Sora, OpenAI's AI video app, will no longer allow users to create videos featuring celebrity likenesses or voices.


OpenAI, SAG-AFTRA, actor Bryan Cranston, United Talent Agency, Creative Artists Agency, and Association of Talent Agents today shared a joint statement about "productive collaboration" to ensure voice and likeness protections in content generated with Sora 2 and the Sora app.

Cranston raised concerns about Sora after users were able to create deepfakes that featured his likeness without consent or compensation. Families of Robin Williams, George Carlin, and Martin Luther King Jr. also complained to OpenAI about the Sora app.

OpenAI has an "opt-in" policy for the use of a living person's voice and likeness, but Sora users were able to create videos of Cranston even though he had not permitted his likeness to be used. To fix the issue, OpenAI has strengthened guardrails around the replication of voice and likeness without express consent.

Artists, performers, and individuals are meant to have the right to determine how and whether they can be simulated with Sora. Along with the new guardrails, OpenAI has also agreed to respond "expeditiously" to any received complaints going forward.

OpenAI first tweaked Sora late last week to respond to complaints from the family of Martin Luther King Jr., and the company said that it would strengthen guardrails for historical figures. OpenAI said there are "strong free speech interests" in depicting deceased historical and public figures, but authorized representatives or estate owners can request that their likeness not be used on Sora cameos.

Sora launched on September 30, and it has since become one of the most popular apps in the App Store.
This article, "OpenAI Strengthens Sora Protections Following Celebrity Deepfake Concerns" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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Starting next year, AI companies won’t be allowed to use WhatsApp as a chat interface. Here are the details.

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The US District Court for the Northern District of California has accepted Apple’s request to enter default against Jon Prosser in the lawsuit it filed last July. Here’s what that means.

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I’ve had an Apple Watch Ultra 3 for just over a month now, and it’s my first Ultra model ever. Here’s what my experience has been like so far, including the one Ultra feature I can’t imagine giving up.

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With the fourth beta of iOS 26.1, Apple added a toggle that makes Liquid Glass more opaque and reduces transparency. We tested the beta to see where the toggle works and what it looks like.


If you have the latest iOS 26.1 beta, you can go to Settings > Display and Brightness to get to the new option. Tap on Liquid Glass, then choose "Tinted." The Tinted option increases the opacity of Liquid Glass UI elements and improves contrast, while the Clear option is the standard Liquid Glass look.

Apple's new option looks different in both light and dark mode, increasing opacity in color consistent with each option. It works for Lock Screen notifications and within apps to make menu and navigation bars less transparent, but there is little to no change with other parts of the OS like Control Center, the App Library, and app icons and widgets on the Home Screen.

iOS 26.1 beta 4 is available to developers and public beta testers at the current time. We're expecting iOS 26.1 to be released later in October, and that's when everyone will have access to the new settings.
This article, "Here's How the iOS 26.1 Transparency Toggle Changes Liquid Glass" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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Apple today provided public beta testers with the fourth releases of upcoming iOS 26.1, iPadOS 26.1, macOS Tahoe 26.1, tvOS 26.1 and watchOS 26.1 updates for testing purposes. Apple seeded the betas to developers earlier today.


After signing up for beta testing on Apple's beta site, public beta testers can download the updates using the Software Update section in the Settings app on each device.

iOS 26.1, iPadOS 26.1, and macOS Tahoe 26.1 expand Apple Intelligence to new languages, including Danish, Dutch, Norwegian, Portuguese (Portugal), Swedish, Turkish, Chinese (Traditional), and Vietnamese.

AirPods Live Translation is also available in Japanese, Korean, Italian, and Chinese (both Mandarin Traditional and Simplified) in iOS 26.

With the fourth beta, Apple added an option to reduce the transparency of Liquid Glass, and a toggle to turn off opening the camera with a swipe from the Lock Screen.

There are a few other minor changes to apps like Photos, Music, the Apple TV app, and Phone in iOS 26.1, with details available in our iOS 26.1 features guide.
This article, "Apple Seeds Fourth Public Betas of iOS 26.1, iPadOS 26.1 and macOS Tahoe 26.1" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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Kohler is expanding its line of bathroom products with Dekoda, an iPhone-connected device that's designed to be attached to a toilet rim (via The Verge). The device's included "sensors" point into the toilet bowl, allowing it to analyze what goes on in the bathroom.


According to Kohler, Dekoda is a health tracker that can monitor gut health and hydration, as well as detect the presence of blood in the toilet.

The website for the product is careful not to say that the product is essentially a camera that's peering into the toilet, instead referencing unspecified "powerful sensors" that analyze the contents of the toilet. According to the website, the sensors "see down into your toilet and nowhere else."

Kohler says that it uses advanced optical sensors and spectroscopy to observe how light interacts with waste, then it analyzes the data using machine learning algorithms to provide health insights. Data is protected with end-to-end encryption and fingerprint authentication. There is a separate Bluetooth fingerprint scanner that can be attached to a wall near the toilet to prevent the Dekoda from scanning the waste of guests, though it is optional.

Dekoda is the first product in a new Kohler Health line, and it requires a membership to use. Kohler Health is priced at $6.99 monthly for a single person, or $12.99 monthly for up to five family members. There are also yearly memberships priced at $70 and $130, respectively.

Kohler's Dekoda toilet sensor can be pre-ordered from the Kohler website for $600.
This article, "Kohler Launches $600 iPhone-Connected Toilet Camera That Monitors Your Health Through Waste Analysis" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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The new Apple Vision Pro (M5) isn’t fully compatible with the original Developer Strap, which features a USB-C port to simplify development. However, Apple may be preparing an updated version, based on some code and an asset included in today’s betas. Here are the details.

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Even though we're at the fourth beta of iOS 26.1, Apple is continuing to add new features. In fact, the fourth beta has some of the biggest changes that we'll get when iOS 26.1 releases to the public later this month. We've rounded up what's new below.

Liquid Glass Transparency Toggle

Apple added a toggle for customizing the look of Liquid Glass. In Settings > Display and Brightness, there's a new option to switch between Clear or Tinted settings.


Clear is more transparent and is the standard version of Liquid Glass that displays the background underneath buttons, menu bars, and other interface elements, while Tinted increases the opacity of Liquid Glass and adds contrast.

Lock Screen Camera Swipe

In the Camera section of the Settings app, there's a Lock Screen Swipe to Open Camera setting, and turning it off disables the feature where you can swipe left to open the camera from the Lock Screen.


The iPhone has long allowed users to open the Camera app directly from the Lock Screen with a swipe, but it can be a setting that's easy to activate, and it provides a way for someone that gets ahold of an ‌iPhone‌ to use it to take unwanted photos.

There was previously no way to turn off Lock Screen camera activation without disabling the camera app entirely.

Phone Haptics

In the Phone app, there's a toggle to turn off haptic feedback when a call is connected or dropped.

Apple Intelligence Settings

Apple has changed the look of the Apple Intelligence section in the Settings app, and it is now left aligned. Apple made the alignment change for other sections of the Settings app in earlier betas, but ‌Apple Intelligence‌ remained the same.


Apple has also removed the "Beta" label from ‌Apple Intelligence‌, but it's not clear if some features are officially out of beta, or if it's an oversight. Apple has not removed the beta labeling in macOS Tahoe 26.1 beta 4.

More Features

Know of a feature that we left out? Let us know in the comments. To see what Apple has added in prior iOS 26.1 betas, check out our iOS 26.1 feature guide.
This article, "What's New in iOS 26.1 Beta 4" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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Severance’s season 2 finale left viewers reeling when it aired earlier this year, leading to a lot of questions about what’s coming for Mark S. and company in season 3. Here’s everything we know so far about Severance season 3 and when to expect its Apple TV premiere.

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iOS 26.1 continues to introduce new features and changes for the upcoming iPhone software update. Here’s the latest from iOS 26.1 beta 4 and more.

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Wireless charging has come a long way since the early days, when it felt like only something you’d use at night. The introduction of MagSafe with the iPhone 12 was a huge win for the standard, and now the industry is unifying around Qi2. The newest enhancement, Qi2.2, takes things up a notch with support for 25-watt charging speeds and better heat management. LISEN recently launched its new LISEN Qi2.2 MagSafe Car Charger, and I’ve been using it as my primary car charger for the past few weeks.

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iOS 26.1 beta 4 was released today, and in addition to offering a new setting to tone down Liquid Glass, there’s also a toggle that can stop you from accidentally launching the Camera app on your Lock Screen. Here’s what’s new.

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The fourth beta of iOS 26.1 includes an option to turn off the Lock Screen swipe that activates the camera, a feature that iPhone users have been wanting for years.


In the Camera section of the Settings app, there's a Lock Screen Swipe to Open Camera setting, and turning it off disables the feature where you can swipe left to open the camera.

The ‌iPhone‌ has long allowed users to open the Camera app directly from the Lock Screen with a swipe, but it can be a setting that's easy to activate, and it provides a way for someone that gets ahold of an ‌iPhone‌ to use it to take unwanted photos.

There was previously no way to turn off Lock Screen camera activation without disabling the camera app entirely.
This article, "iOS 26.1 Beta 4 Adds Toggle to Turn Off Lock Screen Camera Swipe" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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With the fourth betas of iOS 26.1, iPadOS 26.1, and macOS 26.1, Apple has introduced a new setting that's designed to allow users to customize the look of Liquid Glass.


The toggle lets users select from a clear look for Liquid Glass, or a tinted look. Clear is the current Liquid Glass design, which is more transparent and shows the background underneath buttons, bars, and menus, while tinted increases the opacity of Liquid Glass and adds more contrast.

The new setting can be found on iOS and iPadOS by going to Settings > Display and Brightness, or System Settings > Appearance on the Mac.

Apple says that the new toggle was added because during the beta testing period over the summer, user feedback suggested that some people would prefer to have a more opaque option for Liquid Glass. The added setting provides additional customization in iOS 26.1, iPadOS 26.1, and macOS Tahoe 26.1.

Increasing opacity and adding contrast applies to Liquid Glass throughout the operating system, including in apps and Lock Screen notifications.

There are multiple other new features in iOS 26.1, including a new slide to stop feature for alarms and timers, new Apple Intelligence languages, a redesigned Apple TV app icon, changes to the Settings app, and more, with a full list of features available in our iOS 26.1 feature guide.
This article, "iOS 26.1 Beta 4 Lets Users Control Liquid Glass Transparency with New Toggle" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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iOS 26 introduced a bold new Liquid Glass design, bringing transparency and fluidity throughout the iPhone’s interface. iPadOS 26 and macOS 26 brought similar designs to the iPad and Mac, respectively.

Not a fan of that design? Well, iOS 26.1 beta 4 is now available, and it introduces a new option to choose a more opaque look for Liquid Glass. The same option is also available on Mac and iPad.

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Apple today provided developers with the fourth betas of upcoming iOS 26.1, iPadOS 26.1, macOS Tahoe 26.1, tvOS 26.1, watchOS 26.1, and visionOS 26.1 updates for testing purposes. The fourth betas come a week after Apple released the third betas.


The new betas can be downloaded from the Settings app on a compatible device by going to General > Software Update.

Apple Intelligence is now available in more languages in the updates, including Danish, Dutch, Norwegian, Portuguese (Portugal), Swedish, Turkish, Chinese (Traditional), and Vietnamese. AirPods Live Translation also works with Japanese, Korean, Italian, and Chinese (both Mandarin Traditional and Simplified) in iOS 26.1.

Liquid Glass has been expanded to the Phone app's keypad, Apple Music has a new swipe gesture for changing tracks, and there are visual changes to Calendar, Safari, and Photos. Details on what we've found in iOS 26.1 so far can be found in our iOS 26.1 feature list.

The iOS 26.1, iPadOS 26.1, macOS Tahoe 26.1, tvOS 26.1, watchOS 26.1, and visionOS 26.1, betas will be released later in October.
This article, "Apple Seeds Fourth Betas of iOS 26.1, iPadOS 26.1, macOS Tahoe 26.1 and More" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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Apple has a new round of developer beta updates for tvOS 26.1, watchOS 26.1, visionOS 26.1,and more available today: beta 4 is here.

Update: Public beta 4 is now available for select 26.1 updates as well.

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iOS 26.1 is the first big update to Apple’s major operating system release, and as of today, the fourth developer beta version has arrived for testing. Apple has also released iOS 26.1 public beta 4 today.

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Apple has just released iPadOS 26.1 beta 4 for developers. Here’s what to expect from today’s update.

Update: Just a few hours later, public beta 4 of iPadOS 26.1 has been released too.

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Following last week’s release, Apple is rolling out macOS 26.1 beta 4 for developers, as well as the public beta. Here’s what to expect from the update.

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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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Earlier this year, Apple confirmed that it’d be supporting end-to-end encryption with RCS in a future software update. At the time, iOS 18 was still the latest version of iOS – thus implying that the upgrade would come as part of the next round of software – iOS 26.

So far, end-to-end encryption is yet to ship. That’s not the only thing though. The upgrade to end-to-end encryption would’ve also necessitated other major upgrades to the RCS protocol, and as of iOS 26.1 beta, it’s all still missing.

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Your 9to5toys Lunch Break is ready to kick the week off with some big time price drops on iPad. Alongside the M5 iPad Pro pre-order deals we detailed previously, Amazon just knocked over $400 off this upgraded M4 iPad Pro model and it is now delivering a new all-time low on this 512GB M3 iPad Air at $279 off the list price. We also have 1TB iPhone 16 Pro Max at $510 off courtesy of the Amazon Renewed Premium program as well as AirPods Pro 2 from $108 and a rare discount on the official Apple Watch Ultra 2/3 Black Milanese Loop. All of the details await below. 

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