Last March, Apple announced plans to support end-to-end encryption (E2EE) for RCS messages, following the standardization of the feature by the GSM Association. After nearly a year of silence on that front, today’s betas suggest that Apple is moving closer to rolling it out.

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The Chrome Platform Status blog has confirmed that Chrome 150 will be the last version compatible with macOS 12. Here’s what that means.

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The latest WhatsApp TestFlight build introduces sticker suggestions, eliminating the extra steps of having to open and sift through the sticker panel. Here’s how it works.

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Apple's retail store in Santa Rosa, California will be moving from the Santa Rosa Plaza shopping mall to the open-air Montgomery Village shopping plaza later this month.


The new store at Montgomery Village will be holding its grand opening on Friday, January 23, at 12 p.m. local time, according to Apple's website.

Apple's existing store at the Santa Rosa Plaza opened in 2004.

Elsewhere in California, Apple continues to renovate its store in Carlsbad, north of San Diego. Apple has a temporary location there, at 1925 Calle Barcelona. Apple is also operating out of a temporary store at the South Coast Plaza shopping mall in Costa Mesa, south of Los Angeles, while it renovates its original location there.

Thanks, Filip Chudzinski!
This article, "Apple Store in Santa Rosa is Moving Later This Month" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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Following today’s announcement that Google’s Gemini will drive new Siri features, Elon Musk took to X to call it “an unreasonable concentration of power” for Google. Find the full post below.

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iOS 26 is packed full of changes for iPhone users, including five great new group chat features in the Messages app. Here’s what’s new.

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It’s official: Apple and Google are teaming up to power the next-generation Siri with custom Gemini models. And based on the few details that have been revealed, the deal sounds bigger and better than we were expecting.

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When I tried Apple Vision Pro for the first time at WWDC 2023, one part of the demo immediately stood out: sports in Apple Immersive Video. During a sizzle reel, I watched immersive clips from NBA and MLB games. As a sports fan, I knew right away that Vision Pro had the potential to change the game.

It took a while for that promise to fully materialize, but this weekend I finally watched a full NBA game in Immersive Video: the Los Angeles Lakers vs. the Milwaukee Bucks.

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Apple's flagship Regent Street store in London, England is temporarily closed starting today for "refurbishment," the company said on its website.


Apple has not indicated when the store will reopen, but a source familiar with the matter indicated that the location will likely be closed for at least a few weeks. It is unclear if Apple is planning any changes that will be visible to customers, but the company has been removing the Video Wall from some of it stores in recent months. Many newer and renovated stores also feature a dedicated Apple Pickup station for online orders.

In some cases, Apple only updates a store's fixtures or back-of-house area, resulting in no visible differences to customers when business resumes.

Regent Street is a world-famous shopping street in the heart of London, making it one of the busiest locations where Apple has a retail presence. At a minimum, hopefully the store will receive a deep clean before it reopens.

Apple first opened its Regent Street store in 2004.
This article, "Apple's Regent Street Store in UK is Temporarily Closed, Here's Why" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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To celebrate the integration between Firefly and OpenAI’s GPT-Image 1.5 model, Firefly Pro and Premium subscribers can generate unlimited images with this model until January 15. Here are the details.

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Elon Musk today expressed concern about Apple and Google partnering on a more personalized version of Siri powered by Google's generative AI platform Gemini.


"This seems like an unreasonable concentration of power for Google, given that [they] also have Android and Chrome," wrote Musk, in a post on X.

Musk serves as CEO of xAI, the company behind Gemini competitor Grok.

It is unlikely that Apple or Google will publicly respond to Musk's comment, but we will update this story if the companies have anything to say.

In case you missed it, Apple and Google today jointly announced that Gemini will help power future Apple Intelligence features, including a more personalized version of Siri that is set to launch this year. Apple has yet to announce exactly when the revamped Siri will launch, but it is reportedly set to arrive as part of iOS 26.4 in March or April.

xAI filed a lawsuit against Apple and OpenAI last year, accusing the two companies of conspiring to "ensure their continued dominance" in the AI market.


This article, "Elon Musk Reacts to Apple and Google Teaming on Gemini-Powered Siri" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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The appeal of MagSafe is undeniable in the car. The magnetic snap that perfectly aligns the charging coils ensures you are getting the most efficient power transfer possible while also never worrying about a cable. Frankly, once you use MagSafe in the car, there is no going back. Even prior to MagSafe, people loved mounts, but they also needed to charge as well. MagSafe mounts combine both! Today, I am taking a look at the ESR OmniLock with Qi2.2.

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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.

Sponsored by Stuff: Stuff helps you get everything out of your head and into a simple, elegant system—closing open loops and reducing mental stress. Use code 9TO5 at checkout for 50% off your first year.

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On iOS 18.2 and later, there is a Share Item Location feature in the Find My app that allows you to temporarily share the location of an AirTag-equipped item with others, including employees at participating airlines. This way, if you put an AirTag inside your bags, the airline can better help you find them in the event they are lost or delayed at the airport.


The feature also works with other item trackers that support Apple's Find My network, such as those sold by Chipolo and Pebblebee.

iPhone, iPad, and Mac users running iOS 18.2, iPadOS 18.2, and macOS Sequoia 15.2 or later can generate a "Share Item Location" link in the Find My app. Anyone they share the link with can then view a web page with a location of the item on a map. The page will automatically update with the item's latest known location.


The item's location stops being shared "as soon as a user is reunited with their item," or automatically expires after seven days.

Apple today announced that the Share Item Location feature is now supported by 36 airlines around the world, and we expect more to follow in the future.

Below, we have listed all of the airlines that support the feature:

• AJet


• Aer Lingus


• Air Canada


• Air France


• Air India


• Air New Zealand


• American Airlines


• Austrian Airlines


• Breeze Airways


• British Airways


• Brussels Airlines


• Cathay Pacific


• Condor


• Copa Airlines


• China Airlines


• Delta


• Eurowings


• Finnair


• Flair Airlines


• Iberia


• JetBlue


• KLM


• LATAM Airlines


• Lufthansa


• Pegasus Airlines


• Porter Airlines


• Qantas


• Saudia


• Singapore Airlines


• SunExpress


• SWISS


• Turkish Airlines


• United


• Virgin Atlantic


• Vueling


• WestJet

This article, "These 36 Airlines Offer iPhone Feature That Helps Find Your Lost Bags" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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After launching Voice Typing Dictation on the Mac last month, Speechify is continuing its push to become more than an AI text-to-speech platform. The company today released its Voice AI Assistant on iOS, after previously offering it only on Chrome and the web. Here are the details.

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Apple today announced that 2025 was a "record-breaking year" for many of its services, including the App Store, Apple Music, Apple TV, and Apple Podcasts.


"Apple services had a banner year, rolling out game-changing features for customers while shattering records," said Apple's services chief Eddy Cue, in a press release. "The numbers reflect the incredible enthusiasm of our customers, whether it's downloading an exciting new app or game, watching the hottest new show with family and friends, listening to their favorite songs, or shopping with peace of mind."

Here are some of the 2025 statistics shared in Apple's announcement:

• App Store had over 850 million average weekly users across 175 countries and regions, and it set a new annual record for U.S. visitors.


• App Store had a record number of visitors between Christmas Eve and New Year's Day.


• Apple TV set a new record for monthly engagement in December, with total hours of content viewed on the streaming service up 36% on a year-over-year basis. This increase was driven by hits such as F1: The Movie and Pluribus.


• Apple Music had its best year ever, breaking records for listenership and new subscribers.


• Shazam generated over 1 billion recognitions per month.


• Apple Pay is now available in 89 markets, and Apple says the payment service eliminated well over $1 billion in fraud globally.


• Tap to Pay on iPhone is now available in 50 markets.


• Apple Maps expanded its Detailed City Experience with 3D landmarks to new locations, like New Orleans, Singapore, and Monaco.


• Apple's Share Item Location feature in the Find My app is now offered by 36 airlines.


• Apple Arcade added more than 50 new games.


• Apple Fitness+ expanded to 28 more countries and regions, and it is launching in Japan early this year.


• Apple Podcasts set annual records for listeners, episode plays, and new subscribers.


• Apple News is the most popular news app in the U.S., Canada, and Australia, and the second most popular news app in the U.K.

For more details about new features added to Apple's services in 2025, as well as various other records set, head to the Apple Newsroom website.
This article, "Here's How 2025 Was a 'Record-Breaking Year' Across Apple's Services" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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Apple has just released developer beta 2 for tvOS 26.3, watchOS 26.3, HomePod 26.3, and more.

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Apple today seeded the second betas of upcoming iOS 26.3 and iPadOS 26.3 updates to developers for testing purposes, with the software coming four weeks after the release of the first betas.


Registered developers can download the betas from the Settings app on the iPhone or iPad by going to the General section and selecting Software Update, although it appears over-the-air updates may still be rolling out. The downloads are already available from Apple's Developer site.

iOS 26.3 adds a new tool for transitioning from an ‌iPhone‌ to an Android device. Transfers can be initiated during the device setup process, and moving data from one device to another can now be done without having to download a specific app.

Apple's transfer process supports moving photos, messages, notes, apps, passwords, phone number, and more.

The update also includes a Notification Forwarding setting for third-party wearables in the European Union, and there are some minor changes to the Weather wallpaper. More information on what's changed can be found in our iOS 26.3 beta 1 feature list.

Apple is expected to release the iOS 26.3 and iPadOS 26.3 to the public at the end of January.
This article, "Apple Seeds Second Betas of iOS 26.3 and iPadOS 26.3 to Developers" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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Kicking off the 2026 beta period, Apple is rolling out today macOS 26.3 beta 2 for developers, alongside beta 2 releases for iOS 26.3, iPadOS 26.3, and more. Here’s what’s new.

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iPadOS 26.3 is the next iPad software update, and Apple has just released developer beta 2 of the forthcoming release. Here’s what to expect.

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Apple today provided the second beta of an upcoming macOS Tahoe 26.3 update to developers for testing purposes, with the update coming four weeks after the launch of the first beta.


Developers can download the ‌macOS Tahoe‌ 26.3 update by opening up the System Settings app, selecting the General category, and then choosing Software Update. Beta Updates will need to be enabled, and a free developer account is required.

There's no word yet on what's included in ‌macOS Tahoe‌ 26.3, and no new features were found in the first beta.

We'll likely see Apple release ‌macOS Tahoe‌ 26.3 at the end of January given past launch timelines.
This article, "Second macOS Tahoe 26.3 Beta Now Available for Developers" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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Apple has released the second iOS 26.3 beta for iPhone. The first beta introduced an easier way to switch between Android and iPhone, tweaks to the Astronomy and Weather wallpaper gallery, and more.

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Apple today provided developers with the second betas of upcoming watchOS 26.3, tvOS 26.3, and visionOS 26.3 betas for testing purposes. The software comes four weeks after Apple provided the first betas.


The software updates are available through the Settings app on each device, and because these are developer betas, a free developer account is required.

We don't know what new features might be added in watchOS 26.3, visionOS 26.3, and tvOS 26.3, and nothing new has been discovered so far. Apple doesn't typically provide release notes for betas, so we might not know what's new until the software updates see a public launch unless there are outward-facing changes.

The software updates will probably launch right around the end of January based on past release timelines.
This article, "Apple Releases Second watchOS 26.3, tvOS 26.3 and visionOS 26.3 Betas" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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Today Apple published updates on a variety of services’ 2025 performance, and one of the most surprising details for me involved Apple Podcasts.

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