A screen protector that is allegedly designed for Apple's rumored ultra-thin iPhone 17 Air model has revealed a potential design difference.


Based on an image shared today by a leaker known as Majin Bu, the iPhone 17 Air's front camera may be positioned to the left of the Dynamic Island, rather than to the right of it like on iPhone models released over the past few years.

It is unclear why Apple may be planning this change specifically for the iPhone 17 Air, but perhaps the device's ultra-thin design has forced it to rearrange some internal components related to the front camera and Face ID. The device is expected to be the thinnest iPhone ever released, measuring just 5.5mm at its thinnest point.


All four iPhone 17 models released this year are rumored to feature a 24-megapixel front camera, up from a 12-megapixel front camera on all iPhone 16 models. This change alone likely does not explain the iPhone 17 Air's potential repositioned front camera, given that the screen protectors shown for the iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Pro, and iPhone 17 Pro Max still have a front camera hole on the right side of the Dynamic Island.

Apple will likely announce the iPhone 17 Air in September, and it may offer an explanation for the repositioned front camera at that time, if this rumor is true.
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To celebrate the 20th anniversary of iTunes gaining support for podcasts, Apple has shared a new web page highlighting 20 podcasts that the company loves.


The podcasts are categorized by year: 2005-2010, 2011-2015, 2016-2020, and 2021-2025.

Featured podcasts include This American Life, Acquired, The Daily, and others.

Apple shared a letter to honor the occasion:

At Apple Podcasts, we love podcasts.

Since the medium came to iTunes in 2005, our team has dedicated countless hours to helping people discover new shows. To celebrate 20 years, here are 20 favorites that best exemplify how far podcasting has come—and where it can go in the next two decades.

This list is a love letter to the podcasts that left a lasting impact on us and the ones we continue to recommend again and again. They are shows with hosts that feel like friends, and shows that make us press play immediately on the latest episode to hear what happens next. These shows have measurably improved our lives and helped define this medium we know and love.

Explore the list and join the celebration.

The anniversary is technically in a few more days, as Apple released iTunes 4.9 with support for discovering, listening to, and subscribing to podcasts on June 28, 2005.

"Apple is taking Podcasting mainstream by building it right into iTunes," said Steve Jobs, in a press release shared that day. "Podcasting is the next generation of radio, and users can now subscribe to over 3,000 free Podcasts and have each new episode automatically delivered over the Internet to their computer and iPod."

You can still read our own Arnold Kim's coverage of the iTunes update that day. Time flies!

Podcasts emerged a few years before iTunes support came along. The word "podcast" is credited to journalist Ben Hammersley, who referred to "podcasting" in a 2004 article in The Guardian. The word is a portmanteau of "iPod" and "broadcast."
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Samsung this week opened up pre-orders for its newest collection of monitors, including the new 32-inch Smart Monitor M9 (M90SF), and the updated 32-inch Smart Monitor M8 (M80F) and 32-inch/43-inch Smart Monitor M7 (M70F). When you pre-order these monitors at Samsung or Amazon, you'll receive up to $300 in credit from each retailer.

Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with some of these vendors. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment, which helps us keep the site running.

Specifically, pre-ordering the 32-inch Smart Monitor M9 at $1,599.99 grants you a $300 Amazon gift card. If you pre-order the 32-inch Smart Monitor M8 at $699.99 or the 32-inch Smart Monitor M7 at $399.99, you'll receive a $100 Amazon gift card. All of these credit deals are being matched at Samsung, and you'll find a better deal on the M8 model at Samsung versus Amazon.



All three monitors have received advanced AI features, while the flagship M9 model features a 32-inch 4K QD-OLED panel to deliver deep contrast and vibrant color. It also includes a glare-free display to minimize reflections and Samsung Vision AI, which Samsung says will enhance picture and sound quality in real time based on content and surroundings.

• 32-inch Samsung Smart Monitor M9 - $1,599.99 ($300 Amazon gift card/$300 Samsung gift card)


• 32-inch Samsung Smart Monitor M8 - $699.99 ($100 Amazon gift card/$150 Samsung gift card)


• 32-inch Samsung Smart Monitor M7 - $399.99 ($100 Amazon gift card/$100 Samsung gift card)

If you're on the hunt for more discounts, be sure to visit our Apple Deals roundup where we recap the best Apple-related bargains of the past week.

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The upcoming macOS Tahoe update adds three pre-installed Apple apps to all compatible Macs: Phone, Journal, and Games.


Phone and Journal come from the iPhone, while Games is entirely new. Below, we provide an overview of each of these apps.

macOS Tahoe is currently available as a developer beta, and the update will likely be released to the general public in September.

Phone

Macs could already answer iPhone calls thanks to Apple's cross-platform Continuity features, but macOS Tahoe goes a step further.

Apple has expanded the Phone app to the Mac, complete with all of the new features coming to the app with iOS 26, such as Hold Assist, Call Screening, Live Translation, and more. The app syncs with your iPhone, allowing you to view recent phone calls and expanded contact cards, listen to voicemail messages, and more directly on your Mac.

Here is how Apple describes the Phone app on Mac:

The Phone app on Mac has the familiar features of the Phone app on iPhone — including Recents, Favorites, and Voicemails — and the latest updates like Call Screening and Hold Assist. Call Screening automatically answers calls from unknown numbers and asks the caller for information so a user can decide whether or not to answer. And when a user is stuck on hold, Hold Assist allows them to keep their spot in line while they wait for a live agent, so users can continue working on their Mac.

Journal

Apple introduced a Journal app on the iPhone with iOS 17, and it is now available on the Mac too. You can use this app to type out your daily thoughts, and you can include drawings, handwriting, photos, videos, audio recordings, and more.

On the Mac, users can take advantage of the Journal app's new features, including the options to create multiple journals and view the locations of journal entries on a map.

Games

The all-new Games app on the Mac, iPad, and iPhone is an all-in-one hub for your App Store and Apple Arcade games, and in-game events. There are also new single-player game challenges available for competing with friends and family.
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Woot this week is back with a massive sale on Solo Loop and Braided Solo Loop bands for Apple Watch, and some of the deals are even better than they were in past sales.

Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with Woot. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment, which helps us keep the site running.

You can get the Solo Loop for just $14.99 ($34 off) and the Braided Solo Loop for $29.99 ($69 off). In regards to the Solo Loop, this price beats the previous discount at Woot by $5. All bands in this sale are in brand new condition and come with a one-year Apple limited warranty.



Shoppers should note that this sale is focused on colors of the Braided Solo Loop and Solo Loop that Apple has stopped selling, and it doesn't include any of the new band colors. That being said, all of the bands in this sale are in new condition.

The entire sale is focused on Solo Loop and Braided Solo Loop Apple Watch bands, so you'll need to know the size that works best for you before you buy. Apple has a measurement tool on its website that you can use to determine your exact size.

Solo Loop

• Black/White Hues - $14.99, down from $49.00


• Blue Hues - $14.99, down from $49.00


• Green Hues - $14.99, down from $49.00


• Purple Hues - $14.99, down from $49.00


• Red/Orange/Yellow Hues - $14.99, down from $49.00

Braided Solo Loop

• Black/White Hues - $29.99, down from $99.00


• Blue Hues - $29.99, down from $99.00


• Green Hues - $29.99, down from $99.00


• Purple Hues - $29.99, down from $99.00


• Red/Orange/Yellow Hues - $29.99, down from $99.00


• Pride - $29.99, down from $99.00

If you're on the hunt for more discounts, be sure to visit our Apple Deals roundup where we recap the best Apple-related bargains of the past week.

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Apple today announced that its store at Roosevelt Field in Garden City, New York will be reopening "soon," following extensive renovations.


The store has been closed since November, with Apple operating out of a temporary location on the west side of the shopping mall until the renovations are completed. Apple has yet to share an exact date for the grand re-opening.

Roosevelt Field is the largest mall on Long Island. Apple first opened its store there in 2002, months after the original iPod launched. When the store reopens, it will feature a modern design with more wood, as Apple has moved away from stainless steel walls. Many of its newer stores also offer an Apple Pickup station for online orders.

Elsewhere in the U.S., Apple is working on a few other store projects. Apple The Galleria in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, and Apple Baybrook, outside of Houston, Texas, remain under renovation, and we are still waiting on a grand opening date for the all-new Apple Downtown Detroit store that the company teased back in February.
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Amid its push to promote "F1: The Movie," Apple is considering starting its own theatrical distribution unit, the Wall Street Journal reports.


Apple announced its foray into original video content in 2019 with the launch of Apple TV+, positioning the service as a curated platform for high-quality, original programming. Since then, the company has invested billions of dollars in films and series, drawing in top-tier talent including Leonardo DiCaprio, Robert De Niro, Martin Scorsese, and Cate Blanchett. However, the service has yet to produce a breakout theatrical success or significantly impact the broader streaming landscape in terms of subscriber volume.

Apple reportedly agreed to spend nearly $250 million on F1: The Movie, making it the company's most expensive film project to date. Brad Pitt, who plays the lead role as an aging Formula 1 driver returning to the sport, was apparently paid more than the $20 million baseline typically reserved for A-list actors and will receive a portion of the film's backend profits if the movie performs strongly.

The WSJ describes the success of the movie as a "a referendum on Apple's ability to meld carefully curated content with broad popular appeal after six years in which it hasn't released a single box-office hit." However, according to pre-release surveys, F1 has struggled to generate interest among audiences beyond older men.

Apple is not handling theatrical distribution of F1 directly. Instead, Warner Bros. Pictures is managing the film's global release under a revenue-sharing agreement. A person familiar with the deal said Warner's share of box-office revenue increases in proportion to total ticket sales. Apple has reportedly considered establishing its own theatrical distribution arm, but, for now, the company continues to rely on external partners for wide theatrical releases, which limits its ability to control exhibition timelines, advertising spends, and theater allocation.

F1: The Movie releases in U.S. theaters tomorrow, 27 June. It is expected to stream exclusively on ‌Apple TV‌+ after its theatrical run.
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Apple's next-generation iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are around three months away, and there are plenty of rumors about the devices.


Apple is expected to launch the iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Air, iPhone 17 Pro, and iPhone 17 Pro Max in September this year.

Below, we recap key changes rumored for the iPhone 17 Pro models:

• Aluminum frame: iPhone 17 Pro models are rumored to have an aluminum frame, whereas the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro models have a titanium frame, and the iPhone X through iPhone 14 Pro have a stainless steel frame. The back of the devices will supposedly have a new "part-aluminum, part-glass" design.


• Rectangular camera bump: iPhone 17 Pro models are expected to have a large rectangular camera bump with rounded corners. Apple apparently plans to stick with a triangular arrangement for the rear camera lenses.


• Sky Blue finish: Like the latest MacBook Air, the iPhone 17 Pro models are rumored to be available in a Sky Blue color.


• Larger battery: The iPhone 17 Pro Max is rumored to have a slightly thicker design that allows for a larger battery.


• A19 Pro chip: iPhone 17 Pro models are expected to use Apple's next-generation A19 Pro chip, which will reportedly be manufactured with TSMC's newer third-generation 3nm process. Like usual, expect modest year-over-year performance gains and power efficiency improvements compared to the current iPhones.


• Apple-designed Wi-Fi 7 chip: All four iPhone 17 models are rumored to get a Wi-Fi 7 chip designed by Apple rather than Broadcom.


• 24-megapixel front camera: All four iPhone 17 models are said to feature an upgraded 24-megapixel front-facing camera, whereas all iPhone 16 models are equipped with a 12-megapixel front-facing camera.


• 48-megapixel rear Telephoto camera: An upgraded 48-megapixel Telephoto camera is rumored for the iPhone 17 Pro models, up from the 12-megapixel Telephoto camera on iPhone 16 Pro models.


• Dual video recording: According to Jon Prosser, of the YouTube channel Front Page Tech, the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max will allow users to record video with the front and rear cameras simultaneously in the Camera app.


• 8K video recording: Apple allegedly tested 8K video recording on the iPhone 16 Pro models, but such functionality is still not available. With the iPhone 17 Pro models expected to have entirely 48-megapixel rear cameras, perhaps 8K video recording will debut on those devices.


• 12GB of RAM: iPhone 17 Pro models, and even the iPhone 17 Air, are rumored to have 12GB of RAM. This upgrade should help to improve the performance of Apple Intelligence and multitasking. All four iPhone 16 models have 8GB of RAM.


• Improved cooling: All four iPhone 17 models are rumored to feature internal design changes that result in better heat dissipation. A vapor chamber cooling system has been rumored for the Pro models specifically.

Update

A leaker known as Majin Bu this week shared a photo of an alleged copper thermal plate for the iPhone 17 Pro's rumored vapor chamber cooling system.


Many high-end Android smartphones are equipped with a vapor chamber, which is a thin, sealed metal chamber containing a small amount of liquid. When a smartphone heats up, the liquid turns to vapor and dissipates across the chamber's surface area. Eventually, the vapor cools down and condenses, allowing for the process to repeat. In the iPhone 17 Pro models, this system would help to move heat away from the A19 Pro chip.

Check out our iPhone 17 Pro roundup to learn more.
This article, "iPhone 17 Pro Launching in a Few Months With These 12 New Features" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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Earlier this week, reputable display analyst Ross Young of Counterpoint Research reignited discussion around recent reports about the display changes we should expect for next year's iPhone 18 Pro, and perhaps more notably, broader changes coming to the 20th anniversary iPhone in 2027 – as well as what lies ahead for Apple's flagship device for the rest of the decade.


Contradicting a report by The Information, which suggests next year's iPhone 18 Pro models will come with a small hole cutout in the top-left corner to accommodate the front-facing camera, Young claims the premium devices will instead have a narrower Dynamic Island, owing to Apple moving some Face ID components under the display.

Bloomberg's Mark Gurman has also said that Apple will shrink the size of the Dynamic Island on at least some iPhone models launching next year, meaning there are now multiple sources who believe that iPhone 18 models will still have a smaller Dynamic Island rather than only a front camera hole.

As for the 2027 iPhone, Young believes that Apple's 20th anniversary device will continue to feature the smaller Dynamic Island. This contradicts recent claims by Gurman that the device will feature a truly uninterrupted display with no cutouts.

Adding intrigue to how things will unfold in the coming years, Young predicts that in 2028 Apple will put all Face ID components under the panel, leaving only the selfie camera as a hole punch-style cutout in the top-left corner of the display – reminiscent of the design The Information report said would arrive in next year's Pro models.

As for the mythical all-screen design, Young doesn't expect Apple to achieve such a feat until 2030 – a full three years later.


Young has since said he is "pretty confident" in his predicted display roadmap for the iPhone through 2030, and developer Filip Vabroušek has again stepped in to help us visualize the device's evolution over the next five years. Young has also given the image his thumbs-up.

Notably, Vabroušek's image merges two rumors by incorporating Gurman's separate claim that Apple's 20th anniversary iPhone will introduce curved glass edges and extraordinarily slim bezels. Young's sign-off on the image does not indicate that he agrees with Gurman's claim – only that he has no information about it one way or the other.

What are your thoughts on the alleged evolution of the iPhone through 2030? Confused? Disillusioned? Apathetic? As always, let us know in the comments.
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WhatsApp is making it easier to catch up on conversations you've missed with a new AI-powered feature that summarizes unread messages. The Meta-owned messaging app now lets users tap on unread message counts to "Summarize privately" and get quick, bulleted summaries generated by Meta AI instead of scrolling through every individual message.


The feature uses Meta's "Private Processing" technology, which the company claims keeps your messages and summaries completely private – even Meta and WhatsApp staff can't see them. Other chat participants won't know you've used the summary feature either.

Message Summaries is rolling out in English to US users first, with other countries and languages coming later this year. The feature is optional and turned off by default, giving users control over which chats can use AI features through Advanced Chat Privacy settings.

Apple Intelligence offers similar message notification summaries on Apple devices. However, Apple's feature has run into some embarrassing hiccups, particularly with news notifications where AI summaries have created misleading headlines. Apple subsequently chose to disable AI summaries for news apps, and has added warnings that the feature is still in beta.

For now, WhatsApp's approach is focused on private conversations only. Whether it can avoid some of the pitfalls Apple's AI has encountered remains to be seen.
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A new rumor today surfaced about Apple's book-style foldable iPhone, set to be released next year, and this time it's about the cameras.


In a previous report, industry analyst Ming-Chi Kuo said he expects the foldable iPhone (or "iPhone Fold" for short) to include a dual-lens rear camera, but Kuo provided no other specifics. Now, prolific Weibo-based leaker Digital Chat Station claims that those dual lenses will be 48 megapixels each.

This shouldn't come as too much of a surprise. The current iPhone 16 Pro models feature a 48-megapixel Main camera and a 48-megapixel Ultra Wide camera, and it would make sense for Apple to ensure the premium foldable's rear lenses are at least equivalent to its Pro models to justify that rumored ~$2,000 price tag.

Digital Chat Station did not provide additional lens specifications, but if Apple wants to maintain some feature parity with its high-end iPhone models, the foldable will have a 24mm main camera with a ƒ/1.78 aperture and second-generation sensor-shift optical image stabilization.

The foldable's main camera will also likely be capable of iPhone 16 "Fusion" – so-called because the system combines the high-resolution sensor with smart in-sensor cropping to deliver multiple high-quality focal lengths – like 24mm, 28mm, and 35mm – from a single main camera. Don't expect a telephoto lens though, likely due to space constraints.

According to Kuo, the foldable will also have a front-facing camera for both folded and unfolded states. Other sources have claimed that the inner display features an under-screen selfie camera, while the outer display – in the device's folded state – will have a hole punch-style front-facing camera.

Aside from cameras, here are some other foldable iPhone features we've heard from sources plugged into Apple's supply chain:

• 5.5-inch outer display with 2,088 x 1,422 resolution.


• 7.8-inch inner display with 2,713 x 1,920 resolution.


• Touch ID integrated into the Side button (i.e. no Face ID).


• Liquid metal "crease-free" hinge mechanism.


• Same high density battery cells as iPhone 17 Air.


• Titanium chassis.

Another point of note regarding today's rumor: Digital Chat Station claims that the latest inner display Apple is testing is approximately 7.6 inches rather than 7.8 inches, albeit with the same resolution.

That seems unlikely. Analyst Jeff Pu said in March that the device had entered the New Product Introduction (NPI) phase at Foxconn, and adjusting the display size during or after the NPI phase is virtually unheard of – especially for a company like Apple working with Foxconn. Kuo, who previously corroborated the 7.8-inch display dimension, also said the device is expected to enter production in September-October this year, which is awfully close to start introducing changes.

An exact launch date is currently unknown, but both Kuo and Pu say mass production is planned for the second half of 2026. Bloomberg reporter Mark Gurman has also said he expects the device to be launched next year.
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With the new Liquid Glass design taking the spotlight, Apple didn't spend a ton of time discussing Apple Intelligence at WWDC 2025, nor was there a mention of the missing Siri features. ‌Apple Intelligence‌ wasn't a focus, but Apple is continuing to build out ‌Apple Intelligence‌ in iOS 26. There are new features, and updates to some existing features.


We've outlined what's new with ‌Apple Intelligence‌ below.

Live Translation

Live Translation works in Messages, FaceTime, and Phone. It auto translates both spoken and text conversations if the people conversing do not speak the same language.


In a Messages conversation with someone, tap on the person's name and then toggle on the Automatically Translate option. From there, you can select a language that you want to translate your conversations to. Language packs vary in size, but they are around 900MB.


Language options include English (US), English (UK), Chinese (Mandarin, Simplified), French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese (Brazil), and Spanish (Spain). You can set both the translate to and the translate from languages.

The messages that you send to someone will show up in both your language and the translated language on your iPhone, while the person on the other end sees the message only in their language. Messages they respond with will show both their language and the translated language.


Live Translation works similarly in the Phone and ‌FaceTime‌ apps, and it needs to be turned on for each conversation and language assets need to be downloaded. In the Phone app, Live Translation uses actual voice translation with an AI voice to translate spoken content quickly and efficiently, but you can also see a transcript of the conversation.


In ‌FaceTime‌, you'll see translated captions for speech, so you'll hear what the person is saying in their own language while also being able to read live captions with a translation.


To use these features, both participants should have Live Translation, so an Apple Intelligence-enabled ‌iPhone‌, iPad, or Mac that is running the 26 series software. In Messages, though, if you have Live Translation turned on and you're chatting with someone who has an older device, they can type in their language and you will see the translation. Your responses to them aren't translated to their language.

Onscreen Visual Intelligence

In ‌iOS 26‌, you can use Visual Intelligence with content that's on your ‌iPhone‌, asking questions about what you're seeing, looking up products, and more.


‌Visual Intelligence‌ works with screenshots, so if you take a screenshot on your ‌iPhone‌ and tap into it, you'll see new Ask and Image Search buttons. With Ask, you can ask ChatGPT a question about what's in the screenshot. The image is sent to ChatGPT, and ChatGPT is able to provide a response.


Search has two features. You can send a whole screenshot to Google or another app, or you can use a Highlight to Search feature to select something specific in the screenshot. Just use a finger to draw over what you want to look up, and then swipe up to conduct a search.


You can search Google Images, Etsy, and other apps that implement support for the feature.

If there's an event in your screenshot, ‌Visual Intelligence‌ will pop up an "Add to Calendar" option and it can be added directly to the Calendar app. It will also automatically suggest identifications for animals, plants, sculptures, landmarks, art, and books.

Wallet Order Tracking

Apple Wallet can scan your emails to identify order and tracking information, adding it to the Orders section of the Wallet app. The feature works for all of your purchases, even those not made using Apple Pay.


Automatic order detection can be enabled in the Wallet app settings under Order Tracking. Once turned on, you can see your orders by opening up Wallet, tapping on the "..." button, and choosing the Orders section.

Tapping into an order will provide you with the merchant name, order number, and tracking number, if available. You can also see the relevant email that the order information came from, and tap it to go straight to the message in the Mail app.

Image Playground

Apple quietly upgraded Image Playground, and the images that it generates using the built-in Animation, Sketch, and Illustration styles have improved. Faces and eyes look more natural, hair is more realistic, and it's overall better at generating a cartoonish image that looks similar to a person.


The change is most notable with people, but objects, food, and landscapes have improved too. We have a full ‌Image Playground‌ guide with more info.

• iOS 26 Brings Major Improvements to Image Playground

ChatGPT Integration

Apple added ChatGPT to ‌Image Playground‌, so you can use ChatGPT's image generation tools instead of the built-in options. You'll need a paid ChatGPT account for this, because it does take tokens to create images.


‌Image Playground‌ includes suggested design styles like anime, oil painting, vector, print, and water color, but there's also an open-ended "Any Style" option. With Any Style, ChatGPT can essentially do anything in any style, including generating realistic images.

As with standard ‌‌Image Playground‌‌ image generation, you can make a text-based request or upload an image to ChatGPT and ask it to use that as the basis for an image. Images that you upload and text requests can be combined.

Genmoji

Genmoji has been updated to support mixing two or more emoji together to create a new emoji character, plus it is integrated into ‌Image Playground‌.


Emoji can be combined together and altered further with text-based descriptions, which provides a better starting base for coming up with something new.

When ‌Genmoji‌ are added to ‌Image Playground‌ creations that include photos of friends or family, the ‌Genmoji‌ is used to dictate expression and emotion, like happy, sad, laugh, mad, shocked, thinking, thumbs up, and thumbs down.

Reminders

Relevant actions in an email, website, note, or other content can be identified and categorized in the Reminders app. There is a ‌Siri‌ Suggestions section in the Reminders app. You can tap the "+" button next to a suggestion to add it to the Reminders app, or swipe to delete it.


You will also see Reminder suggestions in apps like Mail, where you can tap to add a reminder without opening the Reminders app.

Messages Poll Suggestions

The Messages app supports creating polls, which is not an ‌Apple Intelligence‌ feature. But in group chats, if there is something that's relevant for a poll, the Messages app can suggest that you add one.


There's also an option to set custom backgrounds in the Messages app. ‌Image Playground‌ integration is included, so you can generate Messages backgrounds using Apple's image generation tools.

Developer Framework

There's an ‌Apple Intelligence‌ on-device model that's available for developers to integrate into their apps. Apple is essentially allowing developers to use the foundation model that runs ‌Apple Intelligence‌ to create new intelligent, offline experiences for ‌iPhone‌ users.


On-device models will not have any cloud API costs, making it less expensive for developers to add AI capabilities to their apps.

Shortcuts

Apple added new shortcuts that are powered by ‌Apple Intelligence‌, and there are actions for summarizing text with Writing Tools, creating images with ‌Image Playground‌, generating text, and more.


Shortcuts users can add ‌Apple Intelligence‌ models to their shortcuts, with options for on-device, ChatGPT, or Private Cloud Compute to generate responses that inform other actions in the shortcut.

When creating a Shortcut, there is an ‌Apple Intelligence‌ section that allows users to type directions into an open-ended prompt. Shortcuts can do things like pull in data from the Weather app, Calendar, and Reminders, creating a daily summary. Or there could be a shortcut that reads what you've written, checks for spelling and grammar errors, and then provides a short summary.

Apple Watch Workout Buddy

Workout Buddy is a watchOS 26 feature, but it relies on an Apple Intelligence-capable ‌iPhone‌ that's running ‌iOS 26‌. Workout Buddy provides motivation and insights during your workouts, and it does so by analyzing data from your current workout along with your fitness history.


It looks at heart rate, pace, distance, Activity Rings, personal fitness milestones, and other information. An Apple Intelligence-based text-to-speech model then translates the data into actionable and useful insights. The generative AI voice was trained using voice data from Fitness+ trainers, so Workout Buddy has the ideal energy and tone for a workout. Some Workout Buddy examples:

• "Way to get out for your run this Wednesday morning. You're 18 minutes away from closing your Exercise ring. So far this week, you've run 6 miles. You're going to add to that today."


• "Mile four. You picked up the pace and ran that last one in 8 minutes and 28 seconds."


• "Hey, check this out. Your total running distance for the year just crossed the 200-mile mark! That's a lot of running!"


• "Way to get your workout in! You went 4.3 miles in just over 38 minutes. Your average pace was 8 minutes and 58 seconds, and your average heart rate was 128. That was your longest run of the last 28 days. What will you do next?"

Workout Buddy is available with Outdoor Run, Indoor Run, Outdoor Walk, Indoor Walk, Outdoor Cycle, HIIT, Functional Strength Training, and Traditional Strength Training. It does not work with other workout types. Along with an ‌iPhone‌ that supports ‌Apple Intelligence‌, it also requires Bluetooth headphones that are connected to the Apple Watch, such as AirPods.

No Siri Features - Yet

After the WWDC 2025 keynote, Apple execs went on an interview spree, and discussed the delayed Apple Intelligence Siri features that were supposed to come in ‌iOS 18‌.


Software chief Craig Federighi and marketing chief Greg Joswiak confirmed that Apple is planning to release the Siri updates in 2026. Apple ran into quality issues with the first-generation architecture that it designed for ‌Siri‌, and opted to hold the functionality until it was able to transition the personal assistant to a second-generation architecture. At this point, we're looking at spring 2026 for the personalized ‌Siri‌ capabilities, and the timeline suggests ‌Siri‌ will get an update with iOS 26.4 sometime around April.

As a recap, here's what we're waiting on.

Personal Context

‌Siri‌ will be able to keep track of your emails, messages, files, photos, and more, learning more about you to help you complete tasks and keep track of what you've been sent.

• Show me the files Eric sent me last week.


• Find the email where Eric mentioned ice skating.


• Find the books that Eric recommended to me.


• Where's the recipe that Eric sent me?


• What's my passport number?

Onscreen Awareness

‌Siri‌ will be able to tell what's on your screen and complete actions involving whatever you're looking at. If someone texts you an address, for example, you can tell ‌Siri‌ to add it to their contact card. Or if you're looking at a photo and want to send it to someone, you can ask ‌Siri‌ to do it for you.

Deeper App Integration

‌Siri‌ will be able to do more in and across apps, performing actions and completing tasks that are just not possible with the personal assistant right now. We don't have a full picture of what ‌Siri‌ will be capable of, but Apple has provided a few examples of what to expect.

• Moving files from one app to another.


• Editing a photo and then sending it to someone.


• Get directions home and share the ETA with Eric.


• Send the email I drafted to Eric.

New Languages

Later this year, Apple plans to bring ‌Apple Intelligence‌ features to eight additional languages, including Danish, Dutch, Norwegian, Portuguese (Portugal), Swedish, Turkish, Chinese (Traditional), and Vietnamese.

Device Requirements

To use the new ‌Apple Intelligence‌ features in ‌iOS 26‌, you need a device that supports the functionality. That includes the iPhone 15 Pro, ‌iPhone 15‌ Pro Max, and all iPhone 16 models. All of the iPhone 17 models will also support ‌Apple Intelligence‌ when they come out this fall.

iPadOS 26 and macOS Tahoe

Many of the ‌Apple Intelligence‌ features in ‌iOS 26‌ aren't limited to the ‌iPhone‌, and will also be available on Apple Intelligence-compatible Macs and iPads.

Read More

We have a dedicated iOS 26 roundup that goes into detail on all of the new features that are available in the update.
This article, "iOS 26: All the New Apple Intelligence Features" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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Ring is updating its iOS app with support for AI-powered video descriptions, with a quick text-based summary of what's going on in video footage.


The AI summaries show up in motion notifications, so when you get a motion alert on iPhone, you'll be able to see a text summary of what the camera has detected. The text alerts show context about what's happening so you can decide whether or not you need to tap into the video feed to see more.

Ring says that the text alerts are meant to give customers with the ability to distinguish urgent activity from everyday activity at a glance. Video descriptions describe the main subject in the video that caused the motion alert, and the action that's happening.


Video descriptions are available for all existing Ring doorbells and cameras, and are rolling out to Ring Home Premium subscribers in the United States and Canada starting today. The feature can be turned on in the Ring app.
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Chase this week announced a series of new perks for its premium Sapphire Reserve credit card, and one of them is for a pair of Apple services.


Specifically, the credit card now offers complimentary annual subscriptions to Apple TV+ and Apple Music, a value of up to $250 per year.

If you are already paying for Apple TV+ and/or Apple Music directly through Apple, those subscriptions will be automatically suspended and superseded by Chase's complimentary subscriptions during the offer period.

The complimentary subscriptions run through June 22, 2027.

Unfortunately, the perk does not extend to Apple One subscription bundles. If you currently pay for Apple One, you will continue to be charged on a monthly basis while your complimentary Apple TV+ and Apple Music subscriptions from Chase are active, so make sure to cancel that if you plan on taking advantage of the credit card perk.

Alongside the new perks, Chase has raised the annual fee of the Sapphire Reserve from $550 to $795, which effectively offsets the $250 value of the complimentary Apple TV+ and Apple Music subscriptions. However, there is a long list of additional perks, and Chase says the card now offers more than $2,700 in annual value.

Chase is offering new Sapphire Reserve cardholders a welcome bonus of 100,000 points (which can exceed $1,000 in value), as well as a $500 travel credit, after they spend a minimum of $5,000 in the first three months.

Via: The Points Guy
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AirPods Max were first released in December 2020, and the over-ear headphones have received minimal hardware changes since then.


Below, we recap when AirPods Max 2 are rumored to launch.

According to Apple supply chain analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, the new AirPods Max will be lighter than the current ones, but he did not mention a specific weight. The current AirPods Max weigh 0.85 pounds, excluding the charging case, according to Apple.

Kuo expects the AirPods Max 2 to enter mass production at some point in 2027, but he did not provide any other details about the headphones.

By the time the AirPods Max 2 launch in 2027, it will have been a seven-year wait for them. It is unclear what other changes they might have, beyond weighing less.

Last year, Apple updated the AirPods Max with a USB-C charging port and new color options, but they are still considered first-generation AirPods Max. The headphones did not receive Apple's H2 chip that debuted in the AirPods Pro 2 in 2022, so they continue to miss out on Adaptive Audio features, and there were no other changes.

AirPods Max still have the outdated H1 chip that Apple introduced in 2019, and yet the headphones continue to cost $549 in the United States.

AirPods Max with USB-C did gain support for lossless audio and ultra-low latency audio in a firmware update released earlier this year.


This article, "AirPods Max 2: When to Expect Apple's Next Over-Ear Headphones" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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The upcoming iPadOS 26 update adds four pre-installed Apple apps to all compatible iPad models: Phone, Preview, Journal, and Games.


Below, we provide an overview of each of these apps.

iPadOS 26 is currently available as a developer beta, and the update will likely be released to the general public in September.

Phone

Apple has expanded the Phone app to the iPad, complete with new features coming with iOS 26, such as Hold Assist, Call Screening, and Live Translation. The app syncs with your iPhone, allowing you to make and receive phone calls over Wi-Fi, view recent phone calls, listen to voicemail messages, and more directly on your iPad.

Preview

A staple on the Mac, the Preview app is now available on the iPad too, providing you with a built-in app to edit and mark up PDFs and images. You can also create an empty page, and use an Apple Pencil to draw and write on it.

Journal

Apple introduced a Journal app on the iPhone with iOS 17, and it is now available on the iPad too. You can use this app to type out your daily thoughts, and you can include drawings, handwriting, photos, videos, audio recordings, and more.

Games

The all-new Games app on iPad, iPhone, and Mac is an all-in-one app for discovering App Store and Apple Arcade games, and in-game events. There are also new single-player game challenges for competing with family and friends.
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If you have an Hermès Apple Watch model, you're going to want to avoid installing watchOS 26 beta 2.


According to Apple's release notes for the update, the beta causes the Apple Watch Hermès to crash continually. Apple says that Hermès Apple Watch owners should not update to beta 2 at this time.

Installing ‌watchOS 26‌ on a Hermès Apple Watch causes the watch to overheat, crash continually, and fail to charge, based on reports. It appears to be the Hermès Apple Watch face that is an issue.

Additionally, reports from MacRumors readers suggest that updating to iOS 26 beta 2 causes problems with the Hermès Apple Watches. Users have found that the Apple Watch app on iPhone will not open after installing ‌iOS 26‌ beta 2 if there is a Hermès watch associated with the ‌iPhone‌.

Unpairing a Hermès Apple Watch from an ‌iOS 26‌ beta 2 device allows the Apple Watch app to open again, but attempting to re-pair the watch does not work.

Apple will likely address the issue in the next ‌watchOS 26‌ and ‌iOS 26‌ updates, but for now, if you have a Hermès Apple Watch and have not installed the latest developer betas, make sure not to do so.
This article, "Warning: watchOS 26 Beta 2 Crashes Apple's Expensive Hermès Watches" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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Porsche's chief designer Michael Mauer told the Financial Times that the luxury car maker remains committed to offering CarPlay Ultra in future vehicle models, but he did not share a timeframe for availability or disclose any other details.


Porsche was on Apple's list of automakers committed to offering the next generation of CarPlay, now known as CarPlay Ultra, when it was first announced in June 2022. Porsche went on to preview what CarPlay Ultra would look like in its vehicles in December 2023, but it had not provided a further update on its plans until now.

CarPlay Ultra is currently limited to luxury Aston Martin vehicles in the U.S. and Canada. Apple said that many other automakers around the world are working to offer it over the next year and beyond, including Hyundai, Kia, and Genesis.

Launched last month, CarPlay Ultra features deep integration with a vehicle's instrument cluster and systems, built-in Radio and Climate apps, widgets, and more. The interface is tailored to each vehicle model and automaker's identity, and drivers can also adjust the color scheme. The connected iPhone provides app-related data, while the vehicle provides driving data like current speed, and other info like tire pressure.

The report also listed some automakers that said they have no plans to offer CarPlay Ultra, including Mercedes-Benz, Audi, BMW, Volvo, Polestar, and Renault.

Earlier this month, a spokesperson for Polestar had told MacRumors that it looked forward to "bringing the next generation of CarPlay to cars in the future," but the Financial Times report said otherwise, so they might not be planning to offer it after all.
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With the launch of iOS 26 and HomePod Software 26, Apple is adding support for Crossfade, an Apple Music feature that improves transitions between songs.


Beta testers who have the second ‌HomePod‌ Software 26 and ‌iOS 26‌ betas now have an option to enable Crossfade. The toggle is a little bit hidden, but it can be found by opening up the Home app, going to Settings, tapping on a person's name, and choosing ‌Apple Music‌.

Crossfade timing can be set anywhere from one second to 12 seconds, so users can adjust the fade in and fade out period for song transitions. When Crossfade is toggled on, the volume of the song that's ending will lower gradually, while the volume of the song that's coming on will increase. It is designed to prevent silence gaps between songs.


Crossfade is an ‌Apple Music‌ feature, so an ‌Apple Music‌ subscription is required to use it. It has been an option on the iPhone, iPad, and Mac for some time now, but Apple didn't bring it to the ‌HomePod‌ until now.

‌Apple Music‌ in ‌iOS 26‌ and iPadOS 26 has a new AutoMix feature that replaces Crossfade. AutoMix goes beyond simple crossfading, and it uses time stretching and beat matching for a DJ-like song transition experience.

The ‌HomePod‌ 26 software also includes a new feature that allows you to select a Wi-Fi network to connect to, something that wasn't an option before.

(Thanks, Hidde!)
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If you own an iPhone or iPad with a USB-C port, the port can be used to charge AirPods, an Apple Watch, or even another iPhone, which is handy for times when you don't have a spare charger or power outlet available. Here's how it works.


If your AirPods or Apple Watch run out of battery while you don't have access to a charger, you can use the battery in your iPhone or iPad for a little extra juice rather than carrying around an additional battery pack.

Additionally, if you plug an ‌iPhone 15‌ or newer into another ‌iPhone 15‌ or newer, the two devices will communicate with one another, determine which ‌iPhone‌ has the lower battery, and transfer power in the direction that needs it most. So if your iPhone has a very low battery and a friend's iPad/iPhone has a full battery, you can plug your ‌iPhone‌ into your friend's device and they can provide you with some juice to hold you over until a more practical charging solution arrives in your midst.

If your friend has a USB-C Android phone, if the device has USB Power Delivery support and you connect your ‌power-hungry iPhone‌ to it, the Android device will also be able to provide battery power. However, if the Android phone does not have USB PD, the results are likely to be inconsistent, and there's no way to predict which phone will be the charger and which will get the charge.

What You Need

You'll need an appropriate cable for the job, depending on what you want to charge. You'll need a Lightning to USB-C cable for older-generation AirPods with a Lightning port, or a USB-C to USB-C cable for AirPods with a USB-C Charging Case. For Apple Watch, you'll need a dedicated USB-C charging puck.

Unfortunately, when charging another device with an ‌iPhone 15‌ or newer, the charge is limited to 4.5W. That's appropriate for small devices like the Apple Watch, but not so much for another ‌iPhone‌. In other words, expect slow charging speeds when using ‌iPhone‌ to ‌iPhone‌ charging functionality.

One more thing – despite persistent rumors, you still can't charge your AirPods by placing them on the back of a MagSafe-enabled iPhone. Apple is said to have been developing this kind of reverse wireless charging for years, but the feature hasn't made it to market. For now, using a USB-C connection remains the most practical and reliable way to top up your AirPods or other accessories on the go.
This article, "Charge AirPods (or Even an iPhone) With Your iPhone" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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Samsung's upcoming AR/VR headset will feature more advanced displays than Apple's Vision Pro, according to a new supply chain report from The Elec that reveals key specifications and sourcing strategies.


Samsung is preparing to launch its first extended reality (XR) headset later in 2025, and it will reportedly contain displays that surpass the resolution of Apple's Vision Pro. The Elec claims that the device will use 1.3-inch OLEDoS (OLED on Silicon) microdisplays with a pixel density of approximately 3,800 pixels per inch (PPI).

In comparison, the Vision Pro uses 1.42-inch OLEDoS panels from Sony with a pixel density of 3,391 PPI. The increase in pixel density will likely represent a significant improvement in visual clarity over the Vision Pro. Despite having a slightly smaller panel, which could reduce the field of view, Samsung's headset should be able to deliver sharper visuals.

The Vision Pro was the first mainstream consumer device to adopt OLEDoS microdisplays. OLEDoS technology allows for extremely high resolution in compact form factors, making it particularly suitable for immersive virtual reality applications.

Samsung is apparently reviewing plans to source OLEDoS panels from both Sony and Samsung Display, with Sony currently acting as the main supplier. While Sony is recognized for its expertise in microdisplay manufacturing, it has limited its production capacity and previously declined Apple's request to expand output for the Vision Pro. Sony's focus remains centered on its entertainment business, and it is reportedly cautious about committing additional resources to its display operations.
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Best Buy this week kicked off a new sale called "Member Deals Days," which is full of deals that are exclusive to those who have a My Best Buy Plus or Total membership. The sale will run through Sunday, and new deals are set to appear every day of the event.

Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with Best Buy. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment, which helps us keep the site running.

If you don't have a My Best Buy Plus or Total membership, you can sign up for one directly from Best Buy's website. Prices start at $49.99 per year and include perks like free two-day shipping, exclusive access to select deals, and more.



Categories with major discounts in this sale include home theater, computers, tablets, video games, headphones, smart home, wearables, smartphones, and more. There aren't many big Apple discounts this time around, but you can find steep discounts on big ticket items like TVs and gaming monitors, which we've rounded up below.

TVs

• 75-inch Samsung 4K Smart TV - $449.99 with membership ($150 off)


• 43-inch Samsung The Frame QLED 4K TV - $699.99 with membership ($300 off)


• 55-inch LG OLED 4K UHD Smart TV - $1,796.99 with membership ($403 off)


• 77-inch LG OLED 4K UHD Smart TV - $1,996.99 with membership ($503 off)

Monitors

• 32-inch Samsung Odyssey G5 Monitor - $299.99 ($50 off)


• 27-inch HP OMEN Gaming Monitor - $329.99 ($150 off)


• 27-inch ASUS Pro Gaming Monitor - $729.99 ($30 off)


• 45-inch LG OLED UltraGear Smart Gaming Monitor - $1,199.99 with membership ($500 off)


• 32-inch LG OLED UltraGear Gaming Monitor - $1,119.99 ($280 off)

If you're on the hunt for more discounts, be sure to visit our Apple Deals roundup where we recap the best Apple-related bargains of the past week.

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This article, "Best Buy Kicks Off Member-Exclusive Event With Big Discounts on TVs, Monitors, and More" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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According to a 9to5Mac report this week, citing reliable sources, Apple is now planning to release the AirTag 2 in September or later this year. If so, the updated accessory could be announced at the iPhone 17 event in less than three months from now.


The report also said that iOS 18.6 beta code hints at the upcoming software update being compatible with the AirTag 2, when it is released.

Finally, the report said that the AirTag 2 will provide alerts for both low and very low battery levels. You can already see if the current AirTag's battery level is low in the Find My app, but it sounds like there will now be two tiers of alerts.

9to5Mac speculated that this change could hint at the AirTag 2 featuring a rechargeable battery. However, in a November 2024 edition of his Power On newsletter, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said the next AirTag would "certainly not" be equipped with a rechargeable battery, suggesting that Apple will stick with a replaceable battery.

In that same newsletter, Gurman said that Apple was aiming to release the AirTag 2 around the middle of 2025, which sounded more like June or July. So, if 9to5Mac is accurate about the accessory's launch timeframe now being September or later this year, then customers will have to wait a little longer for it than expected.

Whenever it launches, the AirTag 2 is rumored to feature up to 3× longer item tracking range compared to the current AirTag. Gurman expects the AirTag 2 to look similar to the current model, but he said the built-in speaker will be more difficult to remove, which would make it harder to covertly stalk people with the accessory.

Apple released the current AirTag in April 2021, so it is now more than four years old. It debuted at an event alongside the iMac with the M1 chip, the iPad Pro with the M1 chip, a new Apple TV, and a purple color for the iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 mini.
This article, "AirTag 2 Now Rumored to Launch in September or Later This Year With New Battery Feature" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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Apple today announced that it has updated its Sports app with support for tennis, in time for the ongoing Wimbledon tournament.


Tennis fans can view live scores for Grand Slam and 1000 tournaments, and track current and previous men's and women's singles matches.

Apple Sports supports the Live Activities feature, and that extends to tennis scores. This means you can view live tennis scores at a glance on an iPhone's Lock Screen, and in the Dynamic Island on the iPhone 14 Pro and newer.

The app has also gained a revamped "Home" section. Apple says matchups and events are now grouped by league, and there are expanded controls for fans to order them how they prefer. Favorite/starred teams always appear at the top.

Last, you can now view pitcher and batter matchups at the top of every scoreboard.

Launched in February 2024, the Apple Sports app shows scores, stats, standings, upcoming games, and more for a variety of leagues. The free app is currently available on the iPhone only, in the U.S., the U.K., and Canada.

Apple Sports version 3.0 is available now in the App Store.
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Xiaomi has filed a trademark for a second-generation custom chip called the "XRING 02," signaling that the company is proceeding with its in-house silicon roadmap mirroring Apple's transition to its own custom chips.


Xiaomi's new filing, first reported by Wccftech and verified via China's TianYanCha trademark database, suggests that development of the XRING 02 system-on-a-chip (SoC) is now underway. The move follows the company's announcement earlier this year of the XRING O1, its first custom processor built with a 3-nanometer process, which debuted in the Xiaomi Tablet 7 Ultra.

Xiaomi openly said that it had looked to Apple as a benchmark for its hardware ambitions and vertical integration across its ecosystem. The company said it had asked itself:

We also want to become one of the top chipmakers, with our phones targeting iPhones, can our chips also be compared against those of Apple's?

The new XRING 02 trademark is one of several filings made by the company in recent weeks. Others include the XRING T1 and XRING 0. Xiaomi likely seeks to build a family of custom processors for use across device categories, similar to Apple's use of the A-series, M-series, and S-series chips in iPhones, Macs, and Apple Watches.
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Apple is facing mounting resistance from automakers over CarPlay Ultra, the next-generation version of its CarPlay software system for vehicles that was announced last month.


A new (paywalled) Financial Times report claims several major brands are walking back their earlier commitments to support the upgraded dashboard software. German luxury manufacturers Mercedes-Benz and Audi have both distanced themselves from the system, along with Volvo, Polestar, and Renault.

It's a major retreat from Apple's 2022 announcement, which originally named 14 automakers as future CarPlay Ultra partners, including all of those mentioned above.

CarPlay Ultra goes far beyond traditional CarPlay by taking control of the entire dashboard experience. The system displays vehicle information like temperature, speed, and fuel levels alongside iPhone apps, creating what Apple calls "a unified and consistent experience across all the driver's screens."

Mercedes-Benz had previously expressed reluctance to cede dashboard control to Apple. Now other premium brands are following suit, citing concerns about maintaining their own software experiences and revenue streams from in-car services. From the report:

Some companies have found Apple's foray into driver screens as over-reach. One executive at Renault, which is developing a vehicle mainly controlled by software with Google and Qualcomm, said the French carmaker told Apple: "Don't try to invade our own systems."

As for other car brands that were included in Apple's original 2022 list, Jaguar Land Rover said it was still evaluating the system, while Ford and Nissan along with its Infiniti brand said they had no information to share about future implementation.

BMW – which was not named in Apple's original list of partners – said it would integrate the existing Apple CarPlay with its new design, but not CarPlay Ultra, according to FT. Meanwhile, Audi said its focus was to offer drivers "a customized and seamless digital experience," so it would not use CarPlay Ultra, though the standard version was available on its vehicles.

The pushback comes despite standard CarPlay's overwhelming popularity – Apple claims 98% of new US cars include standard CarPlay, with drivers using it over 600 million times daily.

Currently, only Aston Martin offers CarPlay Ultra in production vehicles. Hyundai and its Kia and Genesis cars remain committed partners, while Porsche plans future support. Other originally announced brands like Ford and Nissan have provided no updates on their CarPlay Ultra plans.

Despite the walk-backs, Apple told FT that more carmakers using CarPlay Ultra are on the way. "We're collaborating closely with automakers to provide the best of iPhone and the best of the car and this work takes time," Apple said.
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Apple is expected to release new iPad Pro models powered by its latest M5 chip later this year, and both Samsung Display and LG Display have reportedly begun mass production of the devices' OLED panels in preparation.


For last year's iPad Pro models which debuted OLED displays, Samsung handled supply for the 11-inch panels, while LG dealt with the 13-inch panels. This year, ZDNet Korea reports that the two manufacturers will share supply for both panel sizes, likely as a result of Apple's efforts to diversify its supply chain.

The change is also likely related to Apple's need to deepen OLED adoption across its suppliers. Reports suggest plans to introduce OLED panels for the iPad mini in 2026 and the iPad Air in 2027.

Aside from OLED displays, last year's M4 iPad Pro models adopted a thinner and lighter design, support for the new Apple Pencil Pro, and more. This year, the iPad Pro will likely receive a much smaller update, with no major upgrades rumored beyond the M5 chip, which will be manufactured on TSMC's more advanced 3-nanometer process technology for performance and efficiency improvements.

The only other potential change that's been rumored is for the Apple logo on the back to switch to a landscape orientation rather than a portrait orientation. That would make the Apple logo upright when the iPad is in landscape mode, such as when it is used with a keyboard.

Back in March, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said the new iPad Pro models could launch around October this year. For reference, the M4 iPad Pro models launched in May of 2024.

(Via DigiTimes.)
This article, "M5 iPad Pro OLED Displays Enter Mass Production for October Launch" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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If you've been following iPhone 18 Pro reports recently, you'll know that there are two competing rumors from usually reliable sources about how Apple plans to integrate Face ID into the display, and both of them likely affect the fate of the Dynamic Island – and in turn the overall look of the display itself.


Last month, The Information's Wayne Ma said that the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max would have "only a small hole cutout in the top-left corner to accommodate the front-facing camera."

Unless Apple opts to still periodically display the familiar pill-shaped interface element in its iOS 27 software, Ma's wording suggests that the devices might not have a Dynamic Island at all. Taking Ma's report as a cue, developer Filip Vabroušek has helpfully attempted to visualize what such an iPhone 18 Pro model could look like (see below – and ignore the iOS version shown).


All well and good, you might think. However, Counterpoint Research VP Ross Young this week lobbed a grenade into Ma's settled territory by claiming that the iPhone 18 Pro will still have some visible Face ID elements.

For this reason, Young believes that the devices will still have a Dynamic Island, albeit a "smaller" version compared to the one on the iPhone 14 Pro through iPhone 16 models. Vabroušek has again stepped in to give us a peek at this alternative implementation.



Bloomberg's Mark Gurman has also said that Apple will shrink the size of the Dynamic Island on at least some iPhone models launching next year, so there are now multiple sources who believe that iPhone 18 models will still have a smaller Dynamic Island rather than only a front camera hole.

So there you have it: two rival interpretations of what the iPhone 18 Pro's display could look like. It's quite a big deal for anyone who plans to upgrade their iPhone next year, considering how much time we spend staring at the screen.

As for the 20th anniversary iPhone, due in 2027, Young's roadmap also threw a spanner in the works by refuting claims by the likes of Gurman that it will be the first iPhone with a truly uninterrupted display with no cutouts.

Young now believes that the first iPhone with both under-screen Face ID and an under-screen front camera will be released all the way in 2030, suggesting that a truly all-screen iPhone remains a full five years away.
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Image Playground is Apple's image generation app that launched last year. Most people may not have a lot of use for the cartoonish images that it produces in iOS 18, but you're going to want to take another look at it in iOS 26 because Apple has improved its algorithms.


People look more natural in the images generated by the app, with more realistic eyes and more variation in hair that better matches sample photos.

As a quick recap, ‌Image Playground‌ lets you type in any phrase to generate an image in one of three non-realistic styles. You can also select pre-determined scenes and props that Apple suggests, and generate images featuring your friends and family. It's these images where you will see the biggest difference in ‌iOS 26‌, because the content generated based on images of people has changed quite a bit.

Animation

In ‌iOS 18‌, photos generated using the Animation style have blunt hair with little variation, lots of contrast, and unnatural looking faces, but in ‌iOS 26‌, features are softer, hair is more varied, and it has more flow. Clothes also look more natural, though ‌Image Playground‌ doesn't often bother matching outfits.



‌Image Playground‌'s Animation style in ‌iOS 26‌ seems to take more liberty with image backgrounds, pose, and body shape, and it's better at small details like specific eyebrow shape.

Sketch

With the Sketch style, ‌Image Playground‌ is again better at matching facial expression, features, and hair style. The image on the right looks more like MacRumors videographer Dan Barbera than the middle image.

Illustration

Illustration has some of the same characteristics as Sketch, better capturing colors and inventing better backgrounds.

Animals and Landscapes

The changes to ‌Image Playground‌ can also be seen in images of animals, food, places, and more, in all three built-in styles.

Emotions

‌Image Playground‌ seems to be better at reflecting emotion, too. For this image, the modifier "sobbing" was added to the image. It didn't quite show tears, but there is more emotion in the ‌iOS 26‌ face on the right. There's even a dedicated "Expressions" menu, with options that include laugh, happy, mad, sad, shocked, thinking, thumbs up, and thumbs down.

ChatGPT Integration

ChatGPT image generation capabilities are included in ‌Image Playground‌ in ‌iOS 26‌, so there are an expanded range of styles to choose from. There are a few suggested options, including anime, oil painting, vector, print, and water color styles, all of which use ChatGPT rather than Apple's capabilities to create the image.


The output is similar to what you get if you use ChatGPT 4o for image generation, and you can make those cute anime-style images that have been floating around the internet.


There's also an open-ended "Any Style" option to create images with ChatGPT, and that adds more range to what's possible with ‌Image Playground‌. ChatGPT can essentially mimic any style that you ask it to, and it can generate realistic images, which is not something that Apple's image generation technology does.


As with standard ‌Image Playground‌ image generation, you can make a text-based request or upload an image to ChatGPT and ask it to use that as the basis for an image. Images that you upload and text requests can be combined.

Creating images with ChatGPT uses up tokens, and if you have a free account, you probably won't be able to create more than one or two images. Taking advantage of ChatGPT image creation features in ‌Image Playground‌ beyond that requires a paid account.

Genmoji

‌Image Playground‌ in ‌iOS 18‌ does not support creating Genmoji, and that's a separate feature located in the Messages app. In ‌iOS 26‌, you can use ‌Image Playground‌ for ‌Genmoji‌.


‌Genmoji‌ is a style that you can select, and choosing it opens up an interface where you can choose an emoji or multiple emoji to customize. One of the new ‌Genmoji‌ features in ‌iOS 26‌ is the option to combine emoji to make new emoji rather than starting from scratch with a character, and this capability is available in ‌Image Playground‌ in addition to the Messages app.

You can tap multiple emoji to create a new one, or choose an emoji and then add text-based descriptions to make tweaks. There is no option to use photos for ‌Genmoji‌. The ‌Genmoji‌ that you make are added to your emoji keyboard and they can be used in Messages.

Labeling

When you send someone an image generated with ‌Image Playground‌ in ‌iOS 26‌, like over AirDrop, it is labeled as a generated image in the file name.
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Nomad today announced the launch of the Leather Mag Wallet for iPhone, which includes an integrated Tracking Card that works with Apple's Find My app.


The Leather Mag Wallet attaches to the back of a MagSafe ‌iPhone‌ using a magnetic connection, and it serves as an alternative to Apple's own Leather Wallet with ‌MagSafe‌. Nomad made the wallet from vegetable-tanned Horween leather that will develop a unique patina over time.

Nomad's Mag Wallet is able to hold up to four standard credit cards, and it connects to ‌Find My‌ so if it comes off of the ‌iPhone‌ and is lost, it can be found with the ‌Find My‌ app. ‌Find My‌ network integration is included, so if you are out of range, it will be able to connect to Apple products owned by others to relay its location. ‌Find My‌ also includes features for playing a sound and getting a notification when the wallet is left behind.

There is a rechargeable battery inside and the Mag Wallet can be charged using any Qi or ‌MagSafe‌ charger. The battery lasts for up to five months. The wallet can be attached to any ‌MagSafe‌ ‌iPhone‌ or ‌iPhone‌ in a ‌MagSafe‌ case, and it comes in black and brown colors.

The Leather Mag Wallet can be purchased from the Nomad website for $79.
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Several of Apple's iCloud services are experiencing issues at the current time, with the System Status page reflecting problems with ‌iCloud‌ Mail, ‌iCloud‌ Storage Upgrades, ‌iCloud‌ Web Apps, iWork for ‌iCloud‌, and Photos.


‌iCloud‌ Web Apps and iWork for ‌iCloud‌ are both listed as having an outage at the current time, and Apple says that some users may be experiencing problems.

The other services are shown with a yellow "Issue" warning, but they have the same note about some users experiencing problems with the service. The outages have been ongoing since 2:36 p.m. Eastern Time.

Update 5:53 p.m. ET: Apple added Find My and ‌iCloud‌ account sign in to the list of services experiencing problems.

Update 6:41 p.m. ET: The ‌Find My‌ issue has been resolved, but the other services are still having issues.
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Apple today updated its Invites app, adding a new event background options for customizing the look of event invitations that are sent out. Apple says that the added background options are ideal for planning a pool day, drinks with friends, or a watch party for the big game.


There are several new backgrounds in the "Photographic" section, including clouds, a lime slice in soda water, lemon slices in punch, a frosty beer, watermelon slices, a pool inner tube, a disco ball, orchid flowers, bamboo shoots, a zoomed in shot of a chrysanthemum, a colorful set of pickleballs, tennis balls, footballs, soccer balls, basketballs, golf balls, a beach with clear water, a green bokeh background, brocade fabric, grass, colorful flowers, rainbow sparkles, a multi-colored light pattern, and champagne glasses.


Apple launched the Invites app back in February, and this is the second update the app has received. In May, Apple added the option to include links in event invitations.

Invites is an event planning app that supports creating custom invitations with unique background images, fonts, and relevant information like directions and the weather. It also has easy-to-use event managing and RSVP tools.

While Invites is free, it is an iCloud+ service, so an ‌iCloud‌+ subscription is required to create an event. ‌iCloud‌+ plans are priced starting at $0.99 per month, and they include additional ‌iCloud‌ storage and features like Private Relay.

Though an ‌iCloud‌+ subscription is needed for creating an event, anyone can RSVP to an invitation, including those without iPhones.

The Invites app can be downloaded from the App Store. [Direct Link]
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Apple today provided developers with new beta firmware for the AirPods Pro 2 and AirPods 4, with an 8A293c version number. The firmware is only available to developers at the current time, and a device running iOS 26, iPadOS 26, or macOS 26 is required to install the update. This is the second beta so far.


The new firmware adds several features that Apple is debuting alongside ‌iOS 26‌, ‌iPadOS 26‌, and macOS Tahoe.

The ‌AirPods Pro‌ 2 and ‌AirPods 4‌ support improved audio quality for phone calls and video calls, plus studio-quality audio recording for interviews, podcasts, and videos. There's also an option to use the AirPods as a camera remote with the Camera app to take photos or start a video recording.

With the latest updates, Apple added a firmware update installation option that's available from the AirPods settings interface when the AirPods are connected to an iPhone, iPad, or Mac.
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Apple today sent out an ad to some iPhone users in the form of a Wallet app push notification, and not everyone is happy about it.


An unknown number of iPhone users in the U.S. today received the push notification, which promotes a limited-time Apple Pay discount that movie ticket company Fandango is offering on a pair of tickets to Apple's new film "F1: The Movie."

Some of the iPhone users who received the push notification have complained about it across the MacRumors Forums, Reddit, X, and other online discussion platforms.

"As far as I can tell, Apple is now just sending me ads to my screen now as push notifications, something I hate with an absolute passion and disable across the board in every app that tries this," said one person who received the notification.

Some people are especially upset about receiving a push notification ad through the Wallet app because it is a very important app for personal finances, so simply turning off notifications for the entire app is not a feasible solution.

Worse, Apple seems to be ignoring the guidelines that apply to App Store apps. The company says push notifications should not be used for promotions or direct marketing purposes unless users have explicitly opted in to receive them for said purposes.

The full text of Apple's guideline:

Push Notifications should not be used for promotions or direct marketing purposes unless customers have explicitly opted in to receive them via consent language displayed in your app's UI, and you provide a method in your app for a user to opt out from receiving such messages.

Apple did not immediately respond to our request for comment.

Apple has been heavily promoting F1: The Movie, which debuts in theaters on June 25 in Europe and on June 27 in the U.S. and Canada. However, the company may have gone a step too far here based on online reaction from some iPhone users.

One silver lining is that the iOS 26 beta adds an "Offers & Promotions" toggle to the Wallet app, allowing users to opt in or out of receiving special offers and discounts available from Apple and its unspecified partners. However, Apple sent out to the push notification ad to iPhone users on iOS 18 too, and those users seemingly did not explicitly opt in to receive such an ad. For that reason, some people are disappointed in Apple.
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Apple has joined China's national digital product subsidy program through its own direct sales channels for the first time, enabling eligible customers in Beijing and Shanghai to receive government-backed discounts on select iPhones, iPads, Apple Watches, and Macs (via South China Morning Post).


Apple customers in Shanghai can access the subsidies by purchasing qualifying devices in one of the city's eight Apple retail stores, while Beijing residents can receive the discount through Apple's online store, provided they use a Beijing shipping address.

The program offers subsidies of up to 2,000 yuan (approximately $278) on certain Apple products, with eligibility criteria determined by product type and price. Devices priced below 6,000 yuan (roughly $835) receive a 15% discount, capped at 500 yuan, while some higher-value items such as Macs are eligible for a bigger discount.

Previously, Apple products were available under the subsidy program only through authorized third-party platforms such as JD.com and Alibaba's Taobao marketplace. This therefore marks the first time Apple's own online and retail stores have participated directly in the scheme.

Data from market analytics companies have painted a consistent picture of Apple's smartphone shipments in mainland China falling in 2025, making Apple the only one among the country's top five smartphone vendors to record a decline this year. By contrast, Xiaomi and Huawei have grown dramatically.
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The second developer beta of macOS Tahoe is now available for testing, and it includes a handful of smaller new features and changes on the Mac.


Below, we recap everything new that has been found in macOS Tahoe beta 2 so far.

Redesigned Finder App Icon

Crisis averted: Apple has restored the Finder icon's design to its former glory on the second beta.

On the first macOS Tahoe developer beta, the app icon's colors were inverted, with blue appearing on the right side and white appearing on the left side. That change disappointed some people, and Apple has evidently listened to that feedback.

Redesigned Migration Assistant App Icon

The second beta also gives a fresh coat of paint to the Migration Assistant app icon.

Menu Bar Background Option

Apple removed the frosted background from the menu bar by default on macOS Tahoe, as part of the Liquid Glass redesign. If you miss it, though, the second beta adds a "Show menu bar background" option to the System Settings app under Menu Bar.

AirPods Beta Firmware

As spotted by Federico Trevisani, the second macOS Tahoe beta lets you enroll in beta testing of AirPods firmware updates directly on a Mac.

First, connect your AirPods to your Mac. Next, open the System Settings app and click on the Bluetooth menu. Then, select the (i) symbol next to your AirPods. On the ensuing page, scroll down to the bottom and click on "AirPods Beta Updates. Finally, there is a toggle to enable beta firmware updates on your AirPods. Firmware updates will be installed when your AirPods are in their charging case and near the Мас.

Apple currently offers AirPods beta firmware updates to developers only. However, that will soon change. Apple plans to start offering public betas of AirPods firmware updates in July for the first time, beginning with the AirPods 4 and AirPods Pro 2.

The latest firmware beta for the ‌AirPods 4‌ and AirPods Pro 2 adds support for improved audio quality for phone calls and video calls, plus studio-quality audio recording for interviews, podcasts, and videos. There is also an option to use AirPods as a camera remote with the Camera app to take photos or start a video recording, and these AirPods models can automatically pause audio if it is detected that you fell asleep.

Other Changes

• Apple's release notes for the second macOS Tahoe developer beta mention the same new Recovery Assistant feature that was added to iOS 26. Apple: "Recovery Assistant is a new way to recover your device if it doesn't start up normally. It can look for problems and attempt to resolve them if found."


• There is a new "Your Mac has been updated" notification.
• Developers can test that their Mac apps no longer depend on Rosetta 2, which will be phased out starting with macOS 28.

The first macOS Tahoe public beta will be available in July, and the update will likely be released to the general public in September.
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In the iOS 26 beta, Apple has redesigned the alarm screen in the Clock app, giving it a cleaner look with a larger time display and significantly bigger buttons. When the alarm goes off, you'll now see two large, equal-sized buttons for Stop and Snooze placed side by side at the bottom of the screen.


While the redesign fits with Apple's broader visual refresh in iOS 26, it also seems to address a problem the company had already solved: reducing the chances of you hitting Stop instead of Snooze when you're half-awake and fumbling for your phone. Ironically, internal testing once showed that making both buttons the same size actually made that mistake more likely.

According to Jack Fields, a former Apple engineer and head writer at Kernel Extension, the new layout contradicts internal research he was involved in during his time at the company. That testing included a version of the Clock app that logged user interactions to a heat map, tracking exactly where people tapped the screen upon waking.

"It was recording where our sleepy hands were smacking around on the screen in order to see how accurate we were in turning off the alarms," says Fields. What they found was perhaps counterintuitive: when Stop and Snooze were made the same size and placed close together, users were 30% more likely to hit Stop by accident. In other words, it actually increased the chances of oversleeping.

That's why recent versions of iOS feature a prominent, centered Snooze button and a much smaller Stop button tucked further down the screen. "By making the Stop button such a small hit target, it ensures you're awake enough to actually stop it," Fields explains.

"This new design is... interesting," he adds. "It goes against any studies I was a part of, so I'm curious what data they have to support the change. It's terrifyingly large now."

It's worth remembering this is beta software, and Apple could tweak the layout before the final release. But for now, the update makes you wonder whether a more symmetrical, simplified UI is always better, or (at least in this case) is it more likely to make you tap the wrong thing, just faster?

In a related change you may have missed, Apple also now allows users to customize snooze length, choosing a length of time between 1 minute and 15 minutes. (Previously, tapping snooze always snoozed an alarm for nine minutes.) Now that's a change we can certainly get behind.
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Today marks 15 years since Apple released the popular iPhone 4 and launched FaceTime, its proprietary video calling service.


The ‌iPhone‌ 4 first became available to customers on June 24, 2010, following its unveiling by then-CEO Steve Jobs at the company's Worldwide Developers Conference earlier that month. It was the first ‌iPhone‌ to feature a high-resolution "Retina" display, with a pixel density of 326 pixels per inch, making individual pixels imperceptible at a standard viewing distance. Apple described it at the time as offering "four times the pixel density of previous displays," resulting in crisper text and sharper images.

The device introduced a new industrial design made from stainless steel and glass, with squared edges that diverged significantly from the rounded plastic form factor of previous iPhones. It also featured Apple's first custom-designed system-on-a-chip, the A4, which debuted in the original iPad. The A4 provided improved performance and battery life compared to the ‌iPhone‌ 3GS. The ‌iPhone‌ 4 also marked the debut of the front-facing camera on an ‌iPhone‌, enabling selfies for the first time, as well as ‌FaceTime‌ video calling.

The ‌iPhone‌ 4 shipped with iOS 4, which introduced several new software features including background functionality for third-party apps, home screen folders, and a unified Mail inbox. It was also the first iOS version to drop support for an ‌iPhone‌, the original model.

One of the most infamous issues surrounding the ‌iPhone‌ 4 was the so-called "antennagate" controversy. Due to the external stainless steel antenna band doubling as a signal receiver, some users experienced signal degradation when holding the device in a way that bridged the antenna gaps. Apple addressed the issue in a press conference in July 2010, offering free bumper cases to affected customers and explaining that most smartphones exhibited similar signal attenuation under certain conditions.

Despite the controversy, the ‌iPhone‌ 4 was Apple's most successful smartphone launch at the time. The company reported pre-orders of over 600,000 units on the first day alone, and long queues were seen outside Apple Stores on launch day across the United States and other countries. The model went on to become one of the best-selling iPhones of its era and remained available in various forms until 2014, including as a low-cost option with reduced storage.

‌FaceTime‌ was initially limited to Wi-Fi connections and available only between ‌iPhone‌ 4 devices running iOS 4. With the device already signed into the user's Apple ID, making a call was simple and initiated directly from the Phone or Contacts app. In 2011, Apple expanded ‌FaceTime‌ support to the ‌iPad‌ 2 and the Mac. ‌FaceTime‌ Audio was introduced with iOS 7 in 2013.

In iOS 12, Apple added support for Group ‌FaceTime‌ with up to 32 participants, and in 2021, ‌FaceTime‌ links brought limited compatibility with Android and Windows via web browsers. While Apple initially described ‌FaceTime‌ as "an open industry standard," the company never published the protocol, and the feature has remained exclusive to Apple platforms.
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As spotted by Federico Trevisani, the second macOS Tahoe beta lets you enroll in beta testing of AirPods firmware updates directly on a Mac. A similar interface was already introduced on the iPhone and iPad with the first iOS 26 and iPadOS 26 betas.


First, connect your AirPods to your Mac. Next, open the System Settings app and click on the Bluetooth menu. Then, select the (i) symbol next to your AirPods. On the ensuing page, scroll down to the bottom and click on "AirPods Beta Updates. Finally, there is a toggle to enable beta firmware updates on your AirPods. Firmware updates will be installed when your AirPods are in their charging case and near the Мас.


Apple currently offers AirPods beta firmware updates to registered developers only. However, that will soon change. Apple plans to start offering public betas of AirPods firmware updates in July for the first time, beginning with the AirPods 4 and AirPods Pro 2.

Apple already released a developer beta of an upcoming firmware update for the AirPods 4 and AirPods Pro 2 earlier this month. With the new firmware, the ‌AirPods 4‌ and AirPods Pro 2 gain support for improved audio quality for phone calls and video calls, plus studio-quality audio recording for interviews, podcasts, and videos. There is also an option to use AirPods as a camera remote with the Camera app to take photos or start a video recording. Plus, these AirPods models can automatically pause audio if it is detected that you fell asleep.
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Amazon today has low prices across nearly the entire M4 MacBook Air lineup, with $150 off both 13-inch and 15-inch models. Many of the notebooks in this sale are seeing delivery estimates around late June.

Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with some of these vendors. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment, which helps us keep the site running.

Starting with the 13-inch models, Amazon has $150 off all three configurations of this notebook. Prices start at $849.00 for the 256GB model, then raise to $1,049.00 for the 16GB/512GB model and $1,249.00 for the 24GB/512GB model. All of these are solid second-best prices on the M4 MacBook Air.





Moving to the larger display models, Amazon has both 512GB versions of the 15-inch M4 MacBook Air on sale this week, as well as the 256GB model. The 16GB/512GB model is available for $1,248.99 and the 24GB/512GB model is on sale for $1,449.00. Across the board, these are all second-best prices on the 15-inch M4 MacBook Air.





If you're on the hunt for more discounts, be sure to visit our Apple Deals roundup where we recap the best Apple-related bargains of the past week.

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More details have leaked about former Apple design chief Jony Ive's secretive collab with OpenAI to create a new AI consumer product. The gadget – pitched as a "third core device" that would sit in your pocket, or on your desk alongside a MacBook Pro and iPhone – apparently won't be an in-ear device or a wearable. How do we know?


Earlier this week, OpenAI was forced to remove from its website mentions of io (the hardware startup it acquired, co-founded by Ive) to comply with a trademark lawsuit by a Google-backed company called iyO, which is developing custom-molded earpieces that connect to other devices.

To back up its claim that OpenAI wilfully infringed on its trademark, iyO submitted court filings that include emails showing that executives from io and OpenAI knew about its in-ear device – dubbed "the world's first audio computer" – and even requested a demo of iyO's product.

However, io co-founder and former Apple executive Tang Tan submitted court filings this month responding to the allegation. In the June 12 court declaration, Tan concedes that the company "surveyed the existing commercial offerings" and that "as part of these early efforts, io purchased a wide range of earbuds, hearing aids, and at least 30 different headphone sets from a variety of different companies."

However, Tan says the first device it plans to launch "is not an in-ear device, nor a wearable device." The filings also say the device is "at least a year away from being offered for sale."

The new tidbit goes against a recent prediction by industry analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, who said that users will be able to wear the device around their necks, "like a necklace." Even before the court filings, Kuo's claim seemed speculative at best, given that Ive apparently isn't keen on making something you'd wear on the body.

Previous leaks have revealed that the gadget will be pocket-sized, contextually aware of your surroundings and life, and completely screen-free. Altman apparently told OpenAI staff it's "the coolest piece of technology that the world will have ever seen" after testing Ive's prototype at home.

OpenAI acquired Ive's startup io for $6.5 billion, with Altman suggesting the deal could add $1 trillion in value to the company. The goal is to ship the device by late 2026, and OpenAI has ambitious plans to reach 100 million units "faster than any company has ever shipped 100 million of something new before."

If you've been eagerly awaiting more concrete details about mysterious AI device, the new info is likely to disappoint. Other than that, it's hard to know what to expect, especially given it's been several years since Ive oversaw the design of a consumer electronics product. Here's hoping it has better durability than a butterfly keyboard.
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Apple is considering LG Innotek's chip-on-film (CoF) technology for future iPad Pro OLED displays, a change that could potentially deliver slimmer bezels and more compact designs without sacrificing screen size.


Korean outlet The Elec reports that Apple is expected to approve or reject LX Semicon's display driver IC this month, which would work alongside LG Innotek's CoF technology. CoF technology attaches display driver chips to panels using heat compression on flexible film, sending signals to control individual pixels through thin-film transistors.

The combination enables tighter integration of the panel along the display's edges, which could end up shrinking the visible bezels and creating more screen real estate in the same device footprint. The combination might also offer more power-efficient signal processing, which would translate to better battery life, though this is more speculative.

Apple has exclusively relied on Samsung System LSI for display driver ICs in its OLED iPad Pro models launched last year. A switch to LG would also diversify Apple's supply chain while potentially reducing component costs through increased competition.

The report doesn't specify which iPad model the components are destined for, but DigiTimes reports separately that LX Semicon's entry into Apple's supply chain is related to iPad Pro.

The iPad Pro is rumored to receive an M5 chip in the second half of 2025. Future models could also feature landscape-oriented Apple logos and Apple-designed 5G modems by 2027. A foldable 18.8-inch iPad Pro could arrive as early as 2027.
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Apple today announced that Japan's My Number Card can now be added to the Wallet app on an iPhone XS or newer running iOS 18.5 or later.


The card can be added to the Wallet app via the latest version of the Mynaportal app, and it can be presented in person or in apps, where accepted digitally.

Starting today, Apple said the My Number Card on the iPhone can be used to print official documents at convenience stores in Japan, and to access the Mynaportal to receive online government services. In the future, users will also be able to present a My Number Card on the iPhone at hospitals and pharmacies in Japan.

Japan is the first country to support the Wallet app's ID feature outside of the United States.

Apple says approximately 100 million people in Japan have a My Number Card.

More details are available on the Digital Agency's website.
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Apple silicon was announced five years ago this week, kickstarting one of the most successful periods for the Mac ever.


Following years of rumors, Apple in June 2020 unveiled its plan to transition the entire Mac lineup from Intel processors to its own custom-designed chips.

Later that year saw the release of the first three Mac models powered by Apple silicon, including a 13-inch MacBook Pro, MacBook Air, and Mac mini.

Apple had plenty of experience after a decade of making custom iPhone and iPad chips, and it was time for the Mac to switch from x86 to Arm architecture.

The company promised, and delivered, industry-leading performance per watt for Macs. This feat allowed it to remove the fan inside the MacBook Air, given the improved power efficiency resulted in less heat being generated in the ultra-thin laptop.

"With its powerful features and industry-leading performance, Apple silicon will make the Mac stronger and more capable than ever," said Apple CEO Tim Cook, in a press release announcing the transition to Apple silicon.

"I've never been more excited about the future of the Mac," added Cook.

He had good reason to be excited.

Over the past five years, many Apple fans would agree that the Mac has gone through a renaissance. Apple silicon delivered powerful performance and power efficiency at a fraction of the price of the highest-end Intel-based Macs. Apple also went a step further by bringing back ports like HDMI and MagSafe. In many ways, the Mac has never been in a better place, especially compared to the mid-2010s era when MacBooks were equipped with faulty butterfly keyboards, and often ran loud and hot to the touch.

Apple recently announced that macOS Tahoe will be the final macOS release that is compatible with Intel-based Macs.

"From the beginning, the Mac has always embraced big changes to stay at the forefront of personal computing," said Cook.

A big change was an understatement. Apple silicon completely changed the game for the Mac when it was first announced five years ago.
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There are hundreds of changes in iOS 26, some of which are huge updates and some of which are smaller. We've rounded up two lists, one featuring the best features ‌iOS 26‌ has to offer, and one that includes some of the smaller but still useful changes that are available.

Best iOS 26 Features

• Visual Intelligence - In ‌iOS 26‌, Visual Intelligence works with screenshots, so you can ask ChatGPT questions about what's on your screen, or search for items in screenshots on Google.


• Messages - The Messages app got a major update, and it supports custom backgrounds, polls, and typing indicators for group texts, and even Live Translation if you're chatting with someone that speaks a different language


• Phone - The Phone app has a feature that will screen your calls, asking callers for their name and reason for calling before they can speak to you. There's also Hold Assist that'll wait for a live agent for you, so you don't need to listen to annoying hold music.


• AutoMix - AutoMix in Apple Music is a new feature that can seamlessly transition from one song to another with time stretching and beat mixing. It's like a DJ in your pocket.


• Visited Places - In the Maps app, there's a new Visited Places feature that keeps track of where you've been. If you're on vacation and visit a great restaurant, but don't happen to remember what it was called, you can check in the Maps app so you can visit again.


• Games - There's an all-new Games app that houses all of your mobile games, and makes it easy to find new ones. It also includes Game Center functionality and features so you can challenge your friends.

Hidden iOS 26 Features

• Battery - There's a useful new battery feature that lets you know how long it will be until your phone is fully charged.


• Adaptive Power Mode - Adaptive Power Mode is a new option that can save battery when you're using more battery life on your phone. Maybe you're using Maps more, or taking a lot of photos. It'll let you know your battery usage is up, and will help you trim down features you don't need so that your battery lasts as long as it normally does.


• Alarm Snooze - When you set an alarm, you can now customize the snooze time. No more nine minute snoozes.


• Album artwork - When you play songs from ‌Apple Music‌, Spotify, and other services, album artwork is now full screen on the Lock Screen.


• Spatial Scenes - Spatial Scenes are a fun new Photos feature that takes your 2D images and adds a 3D feel to them.


• Apple Music Translation - When you're listening to a song in ‌Apple Music‌ and there are lyrics in another language, you can now see real-time translations.

Do you agree with our picks? Know of a hidden feature we didn't mention? Let us know in the comments below.
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Apple provided developers with the second beta of iOS 26, introducing the first changes and refinements to the new operating system since it debuted after the WWDC keynote. Because we're early in the beta testing process, there are quite a few tweaks to ‌iOS 26‌, which we've rounded up below.

Control Center

The background behind the Liquid Glass Control Center buttons has more blur, allowing for a more opaque look that makes everything easier to see than before.

Reduce Transparency

The Reduce Transparency option under Accessibility in the Settings app now cuts down on the Liquid Glass transparency even more.

Safari

In Safari, Apple changed the location of the new tab button in the tab management view. The "+" button for adding a new tab is now located in the bottom left as it is in iOS 18, rather than the upper left as it was in ‌iOS 26‌ beta 1.


With the Compact tab bar, there are also now both back and forward options.

App Store

In the App Store, Apple added an Accessibility section to product pages. Developers will need to provide details listing the accessibility features they support for this section in the ‌App Store‌ to be populated.

Wallet

‌iOS 26‌ beta 2 adds full support for the order tracking feature that Apple announced at WWDC. In the Wallet app, there is an option to let Siri to scan your Mail app to find all orders and emails from merchants, even if those orders weren't made with Apple Pay.

New Ringtone

There's a new "Alt 1" ringtone option for the Reflection ringtone. You can choose it as your ringtone by going to the Settings app, tapping on Sounds and Haptics, tapping on Ringtone, and then choosing Alt 1 under Reflection.

Radio Widget

There is a new Live Radio Apple Music widget.

Low Power Mode

Apple has improved the description for Low Power Mode, making it clearer what it does.

iPhone will temporarily reduce some background activities, processing speed, display refresh rate and brightness, and limit certain features such as 5G, iCloud syncing, mail fetch, and more.

Before now, the setting only mentioned reducing background activity like downloads and mail fetch.

Live Captions

For Live Captions, the Transcribe Calls option is now Save Call Transcripts, and the feature makes it clear that it will inform call participants with a sound before transcribing begins.

Passkeys

The Passkey sign-in window has a new design.

Lock Screen Widgets

Widgets on the Lock Screen can now be moved to the bottom of the display, and aren't limited to the top.

Wallpaper

The default wallpaper that's new in ‌iOS 26‌ now animates with the spatial scene functionality in the update.

Read More

For an overview of the features in ‌iOS 26‌, make sure to check out our iOS 26 roundup. We also have a roundup of iPadOS 26 features.
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iOS 26 beta 2 adds full support for the order tracking feature that Apple announced at WWDC. In the Wallet app, there is an option to let Siri scan your Mail app to find all orders and emails from merchants, even if those orders weren't made with Apple Pay.


The Wallet app previously had an order tracking feature, but it was only an option when an order was made using ‌Apple Pay‌.

Order tracking was partially working in the initial ‌iOS 26‌ beta, but the functionality was limited. The Wallet app is now able to scan your email and pull in all recent order emails with Apple Intelligence.

In the Wallet app, orders can be accessed by tapping on the "..." button and choosing the "Orders" option. Using on-device intelligence to scan the Mail app is opt-in.

‌iOS 26‌ is limited to developers right now, but a beta will be made available to public beta testers in July. The order tracking option will require an iPhone that supports ‌Apple Intelligence‌.
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The second beta of iOS 26 hints at the existence of an iPhone with a new display size, perhaps the iPhone 17 Air that's expected this fall.


Macworld found a version of the classic iOS clownfish wallpaper with a "420x912@3x" resolution, which translates to a 1260 x 2736 resolution. That does not match the resolution of any ‌iPhone‌ that's available now, but it is similar in size to what we're expecting for the ‌iPhone 17 Air‌.

Last year, Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo suggested Apple's new ultra slim iPhone 17 model would feature a 6.6-inch display with a resolution of approximately 1260 x 2740, which is close to what was found in the beta.

With the ‌iPhone 17‌ models set to come out in September with ‌iOS 26‌ pre-installed, it seems likely that the wallpaper is designed for the all-new device that Apple plans or release this year.

With a 6.6-inch display size, the ‌iPhone 17 Air‌ will be smaller than the iPhone 17 Pro Max and larger than the standard ‌iPhone 17‌. It will have a super thin chassis, which rumors suggest could measure in at around 5.5mm. Other rumored features include Apple's C1 modem and a single-lens rear camera.
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In iOS 26 beta 2, Apple updated the location of the new tab icon in Safari, fixing a frustrating change that was made in the first ‌iOS 26‌ beta.


The initial ‌iOS 26‌ release introduced three view options for the tab bar and it changed the look of the interface for managing all open tabs. The tab view significantly altered the placement of buttons, including the "+" button for a new tab.

Apple moved the button from the bottom of the Safari interface in iOS 18 to the top in ‌iOS 26‌, which led to people tapping the wrong buttons when trying to open a new tab. There was no logical reason for the "+" button to move to the top of the screen, and in ‌iOS 26‌ beta 2, Apple moved it back to the bottom of the app.

The Safari tab management interface in ‌iOS 26‌ beta 2 is now similar to the tab management interface in ‌iOS 18‌. The new tab option is on the left where it always was, and while "Done" is now a checkmark, it's still there on the right.

Apple kept the option to swipe between standard browsing, private browsing, and tab browsing, rather than tucking those away behind a hamburger menu. Options for managing tab groups, selecting tabs, and copying links remain in the top left.

‌iOS 26‌ beta 2 makes another small change to Safari, for those who opt to use the new "Compact" Safari tab view. With the Compact setting, if you tap on the back button, the button now splits into a forward and a back button for easier navigation. Before, there was no forward button option.

The top and bottom layouts have not changed, and have always had both the forward and back buttons.
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In macOS Tahoe Beta 2, Apple included a new option to add a background to the menu bar, making it possible to have a menu bar design that’s similar to the menu bar in macOS Sequoia.


As part of macOS Tahoe’s Liquid Glass design, Apple removed the background of the menu bar, so it blends into the wallpaper or background behind it. The icons of the menu bar are more free floating with the transparent look, though Apple does add a slight gradient to wallpapers to improve visibility.

The menu bar toggle is available in the System Settings app under the Menu Bar section. Turning it on clearly delineates the background from the menu bar for those that prefer the non-transparent aesthetic.

With the second beta of macOS Tahoe, Apple is making updates to address some of the issues that developers have raised. Apple also changed the color of the Finder icon to better match the traditional Finder colors.
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In the initial macOS Tahoe beta, Apple swapped the colors of the Finder icon, a longtime Mac classic. Rather than featuring blue on the left side of the face and light blue on the right side, the icon was primarily white and the right side of the face was blue.


The updated Finder look was a significant deviation from the design that Apple has used for Finder since 1996, and many Mac users were unhappy with the change. Apple had tweaked the Finder colors and design slightly over the years, but the first Tahoe beta marked the first significant change that we've seen because of the decision to put the darker color on the right.

Apple has now reverted the Finder icon to a more traditional color scheme, while keeping the Liquid Glass look. The left side of the face is blue, while the lighter side is a white/blue gradient that has a layered, glass-like appearance.


The icon isn't the same as the version in macOS Sequoia because it doesn't use an even color split, but it's much closer to the original design while still looking fresh.
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iOS 26 adds a new Recovery Assistant feature to all compatible iPhones, and it can help return the device to a working state, with no Mac or PC required.


Recovery Assistant was introduced in the first iOS 26 beta, but Apple only mentioned the feature in its release notes for the second iOS 26 beta today.

"Recovery Assistant is a new way to recover your device if it doesn't start up normally," says Apple. "It can look for problems and attempt to resolve them if found."

Apple says an iPhone running iOS 26 will boot into a Recovery mode if the device has "encountered an issue while starting."

Here is what Recovery mode says on the iPhone's screen: "This iPhone encountered an issue while starting. To aid in diagnosing and resolving it, it has booted into Recovery. Recovery will look for any problems and attempt to resolve them if found."

According to a Reddit post, Recovery Assistant can help you return an iPhone to a working state with help from another Apple device, such as an iPad. This process can be initiated through the menu in the top-right corner of the Recovery mode on the affected iPhone. On the other Apple device, you can follow the on-screen steps to download and install a newer iOS version on the iPhone that is in Recovery mode, to help revive it.

This seems to expand on a recovery feature that debuted on iPhone 16 models last year.
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The second beta of iOS 26 includes a new ringtone that's an alternative to the classic "Reflection" ringtone that Apple uses as a default on iPhones.


Apple didn't give the new ringtone a special name, and it's just listed as "Alt 1" as an option if you tap into Reflection. You can get to the ringtone in ‌iOS 26‌ by opening up Sounds and Haptics in the Settings app, tapping on Ringtone, and then tapping on Reflection.

The classic Reflection ringtone is still the default, so if you prefer the new sound, you'll need to set it manually. You can listen to the ringtone below.


We first found the ringtone in the ‌iOS 26‌ beta 1 code, but it wasn't enabled until now.
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With the second beta of iOS 26 that Apple provided to developers today, Apple addressed one of the major complaints that people have had with Liquid Glass.


The Control Center buttons are now slightly more opaque, making it easier to see the different control options even on a multicolored background. The new, more opaque look is apparent with the standard app icons and the glass icon style.

The Liquid Glass design refresh in ‌iOS 26‌ will be an adjustment, but small tweaks like the one Apple made to Control Center will make it easier for people to transition when the operating system launches this fall.
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Apple today provided developers with the second beta of macOS Tahoe 26 for testing purposes, with the update coming two weeks after the first beta was released following WWDC.


Registered developers can download the new beta software through the System Settings app.

macOS Tahoe features Apple's Liquid Glass redesign, which extends across all of the new updates this year. Apple also brought the Phone and Journal apps to the Mac for the first time, and introduced a new cross-platform Games app.

With the update, Apple overhauled how Spotlight works, enabling new functionality that allows it to be used to complete all kinds of actions like sending emails without having to open up an app. There are also changes to a number of apps, including Messages, Safari, and Notes.

All of the new features that are included in macOS Tahoe are outlined in our dedicated roundup.
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Apple today provided developers with the second betas of iOS 26 and iPadOS 26 for testing purposes, with the updates coming two weeks after Apple seeded the first betas following the WWDC keynote.


Registered developers can download the new beta software using the Software Update section of the Settings app.

‌iOS 26‌ and ‌iPadOS 26‌ feature Apple's new Liquid Glass design aesthetic, with a focus on translucency and glass-like interface elements. The new design extends to the Lock Screen, Home Screen, and Control Center, along with menus and buttons in apps.

Apple's new software includes new features for apps like Messages, Phone, Shortcuts, and Apple Music, along with new Apple Intelligence features, a revamp for CarPlay, and more. In ‌iPadOS 26‌, there's a whole new multitasking system that supports multiple app windows for a more Mac-like experience.

For more on the new features in ‌iOS 26‌, we have a dedicated iOS 26 roundup and a separate iPadOS 26 roundup.

While the ‌iOS 26‌ and ‌iPadOS 26‌ betas are limited to developers right now, Apple plans to release a public beta in July. The updates will launch in the fall.
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Apple today provided developers with the second betas of watchOS 26, tvOS 26, and visionOS 26 for testing purposes, with the betas coming two weeks after the first betas were released after the WWDC keynote.


The software updates can be downloaded through the Settings app on each device. A developer account is required.

‌watchOS 26‌ and tvOS 26 adopt new Liquid Glass design changes inspired by visionOS, much like iOS 26 and macOS 26. watchOS has a new AI-powered Workout Buddy for motivation and the Smart Stack incorporates more personal context for better suggestions. There's also a new Notes app and support for Live Translation.

tvOS 26 supports karaoke using an iPhone as a microphone, improvements for using AirPlay speakers with a TV, new Aerial screen savers, and support for quicker logins to apps at setup thanks to Apple Account syncing.

visionOS 26 adds support for spatial widgets that can be placed anywhere in the space around you, along with refinements to make personas more lifelike and support for shared spatial experiences between two Vision Pro users.

The betas are limited to developers right now, but ‌watchOS 26‌ and tvOS 26 will be available to public beta testers in July. The updates will launch in the fall.

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watchOS 26 is adding a new "Show Data When Locked" setting to the Apple Watch.


MacRumors contributor Steve Moser discovered the new setting within the code for the first watchOS 26 beta, and a Reddit user has seemingly found it in action, but we have yet to figure out where it is exactly. Leave a comment if you know.

The new privacy setting allows you to toggle on or off the ability to view data in the little "complications" that appear on select watch faces.

There is one exception: Apple says data from the Health app will never be visible in complications when an Apple Watch is locked, regardless of the toggle's position.

This is one of the many smaller but useful quality-of-life improvements in watchOS 26 that Apple did not announce during its WWDC 2025 keynote.

watchOS 26 will likely be released in September.
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Apple's Audio Sharing feature on iPhone and iPad lets you share your device's Bluetooth audio with a second pair of wireless headphones, allowing two of you to listen to the same music together while running, or enjoy a movie on a plane without disturbing those around you, for example. Keep reading to learn how it works.

Device Compatibility

To get started with Audio Sharing in iOS 18 or later, first make sure that the headphones and the iPhone/iPad that you plan to use are compatible with the feature.

According to Apple, Audio Sharing is supported by the following devices:

• iPhone models:
  
  
  
  • iPhone 8 or later
  
  
  • iPhone SE (2nd generation) or later
  
  
  
  


• iPad models:
  
  
  
  • iPad (5th generation or later)
  
  
  • iPad mini (5th generation or later)
  
  
  • iPad Air (3rd generation or later)
  
  
  • iPad Pro 10.5-inch
  
  
  • iPad Pro 11-inch (all generations)
  
  
  • iPad Pro 12.9-inch (2nd generation or later)
  
  
  
  

Next, you'll need one of the following compatible wireless headphones:

How to Use Audio Sharing on iPhone and iPad

Depending on the headphone model, there may be minor differences in the setup process of sharing audio, but they shouldn't diverge too much from the way of doing it with AirPods, which goes like this.

1. With your AirPods connected and in your ears, start playing audio on your iPhone or iPad.


2. If you have the Music app open and showing the media playback controls, tap your AirPods at the bottom of the screen. Alternatively, swipe down for Control Center, then in the audio playback controls panel, tap the icon in the top-right corner representing your connected AirPods.
   
3. Tap Share Audio... below the playback controls.
   
   
4. You should see a prompt on your device's screen offering to Share Audio. Now, bring your friend's AirPods, inside their case, close to your device, and flip the lid open.


5. When your friend's AirPods are detected, tap Share Audio.
   
   
6. Hold the button on the back of the AirPods charging case if requested.


7. When you've successfully connected, the iPhone or iPad hosting the audio controls the volume level on both pairs of headphones, but both people listening can also use any headphone controls they may have to change volume independently.
   

Pro Tip: If you have an Apple TV 4K running tvOS 14 and later, you can also Share Audio over two pairs of wireless headphones. You'll find similar options to those described above in the Apple TV Control Center.
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JetBlue today announced that it now supports the iPhone feature that makes it easier to share the location of AirTag-equipped baggage at airports.


iOS 18.2 added a new feature to 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 have put AirTags inside your bags, the airline can better help you find them in the event they are lost or delayed at the airport.

Here is how JetBlue explains the process:

Customers who place an Apple AirTag or Find My network accessory in their bag can now choose to securely share its location with JetBlue's Baggage Service team, helping the airline reunite customers with their belongings more quickly.

To share an item's location, customers can generate a Share Item Location link in the Find My app on their iPhone, iPad, or Mac. This link can be provided to JetBlue by scanning a QR code in the baggage claim area or by working with a crewmember at the airport's Baggage Service Office. JetBlue crewmembers will use the temporary link to help locate and retrieve bags found within JetBlue stations or other contracted facilities.

Other airlines that already offer the feature include American Airlines, Delta, United, Air Canada, Virgin Atlantic, Lufthansa, and more.


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.

Apple said it worked directly with airlines to put systems in place to "privately and securely" accept the "Share Item Location" links. Access to each link is "limited to a small number of people," and airport employees are required to "authenticate" to view the link by signing into their Apple Account or partner email address.


The item's location stops being shared "as soon as a user is reunited with their item," or automatically expires after seven days.
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Counterpoint Research VP Ross Young today cast doubt on the 20th-anniversary iPhone featuring a truly all-screen design, but he still expects Apple to make some progress towards that ambitious goal over the next few iPhone generations.


In a post on X today, Young reiterated that at least some new iPhones launching in 2026 will be equipped with under-screen Face ID. While he did not mention any specific models, he is very likely referring to the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max.

Despite the move to under-screen Face ID, Young said that the 2026 iPhone models will still have some visible Face ID elements, and for this reason he believes that the devices will still have a "notch" (aka the Dynamic Island), but he said that it will be "smaller" compared to the one on the iPhone 14 Pro through iPhone 16 models.

Young's information seems to conflict with a report last month from The Information's Wayne Ma that said the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max would have "only a small hole cutout in the top-left corner to accommodate the front-facing camera." This wording suggested that the devices might not have a Dynamic Island at all, but Young has implied that there will still be a smaller Dynamic Island, which would still be an improvement.

In his Power On newsletter over the weekend, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman also said that Apple would shrink the size of the Dynamic Island on at least some iPhone models launching next year, so there are now multiple sources who believe that iPhone 18 models will still have a smaller Dynamic Island rather than only a front camera hole.

Young said he is unsure if the front camera hole will nonetheless be moved to the top-left corner of the iPhone 18 screen, or if it will remain more centered.

Young does expect all Face ID elements to eventually be moved under the screen, but he now believes that change will not happen until 2028.
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Apple is rumored to be planning a redesigned iPhone model for release in 2027, to mark the 20th anniversary of the device's launch. However, a source with a proven track record has now cast doubt on the device featuring an all-screen design.


In his Power On newsletter last month, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said that Apple was planning a 20th-anniversary iPhone model "without any cutouts in the display." He later added that the device would have "extraordinarily slim bezels" around the screen, along with "curved glass sides around the entire phone, even at the edges."

In a post on X today, however, Counterpoint Research VP Ross Young revised his expectations for future iPhone displays. He now believes that the first iPhone with both under-screen Face ID and an under-screen front camera will be released all the way in 2030, suggesting that a truly all-screen iPhone remains a full five years away.

At one point, Young expected an iPhone with under-screen Face ID and an under-screen front camera to launch as early as 2027, so his current expectation of 2030 is disappointing news for Apple fans, if accurate. At the same time, it is not too shocking, as an all-screen iPhone is one of those rumors that seems to get pushed back over and over again.

Gurman and Young both have very good track records with Apple rumors, but their timelines for an all-screen iPhone now differ, so we will have to wait and see if Gurman responds. If we go by the latest word from Young, though, the 20th-anniversary iPhone might not be the ambitious, all-screen model that Apple fans have long dreamed of.

Gurman and Young have shared conflicting information in the past. In February 2024, Young was first to report that the rumored micro-LED Apple Watch Ultra was canceled. In a since-deleted post on X, Gurman responded by telling Young that he was looking forward to wearing his micro-LED Apple Watch in a few more years. A few weeks later, Gurman relented and reported that the micro-LED Apple Watch project had been canceled.
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Amazon today is taking up to $55 off Wi-Fi and cellular models of Apple's 11th generation iPad. Prices start at $299.00 for the 128GB Wi-Fi iPad, down from $349.00, a second-best price on this model.

Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with Amazon. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment, which helps us keep the site running.

Additionally, Amazon has the 512GB Wi-Fi iPad for $594.95 ($55 off) and the 128GB cellular iPad for $449.00, down from $499.00. Amazon is providing an estimated delivery of around June 28 for free shipping, while Prime members should be able to get the tablets a bit faster in most cases.





The 11th generation iPad is mainly a spec bump for the tablet line, now featuring the A16 chip and more storage, with the same design as the 10th generation iPad. The new ‌iPad‌ starts with 128GB of storage, and is also available in 256GB and a new 512GB configuration. The previous model was only available in 64GB and 256GB configurations.

If you're on the hunt for more discounts, be sure to visit our Apple Deals roundup where we recap the best Apple-related bargains of the past week.

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Apple is engaged in eleventh-hour negotiations with European Union regulators in an effort to delay or avoid a new wave of financial penalties stemming from noncompliance with the bloc's Digital Markets Act (DMA), the Financial Times reports.


The company is under pressure to make significant changes to its App Store policies in the European Union after being fined €500 million earlier this year for preventing developers from directing users to alternative purchasing options outside of Apple's in-app payment system. That practice, referred to by regulators as "anti-steering," is explicitly prohibited under the DMA, which came into effect for designated gatekeepers, including Apple, in March 2024.

People involved in the discussions told the Financial Times that Apple is preparing to offer new concessions ahead of a Thursday, June 26 deadline, after which the European Commission is empowered to impose escalating daily fines of up to 5% of Apple's average global turnover. Based on Apple's 2023 revenue of $383 billion, such fines could amount to more than $50 million per day.

Apple's expected concessions will primarily relate to its steering rules, which have previously required developers to use Apple's payment infrastructure and prohibited them from linking users to external purchasing platforms. The upcoming proposals may ease those restrictions.

Apple introduced a new framework for alternative app marketplaces in the EU in iOS 17.4, which went into effect in March. The update allows developers to distribute apps through third-party app stores and to use alternative payment methods within their own apps.

However, some major developers and the European Commission itself argue that the changes do not go far enough to satisfy the requirements of the DMA. In particular, attention has focused on the Core Technology Fee (CTF), a charge of €0.50 per annual install on apps distributed outside the ‌App Store‌ after the first one million downloads. Sources cited by the Financial Times said the Core Technology Fee has also been part of the recent discussions between Apple and the European Commission.

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With iPadOS 26, Apple is introducing a new Local Capture feature that lets users produce high-quality video and audio recordings right from their iPad while using any video conferencing app, and then easily share the audio and video files once the call is over.


Recently, Six Colors editor Jason Snell decided to put the new local audio and video capture feature in the iPadOS 26 beta through its paces, recording an entire podcast episode using nothing but iPads, and it's fair to say that he was very impressed with the results.

In iPadOS 18 and earlier versions, Apple makes remote podcasting on iPad basically impossible due to a privacy-protective limitation: the system only allows one app to access the microphone at a time. This means podcasters can't run a video call app like Zoom while simultaneously using a separate recording app to capture their own voice locally.

Apple's solution in iPadOS 26 sidesteps the multi-app microphone access issue entirely. Instead of allowing multiple apps to compete for audio access, the system now includes a built-in Local Capture feature accessible through Control Center. This records high-quality local audio and video whenever you're on a call, saving files directly to the Files app, ready for sharing.

The captured files contain lossless audio in FLAC format and video in HEVC, which ensures professional-grade quality. Snell noted the feature worked flawlessly even in the first developer beta, though he suggested Apple could add real-time audio level monitoring and gain adjustment controls before release. "Beyond that," says Snell, "this feature is a winner."

Let's see if Apple responds to his feedback. You can read his full appraisal over on Six Colors. iPadOS 26 remains in developer beta, with the public release expected in the fall.
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Next year's iPhone 18 will use TSMC's next-generation 2-nanometer fabrication process in combination with an advanced new packaging method, and the world's leading pure-play foundry has reportedly already established a dedicated production line for Apple in anticipation of mass production in 2026.


According to previous reports, Apple's A20 chip in iPhone 18 models will switch from the previous InFo (Integrated Fan-Out) packaging to WMCM (Wafer-Level Multi-Chip Module) packaging. Technically, the differences between the two packaging methods are quite striking.

InFo allows integration of components, including memory, within the package but focuses more on single-die packaging where memory is typically attached to the main SoC (such as DRAM placed on top or near the CPU and GPU cores). It's optimized for reducing the size and improving the performance of individual chips.

WMCM, on the other hand, excels at integrating multiple chips within the same package (hence the "Multi-Chip Module" part). This method allows more complex systems, such as CPUs, GPUs, DRAM, and other custom accelerators (e.g., AI/ML chips) to be tightly integrated in one package. It provides greater flexibility in arranging different types of chips, stacking them vertically or placing them side by side, while also optimizing communication between them.

TSMC plans to start manufacturing 2nm chips in late 2025, and Apple is expected to be the first company to receive chips built on the new process. TSMC generally builds new fabs when it needs to increase production capacity to handle significant orders for chips, and TSMC is expanding in a major way for 2nm technology.

To serve its major client Apple, TSMC has established a dedicated production line at its Chiayi P1 fab, where WMCM packaging monthly capacity is expected to reach 10,000 units by 2026, reports DigiTimes. According to Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, only "Pro" models in the iPhone 18 series are likely to use TSMC's next-generation 2nm processor technology because of cost concerns. Kuo also believes that the iPhone 18 Pro will feature 12GB of RAM as a result of the new packaging method.

Terms like "3nm" and "2nm" describe generations of chip manufacturing technology, each with its own set of design rules and architecture. As these numbers decrease, they generally indicate smaller transistor sizes. Smaller transistors allow more to be packed onto a single chip, typically resulting in increased processing speed and improved power efficiency.

Last year's iPhone 16 series is based on an A18 chip design built using a second-generation "N3E" 3nm process. Meanwhile, this year's upcoming iPhone 17 lineup is expected to use A19 chip technology that's likely built on an upgraded 3-nanometer process called "N3P." Compared to earlier versions of 3nm chips, the N3P chips offer increased performance efficiency and increased transistor density.
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Apple will unveil its new iPhone 17 lineup in a range of new colors later this year in the fall (that's autumn for non-US folks). Here are all the rumored colors so far for the iPhone 17, the all-new ultra-thin iPhone 17 Air, the ‌iPhone 17 Pro‌, and the larger ‌iPhone 17‌ Pro Max.

iPhone 17 Models

Last year, Apple chose soft, pastel-inspired finishes for its iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus models. They are available in ultramarine, teal, pink, white, and black. The yellow that the iPhone 15 comes in is notably missing, having been replaced by the darker blue hue of the ultramarine. Together, the iPhone 16 colors appear more saturated and vivid – pink and ultramarine especially show a bolder, more confident hue compared to the pastel washes of the iPhone 15.

Purple and Green

For the upcoming iPhone 17 models, so far we have only a single rumor, courtesy of the leaker known as Majin Bu, that Apple is testing new purple and green color options for the iPhone 17 base model. One caveat is that Bu said that only one of the two new colors might make the final cut, with purple apparently being the more likely choice.


Majin Bu has has a mixed track record with Apple rumors, so make of this rumor what you will. As for the iPhone 17 Air, which is expected to replace the Plus model in this year's lineup, we have yet to hear what colors Apple will choose to paint its all-new super-thin device.

iPhone 17 Pro Models

Apple has stuck with muted colors for its recent iPhone "Pro" models made from titanium. For the iPhone 16 Pro, Apple offered a new Desert Titanium color. The iPhone 16 Pro also comes in Natural Titanium, White Titanium, and Black Titanium.



This year, however, iPhone 17 Pro models are rumored to have an aluminum frame instead of titanium. The back of the devices will also reportedly have a new "part-aluminum, part-glass" design. This could potentially usher in all-new color choices for Apple's high-end iPhone 17 models. And so far, we have heard rumors of at least one.

Sky Blue

Apple will unveil the iPhone 17 Pro in a new Sky Blue color, the same color that debuted on the latest M4 MacBook Air models Apple released in March. That's also according to the leaker Majin Bu.


Writing on his website, Bu claims that "sources close to the supply chain confirm that several iPhone 17 Pro prototypes have been made in various colors, with Sky Blue currently the frontrunner." Bu goes on to say that it "looks even more stunning than the much-loved Sierra Blue of the iPhone 13 Pro, with a brightness and refinement that make it irresistible."

The Sky Blue finish on the MacBook Air is not very saturated, and the color's appearance can vary based on lighting conditions. Apple describes it as "a beautiful, metallic light blue that creates a dynamic gradient when light reflects off of its surface."



Majin Bu accurately revealed the "Desert Titanium" color name for iPhone 16 Pro models seven months before the devices launched, so there could be substance to the Sky Blue rumor.

And that's a summary of iPhone 17 color rumors that we've heard so far. Watch this space for more details as and when they become available ahead of the iPhone 17 lineup's expected release around mid-September.
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Apple's February launch of the iPhone 16e, which replaced the iPhone SE line, marked a strategic shift in the company's flagship smartphone lineup. Starting at $599, the iPhone 16e offers a 6.1-inch OLED display, Face ID, an A18 chip, and a USB-C port, positioning it as a more affordable alternative within the iPhone 16 family. Does that mean we should expect an iPhone 17e to be added to the upcoming iPhone 17 series?


Apple's iPhone 17 lineup is expected to feature four models: iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Pro, iPhone 17 Pro Max, and a new ultra-thin iPhone 17 Air that replaces the existing Plus model. The iPhone 17 Air is rumored to have a significantly thinner design with an aluminum chassis and a 6.6-inch display, aiming to offer a balance between portability and performance.

Given this lineup, it's natural to question whether Apple will continue the "e" series with an iPhone 17e, since the introduction of the iPhone 17 Air could potentially represent Apple's approach to providing a mid-tier option, replacing the need for an "e" variant. However, Apple is likely to market the new ultra-thin Plus-replacing device as a desirable premium option despite its single camera and lack of other features, so we do not expect it to sell for less than $899, which is the current price for the iPhone 16 Plus. At $899, the iPhone 17 Air would be more expensive than the iPhone 17, but less expensive than the iPhone 17 Pro.

A stronger possibility is that Apple releases an iPhone 17e next year around the same February window, using the model's launch as a way to reinvigorate its flagship lineup mid-cycle. Apple could choose to do this each year. It's a more exciting strategy than simply offering new iPhone colors in the spring, which Apple has done in the past.

Indeed, one rumor in April suggested Apple's next-generation iPhone 17e was already nearing the trial production stage, though the leaker behind the claim suggested a May 2026 release for the device rather than February. In addition, respected industry analyst Ming-Chi Kuo ha since predicted that Apple will launch a second-generation iPhone 17e in the first half of next year. And it is not expected to be the last of its kind.

Looking further ahead, Kuo says a third-generation "e" device will reportedly be released alongside the standard iPhone 18 in the first half of 2027. That's because Apple is now said to be launching the standard iPhone 18 and iPhone 18e in the spring – a full six months after the iPhone 18 Pro models – as part of its switch to a split iPhone yearly launch strategy.

If the claims turned out to be inaccurate, Apple could always opt to release "e" series iPhone models based on a non-linear roadmap, similar to the iPhone SE. The first-generation iPhone SE was released on March 2016, while the second-generation model arrived in April 2020, and the third-generation iPhone SE came in March 2022.

As Apple continues to evolve its iPhone strategy, the success of the iPhone 16e in the coming months may ultimately determine whether we'll see future "e" variants alongside the main iPhone lineup. In that sense, iPhone 16e sales figures and user feedback may be the best gauge as to where Apple might head next. And early reports suggest the device is doing well: recent data from Consumer Intelligence Research Partners (CIRP) suggests Apple's iPhone 16e is off to a strong start, capturing 7% of U.S. iPhone sales in its first partial quarter of availability.
This article, "Will Apple Release an iPhone 17e? Here's What We Know" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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As noted in a Reddit thread earlier this month, iPadOS 26 expands Stage Manager to all iPad models compatible with the software update.


On iPadOS 18, Stage Manager is limited to the following iPad models:

• 13-inch iPad Pro (M4 chip)


• 12.9-inch iPad Pro (3rd generation and later)


• 11-inch iPad Pro (1st generation and later)


• iPad Air (5th generation and later)

On iPadOS 26, Stage Manager is available on the following iPad models:

• 13-inch iPad Pro (M4 chip)


• 12.9-inch iPad Pro (3rd generation and later)


• 11-inch iPad Pro (1st generation and later)


• iPad Air (3rd generation and later)


• iPad mini (5th generation and later)


• iPad (8th generation and later)

iPadOS 26 introduced an all-new app windowing system on all iPad models compatible with the software update, allowing users to freely resize and rearrange multiple windows in a single space, like on a Mac. Stage Manager remains available as an option for users who prefer it, though, and now it is available on a wider range of iPad models.

Stage Manager lets you arrange multiple app windows in groups, across multiple spaces, providing a more organized and focused multitasking experience. On iPadOS 26, you can switch to Stage Manager mode via the Settings app. When using Stage Manager mode, apps still benefit from the new windowing features, including "traffic light" controls.


Apple introduced Stage Manager with iPadOS 16. The feature was initially limited to iPad models with an M1 chip and newer, but Apple expanded it to iPad Pro models with an A12X or A12Z chip with iPadOS 16.1, in response to customer feedback. However, the ability to use Stage Manager on an iPad connected to an external display is limited to models with an M1 chip or newer, and that remains the case even on iPadOS 26.

Apple previously said that Stage Manager was limited to higher-end iPad models due to performance considerations. The company said that it tested Stage Manager on some older iPad models and felt that the experience did not meet the company's high quality standards. Evidently, Apple has now changed its mind.

iPadOS 26 is currently in beta. The update will likely be released in September.
This article, "iPadOS 26 Expands Stage Manager to These iPad Models" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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Apple has long been working towards an iPhone with an all-screen design, and it might finally achieve the feat in a few more years from now.


In his Power On newsletter today, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said that Apple will shrink the size of the Dynamic Island on new iPhone models released next year. A year after that, he expects Apple to release a redesigned 20th-anniversary iPhone model.

Gurman has previously said that the 20th-anniversary iPhone will feature curved glass edges, extraordinarily slim bezels, and a truly edge-to-edge screen with no cutout. It would be the first iPhone model with a truly seamless, all-screen design.

Last month, The Information's Wayne Ma reported that next year's iPhone 18 Pro models would feature under-screen Face ID. He said that the devices would have only a small hole in the top-left corner of the screen, to accommodate the front camera. He also said that the devices would no longer have a pill-shaped cutout at the top of the screen, so we are unsure what to make of Gurman saying there will still be a smaller Dynamic Island next year.

In any case, it sounds like the first all-screen iPhone model with both under-screen Face ID and an under-screen front camera will be released in 2027.

The transition to an all-screen design has been gradual. With the iPhone X in 2017, Apple moved from Touch ID and thick bezels to Face ID and a notch. With the iPhone 14 Pro in 2022, Apple moved from a notch to the Dynamic Island.

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This article, "iPhone Reportedly Moving to All-Screen Design in Two Stages" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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Amazon has the AirPods Pro 2 for $169.00 this week, down from $249.00. Free delivery options provide an estimated delivery date of around June 27, while Prime members should get the headphones sooner in most cases.

Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with Amazon. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment, which helps us keep the site running.

Compared to past sales, this is a match of the best price we've tracked so far in 2025 and it's an overall solid second-best price on the AirPods Pro 2. Amazon also has the AirPods 4 available for $99.00 during this sale, an all-time low price.





If you're on the hunt for more discounts, be sure to visit our Apple Deals roundup where we recap the best Apple-related bargains of the past week.

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This article, "Amazon Has AirPods Pro 2 at $169 and AirPods 4 at $99 This Week" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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Apple's upcoming iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max models are rumored to be equipped with a vapor chamber cooling system, and a leaker known as Majin Bu today shared a photo of an alleged copper thermal plate for the system.


Many high-end Android smartphones like Samsung's Galaxy S25 Ultra are equipped with a vapor chamber cooling system, which can manage heat dissipation inside the devices more effectively than the graphite sheets used in iPhones. If this rumor is true, the iPhone 17 Pro models would be the first iPhone models to use a vapor chamber.

A vapor chamber would help to prevent the iPhone 17 Pro models from overheating during intensive, sustained tasks like gaming. It would consist of a thin, sealed metal chamber containing a small amount of liquid. When the iPhone heats up, the liquid would turn to vapor and dissipate across the chamber's surface area. Eventually, the vapor would cool down and condense, allowing for the process to repeat. This system would help to move heat away from the A19 Pro chip that is expected to power the iPhone 17 Pro models.


Majin Bu has a mixed track record with Apple rumors. Most recently, they accurately leaked that iPadOS 26 would add a Mac-like menu bar to the iPad, but they incorrectly claimed that iOS 26 would add Stage Manager to iPhone models with a USB-C port.

We cannot confirm if this component is actually related to the iPhone 17 Pro models, which are expected to be unveiled by Apple in September.

Related Reading: iPhone 17 Pro Launching in Three Months With These 12 New Features
This article, "iPhone 17 Pro's Alleged Vapor Chamber Cooling System Partly Revealed" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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All five iPhone 16 models offer an Audio Mix feature in the Photos app that lets you edit the sound of a video after it is recorded. For example, you can reduce the background noise in a video, so that the person speaking on camera sounds more clear.


Starting with iOS 26, Apple is allowing third-party apps to offer the same Audio Mix controls as the Photos app does on the iPhone 16 and newer.

Audio Mix, powered by machine learning, offers four primary options:

• Standard: Play the original audio you recorded.


• In-Frame: Reduce sounds and voices from sources not visible in the video frame.


• Studio: Reduce background sounds and reverb, to make it sound more like you are recording in a professional studio.


• Cinematic: Put all the voices onto a front-facing track and leave environmental noises in surround, like the audio in movies.

iOS 26 introduces some additional Audio Mix options for background noise.

In order to use Audio Mix, the video must have been recorded with Spatial Audio. On all iPhone 16 models, Spatial Audio is automatically turned on when you record video. To adjust this setting, open the Settings app and tap on Camera → Record Sound.

Apple is also allowing third-party Mac apps to offer Audio Mix controls starting with macOS Tahoe.

On a related note to Spatial Audio, Apple says that audio-only apps like Voice Memos now have the option to save audio in the QuickTime audio format QTA.

"Similar to QuickTime movies or MPEG files, the QTA format supports multiple audio tracks with alternate track groups, just like how Spatial Audio files are composed," said Apple, in a WWDC 2025 session explaining these Audio Mix and Spatial Audio changes.
This article, "iOS 26 to Enable iPhone 16's Audio Mix Feature Beyond the Photos App" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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Apple is making Cinematic mode video capture available beyond its Camera app on the iPhone.


In a WWDC 2025 session earlier this month, Apple introduced a new API that allows developers of third-party camera apps like Kino and Filmic Pro to offer Cinematic mode video recording capabilities in their apps, if they choose to implement it.

Apple introduced Cinematic mode on iOS 15, and it is available on all iPhone 13 models and newer. Inspired by Hollywood films, the mode allows users to record video with a shallow depth of field and automatic focus changes between subjects.

Cinematic mode uses a technique called "rack focus" to seamlessly shift the focus from one subject to another. It does this by locking the focus on the subject in a scene and blurring the background to achieve depth of field. If you subsequently move the camera to center on a new subject, or a new subject enters the scene, Cinematic mode automatically switches the focal point to this new subject and blurs out the background.

Since iOS 17, Apple has allowed Cinematic mode video playback and editing in third-party apps, but the videos had to be recorded in the Camera app first. Now, camera apps on the App Store can offer an all-in-one Cinematic mode recording and editing experience, if they wish to. Watch the session below for more details.


This article, "iOS 26 Allows Cinematic Mode Video Recording in Third-Party Apps" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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While the dust is beginning to settle on the first iOS 26 beta, we continue to take a closer look at new features coming with the update.


Below, we recap five smaller changes that you might have missed.

Emoji Game

Apple News+ subscribers in the U.S. and Canada can play a new Emoji Game, which tasks players with completing words and phrases with emoji.

This is the fifth game that is available with an Apple News+ subscription. The others are Crossword, Crossword Mini, Quartiles, and Sudoku.

Weather via Satellite

iOS 26 will offer Weather via satellite, allowing you to view up-to-date weather forecast information while outside of Wi-Fi or cellular range.

This feature is referenced within the code for the first iOS 26 beta, according to MacRumors contributor Aaron Perris, but it is not live yet.

Look for this feature to be enabled in a later iOS 26 beta version.

Custom Ringtones

iOS 26 allows you to set custom ringtones on the iPhone without using the GarageBand app.

To set a custom ringtone on iOS 26, open the Files app and tap on an MP3 or M4A audio file that is less than 30 seconds long. Next, tap on the share button in the bottom-right corner of the screen, tap on More, and tap on Use as Ringtone. Then, that audio file will be listed as a ringtone option in the Settings app under Sounds & Haptics → Ringtone.

Apple continues to sell 30-second song ringtones for $1.29 each through the iTunes Store app.

Digital Passport

iOS 26 lets you create a digital version of your U.S. passport on your iPhone.

After creating a Digital ID in the Apple Wallet app, based on your U.S. passport, you can present it in person at select TSA checkpoints for identity verification purposes during domestic travel. However, Apple says it is not a replacement for a physical passport, and it cannot be used for international travel and border crossing purposes.

Apple says the Digital ID feature is secure, private, and compliant with REAL ID.

The passport-based Digital ID can also be used for age and identity verification in apps, online, and in stores, according to Apple.

'Select' in Messages

A new "Select" option in the Messages app on iOS 26 lets you select and copy a portion of text within a message bubble in a conversation.

On earlier iOS versions, you can only copy an entire message bubble.
This article, "iOS 26 Includes These Five Smaller Features You Might Have Missed" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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Last week, we reported that iOS 26 introduces an opt-in Adaptive Power Mode on the iPhone, alongside the existing Low Power Mode.


Apple says that Adaptive Power Mode can make "small performance adjustments" when necessary to extend an iPhone's battery life, including slightly lowering the display brightness or allowing some activities to "take a little longer."

The full description of Adaptive Power Mode, from the first iOS 26 beta:

When your battery usage is higher than usual, iPhone can make small performance adjustments to extend your battery life, including slightly lowering the display brightness or allowing some activities to take a little longer. Low Power Mode may turn on at 20%.

iOS 26 is compatible with the iPhone 11 series and newer, but unfortunately Adaptive Power Mode is only available on the iPhone 15 Pro models and newer. This is because the AI-powered feature requires an iPhone that supports Apple Intelligence.


We have confirmed that Adaptive Power Mode is not available on the iPhone 14 Pro and below.

The feature is available on the following iPhone models:

• iPhone 15 Pro


• iPhone 15 Pro Max


• iPhone 16e


• iPhone 16


• iPhone 16 Plus


• iPhone 16 Pro


• iPhone 16 Pro Max

Adaptive Power Mode could end up being especially beneficial on the rumored iPhone 17 Air, which is expected to have an ultra-thin design that will limit the size of the device's battery. Still, Apple reportedly plans to release an iPhone 17 Air battery case.

Adaptive Power Mode is turned off by default. The option can be turned on continuously in the Settings app under Battery → Power Mode.

iOS 26 is currently in beta. The update will likely be released in September.
This article, "iOS 26's New Battery Life Mode Available Only on These iPhone Models" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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Apple has marked as private its day-old The Parent Presentation video on YouTube, meaning that it is no longer available to watch.


Apple has also moved The Parent Presentation to the bottom of its College Students page, effectively burying it. When we reported on the marketing campaign yesterday, the presentation was prominently featured at the top of the page.

It is unclear why Apple is suddenly hiding the ad, or if it will return. Apple did not immediately respond to our request for comment.

On social media, some people said that the ad was cringe or gross, so perhaps Apple pulled the video due to overly negative reception. To be clear, this is merely speculation, and there were others who found humor in the video.

Teenagers can be a tough crowd to impress.

It would not be the first time that Apple pulled ads from YouTube that did not go over well, or became the subject of a class action lawsuit.


The Parent Presentation is a customizable slideshow that explains why a Mac is a useful tool in college. The presentation is available to download for free in PowerPoint, Keynote, and Google Slides formats. Students can customize the presentation slides, and then show it to their parents to convince them to buy them a Mac.

In an accompanying YouTube video shared by Apple, comedian Martin Herlihy showed a group of high school students how to effectively use The Parent Presentation.

It is that video that is now hidden.
This article, "Apple Pulls 'Convince Your Parents to Get You a Mac' Ad From YouTube" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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iOS 26 is gaining two new Wi-Fi features, including Captive Assist and Wi-Fi Aware.


MacRumors contributor Aaron Perris discovered a reference to Captive Assist within the code for the first iOS 26 developer beta, but Apple has yet to enable the feature. It should be available by the time the software update is released later this year.

In his Power On newsletter last month, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said that Apple was working on a feature that would sync captive Wi-Fi network sign-in information across the iPhone, iPad, and Mac. This means that if you are asked to fill out a web form on one Apple device before connecting to a public Wi-Fi network at a hotel, airport, or coffee shop, that information would automatically be shared with your other Apple devices.

Ultimately, this Captive Assist feature will make connecting to public Wi-Fi networks more convenient across iOS 26, iPadOS 26, and macOS Tahoe.

Next, iOS 26 and iPadOS 26 add support for Wi-Fi Aware, which is essentially the industry-standard equivalent of the Apple Wireless Direct Link technology behind AirDrop and AirPlay. Apple is making a Wi-Fi Aware framework available to developers, allowing for App Store apps to offer peer-to-peer connections between Wi-Fi devices, without an internet connection or access point. Wi-Fi Aware will allow for third-party apps to offer new built-in features for high-speed file transfers, media streaming, screen sharing, and more.


Apple was required to support Wi-Fi Aware on the iPhone and iPad in the EU, under the terms of the Digital Markets Act. In fact, the European Commission specifically stated that iOS and iPadOS must allow for AirDrop and AirPlay alternatives by the end of next year. As noted by 9to5Mac, the Wi-Fi Aware framework seems to satisfy those requirements. Apple has actually gone a step further by making the Wi-Fi Aware framework available worldwide.

Apple says the following devices support the Wi-Fi Aware framework:

• iPhone 12 and later


• iPad (10th generation) and later


• iPad mini (6th generation) and later


• iPad Air (4th generation) and later


• iPad Pro 11-inch (3rd generation) and later


• iPad Pro 12.9-inch (5th generation) and later

This article, "iOS 26 Adding Two New Wi-Fi Features, Allows AirDrop and AirPlay Alternatives" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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With WWDC 2025 now firmly in the rear-view mirror, we've had a bit more time to digest all of Apple's announcements, dig deeper into the developer sessions and betas, and hear from Apple executives about this year's updates.


The Liquid Glass redesign is present pretty much across Apple's operating systems, but there are a lot more changes in store for the platforms as iPadOS has gotten more Mac-like, iOS has gotten new customizability options and features, and macOS Tahoe introduces some welcome changes, so read on below for all the details!

Apple Explains Why iPads Don't Just Run macOS

iPadOS 26 goes a long way toward satisfying power-users' requests for an operating system that matches the capabilities of the hardware, delivering a new windowing system, a menu bar, new apps, and more, so the question is naturally being asked about why Apple doesn't simply allow the iPad to run macOS at this point.


In an interview this week, Apple software engineering chief Craig Federighi said that iPadOS 26's new Mac-like features strike a good balance between productivity and simplicity. He added that macOS is not optimized for touch-screens, although rumors suggest that might change one day.

Apple Watch Ultra 3 Finally Coming After Two-Year Hiatus

Apple will finally deliver the Apple Watch Ultra 3 sometime this year, according to analyst Jeff Pu of GF Securities Hong Kong.


The analyst expects both the Apple Watch Series 11 and Apple Watch Ultra 3 to arrive this year (likely alongside the new iPhone 17 lineup, if previous launches are anything to go by), according to his latest product roadmap shared with investors.

It's been a long wait for Ultra fans. Apple skipped updating the rugged smartwatch entirely in 2024, choosing instead to simply add a black titanium color option to the existing Apple Watch Ultra 2. That means it will have been nearly two years when September rolls around since we've seen any meaningful changes to the Ultra lineup.

Apple's Terminal App Gets Colorful Redesign in macOS Tahoe

Apple's Terminal app is getting a visual refresh in macOS Tahoe, and it's the first notable design update since the command-line tool debuted.


The updated Terminal will support 24-bit color and Powerline fonts, according to Apple's Platforms State of the Union presentation at WWDC 2025. The app will also adopt the new Liquid Glass aesthetic with redesigned themes that align with macOS 26's broader visual overhaul.

iOS 26: Five Changes Coming to Your iPhone Lock Screen

With iOS 26, Apple has made some additions to the iPhone Lock Screen that aim to make it more customizable than ever.


Of course, things can always change before the software makes its way to the general iPhone-owning public, but as of the current developer beta there are some nice enhancements including an optional dynamically resizing time, a Spatial Scenes feature to turn your 2D photos into 3D wallpapers, animated album art while playing music, and more.

CarPlay on iOS 26: Here's Everything New

Apple last week announced iOS 26, and the upcoming software update includes many new features and changes for CarPlay.


The Liquid Glass redesign that spans Apple's new operating systems extends to CarPlay, while Messages on CarPlay gains support for pinned conversations and the ability to react with Tapbacks from the car's display. A new compact view means incoming phone calls will no longer take over the entire screen and hide other important information such as turn-by-directions, while widgets and Live Activities will expand the functionality available through CarPlay.

Google Says iOS 26 Copies Three Android Features

In the latest installment of its #BestPhonesForever series of ads promoting its Pixel phones, Google has poked fun at Apple for introducing several new phone features in iOS 26 that have existed on Pixel phones for years.


Live Translation, Call Screening, and Hold Assist were all featured in Apple's WWDC keynote, but nearly identical features are nothing new for Pixel users.

MacRumors Newsletter

Each week, we publish an email newsletter like this highlighting the top Apple stories, making it a great way to get a bite-sized recap of the week hitting all of the major topics we've covered and tying together related stories for a big-picture view.

So if you want to have top stories like the above recap delivered to your email inbox each week, subscribe to our newsletter!
This article, "Top Stories: Why iPads Don't Run macOS, iOS 26 and macOS Tahoe Changes, and More" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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Apple executives have been discussing the possibility of the company making a bid to acquire Perplexity AI, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. Perplexity is one of the leading AI startups that has proven popular as an AI-infused web search engine.


Mergers and acquisitions chief Adrian Perica, services head Eddy Cue, and other executives overseeing Apple's AI efforts have been participating in the discussions, which Gurman says "are at an early stage and may not lead to an offer." Apple declined to comment, while Perplexity said that it has "no knowledge of any current or future M&A discussions involving Perplexity."

Whether or not Apple makes a bid for Perplexity may hinge on the outcome of the ongoing Google antitrust trial, as Apple's deal with the search engine giant to make Google the default search engine on Apple devices and which brings Apple roughly $20 billion per year could be nullified as part of a ruling against Google.

Perplexity's most recent funding round valued the company at $14 billion, so an outright acquisition by Apple would undoubtedly be by far the largest deal in the Cupertino company's history, topping its $3 billion purchase of Beats over a decade ago.

As an alternative to an acquisition, Apple could instead choose to partner with Perplexity to add its AI search capabilities to Safari and Siri, and the two companies have met multiple times in recent months to discuss Perplexity's technology. Perplexity is, however, said to be close to a far-reaching deal with Samsung to bringing its AI features to the phones of Apple's biggest rival, a move that could complicate any potential deal with Apple.
This article, "Apple Internally Discussing Whether to Bid to Acquire Perplexity AI" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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