it’s easy to feel left out—especially when everyone’s AirDropping each other photos from a night out. Meanwhile, my friends have to send me copies of them on Google Drive or Telegram.
Ever since Apple released its much-awaited 16th iteration of the iPhone Operating System (iOS 16) update last Monday, it seems to be all that my friends—and the rest of the Appleverse—talk about. All the talk has even made me consider buying an iPhone myself.
But after reading up on all the inclusions of the latest software, I’m not entirely sure if I want to tangle myself in the technological jungle that is the Apple ecosystem.
The Apple doesn't fall far from the tree
iOS 16 hinges on the notion that everything in our lives can and should be highly-curated; it’s largely promoted with the slogan “Personal is powerful.” Its newest software update boasts personalization features and more sophisticated AI, which allows for more streamlined communication.
Just to name some digital features Apple users can curate: customizable lock screens, personalized widgets, and focus filters that limit the number of receivable notifications.
And it’s no secret that with each iteration of the iOS update, Apple further incentivizes Apple-to-Apple communication: from having a shared cloud-based library with other Apple users to livestreaming videos and songs via Messages.
Although Apple boasts all of its latest updates to be “groundbreaking” stuff, some of these features have been long available on rival platforms. Always-on-display, battery percentage indicators, car crash detection, and lock screen widgets have been age-old digital features of Android devices.
Despite the unoriginality of some of these features, these updates give current Apple users less leg room to leave the Apple ecosystem and convince non-Apple users (like myself) to make the device switch.
Don’t get me wrong, editing a text message and quickly lifting a subject from the background of a photo are attractive features to the clumsy creative in me. But I still have my doubts about what iOS 16 means for tech advancement and digital reliance.
Automation nation
These latest updates can send the wrong impression that we have to rely on our phones 24/7. And before you call me out to be a hypocrite (I mean, I am a twenty-something Gen Z person), bear with me.
iOS integrations don’t just lock users into the Apple ecosystem, but also into the notion that everything can and should be automated.
For one, Apple wants you to centralize all your passwords onto an encrypted Passkey, a unique credential that can only be accessed via biometric authentication, which can be problematic for numerous reasons.
Speaking of keys, Apple wants you to throw out your physical car keys and use your iPhone to start your car through Apple CarPlay—which also collects a record of the color and model of your car. And if that isn’t scary, integrating Apple Maps into your car can predict where you’re going based on addresses mentioned in your emails, text messages, contact list, and calendars.
Apple doesn’t just want in on your car, it wants in on your house, too. iOS 16 ushered in a new version of the Home app, its platform to digitally control smart home devices and appliances. Its reworked interface allows users to reconfigure temperature, light, and security.
While Apple mostly lives up to its promise of data privacy, that doesn’t change the fact that the company can record metadata of contacted numbers for 30 days, access your credit card CVC via facial recognition, or can be exploited by authoritarian governments (in theory).
And this goes for all brands of smart home integrations and automation: I’m not willing to leave that kind of data trail behind—no matter how encrypted it is—just so I can turn on the toaster from my bedroom.
Without your consent
New tech advancements can bring about much spectacle. In a way, they can reveal how far we as humans have evolved intellectually. Tech ultimately makes life easier and more tailored to our needs, even in ways we never would’ve imagined.
But I also believe that there is something meaningful and worthwhile in doing things the old-fashioned way, taking the time to do things slowly without relying too heavily on screens and AI.
The biggest asterisk on huge tech leaps like the iOS 16 is the fact that you, the user, have the choice of what to automate. iOS 16 users can opt to not use the new features and provide or revoke access to information at any time.
So while it’s easy to blame Big Tech for our reliance on automation and digitization, it’s about time we take a look at the kind of optimization we invite into our own lives at the price of our convenience.
