Apple today announced that its clinical-grade, over-the-counter Hearing Aid feature for AirPods Pro 2 is now available in the United Kingdom.

"At Apple, we believe that technology can help people live healthier lives, and we're delighted to bring the Hearing Aid feature to the UK, offering our users an end-to-end hearing health experience with AirPods Pro 2," said Sumbul Desai, M.D., Apple's vice president of Health.

The Hearing Aid feature enhances ambient sounds, assisting adults who perceive themselves as having mild to moderate hearing impairment, according to Apple. This functionality is provided at no extra charge in supported countries, delivered via free software updates.

Using the personalised hearing profile generated from the Hearing Test that takes about five minutes to complete, the feature helps adults determine whether they have hearing loss by assessing how well they can detect various sound frequencies. Upon completion, users receive a classification of their hearing level along with suggested actions. Meanwhile, their hearing profile is automatically applied to music, movies, games, and phone calls across devices.

Apple's hearing health features first launched in the US and select other countries in late October with the release of iOS 18.1. In December, iOS 18.2 expanded the hearing test feature to France, Italy, Luxembourg, Romania, Spain, Cyprus, Czechia, and the UK, and both the hearing aid and hearing test features to the United Arab Emirates. Today's announcement means that both the hearing test and the Hearing Aid feature are finally available to users in the UK.


All of the hearing health features on the AirPods Pro 2 require firmware version 7B19 or newer. Firmware updates are installed automatically on AirPods while they are charging and in Bluetooth range of an iPhone, iPad, or Mac connected to Wi-Fi.
This article, "AirPods Pro 2 Hearing Aid Feature Now Available in the UK" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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Apple released iOS 18.4 beta on Friday, with a number of unique new features. Some of the new features include Priority Notifications with Apple Intelligence, a new Food section in the Apple News app, and more. However, there was another smaller change that went under the radar, one that has to do with CarPlay – particularly on larger displays.

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The first beta of iOS 18.4 is now available, and it includes a small but useful change for CarPlay.


As we noted in our list of iOS 18.4 features, CarPlay now shows a third row of icons, up from two rows previously. However, this change is only visible in vehicles with a larger center display. For example, a MacRumors Forums member noticed the change in a Toyota Tundra, which can be equipped with up to a 14-inch screen.

In our testing, CarPlay still showed two rows of four icons in a Honda Civic with a 9-inch screen.

While this is only a minor change, CarPlay showing more icons when possible is a nice quality-of-life improvement for Apple's phone mirroring system, allowing drivers to quickly access more apps with less swiping between pages.

Following beta testing, iOS 18.4 is expected to be released to the public in early April.
This article, "iOS 18.4 Includes a Small But Useful Change for CarPlay" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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Apple has started preparing its marketing, sales, and retail teams as it gears up for the March release of new 13-inch and 15-inch MacBook Air models featuring M4 chips, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman.


Writing in his latest Power On newsletter, Gurman said that current models are also seeing inventory drawn down at stores, which is another signal that a launch is nearing. A launch has been thought to be imminent for a while now. In fact, it was originally rumored to be planned as Apple's first hardware launch of the year, but that turned out to be the iPhone 16e, which debuted over the past week.

Gurman last week said Apple will begin selling new MacBook Air models featuring its latest M4 chip by March "at the latest," so his wording suggests he is fully confident that the machines are arriving next month. Whether that's in the first half of March or later in the month is still unclear.

Twelve days ago Gurman claimed that the machines would be introduced "within weeks." While he's betting on March, Gurman seems not further forward on learning the exact release timing of the new versions of the company's most popular laptop.

Apple inadvertently confirmed the upcoming M4 ‌MacBook Air‌ machines back in December when the macOS Sequoia 15.2 software update included files for unreleased "Mac16,12" and "Mac16,13" machines. The files referenced the "‌‌MacBook Air‌‌ (13-inch, M4, 2025)" and the "‌‌MacBook Air‌‌ (15-inch, M4, 2025)."
This article, "M4 MacBook Air Marketing, Sales, Retail Teams Prepare for March Debut" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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Last July, citizens of South Korea started a petition asking Apple to enable Find My support in the region. It was assumed that Find My was unavailable due to government restrictions, but that wasn’t actually the case according to the petition.

Apple later agreed to launch Find My support for the region in spring 2025, and that integration is finally starting to roll out.

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If you take a look at the current landscape of charging accessories in 2025, it seems like everyone is doing the same thing. Every brand has its flagship 3 in 1 charger or a 140W wall charger, or a Magsafe charging brick. So what I wanted to do is highlight some products that have brought some unique twists to a product category that seems to have been stale. Let me know which is your favorite!

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In the latest Power On newsletter, Mark Gurman reports that Apple plans on integrating future modems within the main chipset of the device. This means that, in the future, there won’t be both an A18 chipset alongside a separate C1 modem, instead they’ll all be one. This development will take a few years, though.

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According to the Power On newsletter from Mark Gurman, Apple plans to heavily focus on video recording improvements for the new iPhone 17 Pro models. The company has previously focused primarily on photography, so it’s nice to hear that video will be getting some much-needed love.

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According to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, Apple is “gearing up” to launch a new version of the 13-inch and 15-inch with the M4 chip. The company is preparing for a debut in March.

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Amazon and Best Buy are discounting Apple's 13-inch M2 MacBook Air with 16GB of RAM and 256GB SSD storage down to $799.00 in every color. This is a $200 discount on the M2 MacBook Air, and the sale does not require any coupon code in order to see the final deal price.

Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with Amazon and Best Buy. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment, which helps us keep the site running.

Compared to past sales, this is a solid second-best price on this model of the M2 MacBook Air. Although this is a previous generation device, it remains in Apple's current lineup and will work great for anyone who doesn't need the performance gains introduced with the M3 chip, especially at this discounted price.



If you're looking for a deal on the M3 MacBook Air, you can get the 15-inch M3 MacBook Air with 16GB of RAM and 256GB SSD storage for $1,099.99 on Amazon, down from $1,299.00. There is only one color available at this record low price on Amazon.



If you're on the hunt for more discounts, be sure to visit our Apple Deals roundup where we recap the best Apple-related bargains of the past week.

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This article, "Amazon Takes $200 Off M2 MacBook Air, Get it for Just $799" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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With the iPhone 16e announcement behind us, the next big thing to anticipate is the upcoming iPhone 17 lineup. A new leak gives us our best look yet at how the iPhone 17 Pro Max will most likely look…

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Currently, Apple Intelligence offers the ability to direct Siri requests to ChatGPT, providing more contextual answers than what Siri would be able to offer. Back at WWDC24, Apple software exec Craig Federighi suggested in an interview that they’d like to offer integration with other AI models, including Google Gemini. That integration may arrive in the not too distant future, according to a new leak.

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Today, Apple has unsigned watchOS 11.4 beta 1 for all Apple Watch Series 6 models, meaning it is no longer possible for those users to test out the new beta. This news comes from Aaron Perris on X. They’ve also unsigned iOS and iPadOS 18.4 beta 1 for some iPhones and iPads.

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Welcome to Indie App Spotlight. This is a weekly 9to5Mac series where we showcase the latest apps in the indie app world. If you’re a developer and would like your app featured, get in contact.

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Finma is a financial management app for your iPhone. It has a focus on user privacy and doesn’t require a connection to your bank account. It also features beautiful charts and many useful features to give you a better financial picture.

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The new Major League Soccer season kicks off tonight, with LAFC vs Minnesota as the first game starting now. You can watch the entire league’s games through MLS Season Pass on the Apple TV app, live and on-demand.

MLS Season Pass costs $99 for the full season, or at a discounted $79 price for Apple TV+ subscribers. Watch all of the regular season and playoff games with no blackouts or regional restrictions, and share one subscription with up to six people using Apple Family Sharing.

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When 5G debuted with the lineup, Apple introduced a sneaky new pricing tactic. Apple would list iPhones as “starting at $799”, but that price would require you to activate with one of the major US carriers at the point of purchase. If you wanted an unlocked iPhone, the actual starting price point was $829.

iPhone 16e gets rid of this annoying upcharge.

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The first iOS 18.4 beta dropped yesterday, and includes an exciting smart home addition that previously went under the radar. As tested by Jonathan at Smart Home Centre, the Home app now supports robot vacuums and maps that integrate with the Matter protocol.

Right now, the only compatible model on the market is the , but many other manufacturers have pledged support for Matter with forthcoming software updates.

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Many people are concerned about the privacy of their personal data, especially online. Not everyone feels safe sharing their personal email address when signing up to a website or shopping online. But what if you could protect your phone number too? That’s exactly what Surfshark Alternative Number does.

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Apple @ Work is exclusively brought to you by Mosyle, the only Apple Unified Platform. Mosyle is the only solution that integrates in a single professional-grade platform all the solutions necessary to seamlessly and automatically deploy, manage & protect Apple devices at work. Over 45,000 organizations trust Mosyle to make millions of Apple devices work-ready with no effort and at an affordable cost. Request your EXTENDED TRIAL today and understand why Mosyle is everything you need to work with Apple.

Before the iPad, Apple saw a lot of success in K-12, but it was mainly around cart-based learning with MacBooks. While several schools had 1:1 programs, the iPad (and its $499 price point) kickstarted the mobility revolution. The iPad was a hit with students and teachers alike, but managing iPads at scale was, to put it mildly, a logistical nightmare for IT teams.

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This week saw Apple introduce the newest member of the iPhone 16 family, the iPhone 16e, as a new low-cost option to replace the iPhone SE. The iPhone 16e delivers a number of key improvements as well as Apple's first custom cellular modem.


Apple also began seeding the first beta versions of its next round of operating systems, and there are a number of tweaks and improvements in iOS 18.4 while visionOS 2.4 will bring Apple Intelligence to the Vision Pro headset, so read on below for all the details on these stories and more!

Apple Announces iPhone 16e With A18 Chip and Apple Intelligence, Pricing Starts at $599

As expected, Apple this week introduced a successor to the third-generation iPhone SE, and it arrived with a name change: iPhone 16e.


The iPhone 16e features a larger 6.1-inch OLED display, up from a 4.7-inch LCD on the iPhone SE. The display has a notch for Face ID, completing Apple's move away from the Touch ID fingerprint button on its iPhone lineup.

The iPhone 16e is powered by an A18 chip, enabling support for Apple Intelligence features, such as notification summaries and Genmoji for creating custom emoji. In the iPhone 16e, the A18 chip has a 6-core CPU and a 16-core Neural Engine, but a binned 4-core GPU. The A18 chip in the iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus has a 5-core GPU.

Apple Unveils 'C1' as First Custom Cellular Modem

One notable feature of the iPhone 16e is the inclusion of Apple's first custom cellular modem, dubbed C1. Apple says it's the most power-efficient modem ever in an iPhone, helping the iPhone 16e to achieve the longest battery life ever in a 6.1-inch iPhone.


While the C1 is the culmination of seven years of work for Apple, it's also just the first in a family of chips that will see Apple iterate and improve upon the C1. In fact, a C2 modem chip is reportedly already in testing.

iPhone 16e vs. iPhone 16 Buyer's Guide: 25+ Differences Compared

While the iPhone 16e starting at $599 is considerably more expensive than the iPhone SE it's replacing, it's still $200 cheaper than the iPhone 16.


For those weighing whether to purchase an iPhone 16e or an iPhone 16, we've put together a buyer's guide highlighting the over 25 differences between the models to help you decide.

Everything New in iOS 18.4 Beta 1

Apple this week finally released the first beta of iOS 18.4 to developers for testing purposes, and while the beta is lacking some of the Apple Intelligence features we were hoping for, there are some notable new additions.


Priority Notifications powered by Apple Intelligence, the addition of the Sketch style to Image Playground, numerous new languages for Apple Intelligence, and Ambient Music functionality built into Control Center, and more are included in iOS 18.4 so far.

Apple Releases First visionOS 2.4 Beta With Apple Intelligence, Spatial Gallery and More

Apple Intelligence is coming to the Vision Pro with visionOS 2.4. Supported Apple Intelligence features include Writing Tools for generating, proofreading, and summarizing text, Genmoji for creating custom emoji characters, an Image Playground app for generating images, Memory Movie for creating custom slideshows, smart reply for generating quick responses to texts and emails, Priority Notifications and Notification Summaries, ChatGPT Siri integration and new ‌Siri‌ features, and Image Wand for adding images to the Notes app, complete with gesture support.


There's also a dedicated Spatial Gallery app coming to the Vision Pro, which will include a curated selection of spatial videos, spatial photos, and panorama images from artists, filmmakers, and photographers. A new Vision Pro app for iPhone will also allow users to get Vision Pro support and feature help, download apps to the Vision Pro, add content to a watch list, and get device info like serial number. The app can also be used to manage Guest Mode on Vision Pro.

Apple Discontinues iPhone 14 and 14 Plus

While it's unsurprising that Apple discontinued the iPhone SE alongside the introduction of the iPhone 16e, Apple also discontinued the iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Plus, simplifying the overall lineup.


The discontinuation makes sense considering the pricing on the iPhone 16e and the fact that the iPhone 14 and 14 Plus would have been the only models in the lineup to still be using Lightning rather than USB-C.

MacRumors Newsletter

Each week, we publish an email newsletter like this highlighting the top Apple stories, making it a great way to get a bite-sized recap of the week hitting all of the major topics we've covered and tying together related stories for a big-picture view.

So if you want to have top stories like the above recap delivered to your email inbox each week, subscribe to our newsletter!
This article, "Top Stories: iPhone 16e Announced, iOS 18.4 Beta, and More" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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Apple’s latest has arrived, and it’s now time to scope out the best iPhone 16e cases. Pre-orders went live this morning on the new, more affordable Apple handset and we are already starting to see plenty of case makers coming out of the woodwork with their latest solutions to ensure it remains in pristine condition. While the official new Apple Silicone Cases might be the cleanest options out there, we now know magnetic cases don’t interfere with the new C1 chip, and a load of third-party options have also landed that can effectively retrofit the new 16e with MagSafe support. Head below for a look at the best iPhone 16e cases now available for purchase. 

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Amazon this week has Apple's AirTag 4-Pack for $69.99, down from $99.00. Amazon introduced this all-time low price back in January, and it's been reappearing throughout the month of February.

Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with Amazon. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment, which helps us keep the site running.

Amazon provides an estimated late February delivery date for most residences in the United States, and you won't need to clip an on-page coupon in order to see this deal. If you're shopping for just one AirTag, Amazon has the AirTag 1-Pack for $22.99, which is about $3 higher compared to that option's record low price.



Be sure to visit our full Deals Roundup to shop for even more Apple-related products and accessories.

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This article, "Apple's AirTag 4-Pack Drops to Record Low $69.99 Price on Amazon" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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California Governor Gavin Newsom this week recommended former Apple CEO Steve Jobs for the $1 American Innovation Coin for the State of California that will be minted by the U.S. Mint.


Each state is able to create a unique coin recognizing an innovation or innovator from their region as part of the Innovation Coin Program that was launched in 2018.

Newsom said that Steve Jobs "encapsulates the unique brand of innovation that California runs on."

Jobs' legacy spans industries and products: Jobs was the co-founder and CEO of Pixar Animation Studios, bringing to life the world's first fully computer-animated feature: "Toy Story." But even that legacy-defining achievement is surpassed by his work as co-founder and two-time CEO of Apple, launching several revolutionary computers, including Apple II - the first mass-produced microcomputer - and Macintosh - the first mass-market personal computer that included a graphic display, so users could see what they were working on.

The goal, according to Jobs, was to "bridge the gap between sophisticated technology and 'the rest of us' who make up most of humanity...to make complex technology easy to use and fun to use." That approach led to the iPod, iPhone, and iPad, devices that refined existing technology to make it more precise, more intuitive, and more functional.

By focusing on who he was innovating for - other people - Jobs was able to use technology to connect people to each other and to the broader world, bringing people onto the same level by providing them with equal access. And that approach was built on a willingness to try new ideas and push the boundaries of what was possible - an approach that embodies the California spirit.

California's nomination has been presented to the Citizens Coinage Advisory Committee (CCAC), which will take design recommendations to the Treasury Secretary for final approval. The CCAC decided to recommend a coin with Steve Jobs in his iconic turtleneck and glasses, but the design is not finalized and could be updated before the coin is made.

The coin is expected to be produced and made available in 2026.
This article, "California Nominates Steve Jobs for $1 American Innovation Coin" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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This month we’ve partnered with our friends at Chargeasap to give away Apple’s latest MacBook Pro to one lucky reader to celebrate the launch of the company’s new Flash Pro Ultra, the world’s first dual OLED 275W powerbank. You can head below now to enter the giveaway and check out the new Flash Pro Ultra by Chargeasap.

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The new iPhone 16e includes Apple's first custom designed modem chip, the C1. To promote the new chip, Apple invited several YouTubers and journalists to Apple Park, including Andru Edwards. Edwards got a first-hand look at Apple's modem testing labs, and he was able to speak to Apple engineers about the C1.


According to Apple, the C1 is the most power efficient modem that's been included in an iPhone to date, and that's the edge that the C1 has over Qualcomm's modems. The ‌iPhone 16e‌ has the longest battery life of an ‌iPhone‌ with a 6.1-inch form factor, and it lasts for up to 26 hours when watching video.

At Apple's modem testing labs, Apple engineers spent years testing the C1, determining how it would behave under various conditions using a range of equipment. Apple's testing lab allows it to identify and fix issues before a modem chip ever leaves the design stage.

The C1 was tested in environmental chambers where it was exposed to different extreme temperatures to ensure that it can operate in the harshest conditions. Repeated physical tests also ensure that the chip is able to stand up to daily wear and tear. Network tests cover the heavy data traffic of a packed stadium to remote rural areas with minimal signal.

Apple tested the C1 with over 180 carriers across 55 countries to ensure that it delivers reliable connectivity. The C1 is designed to integrate with the A18 chip, with the A18 able to optimize C1 network load for faster speeds.

According to Apple, the C1 is built on a 4-nanometer processor for the baseband and a 7-nanometer process for the transceiver, and it is a robust platform that's built for the future. Right now, the C1 does not support the faster mmWave 5G speeds, but future versions are likely to add the functionality.

Rumors suggest that a next-generation C2 chip is already in development for future ‌iPhone‌ models.
This article, "Here's a Look at Apple's Secret Modem Testing Lab Where C1 Was Developed" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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iPhone and iPad users are already very familiar with something called “proximity pairing.” First introduced with iOS 11, this feature lets users transfer backup and other data from one device to a new one just by placing them close together. Now it seems that Apple is finally working on adding proximity pairing setup to the Mac.

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Apple has released the first developer beta of iOS 18.4. While it’s missing some of the most impressive Apple Intelligence features, it includes a ton of other new features and changes. Head below for our full roundup of everything new in iOS 18.4…

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Apple on Friday released the long-awaited first beta of iOS 18.4. While the update focuses on expanding Apple Intelligence to more languages, it also has some other new features and secrets. Interestingly, the update seems to confirm the existence of a new category of Apple devices called “Home.”

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Apple finally released the first beta of iOS 18.4 to developers for testing purposes, and while the beta is lacking some of the Apple Intelligence features we were hoping for, there are some notable new additions.

Priority Notifications - Apple Intelligence

There is a new Priority Notifications feature that can show you your most important notifications first. Priority Notifications is disabled by default, but it can be turned on by going to Settings > Notifications > Prioritize Notifications and tapping the toggle.


With the feature enabled, ‌Apple Intelligence‌ will show notifications that may be important in a dedicated section of the Lock Screen.

Image Playground Sketch Style

Image Playground now includes a Sketch style that joins the Animation and Illustration styles. Sketch was previously available for Image Wand, but now it is a third style that can be used in ‌Image Playground‌.


Swap styles by tapping on the "+" button in the ‌Image Playground‌ app.

Apple also replaced the "Winter Holidays" theme with a new "Spring" theme.

New Apple Intelligence Languages

French, German, Italian, Portuguese (Brazil), Spanish, Japanese, Korean, and Chinese (simplified), along with localized English for Singapore and India.

Apple News+ Food

iOS 18.4 and iPadOS 18.4 include a new Apple News Food section for ‌Apple News‌+ subscribers. The Food section features tens of thousands of recipes, stories about restaurants, tips for healthy eating, kitchen essentials, and more.


Content will come from top food publishers such as Allrecipes, Bon Appétit, Food & Wine, Good Food, and Serious Eats.‌Apple News‌ editors will curate food-related stories, and there will be a dedicated Recipe Catalog section where new recipes are added regularly. An included cook mode provides step-by-step instructions, and users can save favorite recipes for offline access.

Ambient Music

iOS 18.4 includes a new Ambient Music option that can be added to Control Center. There are four different sound categories, including Sleep, Chill, Productivity, and Wellbeing.


Each category can be added to Control Center separately, and tapping one plays a random selection of sounds or music from that particular category.

You can't choose what's playing from Control Center, but if you play a category and then tap into the Dynamic Island at the top or access the Now Playing widget, you can skip songs and see the name of what's currently playing.

Mail Categorization for iPadOS 18.4

With iPadOS 18.4, an updated Mail app is available with categorization. The new Mail app organizes incoming emails into different sections. Important emails are displayed in the Primary category, with other emails organized into sections highlighting product orders, newsletters, deals, and social notifications.

Mail categorization was previously introduced for the iPhone in iOS 18.2.

Privacy Indication Dots

The small dots that show up on the ‌iPhone‌'s menu bar when the camera or microphone is in use have been moved to the left and are now more apparent thanks to a black background.

Siri Voices

There are two new Australian voices for Siri.

Genmoji

The Genmoji icon for the Emoji keyboard now says "‌Genmoji‌" instead of just featuring a multi-colored smiley face. The change should make it more obvious where users go to create a ‌Genmoji‌ character.

Apple Maps

In the Apple Maps Settings, there is a new option to set a Preferred Language.

Podcasts Widget

There are new Library and Shows widgets that can be added to the Home Screen on an ‌iPhone‌ or iPad. The Library widget features saved content, while the Shows option displays shows that you are subscribed to.


In the Podcasts app, if you tap on your profile picture, there are new options for Podcasts Settings and Notification Settings.

Cellular Control Center Toggle

The Cellular toggle in the Control Center now shows your cellular signal strength represented in bars.

Shortcuts Actions

Apple added a new Shortcuts action to open a specific conversation in the Messages app.

CarPlay

Some CarPlay users are seeing a third row of ‌CarPlay‌ icons on the ‌Home Screen‌ rather than just two rows.

Default Apps

There is a new option to set a different Translation app as the default in the Default Apps section of the Settings app. In the EU, there is also an option to choose a different Navigation app.

Notification Center

The animation when swiping out of the Notification Center is now smoother.

Wi-Fi Calling Issue

Apple's developer notes for the update say that Wi-Fi Calling might not work for US Cellular customers in iOS 18.4. Apple says that users should revert to iOS 18.3 to enable Wi-Fi Calling.

Japan 'My Number Card' Support in Wallet

The iOS 18.4 beta appears to include integration for Japanese "My Number Card" Digital IDs in the Wallet app. Apple said last year that it would be adding support for the ID cards in spring 2025.

More than 100 million Japanese residents have My Number Card IDs.

MDM Changes

For enterprise and education users, Apple made some updates to Mobile Device Management. MDM can disable ‌Apple Intelligence‌ reports, Mail smart replies, Safari summarize content, and the Idle Reboot feature that causes iPhones to restart after inactivity.

There are also options for preventing the modification of default calling and messaging apps, and there is a feature that allows a nearby ‌iPhone‌ or ‌iPad‌ to be used to sign into a Mac with an Apple Account.

Vision Pro App and Guest Setup

For Vision Pro owners, Apple has designed a Vision Pro app for managing the headset. It's designed to help users find content and learn about new features, so it includes tools for downloading apps and visionOS content, a tips page, and a My Vision Pro section for setting up Personalized Spatial Audio and getting information like headset serial number.


Guest setup can now be managed on an ‌iPhone‌ or ‌iPad‌ linked to a Vision Pro, making it easier for Vision Pro owners to let others test their headset. There are controls for limiting what apps a guest is able to use, and an AirPlay mode for guiding the guest through Vision Pro experiences. When a guest user puts on the Vision Pro, a prompt to enable Guest Mode will appear on the headset owner's device.

The Vision Pro app isn't in this beta, but it will be coming in a later iOS 18.4 beta.

New Emojis

There are no new emoji in the current beta, but iOS 18.4 code confirms a future beta will add new characters. New emoji will include bags under eyes, fingerprint, leafless tree, root vegetable, harp, shovel, and splatter.

iOS 18.4 Release Date

Apple plans to release iOS 18.4 to the public in April.
This article, "Everything New in iOS 18.4 Beta 1" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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Apple’s push to make the iPhone more customizable and personal has brought a new iOS 18.4 feature: now there are two new categories for setting default apps, depending on where you live.

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Apple today announced that it has removed its Advanced Data Protection feature in the UK. The decision comes after the UK government ordered Apple to build a worldwide backdoor into iCloud encryption. Instead of complying with that order, Apple chose to remove the feature in the UK.

There’s a huge piece of nuance getting missed in a lot of the coverage of today’s announcement. Apple is not “removing end-to-end encryption” from the UK as some headlines have suggested. The company is removing the Advanced Data Protection feature, yes, but that feature exists separately from Apple’s broader end-to-end encryption efforts.

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iOS 18.4 brings Apple Intelligence support to a lot of new languages, expands Image Playgrounds with a new style, and also includes another AI addition: Priority Notifications.

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Since the launch of the M-series processors and now the C1 cellular modem, Apple has been slowly but surely moving toward complete chip independence. The company is even working on its own Bluetooth and Wi-Fi solution, which is reportedly coming with new Home products and the iPhone 17 lineup in the Fall.

One obvious benefit of developing chips in-house is energy efficiency. Apple toated this with the introduction of Apple Silicon what feels like a hundred years ago, and this week with its first-ever 5G modem, which gives the iPhone 16e nearly 20% better battery life over the flagship iPhone 16. While improved battery life is certainly appealing, there are less obvious but more significant benefits of Apple having end-to-end control over both the software and hardware components.

This is Security Bite, where I share insights on data privacy, vulnerabilities, or emerging threats within Apple’s vast ecosystem of over 2 billion active devices each week.

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With the iOS 18.4, iPadOS 18.4, and macOS Sequoia 15.4 betas, Apple is introducing a new Priority Notifications feature that can show you your most important notifications first.


Apple first announced Priority Notifications when showing off Apple Intelligence in June, but it wasn't implemented until now. Priority Notifications is disabled by default, but it can be turned on by going to Settings > Notifications > Prioritize Notifications and tapping the toggle.

With the feature enabled, ‌Apple Intelligence‌ will show notifications that may be important in a dedicated section of the Lock Screen.
This article, "iOS 18.4 Adds Apple Intelligence Priority Notifications Feature" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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The initial iPadOS 18.4 and macOS Sequoia 15.4 betas that Apple provided to developers today expand the revamped Mail app to the iPad and the Mac.


The new Mail app features built-in categorization that organizes incoming emails into different sections. Important emails are displayed in the Primary category, with other emails organized into sections highlighting product orders, newsletters, deals, and social notifications.

A "Transactions" section aggregates receipts, orders, and deliveries to make it easy to find orders that you've placed and shipping information for those orders.

In an "Updates" section, you'll find newsletters, alerts for doctor's appointments and correspondence, and subscription emails. A "Promotions" category includes emails with offers and deals.

Categories is the default view after updating to the new software, but in the upper right corner of the Mail app, you can swap back to a list view that shows all emails in chronological order, without separation into categories. Devices that have Apple Intelligence support will show priority emails in the Primary inbox, so you can see what's most important first. Emails in the Transactions, Updates, or Promotions section that have time-sensitive information will also be shown in the Primary section.

Apple already brought Mail categorization to the iPhone with the iOS 18.2 update, but now it has expanded to the Mac and ‌iPad‌ as well.
This article, "Revamped Mail App With Built-In Categorization Comes to Mac and iPad" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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In iOS 18.4, there's a new Ambient Music option that can be added to Control Center. There are four different sound categories, including Sleep, Chill, Productivity, and Wellbeing.


Each category can be added to Control Center separately, and tapping one plays a random selection of sounds or music from that particular category.

You can't choose what's playing from Control Center, but if you play a category and then tap into the Dynamic Island at the top or access the Now Playing widget, you can skip songs and see the name of what's currently playing.

There is no dedicated app for the feature, but Apple has a hidden app that provides more control through skipping songs.

Ambient Music is available on both the iPhone and the iPad in iOS 18.4 and iPadOS 18.4.
This article, "iOS 18.4 Adds New Ambient Music Feature" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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Apple just released a variety of new beta software updates, including iOS 18.4, iPadOS 18.4, and macOS 15.4. The latter two updates introduce Apple’s big Mail app redesign to the iPad and Mac.

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Today Apple released the first developer beta for iOS 18.4. In early December, iOS 18.2 introduced the new Image Playground app, and now it’s getting better with an iOS 18.4 enhancement.

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Apple just launched the first iOS 18.4 beta. Joining new Apple Intelligence languages, a Food section for News+ subscribers, and an Apple Vision Pro app on iPhone, iOS 18.4 also adds new Ambient Music controls that can be used in Control Center, on your Lock Screen, and more—powered by Apple Music.

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With iOS 18.4 and iPadOS 18.4, Apple plans to introduce new features for the Apple News+ subscription service. Apple is adding ‌Apple News‌+ Food, a section that features tens of thousands of recipes, stories about restaurants, tips for healthy eating, kitchen essentials, and more.


Content will come from top food publishers such as Allrecipes, Bon Appétit, Food & Wine, Good Food, and Serious Eats.

‌Apple News‌ editors will curate food-related stories, and there will be a dedicated Recipe Catalog section where new recipes are added regularly. An included cook mode provides step-by-step instructions, and users can save favorite recipes for offline access.

‌Apple News‌+ Food is coming to ‌Apple News‌+ subscribers with the launch of iOS 18.4 and iPadOS 18.4 in April.
This article, "Apple News+ Gains Recipes, Restaurant Reviews, and More in iOS 18.4" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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