On the latest episode of the HomeKit Insider Podcast, we wrap up WWDC 2025 by recapping all the new smart home features announced, and then go hands-on with the Govee lamp post light.


Even though homeOS was not announced at WWDC, there were still several smart home-related announcements to come out of all Apple's new operating systems. After a week of digging, we've rounded up all the ones we've found thus far.

We start with iOS 26 which has big updates with CarPlay that finally allows widgets, including those to view and control smart home accessories. Outside of CarPlay, the Home app gets updated too.


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The Trump Organization has launched Trump Mobile and plans to release the T1, a questionable "Made in USA" smartphone just in time to try to take on Apple's iPhone 17.


Marking ten years after the launch of President Donald Trump's original presidential campaign, the Trump Organization has decided to launch its own mobile phone network. Dubbed Trump Mobile, it is a network that is being promoted as an All-American service," and heavily leaning on the Trump brand.

Trump Mobile frames itself as a "next-generation wireless provider," with mentions of it delivering "top-tier connectivity" and "unbeatable value." All with a "customer-first" approach and an "all-American service."


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Apple has made the smallest update to Visual Intelligence in iOS 26, and yet the impact of being able to use it on any image is huge, and at least doubles the usefulness of this one feature.


Previously on Apple Intelligence.. the iPhone's Visual Intelligence was about the most impressive feature. Just by pointing your iPhone's camera at something and pressing the Camera Control button, you could get AI to tell you all about it.

This was an extension to Apple's previous ability with the Photos app to identify, say, plants. Visual Intelligence goes further in that it can also identify famous landmarks, or often just random buildings you've always wondered about.


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Apple is making it easier to organize plans in iMessage with a new polling feature in iOS 26, giving group chat participants a way to share opinions and vote on decisions. Here's how it works.


Group chat indecision just got easier to resolve. Apple is adding built-in polls to the Messages app in iOS 26, giving users a native way to vote on decisions without leaving their conversation.

Unveiled during Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference on June 9, 2025, the new feature lets users create polls directly inside group chats. You can propose options, cast votes, and instantly see what everyone prefers.


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An analyst with a middling track record has planted his flag on a release year for AirPods Pro third generation, with a prediction of a 2026 release.


Following WWDC, there was hope that Apple was intending to bring out an update to the AirPods Pro in the future. If an analyst is to be believed, there's more than six months to go until their release.

According to a note to investors by GF Securities' Jeff Pu, Apple's launch lineup for 2026 includes the AirPods Pro 3. No other updates in the AirPods line are expected for the rest of 2025, nor in 2027 based on current expectations from the analyst.


Rumor Score: 🤔 Possible


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The Apple Watch 13 in 2027 is rumored to be the first model to feature blood sugar monitoring, which Apple has rumored to be working on for years.


Even back with the Apple Watch Series 7 in 2021, there were reports that Apple had long been developing a blood sugar system that was then about to be launched. Nothing came of that, and in 2024 Apple was said to be trialing such an Apple Watch app, but for health data collection studies rather than public release.

Now analyst Jeff Pu has announced that blood sugar monitoring will be the key feature of the Apple Watch Series 13 in 2027. He suggests that it may be called "Apple Watch featuring Blood Monitoring," but offers no further details.


Rumor Score: 🤔 Possible


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Financial firm Wedbush believes that WWDC practically demonstrates how Apple is executing its Apple Intelligence strategy, but without significant progress it may be forced into large scale AI acquisitions.


Most investment and financial firms were underwhelmed by Apple's WWDC 2025 keynote, and that includes Wedbush. But in a note to investors seen by AppleInsider, Daniel Ives at Wedbush says that Apple did lay out its vision for AI, and it has begun to execute that with it opening up Apple Intelligence to third-party developers.

The analyst argues that Apple chose to play things safe, and even low-key, following what it and others describe as the missteps of WWDC 2024. Yet while that strategy is supportable and maybe even necessary, Ives maintains that the following 12 months are critical for Apple Intelligence.


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Of all the very many new features in iPadOS 26, none of them make the iPad feel so different as the very many window options. Here's what we've gained — and what we've lost.


If it seems ridiculous to be excited about app and document windows on an iPad, it now seems a little bit foolish to have been happy with what we had before. The new paradigm is so good that it feels as if this is the way we should always have worked on the device.

The new features are in iPadOS 26, which at present is only available in a beta test version intended for developers. There will be a public release in the next few weeks, but the safest thing is to wait for the official launch in September.


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The Dygma Raise 2 is a wireless split mechanical keyboard that offers a lot, but the price of admittance is just too high for most users.


In 2025, the keyboard market is pretty saturated. There are manufacturers offering keyboards tailored to meet practically every budget and aesthetic need.

The market ranges from simple wireless keyboards for less than $50 at the value end of the spectrum. At the other, there are high-end models that tout quality engineering, customization, accessories, and all the bells and whistles a $ 300-plus price tag demands.


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Apple's long-rumored launch of the homeOS platform to run smart-home devices and services has had its debut pushed back to the spring of 2026, alongside the launch of new home hardware.


Apple is said to have delayed the rollout of both its smart home hub and supporting products due to delays with upgrades to Siri. While it may be something you would consider to be launched during WWDC, it may arrive earlier than the 2026 event.

According to Bloomberg, the rollout of the planned upgrades happen after the updated Siri arrives — which realistically means Spring 2026 before WWDC.


Rumor Score: 🤔 Possible


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A couple steals back their car with the help of an AirTag, a TV reporter retrieves her stolen iPhone from an ecoATM, and an entire airline crew's suspension after an iPhone theft feature in this week's Apple Crime Blotter.


The latest in an occasional AppleInsider series, looking at the world of Apple-related crime.


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Apple has set up a free repair program for any Mac minis with M2 chips that are no longer turning on. Here's how to see if you're eligible.


The company said in a new repair notice that it has determined that "a very small percentage" of Mac minis with M2 chips manufactured between June 16 and November 23, 2024 are affected.

Owners who are experiencing the issue can use a Serial Number checker page on Apple's website to determine if their Mac mini is eligible for repair. If it qualifies, the repair will be done free of charge.


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It seemed odd that Apple didn't port any of its compatible apps in visionOS 2, but not making any of them native in visionOS 26 is downright neglectful.


Apple Vision Pro is Apple's first spatial computing platform and an expensive one at that. Adoption of the platform has been glacial, and with it, the rollout of software and media that is native to the 3D mixed reality platform.

It seemed obvious as we approached WWDC 2025 that Apple would update at least some, if not all, of its compatible apps to native ones. In case you weren't aware, a compatible app is one that runs on Apple Vision Pro in its unmodified 2D iPad or iPhone form.


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Apple pushed a surprise update to iOS 26 beta 1 that hints at under-the-hood changes without explaining what's new.


Apple has issued a silent update to the first developer beta of iOS 26, changing the build number from 23A5260n to 23A5260u without publishing new release notes. The update appears to be a minor revision rather than a full beta 2 release.

The new build began appearing on some devices on June 12, just three days after iOS 26 beta 1 was first released following Apple's WWDC 2025 keynote. The revision suggests Apple is addressing behind-the-scenes issues or finalizing assets without needing to push a formal second beta.


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June Apple deals at Amazon are ramping up, with savings of up to 51% off this Father's Day weekend. Save up to $400 on MacBooks and grab an AirTag at the lowest price ever.


Amazon's Summer Sale offers discounts of up to $400 off dozens of Apple products, with prices starting at just $13. You can also find hundreds of markdowns on third-party products on Amazon's deals page.


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You've long been able to customize folders in the Mac's Finder, but only with a lot of non-obvious fiddling. Now with macOS Tahoe, Apple has made it a lot simpler.


Maybe you have been using the Mac long enough to remember when third-party firms sold utilities that changed your folders into 3D. Or perhaps you've never given a folder a passing through beyond wondering where you saved it.

Whichever folder customizing camp you're in, do take a moment to see what Apple has added — and how it can benefit you.


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Apple's Craig Federighi explains why iPads won't run macOS anytime soon, even as iPadOS 26 brings them closer than ever.


In a new interview following WWDC 2025, software chief Craig Federighi clarified why Apple remains committed to keeping iPadOS and macOS separate, even as iPadOS 26 brings more Mac-like features to the tablet.

The latest update, iPadOS 26, introduces a floating menu bar, flexible app windowing, and support for more advanced keyboard shortcuts. These additions aim to make the iPad feel more like a Mac for those who want power-user tools.


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At long last, Apple has revealed everything we were waiting for in the iOS 26, macOS 26, iPadOS 26 releases. It's time to pick through what was tremendous — and what was not — on the AppleInsider Podcast.


It's the event we've been waiting for, but the question is whether it was the event we were waiting for. There have been very mixed reactions to this year's WWDC, but some of those reactions seem peculiar if you actually watched the keynote.

There's also detail from the event to pick over, including some surprising omissions by Apple. And also what we've learned from a few days of using the new beta software.


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Math fans can now spin, zoom, and explore complex equations in full 3D right on their iPad with iPadOS 26. Here's what it looks like.


With iPadOS 26, Apple is introducing interactive 3D graphing in Math Notes, making it easy to turn multivariable equations into dynamic, touchable visualizations. The feature builds on Math Notes, which first launched in iPadOS 18.

Users can enter equations with three variables and instantly generate 3D surface plots. The graphs respond to standard gestures, including pinch-to-zoom and drag-to-rotate, and work with either touch or Apple Pencil.


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Following a debut of 3DMark Steel Nomad Light on iPhone, the full 3D Mark testing suite has arrived on macOS for a native testing experience.


Released on Thursday, the Mac native version even in demo mode includes the Wild Life Extreme, Solar Bay, Steel Nomad, and Steel Nomad Light, some of which weren't in the iPhone version and only on Windows.

The native Mac version was developed because the company noted that one in six iOS results were being run on Mac. Notably, running an iOS application on a macOS device can impact the results, as iOS application maximum frame rates are limited to the system's display refresh rate.


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It's easy to over write a password. But, in macOS Tahoe, Apple has introduced a new feature to Passwords that can retrieve older passwords. Here's how it works.


The benefits of having one single place that you securely store your passwords are obvious, but there is also a problem. It means you also have one single place in which to make a mistake.

Most of the time, you probably leave a password alone for years, even though you shouldn't. But if, for instance, you have to login to a site and you're not on any of your own devices, you are quite likely to have no idea what your password is.


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Apple manufacturer Foxconn's iPhone exports to the States have risen from 50% of Indian production to 97%, as Apple tries to mitigate the impact of Trump's tariffs.


It was already reported in May 2025 that Foxconn had doubled its India to US exports of the iPhone. Despite Trump's telling Tim Cook to stop manufacturing in India, it remains the case that it's impossible to make iPhones in the US.

Even as Trump changes his "reciprocal" tariffs on a whim, it remains the case that he levies a lesser charge on Apple for importing from India than from China. Consequently, Apple has been rerouting its supply and distribution lines to minimize the impact of tariffs.


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Apple has added a lot of gloss to macOS Tahoe, but there are also five specific features that make a massive difference — once you know they're there, and once you know their limitations.


Don't knock the Liquid Glass visual changes that have come with macOS 26, because most of them do surface features that can be missed, and most just make it quicker and easier to use your Mac. But there are also five really key new features that make updating to macOS Tahoe essential — when it's out of beta testing.


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Apple Music Sing in tvOS 26 now supports singing into your iPhone karaoke style, plus there's a classic visualizer effect. Here's how it all works.


When Apple revealed the updated Apple Music Sing mode during the WWDC 2025 keynote, it seemed like a fairly straightforward feature update. However, after testing out the feature firsthand, it seems there's a lot more to it than just a mic feature.

After updating to tvOS 26, you should immediately notice a new app icon added to the Home Screen. It's an icon called "Sing," but all it does is launch Apple Music to the new Sing tab.


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Years after Apple shifted to Apple Silicon, and after an on-again, off-again effort by Valve, the company has finally issued a beta version of the Steam client.


There have been Apple Silicon games on Steam for a long time. But, only now, five years after Apple's technology debut, is Steam finally hitting the endgame on a native client.

The latest beta, published late Thursday, has made the Steam Client and Steam Helper Universal apps.


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When London police wouldn't recover a stolen car despite an AirTag giving its location, the owners say they tracked it down and stole it back for themselves.


The couple in London were lucky in so many ways, starting with how their car was nine minutes away — when previously stolen vehicles have surfaced across the globe. But according to BBC News, they were also unlucky in the response they got from the Metropolitan Police.

When Mia Forbes Pirie and husband Mark Simpson of Hammersmith, found that their $57,000 Jaguar E-Pace care was gone, they called the police. Reportedly, they got only what they described as a "vague" response about maybe sending a patrol car out, and probably telling them if they ever found anything.


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Apple executives are keeping silent about future Apple Intelligence plans, but a new rumor suggests the 2026 release of contextual Siri is just the start on a road to chatbots and always-on assistants.


It's been a tough year for Apple's public image as it overpromised on AI features and has been seen as perpetually behind in the AI race — even though it insists it isn't. The Apple Intelligence delays have resulted in product delays too, as the rumored Home Hub will have to wait for a better Siri.

However, these delays and setbacks haven't affected Apple's initiative to improve its AI offerings. According to Bloomberg, there are several plans for the future of Apple Intelligence, though it seems there are internal arguments around how and when they will be ready.


Rumor Score: 🤔 Possible


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Apple is rolling out a slew of new features for CarPlay and CarPlay Ultra in iOS 26. Here's what you can expect in the fall when the new operating systems ship.


As with Apple's other platforms, CarPlay is getting a fresh coat of paint with iOS 26. The new Liquid Glass UI touches all parts of the CarPlay appearance.

Newly introduced elements now match their iOS counterparts, complete with glass-like depth. They don't have the same moving specular highlights, though.


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Apple is making it easier for iPhone owners to add their own custom ringtones, but the change in iOS 26 is only a slight improvement versus iOS 18.


Adding ringtones to the iPhone is almost always an investment in time or money. Apple really wants its users to buy new tones via the Tone Store, charging for brief snatches of music from popular musical artists.

The alternative is to spend time and effort creating your own custom ringtones. We have written guides about it before, with it requiring the user to make an audio file that lasts up to 30 seconds in Garageband, exporting as a ringtone, then adding it to their iPhone's ringtone list.


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Score an upgraded M2 iPad Air at up to $400 off with blowout deals on Amazon.


Expercom via its Amazon storefront is clearing out iPad Air inventory, with last-gen M2 models up to $400 off. Whether you want Wi-Fi + Cellular functionality, extra storage — or both — there are steep discounts available.

Save up to $400 instantly


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The iOS 26 Lock Screen uses Spatial Photos for wallpapers and lets you stretch the clock using Liquid Glass. It's a big change, and a welcome one.


Apple's Lock Screen customization options have improved over the years, and iOS 26 is no exception. Users can personalize their Lock Screen even more, thanks to a few new elements.

In iOS 18, this involved allowing users to switch out the Haptic Touch buttons for other shortcuts, but this time it's all about 3D wallpaper and Liquid Glass.


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Apple is stepping up its fight against unwanted calls and messages in iOS 26 with smarter voicemail reporting. Here's how it works.


The most visible change is a new option in the Phone app that lets users report spam voicemails directly to Apple. If you get a voicemail from an unknown number, tapping on the message now reveals a "Report Spam" button.

You can choose to report it and keep the voicemail or report it and delete it. Either way, the message is flagged and sent to Apple for review.


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Weeks after researchers raised red flags, the U.S. App Store still features VPNs that hide their Chinese ownership and could be routing user data straight into Beijing's hands.


More than six weeks after researchers raised the alarm, Apple and Google are still letting VPN apps with ties to Chinese companies remain in their U.S. app stores. Most of these apps don't disclose who owns them.

Some are linked to a Chinese cybersecurity firm under U.S. sanctions. And both tech giants are still taking a cut of the profits.


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As part of making the iPad as powerful as the Mac, Apple has migrated Preview to iPadOS. Here's how it stands in iPadOS 26 versus macOS Tahoe.


Mac users will be extremely familiar with the basic idea of the Preview app. In essence, if you have a PDF file, a document, or an image that you want to check out, it can be opened using Preview and quickly viewed.

This gave Mac users a lightweight app that didn't necessarily require the opening of other tools like Photoshop, or even needing to install an app to read PDF files.


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Anker is recalling select PowerCore 10000 power banks sold in the U.S. due to a battery defect that could cause overheating, melting, or fire. Here's how to get a refund.


On Thursday, Anker issued a recall for certain Anker PowerCore 10000 power banks due to a potential fire risk. These units were sold in the U.S. between June 2016 and December 2022 under the model number A1263.

The issue stems from defective lithium-ion batteries that may overheat, posing risks of melting, smoke, or fire. Customers who own a PowerBank 10000 are urged to stop using it immediately and check to see if their device is affected by following the steps below:


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Apple has shown off just how fast users can send features and add Reminders with macOS Tahoe's Quick Keys — but using them and setting them up takes a few steps.


There's no ignoring that Apple's updates to Spotlight in macOS Tahoe are familiar to users of apps like Raycast and Alfred. But there's also no denying that the new features are very useful — and also fast.

Chief amongst those, in Spotlight at least, is the new addition of Quick Keys. The idea is that when you commonly repeat the same task, you can set it up so that you just type a couple of letters to start it going.


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Apple is introducing a new tool for developers in iOS 26 and iPadOS 26 that could make energy use smarter and more sustainable. Here's how.


The EnergyKit framework gives apps access to a personalized grid forecast. It shows when electricity is cleaner and, if users connect their utility account, potentially cheaper.

EnergyKit, part of Apple's environmental responsibility initiative, enables apps to support this effort from home devices. Designed for residential use, it targets common electricity demands like HVAC systems and electric vehicle charging.


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Amazon's top $99 AirPods 4 deal is back as WWDC 2025 winds down, while AirPods Pro 2 have dipped to $169.


Amazon's best AirPods 4 price is back, with the earbuds falling to $99 after a 23% price drop. You can also pick up AirPods Pro 2 for $169, a discount of $80 off MSRP, with delivery by Father's Day to many locations with a Prime membership.

Grab AirPods from $99


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Apple just gave the Share Sheet in iOS 26 a much-needed cleanup, and your thumbs will be thankful.


Apple has refined the iPhone share sheet in iOS 26, showing fewer actions up front to make the interface feel lighter and easier to use. Instead of hitting you with every possible option right away, it now presents a short, focused list tailored to what you're most likely to use.

You can still swipe up or tap "More" to reveal everything else. Nothing has been removed. But the default view feels calmer, less like a filing cabinet dumped onto your screen.


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Everything you post online has an opportunity to be used to track you, whether it's your next stalker or a digital ad agency. Your data is up for grabs. Here's how to reduce your digital footprint online.


Being alive today means being an internet user — it can't be helped. However, there's no need to give up and let the data brokers and potential scammers suck up every detail about your life.

There are several methods available for reducing your digital footprint to a minimum. Before getting into how to delete personal information from the internet with Incogni, let's dive into some basic internet hygiene.


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