Following the Thursday announcement, Google is widely rolling out the latest Gemini models, including 2.0 Flash Thinking (experimental), to the web, Android, and iOS apps.

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.

Remind Me Faster is a nice companion app for Apple Reminders, helping you transcribe your thoughts into reminders as quickly as possible. It doesn’t replace Reminders, but instead makes it more intuitive to use.

Yesterday, Apple announced that it will be supporting RCS Universal Profile 3.0 in “future software updates.” While this does have one large benefit of bringing end-to-end encryption to iPhone users using RCS, it has a number of other benefits that aren’t yet being mentioned.

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One of the things that Apple got right with the foundation of macOS (then OS X) was the ability to operate the computer as a limited user. Running as a Standard user is one of the best ways to level up your macOS security, especially in the enterprise. The Mac team at SAP recently released Privileges 2.1, which has some great features to help IT teams allow their users to gain admin privileges when needed.

There’s still one week left to enter our giveaway to win Apple’s latest MacBook Pro courtesy of Chargeasapto help celebrate the launch of the company’s new Flash Pro Ultra, the world’s first dual OLED 275W powerbank. Head below to learn more about the new Flash Pro Ultra by Chargeasap and enter the giveaway.

Apple’s AirPods 4 are available in two different versions: one with ANC active noise cancellation and support for MagSafe chargers. And if you have AirPods 4, read on as we’ve put together a list of some of the best protective cases and lanyards for Apple’s wireless earbuds.

Apple quietly launched a new app on Friday called “Maps Surveyor,” which lets users contribute to Apple Maps by collecting data about their surroundings and sending it to the company. However, not everyone can use the new app.

The last few days have been very busy when it comes to Apple news. That’s because the company has confirmed that the new Siri experience has been delayed while sources suggest that the new features promised at last year’s WWDC won’t be ready any time soon. Given everything that’s going on at Apple recently, there’s one thing that could really help: another Snow Leopard.

Apple’s recent Siri delays have stirred up a mess of bad press, and reportedly led to an all-hands meeting where an exec called the affair “ugly and embarrassing.” But per another key quote from that meeting, there’s no doubt Apple saved itself a world of trouble with the move.

Apple updates its AirPods products periodically with new firmware, which installs automatically in the background. But while the process was a mystery for years, the company now offers step-by-step instructions for how to manually trigger a firmware update yourself.

There’s only one more episode of Severance left this season, and Apple TV+ has just revealed that the finale will by far be the longest episode yet. Here’s what to expect.

We’re one week removed from Apple’s decision to indefinitely delay the “more personalized” version of Siri that was first announced at WWDC 2024, and the blowback hasn’t let up.

Now, Bloomberg has the details from an all-hands meeting for the Siri division inside Apple, where the Apple Intelligence delays were panned as “ugly” and “embarrassing.”

Aqara LED Bulb T2 is the company’s latest smart lighting option, bringing a nice combination of Thread and Zigbee support. Matter support, Zigbee Adaptive Lighting, and ultra-wide color tuning make it a solid addition to any HomeKit environment.

iOS 18’s new Control Center has proven to be much more than a one-off design change. Apple has steadily added new capabilities to Control Center via software updates, and iOS 18.4 continues that trend in a big way thanks to several nice upgrades.

Whether you own a personally or manage a fleet with enterprise endpoint software like Mosyle, there’s a good chance you have scores of old unsecured wireless networks saved—Wi-Fi points that don’t require authentication. Common places where users connect and save these networks could be Starbucks (often “Starbucks WiFi”) and airports (like “Airport Guest”).

So, the risk? Attackers can exploit this by setting up rogue access points with the same SSIDs, tricking your device into connecting automatically. To prevent spoofing attacks like this, you can automate the removal of common SSIDs using the following script below!

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I thought I had this figured out. I was making a hard-headed decision to buy a refurbed M1 MacBook Air with 16GB RAM for half the price of a new M4 one, for reasons I’ll explain in a moment.

But, ironically, it’s because the M1 version is so good that I think I’m at risk of selling it again and buying the shiny new M4 model …

The camera is one of the biggest differentiators between the iPhone 16e and the rest of the iPhone lineup. The iPhone 16e features a single 48MP camera and misses out on software features like ProRaw, macro mode, the latest Photographic Styles, and more.

How does the iPhone 16e’s camera stack up against its siblings? The experts at Lux Camera, behind apps like Halide and Kino, have the answer.

Apple is reportedly planning a major new design for iOS 19, the “biggest revamp since iOS 7.” Specific details on changes are scarce. But looking at recent iPhone apps and designs, it seems that Apple has been hinting at what’s coming in iOS 19 for a while. Here’s what the clues say.

We are ready to cap the work week off in Apple deals with ongoing price drops on both AirPods 4 from $100 and the lauded AirPods Pro 2 at $170. But we have some fresh new deals including all four colors of Apple’s most affordable new M4 MacBook Air at all-time low pricing with no trade-in required, alongside the M4 Pro MacBook Pro with 24GB of RAM at $220 off. The return of $100 price drops across every Apple Watch Series 10 configuration is next, while the black 512GB iPhone 15 Pro Max units are now at $426 off the original price. Those offers join a host of MagSafe charging gear, accessories, and more. All of that and then some awaits below in today’s 9to5Toys Lunch Break.

Apple TV+ just debuted a new series that is getting a lot of love from critics, and has a fantastic trailer too. Here are all the details on Dope Thief, the latest crime thriller from Apple TV+ that’s available now.

Ted Lasso was the first big hit on Apple TV+, but the show’s fate has been up in the air since season 3 concluded in May 2023. Initially, we all thought season 3 would be the show’s final season, but there have been a lot of hints recently that a season 4 could happen after all.

Now, Jason Sudeikis and Apple have made it official: Ted Lasso season four is in the works.

In collaboration with the GSM Association, Apple today announced it will add support for end-to-end encryption for RCS messages. This brings RCS much closer to iMessage in terms of security standards.

The new RCS Universal Profile 3.0 including end-to-encryption was only just released today, so it’s not clear exactly when this support will ship to customers. Apple said it helped lead a cross industry effort to bring end-to-encryption to the RCS Universal Profile …

It’s been two weeks since the iPhone 16e arrived in stores and in the hands of early adopters. Unfortunately, some of them have been experiencing issues with Bluetooth audio, especially when using wireless headphones. At least based on multiple reports from iPhone 16e owners.

We’re only three months away from the next WWDC, when Apple will unveil iOS 19. According to recent rumors, the update will be a big one, focusing on introducing a new design for the iPhone and iPad operating system. But it seems that Apple has other cards up its sleeve, as a new report from Bloomberg says that iOS 19 will have a live translation feature for AirPods.

This is Rumor Replay, a weekly column at 9to5Mac offering a quick rundown of the most recent Apple product rumors, with analysis and commentary. Today: iOS 19’s major redesign, hints of an iPhone 17 Ultra, HomePad delays, and more. Here are this week’s Apple rumors.

T-Mobile has announced a new round of price increases set to go into effect next month. This time around, the company is raising prices by as much as $5 per line for subscribers on many of its legacy plans.

The carrier says this is a continuation of a price hike it began rolling out last year and that customers with Price Lock are not impacted.

Apple TV+ has recently gotten in the habit of sending movies straight to streaming, but this summer, Apple has a big-budget blockbuster coming to theaters: F1. Now the official trailer has just debuted.

Apple’s software and AI divisions have had a riveting past week. After Apple officially delayed key Siri upgrades to an unspecified date in “the coming year,” the person who broke that news, John Gruber, wrote a scathing criticism of Apple titled, “Something Is Rotten in the State of Cupertino.” Some have called on Apple to issue a public apology. Whether it should or not, here’s another idea: it’s time to bring back the in-person WWDC keynote.

Benjamin and Chance react to the disappointing news that Apple officially delayed the ambitious AI Siri features indefinitely, and what the ramifications are on Apple’s product line in the near term. Meanwhile, Bloomberg reports Apple is preparing the biggest redesign to iOS since iOS 7, and Kuo has some details about Apple’s first foldable iPhone coming in 2026.

And in Happy Hour Plus, Chance experiments with Benjamin’s external monitor arrangement, and we discuss the popularity of Safari’s “Compact” tab layout option. Subscribe at 9to5mac.com/join.

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The biggest Apple TV+ hit to date, Severance, is airing its season finale next week. Apple wants to keep all of its new subscribers who joined TV+ for Severance. And as part of doing that, its current HBO-inspired content strategy is about to be put to the test.

Apple is reportedly planning for iOS 19 to introduce the biggest visual overhaul to the iPhone in over a decade. Here’s why a big iOS 19 redesign is a risky move, but one that could pay off nicely for Apple.

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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The first cash deals on the brand-new M4 MacBook Air carry on at Amazon, but we have a fresh batch of deals today starting with the best price of the year on Apple’s most affordable M4 Pro MacBook Pro with 24GB of RAM – it is $220 off the list price. Next up, Amazon has brought back the $100 price drop on the 24GB M4 Mac mini alongside ongoing deals on the entry model at $529. Then it’s over to the banger 13-inch 2TB M4 iPad Pro that has now hit a new Amazon all-time low in Space Black at $300 off alongside solid price drops on a wide range of official Apple Watch bands, an ongoing all-time low on AirTags, and 30% off Satechi’s best 3-in-1 15W MagSafe charging stands. All of that and more awaits below in today’s 9to5Toys Lunch Break.

After expanding to CarPlay a few months ago, Apple Music Classical has hit yet another new platform. Starting today, you can access Apple Music Classical on the web for the first time.

Since Apple allowed sideloading on iPhone and iPad in the EU through App Marketplaces, we’ve seen the rise of a few alternatives to Apple’s App Store. Now there’s another alternative app store coming, as Skich, a platform for discovering new mobile games, is launching its own App Marketplace for iOS users in the EU.

The CEO of Roblox has responded to parental concerns about harmful content in the app by telling them they shouldn’t let their kids use it if they are worried …

A new WhatsApp message threads feature appears to be on the way, after it was discovered in an app beta.

It follows a flurry of new features launched last month, comprising colorful chat themes, linked social media accounts, and ChatGPT support extending to images and voice messages …

The UK competition watchdog has effectively told Apple that it must allow free and open competition between iPhone web browsers, but at the same time Safari cannot be better than its competitors.

Update: The final report is now out, with no change to the CMA’s stance.

Apple has responded by stating that making new features available within WebKit “would lead to free-riding” by developers creating competing browsers …

John Gruber is one of the more high-profile Apple commenters, and generally takes a pretty upbeat view of the company, so it was a big surprise to see him launch a blistering attack on the iPhone maker.

Referring to Apple advertising Siri features which don’t yet exist, he argues that the company is “in disarray if not crisis,” is making “bullshit” claims, and has “squandered” its reputation with “a fiasco” …

Snapchat on Wednesday announced a new feature for its users – at least for some of them. Starting today, Snapchat Platinum (the platform’s premium subscription) members will have access to new AI-generated Lenses.