Last week, Israeli firm NSO Group, best known for its Pegasus spyware targeting iPhones and Android devices, was ordered to pay Meta more than $167M for targeting WhatsApp users.

Now, TechCrunch has published an interesting report based on the 1,000+ page transcript of the trial.

Today, TikTok announced AI Alive, an AI filter that will allow users to animate static photos through prompts. ByteDance says that this new image-to-video feature undergoes multiple checks to avoid misuse, and its output will be labeled as AI-generated.

Here’s how to use it.

Since the DMA took effect in Europe, Apple has been forced to loosen its grip by allowing third-party access to its platforms, devices, and operating systems.

One key example is the iPhone’s NFC chip, which was once locked to Apple Pay but is now required to support third-party payment providers. It took longer than one would have guessed, but now PayPal is taking advantage of this wider access.

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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Apple’s Machine Learning team, in collaboration with researchers from Nanjing University and The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, has announced an interesting 3D AI model called Matrix3D.

This so-called Large Photogrammetry Model is able to reconstruct 3D objects and scenes from just a few 2D photos, but with a big difference from current pipelines. Here’s why this is a big deal.

Earlier this week, Mark Gurman said that Apple has a “product renaissance” coming in 2027. But we won’t have to wait that long for major new launches, as 2026 is expected to bring three especially exciting product upgrades too. Here’s what’s coming.

Airbnb is launching an all-new version of its iOS and Android app that’s designed for more than just booking great places to stay. The new app lets you enhance each trip with opportunities to make memories and enjoy unique experiences around your destination. That’s because Airbnb’s major app redesign supports a new initiative called Airbnb Services, a modern take on hotel amenities for the Airbnb era.

After a years-long wait, Apple finally added RCS messaging support to the iPhone last year, and that’s resulted in over 1 billion RCS messages being sent every day in the US alone between both Android and iOS devices.

Yesterday Apple released a variety of new software updates including iOS 18.5, watchOS 11.5, and macOS 15.5. Another fresh update, tvOS 18.5, was originally believed to be without any new features, but now we know it adds an enhancement for Dolby Atmos surround sound.

While some of the major price drops on the latest M4 machines are starting to jump back up, we did spot one of the best prices to date on the 24GB 13-inch M4 MacBook Air today at $154 off. From there we move over to a deep Amazon all-time low on the 512GB 11-inch M2 iPad Air with the Wi-Fi + Cell upgrade at $250 off, ongoing $100 price drops on the most affordable iPad mini 7 from $399, and some notable accessory deals – the official USB-C woven Apple Watch Magnetic Charger at $20 and this Find My wallet card tracker at $21. Everything else awaits down below. 

Apple has announced a new Apple Music offering in partnership with Universal Music Group (UMG): Sound Therapy is a unique new feature designed to “help listeners attain clearer focus, deeper relaxation, and better sleep.”

Disney has officially announced two of the most important details of its upcoming ESPN flagship streaming service: the name and price. Here’s what’s coming.

If the latest reports are correct, Apple is just a few months away from announcing its thinnest iPhone ever. The so‑called iPhone 17 Air is expected to be just 5.5 mm thick, feature a 6.6‑inch OLED display, and replace the iPhone 16 Plus in this year’s lineup.

So, naturally, Samsung has just announced an ultra‑thin phone of its own.

Apple just announced a new show in the works starring Jude Law and Andrew Garfield as the famous showmen-magician duo, Sigfried & Roy. Here are all the details on the forthcoming Wild Things series on Apple TV+.

Apple today previewed a wide array of new accessibility features launching as part of iOS 19 this fall. As part of this broader announcement, Apple also detailed a pair of changes coming to CarPlay.

iOS and iPadOS 18 were packed full of new features, but one of the most transformative additions for me helped eliminate my motion sickness in the car. Now, that same ‘Vehicle Motion Cues’ feature is coming to the Mac too.

By this point, we’re fairly sure we know what to expect from the iPhone 17 Air. Consistent reporting suggests that it will be an ultra-slim device, with around half the thickness of existing iPhones.

The big unknown is how many people will be willing to pay a premium for that sleek design – and Samsung’s latest phone may help answer that question …

In a press release this morning, Apple announced its suite of new accessibility features coming to the iPhone later this year. This includes Accessibility Nutrition Labels on the App Store, a new Magnifier app for Mac, and more.

A new report from The Wall Street Journal (Apple News+ link) today dives deeper into another accessibility breakthrough Apple is developing: the ability to control your iPhone with your brain.

Job offer scams have increased dramatically over the past few years, with the Federal Trade Commission stating that financial losses suffered by victims increased from $90M in 2020 to half a trillion dollars last year …

Ahead of WWDC kicking off in June, Apple today has officially unveiled this year’s new accessibility features for iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch, and Apple Vision Pro. The features come as Apple celebrates 40 years of accessibility innovation, with the company originally opening its office of disability in 1985.

“At Apple, accessibility is part of our DNA,” Apple CEO Tim Cook said. “Making technology for everyone is a priority for all of us, and we’re proud of the innovations we’re sharing this year. That includes tools to help people access crucial information, explore the world around them, and do what they love.”

These features are destined for Apple’s forthcoming iOS 19 and macOS 16 updates, which will be announced at WWDC next month. Apple, however, does not specifically refer to “iOS 19’ prematurely. This year’s new accessibility features include Accessibility Nutrition Labels on the App Store, a new Magnifier app for Mac, major updates to Apple’s Personal Voice feature, and more.

Good news: Hotel and concert apps and websites can no longer display misleading prices upfront, with hidden fees revealed only when you go to checkout. As of this week, the practice is illegal in the US.

Amusingly, one of the biggest offenders – Ticketmaster – is trying to claim credit for complying with the law, acting as if it’s doing us a favor …

iPad shipments grew 14% year-on-year in the first quarter of the year, further increasing Apple’s global dominance of the tablet market. Apple now has more than twice the market share of its nearest competitor.

The COVID-19 pandemic is now five years behind us, but is credited with being one of the main drivers for this year’s boost in demand for iPads …

If you have never listened to PJ Vogt’s Search Engine podcast, you are missing out. Vogt is one of the most inquisitive minds out there. He can turn any seemingly inane fact into an intricate story that often leads to unexpected places.

Recently, he came across a strange fact: iPhone audio messages mentioning the name of a specific restaurant chain wouldn’t get delivered. He set out to find out why, and he did it. Sort of.

Apple has updated the AppKit documentation to inform developers about a significant change coming to the macOS pasteboard, the system-level mechanism for transferring data between applications and Apple devices.

Here’s how it’s going to work:

Apple is launching a limited-time promotion in partnership with Nike. In an email today, the company revealed that Apple Card users can store 6% Daily Cash rewards on purchases at Nike through June 15.

A little more than five years ago, in the early hours of my birthday, no less, I woke up to what I thought was that intense and prolonged alert that the Apple Watch gives you when it’s about to go dead.

That wasn’t it.

For the past few months, there have been plenty of rumors and reports about Apple’s plans to release AI-enabled wearables. Currently, it looks like Apple’s direct competitors to the Meta Ray-Bans will be launched around 2027, alongside AirPods with cameras, which will offer their own set of AI-enabled features.

While it might be too early to know what exactly they will look like, Apple has just offered a peek at how their AI might work.

Switzerland has the strictest laws in the world when it comes to personal data, which is likely one reason Swiss-based pCloud has over 20 million users worldwide.

This secure cloud service offers the perfect blend of top-tier protection and easy access. With a special deal on the Family Lifetime Plan, you can safeguard up to five people—family, friends, or teammates—for life, all with a one-time payment at a significant discount.

Apple plans to launch new Home products this year and even new homeOS software. But it seems those aren’t the only changes coming, as the company has confirmed via a support document that iOS 19 will end support for its legacy Home app architecture, requiring an update.

To say that Apple has been struggling in the Chinese market is an understatement. Including the most recent fiscal quarter, in which the company reported a 2% year-over-year revenue drop in the country, Apple has seen its numbers stay in the green for only three of the last twelve fiscal quarters. That includes an 11% drop in Q1 2025 and a whopping 13% drop in Q1 2024.

When it comes to the smartphone market, however, Apple isn’t the only non-Chinese company that’s been having it rough.

This week, Apple TV+ premieres its next big sci-fi series: Murderbot. The show stars Alexander Skarsgård as an android who just wants to be left alone to stream TV soap operas. Here’s what reviews are saying so far.

One of the downsides of leaving the Max lineup with my last iPhone upgrade was the battery life. The Max iPhones, thanks to their bigger batteries, keep running and running. While the battery life of the non Max iPhone is fantastic, I have noticed I can get low by the end of the day if I am traveling or out and about without a charger while listening to music, audiobooks, etc. To fix that, my go-to charger for when I am going to be gone all day and needing multiple charges, I carry the . I have used this battery pack for over a year now, and it has been a fantastic companion across multiple iPhones that support MagSafe. If you are looking for a bigger battery that can handle multiple charges, it is an incredible value.

We’re just a few weeks away from iOS 19’s WWDC debut. And per a new report, one of Apple’s big aims for this year is to address the quality issues that have plagued past software releases.

iOS 19 will be unveiled next month at WWDC featuring a major new design and a lot more. One new feature to expect, per Mark Gurman, is a battery life upgrade thanks to Apple Intelligence.

Apple’s stock is having a good day following word of a US-China trade agreement in the works, and temporary pauses on most tariffs. President Trump called Apple CEO Tim Cook to discuss the news, per CNBC, here’s what he shared with reporters afterwards.

Apple just released iOS 18.5 for iPhone users with several new features and changes. The company has now updated its security website to reveal that iOS 18.5 also fixes over 30 security vulnerabilities affecting things like Bluetooth, FaceTime, and more.

There’s also a fix exclusively for the iPhone 16e for a vulnerability impacting the device’s baseband…

Apple just launched its latest wave of software releases, including iOS 18.5, macOS Sequoia 15.5, watchOS 11.5, and more. If you’ve been running the RC beta version, though, there’s a new build for you to install too.

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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Apple has just released watchOS 11.5, the latest software update for Apple Watch users, and it comes with two new features plus a key bug fix. Here’s what’s new.

macOS Sequoia 15.5 is now available for download, the latest Mac update and likely the last before Apple debuts macOS 16 at WWDC next month. Here’s what to expect.

iOS 18.5 for iPhone is now available for everyone. The update brings multiple new features to iPhone users, including a new wallpaper, an upgrade to Screen Time, changes to the Mail app, and more. Head below for the full details on everything new in iOS 18.5…

Today’s Apple deals are starting off with a new all-time low on the 15-inch 24GB M4 MacBook Air. While we are still tracking prices at $150 off on just about every configuration, Amazon is taking things even lower on the 24GB 15-inch model at up to $167 off the going rate. We are also tracking the best price to date on the new 512GB iPad (A16) at $100 off – all of the details you need on that are right here – as well as a chance to scoop up some official Apple woven USB-C cables at some of the best prices to date – one for $10 or three at $7.30 each. All of that and more awaits below in today’s 9to5Toys Lunch Break.

This week marks a full year since the arrived, and I’ve been using it as my full-time computer that whole time. Reflecting on the past year, there’s one feature upgrade that stands above the rest for me—and it’s strangely a little embarrassing to admit.

F1 is by far Apple’s biggest movie swing of the year. It’s the only title Apple will give a wide, lengthy theatrical release, in the hopes of it becoming the company’s first summer blockbuster. The new trailer just arrived, providing our best look yet at what’s coming.

Interim Sonos CEO Tom Conrad said in an interview that two of the unpopular decisions the company made were deliberate, but the biggest problem was that it failed to understand how its products were used in the real world.

Conrad said that Sonos would never have released the new app had it fully appreciated the difference between its lab testing environment and real homes …

Apple stock soared almost 6% at market open today, following the announcement of an easement of US tariffs on China. The countries agreed over the weekend to cut reciprocal tariffs from 125% to 10%. However, the deal is set to expire in 90 days as talks over a longer-term resolution continue.

Naturally, investors in Apple are reacting positively to the news. Tariffs on Chinese production hurt Apple’s bottom line, as they directly affect the cost of making the iPhone, which accounts for more than half of the company’s revenue.

A report over the weekend said that iOS 19 will have a small but useful new feature when using public Wi-Fi hotspots. According to Bloomberg, if we register with any of our Apple devices, then all our other ones will automatically log us in next time.

In other words, register for your coffee shop Wi-Fi with your iPhone and you’ll benefit from automatic login on your iPad or Mac on a subsequent visit. That’s great, but I’d love to see Apple go a step further …

SoundCloud is the latest company to run into trouble after quietly adding an AI clause to its terms and conditions. The clause appeared to allow the company to use subscriber work to train AI models …

A “click to cancel” law was last month passed in California, and now the FTC has ratified a federal rule designed to achieve the same goal. The idea of both is to force companies to make it as easy to cancel an online or app subscription as it is to sign up in the first place.

Update: The FTC has announced that enforcement has been pushed back from May 14 to July 14 to give companies more time to respond – and that it may even be weakened – see end of the piece …

During Apple’s recent earnings call, CEO Tim Cook revealed that absorbing the impact of tariffs was likely to cost the company about $900M in the current quarter. However, he refused to be drawn about whether we can expect iPhone 17 prices to be increased in response.

A new report today claims that Apple is considering raising prices for the new iPhone line-up, but almost certainly won’t give the real reason for this …

Apple @ Work is exclusively brought to you by Mosyle, the only Apple Unified Platform. Mosyle is the only solution that integrates in a single professional-grade platform all the solutions necessary to seamlessly and automatically deploy, manage & protect Apple devices at work. Over 45,000 organizations trust Mosyle to make millions of Apple devices work-ready with no effort and at an affordable cost. Request your EXTENDED TRIAL today and understand why Mosyle is everything you need to work with Apple.

In this episode of Apple @ Work, I talk with Tom Bridge, Chris Dawe, and Gerard Massey about the 10th Anniversary of the MacAdmins Community as well as the MacAdmins Foundation.

Epic Games submitted Fortnite to the App Store for review on Friday. Now what? The version under review offers both Apple’s in-app purchase system and an external payment option via the Epic Games Store. But despite recent policy changes forced by a federal injunction, Apple isn’t legally required to approve the app. Still, rejecting Fortnite could deal Apple a blow in the court of public opinion, especially as its standing with developers continues to slip.

Apple has a number of exciting products in the pipeline for 2027, per Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman. Despite recent Apple releases feeling somewhat stagnant, Apple has a plan to freshen things up. Gurman describes this product road map as a “product renaissance,” and it’s set to take place around two years from now.

According to the latest edition of the Power On newsletter from Mark Gurman, Apple is readying a small, yet helpful new feature for iOS 19. This feature has to do with public Wi-Fi networks, such as one at a hotel or a gym, and it’ll save you a lot of time.

Last October, Apple announced the . On the surface, it looks like yet another MacBook Pro spec bump. However, there are a number of key features that make it worth upgrading to, even if you already have an older .

At CES 2025, Anker unveiled a . It’s extremely compact, offers up to 25,000mAh of capacity, and has multiple built in cables for ease of use.

I’ve utilized this battery bank for many months, and I can confidently say its an easy purchase if you’re looking for an all-in-one solution for all of your Apple devices, MacBooks included.

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.

CarStream for Twitch lets you listen to audio versions of Twitch streams on CarPlay, without needing to fiddle with your phone while driving. Think radio stations, but with Twitch livestreams. It offers an intuitive CarPlay interface, and offers everything you’d need to listen to a Twitch stream.

If you think tech nerds are excessively obsessive about their hobbies, you don’t know watch nerds. The horology corners of the internet host deep, sprawling discussions that make even the longest John Siracusa explainer or episode of The Talk Show seem superficial.

Recently, none other than the newly elected Pope caught the attention of this ever-watchful crowd. And it turns out, His Holiness is an Apple Watch guy.

A few weeks ago, I was browsing Apple deals on Amazon (as one does) – and something stuck out to me. High-end iPad Pros, particularly 12.9-inch models, are surprisingly cheap. I saw .

Given the rumors of iPadOS 19 becoming “more like macOS” with the major overhaul set to be unveiled next month at WWDC, I figured these deals would be worth a share.

Apple is going to debut its thinnest ever iPhone later this year, at just 5.5mm thin. While this new cutting-edge iPhone will have some compromises to shave nearly half the thickness of a normal iPhone, there’ll still be a number of features you won’t be compromising on. We’ll be delving into some of the pros and cons here.

Apple @ Work is exclusively brought to you by Mosyle, the only Apple Unified Platform. Mosyle is the only solution that integrates in a single professional-grade platform all the solutions necessary to seamlessly and automatically deploy, manage & protect Apple devices at work. Over 45,000 organizations trust Mosyle to make millions of Apple devices work-ready with no effort and at an affordable cost. Request your EXTENDED TRIAL today and understand why Mosyle is everything you need to work with Apple.

According to IDC’s latest data for Q1 2025, Apple shipped 5.5 million Macs in Q1, up from 4.8 million a year ago. That’s 14.1% year-over-year growth, the strongest of any top vendor. Apple now holds 8.7% of the global traditional PC market, up from 8% in Q1 2024.

Following a significant defeat in the U.S. on its case against Epic Games, Apple was just dealt another blow, this time in Brazil. Last March, the company successfully reversed a decision that would have compelled it to enable sideloading for users in Brazil within 90 days. The decision stemmed from an antitrust ruling that declared the App Store’s anti-steering rules illegal.

Today, the decision was reversed once again.

Apple Watch Ultra, outside of a very nice new titanium black, hasn’t been meaningfully upgraded since 2023. But later this year that’s going to change when the Apple Watch Ultra 3 arrives. Here are three new features coming to the next-generation Apple Watch Ultra 3.

is one of those smart home products that just works. It’s been a staple in my HomeKit setup for years thanks to its reliability, privacy-first design, and native HomeKit support. Eve Energy is picking up some notable upgrades that expand its usefulness even further.

One of the few useful Apple Intelligence features that have actually made it to Mac users so far is Writing Tools. They offer a quick (albeit imperfect) way to proofread, change, summarize, or compose text with a mixture of Apple’s own models and OpenAI’s ChatGPT.

However, there is a clever workaround to address one of its most annoying shortcomings.

PlayStation 5 users now have an additional way to complete purchases of games and other content on their consoles: Apple Pay. Here’s how it works.

Apple TV+ has hit its stride this year, finding big success with Severance, The Studio, and Your Friends & Neighbors. But there’s more right around the corner. Here are three big new Apple TV+ releases coming soon.

iOS 18.5 is the next software update coming for iPhone users. Here’s everything you need to know about what’s new in iOS 18.5 and when it will be released. Plus, what comes next…

ESPN is launching a new, flagship streaming service this fall that combines everything you get from its network channels into one standalone streamer. Official details on the streamer are coming next week, but the name just leaked, and I think we all owe Disney a round of applause.

Apple Pay and the iPhone’s NFC sensor have long been the subject of disputes around the globe. Last year, the European Commission compelled Apple to grant developers access to the NFC reader, and more recently, the company expanded this access in other regions due to increasing regulatory pressure.

Now, a new national payment system in Brazil has a regulatory body taking an even closer look at the iPhone’s NFC, and it appears the company isn’t willing to budge.

Apple acquires companies all the time, but most of them we don’t hear about. Thanks to a recent EU disclosure, however, we know that one 2024 acquisition is likely to lead to the first Apple Intelligence features for the Calendar app—possibly as soon as iOS 19.

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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We have another busy day in Apple deals today folks, with some new all-time Amazon pricing across several of the latest releases. The M4 MacBook Air in Midnight has hit a new all-time low at $836 – the rest of the lineup is still $150 off – while the most affordable M4 MacBook Pro is $277 off to deliver the lowest price we have ever tracked online. The M4 Mac mini deals continue as well – the 24GB M4 and 24GB M4 Pro are also now at the lowest prices to date – and the new iPad (A16) is now starting under $278. But there’s a whole lot more than that down below as well. 

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I’ve recently fallen into the rabbit hole of lesser-known Terminal features. These past months, I covered everything from enabling Touch ID for sudo authentication to cleaning up public Wi-Fi connections stored on your Mac. But this week, I want to share even more neat features you probably didn’t know Terminal could do. These can be helpful if you’re an everyday Mac user or managing an enterprise fleet. In this edition of Security Bite, allow me to elevate your command line prowess further.

In early April, Brazilian business magazine Exame reported that Apple was looking to increase iPhone assembly at both Foxconn facilities in Jundiaí, São Paulo, as a workaround to President Trump’s tariffs, which Apple denied.

Now, Exame is doubling down on its original report.

Next month, Apple will unveil its new designs for iOS 19, iPadOS 19, and macOS 16. One reported goal of the redesigns is building more consistency between the various platforms. For the Mac, that means we could have another Big Sur situation on our hands.

Ahead of Earth Day last month, Apple launched a limited-time discount program meant to encourage recycling old tech. That special offer is about to end, but here are the details so you don’t miss out.

Apple recently cited an award-winning cinematographer arguing that “we’re living in the age of democracy in filmmaking.” Anyone who owns an iPhone today can create a short film or creative video – and it’s a really fun and satisfying thing to do, whether you keep it short and simple like the example below, or don your Hollywood director’s cap for something more ambitious!

Of course, most Shot on iPhone films involve a lot of professional kit, but the single most desirable accessory for an iPhone filmmaker is now available in its most convenient and affordable form yet, thanks to Moment’s QuickLock VND Filter …

Last May, I wrote about a proposed LEGO Apple Store that was entered into LEGO’s ‘Ideas’ initiative. Now, that proposal has moved one step closer to reality.

Jony Ive, Apple’s iconic former design chief, sat down for a rare interview at Stripe Sessions 2025. The hour-long conversation with Stripe co-founder Patrick Collison covers everything from his first impressions of Silicon Valley to the design rituals that shaped his decades at Apple and what’s driving his work today.