WhatsApp this week announced that it is adding passkey-encrypted chat backups, allowing users protect their stored messages using Touch ID or Face ID instead of a 64-digit key.


The feature extends the app's 2021 end-to-end encrypted backup system, which previously required users to create and save a lengthy key to restore chats. With passkeys, authentication uses each device's built-in authentication hardware like ‌Touch ID‌ or ‌Face ID‌, meaning the private cryptographic key never leaves the phone. This makes backups both more secure and much easier to restore.

The rollout is set to be global and gradual over the coming weeks. Users can enable it via Settings → Chats → Chat backup → End-to-end encrypted backup once available. iCloud and Google Drive remain the storage destinations for iOS and Android, respectively. The move continues Meta's broader adoption of passkeys, which WhatsApp first supported for account logins in 2023.
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With every new Apple product launch, deals slowly crop up over time – and the MacBook lineup is no exception. The best deals tend to come after a model is no longer the latest and greatest, and there’s currently an unbeatable 15-inch M3 MacBook Air deal that’s hard to pass up on, and once it sells out, there likely won’t be any more to go around.

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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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Dropla is an iPad app that serves as a shelf of sorts for your files. You can also think of it as a universal clipboard for just files. In essence, it takes advantage of multi-tasking features on the iPad, to allow you to have a universal spot to temporarily drop your files when you want to deal with them in multiple apps across your iPad.

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With the launch of the iPhone 17 lineup this fall, Apple debuted a new accessory – the crossbody strap. It certainly received lukewarm reception, but after trying one out, I actually think it’s a rather nifty concept. At least, if you’re the right person for it.

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Apple Watch Ultra 3 has hit a new all-time low price on Amazon this weekend, available at $99 off select models. This includes the higher-end model with the Milanese Loop and a few Ocean Band options.

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.

Specifically, you can get the Apple Watch Ultra 3 with Black Titanium Case and Black Ocean Band for $699.99 ($99 off) and the Black Titanium Case with Anchor Blue Ocean Band for $699.99 ($99 off). Finally, there's the Black Titanium Case with Black Milanese Loop for $799.99 ($99 off).




We've started tracking early Black Friday deals in our main post, also including great deals on AirPods, iPad Pro, and more. 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, "Apple Watch Ultra 3 Hits New Record Low Price of $699.99 ($99 Off)" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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We're officially in the month of Black Friday, which will take place on Friday, November 28 in 2025. As always, this will be the best time of the year to shop for great deals, including popular Apple products like AirPods, iPad, Apple Watch, and more. In this article, the majority of the discounts will be found on Amazon.

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

Specifically, in this article we're sharing all of the Apple products that currently have all-time low prices, or discounts that are at least very close to their record-low prices. Of course, these are early Black Friday deals, so even better discounts could emerge later in the month, but if you're shopping right now these are all the best prices around.

AirPods

AirPods deals include a $79 discount on the popular AirPods Pro 2 at $169.99, down from $249.00. Right now, this is the only notable discount, but we'll update this section when more become available.

iPad

Amazon this week is taking $50 off Wi-Fi models of Apple's 11th generation iPad. Prices start at $299.00 for the 128GB Wi-Fi iPad, down from $349.00, a second-best price on this model.





Additionally, Amazon has the 256GB Wi-Fi iPad for $399.00 ($50 off) and the 512GB Wi-Fi iPad for $599.00 ($50 off).

M5 iPad Pro

Amazon has the first notable discounts on Apple's brand new M5 iPad Pro, with the entry-level 11-inch model available for $948.50, down from $999.00.





In terms of the 11-inch M5 iPad Pro, this is still one of the only steeper discounts, with others sitting around $25 off. If you're shopping for the 13-inch M5 iPad Pro, you'll find the 256GB Wi-Fi model for $1,249.00 ($50 off), the 512GB Wi-Fi model for $1,449.00 ($50 off), and the 2TB Wi-Fi Nano-Texture Glass model for $2,298.00 ($101 off).

M4 MacBook Air

Amazon and Best Buy are hosting big discounts across the entire M4 MacBook Air lineup, with deals that represent all-time lows across every model of the computer. In total, you'll find $200 off the M4 MacBook Air notebook right now, with both 13-inch and 15-inch models on sale.




Prices start at $799.00 for the 13-inch 256GB model at Best Buy, down from $999.00. If you're looking for the larger model, you can get the 15-inch 256GB computer for $999.00 at both retailers, down from $1,199.00.

Of course, you'll also find all of the 512GB models of the 13-inch and 15-inch M4 MacBook Air on sale this week.

Apple Watch

Series 11

There aren't many big discounts on the GPS models of the Apple Watch Series 11 yet, but we are tracking a notable markdown on one of the high-end Titanium devices this weekend.

Ultra 3

One of the best all-around early Black Friday discounts is on the Apple Watch Ultra 3 at $99 off select models.

Apple Pencil

You can get the Apple Pencil Pro available for $99.99, down from $129.00.



We're keeping track of all of the season's best Apple-related deals in our Black Friday roundup, so be sure to check back throughout the month for an updated list of all the most notable discounts you'll find for Black Friday 2025.

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This article, "The Best Early Black Friday Apple Deals" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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After a flurry of Apple releases in September in October, the calendar has now turned to November, but that doesn't necessarily mean Apple is done making news for 2025.


Beyond those nearer-term software and hardware update expectations, this week saw fresh rumors about the iPhone 18 lineup, several future Mac and iPad models, and more, so read on below for all the details!

Top Stories

Apple Seeds iOS 26.1, iPadOS 26.1, and macOS Tahoe 26.1 Release Candidates

The public releases of iOS 26.1, macOS Tahoe 26.1, and related updates appear to be right around the corner, with Apple seeding release candidate versions of all of the updates this week.


iOS 26.1 brings several new features and changes, including a toggle to adjust the opaqueness of the new Liquid Glass design. We took a look at whether using the Clear or Tinted design, as well as trying several other accessibility adjustments that can affect the Liquid Glass look, has any impact on battery life, but didn't find anything significant.

iPhone 18 Pro Rumored to Support Full 5G Satellite Internet

While Apple has been gradually building out satellite-related features for its lineup of iPhone and more recently Apple Watch models, all of the features have so far been limited to low-bandwidth applications like messaging.


That may change next year, however, with a new report claiming that Apple is working on adding support for full 5G satellite internet access as soon as next year in the iPhone 18 Pro models.

In other iPhone 18 rumors this week, we heard about potential for a simpler Camera Control design in next year's phones, as well as a DSLR-style variable aperture for the Main camera on iPhone 18 Pro models. The base iPhone 18 may also see a 50% bump in memory to 12GB, matching the higher-end models.

Apple TV 4K Could Still Launch Before 2025 Ends: All the Rumored Features

Apple is designing an updated version of the Apple TV 4K, and rumors suggest that it could come out sometime in the next couple of months. We're not expecting a major overhaul with design changes, but even a simple chip upgrade will bring major improvements to Apple's set-top box.


We've rounded up all the latest ‌Apple TV‌ rumors in a recent article and accompanying video, so be sure to check it out for an overview of everything we may see in the forthcoming update.

Apple Reportedly Moving Ahead With Ads in Maps App

Apple Maps could feature integrated ads as soon as next year, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman reports.


In his latest "Power On" newsletter, Gurman said that Apple's plan to bring more ads to iOS is "gaining traction," with the Maps app being next in line. The project will apparently give restaurants and other businesses the option to pay to have their details featured more prominently in search.

Apple Expanding OLED Displays to iPad Mini, iPad Air, and MacBook Models

We've known for some time that Apple has been working to bring OLED displays to the MacBook Pro, but a new report from Bloomberg's Mark Gurman reveals Apple's OLED plans are much broader than that.


Gurman says the iPad mini will gain an OLED display as early as next year, while the iPad Air will be updated with OLED no sooner than 2027. The iPad Pro was updated with OLED last year.

On the Mac side, following the MacBook Pro in late 2026 or early 2027, the MacBook Air should also eventually be upgraded to OLED, but probably not until 2028 at the earliest.

M4 MacBook Air vs. M5 MacBook Pro Buyer's Guide

Apple has now refreshed both tiers of its MacBook lineup in 2025, first updating the MacBook Air with the M4 chip and just this month introducing the MacBook Pro with the new M5 chip, so how do the latest models compare?


While the 13- and 15-inch ‌MacBook Air‌ continue to start at $999 and $1,199 respectively, moving to the 14-inch ‌MacBook Pro‌ requires spending at least $400 more. For some buyers, the extra cost is unnecessary; for others, the Pro's hardware advantages meaningfully change the experience in ways the Air cannot match even with higher configurations. Our latest guide helps to answer the question of how to decide which of these two popular laptops is best for you.

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: iOS 26.1 Imminent, iPhone 18 Rumors, and More" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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The web browser is one of the most important apps on any Mac, especially in the enterprise. For most employees, it is where a lot of their work happens: Jira, SDFC, email, and other SaaS tools. For IT, that makes the browser both a productivity enabler and one of the biggest security surfaces to manage. Getting identity and access right inside the browser is now just as critical as securing the device itself. That is why Chrome’s new support for Apple’s Extensible Single Sign On framework is such a big deal heading into Q4. It gives IT a native, secure way to deliver seamless authentication for Chrome users on the Mac without adding much friction or complexity.

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Following yesterday’s quarterly report, Apple saw a welcome bump in its stock price. But as markets opened and the day progressed, investor sentiment appeared to shift slightly. Here are the details.

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In a post on X today, Apple CEO Tim Cook announced that Apple will make a donation to help with relief efforts following the devastation caused by Hurricane Melissa. Here’s what he said.

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Following its series of teardowns of Apple’s recent announcements, iFixit has taken apart the new M5 iPad Pro. Here’s what they found.

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The upcoming iOS 26.1 update includes a small but helpful change for iPhones, and it could prevent you from running late to something important.


Specifically, when an alarm goes off in the Clock app, there is a new "slide to stop" control on the screen for turning off the alarm. On previous iOS 26 versions, there is simply a large "stop" button, which could be accidentally tapped.

The new "slide to stop" control looks very similar to the classic "slide to unlock" bar that existed on the iPhone's Lock Screen from 2007 until 2016.


Given that the iOS 26.1 Release Candidate was seeded earlier this week, Apple will likely release the update next week, on either Monday or Tuesday.
This article, "iOS 26.1 Brings Back 2007 Feature in New Way" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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Listen to a recap of the top stories of the day from 9to5Mac. 9to5Mac Daily is available on iTunes and Apple’s Podcasts app, Stitcher, TuneIn, Google Play, or through our dedicated RSS feed for Overcast and other podcast players.

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watchOS 26 is the latest major software version for Apple Watch, and among its host of new features, the popular Apple Notes app is now available on the wrist.

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Apple Music in iOS 26 is packed with new features, and my favorite of the bunch is pinned music. But much to my surprise, I just discovered that music pins have a hidden feature that makes them even better.

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At WWDC in 2020, Apple announced a new car key feature that lets people use the Wallet app on the iPhone or Apple Watch to control their car. While adoption of this feature has been slow, head below to find the full list of cars that support Apple car key integration.

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Apple TV has increasingly become one of the best streamers for thriller series. Here are two big new crime thrillers airing now, and a preview of three more series right around the corner.

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Presence/motion sensors are one of the best ways to make automations feel more natural, but most of them run on batteries and eventually have to be swapped. That’s one of the main reasons I really like the Meross MS600 Smart Presence Sensor. It plugs into the wall, so you don’t have to worry about battery swaps. It combines millimeter wave radar, motion detection, and a built-in light sensor to detect it all.

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In a social media post today, Apple CEO Tim Cook said that Apple will be making a donation of an undisclosed amount towards Hurricane Melissa relief efforts.


"Our hearts go out to all of those impacted by the destruction of Hurricane Melissa," said Cook. "Apple will be making a donation to help with relief efforts on the ground."

Hurricane Melissa has caused catastrophic damage, flooding, and loss of life in several Caribbean countries this week, including Jamaica, Cuba, and Haiti.

Apple has donated to the Red Cross for hurricane relief efforts in the past.
This article, "Apple to Donate Towards Hurricane Melissa Relief Efforts" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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This week we saw deals on Apple's new M5 iPad Pro, M4 MacBook Air, Apple Watch bands, and Samsung monitors. In addition to all of these ongoing sales, we're tracking a few big Halloween sales that are set to end either today or later this weekend, so be sure to check them out soon.

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

Halloween Deals

Today is Halloween, and in celebration of the holiday multiple retailers are hosting notable sales and discount events this weekend. These events include savings on MagSafe-compatible chargers, Mac docks, iPhone 17 cases, noise cancelling headphones, and more.

• Anker - Save sitewide with code halloween2025


• OWC - 14-Port Thunderbolt Dock for $179.99 ($100 off)


• Belkin - Spend $100, save $20


• Casely - Save 15% sitewide with code FALL15


• GRID Studio - Save 20% sitewide with code A20


• Hyper - Save 25% on select products


• OtterBox - Save up to 20% on select products


• Sony - Save on TVs, headphones, and more


• ZAGG - Save 25% on iPhone cases


• Burton Goods - Save 30% on watch bands with code AW30

M5 iPad Pro

• What's the deal? Take up to $100 off M5 iPad Pro


• Where can I get it? Best Buy and Amazon


• Where can I find the original deal? Right here

Best Buy this week opened up $50 discounts across the board on Apple's new M5 iPad Pro, with prices starting at $949.00 for the 256GB Wi-Fi 11-inch model. Amazon is matching some of these deals, and has steeper markdowns on the higher-end 13-inch M5 iPad Pro.

M4 MacBook Air

• What's the deal? Take $200 off M4 MacBook Air


• Where can I get it? Best Buy and Amazon


• Where can I find the original deal? Right here

Amazon and Best Buy are hosting big discounts across the entire M4 MacBook Air lineup, with deals that represent all-time lows across every model of the computer. In total, you'll find $200 off the M4 MacBook Air notebook right now, with both 13-inch and 15-inch models on sale.

Samsung Monitors

• What's the deal? Save on popular Samsung monitors


• Where can I get it? Woot


• Where can I find the original deal? Right here

Woot this week has introduced a big sale on Samsung monitors, offering up to 53 percent off select monitors. Every monitor in this sale is in new condition and comes with a one year Samsung limited warranty.

Apple Watch Bands

• What's the deal? Take up to 70% off Apple Watch bands


• Where can I get it? Woot


• Where can I find the original deal? Right here

Woot this week is still hosting a big sale on Solo Loop and Braided Solo Loop bands for Apple Watch, with as much as 70 percent off these accessories. This sale is set to end on November 14, or until stock runs out.

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, "Best Apple Deals of the Week: Halloween Deals Arrive Alongside New Record Lows on M5 iPad Pro" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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Unlike any ‘Pro’ iPhone before it, the iPhone 17 Pro is available in a bright cosmic orange color. This trend of bold colors might continue with the iPhone 18 Pro lineup next year.

A new report from Weibo user Digital Chat Station, which has previously shared accurate iPhone rumors, the iPhone 18 Pro could be available in brown, purple, and burgundy.

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Rumors indicate Apple has a touchscreen-equipped HomePod (likely named ‘HomePod Touch’ or ‘HomePad’) launching early next year. But a recent report on pricing indicates Apple might repeat a mistake it made with the first HomePod.

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The Aura Ink is not your typical digital photo frame, and on the basis of the specs alone it doesn’t sound too impressive. That’s because it’s a color e-ink display, with all the drawbacks that entails.

It can display only four different colors – white, yellow, red, and blue – takes around 30 seconds to change from one photo to the next, and is expensive at $499 for a 13.3-inch model. And yet, despite all this, it’s actually the best digital photo frame I’ve ever used …

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Baseus’ recently announced EnerGeek GX11 power bank is not only a great power bank, but it also doubles as a cellular hotspot.

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