Apple updated many of its built-in apps in iOS 26, and Safari is one of the apps that has several notable changes. There's a new look, an updated layout, and a new feature set.


This guide features all of the changes you can expect to see in Safari when ‌iOS 26‌ launches to the public this fall.

Liquid Glass Design

Safari adopts the same Liquid Glass design as the rest of Apple's apps, and you'll primarily see it in the address bar, tab view, and buttons.


The buttons and tab bar have the Liquid Glass translucent look, and more of the background of each website is visible beneath them. The tab bar is more compact and it takes up less space, and everything is rounder.

When you scroll down, the tab bar collapses down and you just see a small bar with the website URL, so the entire focus is on the website content. Scrolling back up returns the tab bar to its full size.

Updated Layout

There is a new compact design option in ‌iOS 26‌, but Apple left the option to use the previous Top and Bottom tab view layouts if you prefer those. Layout options are available in the Safari section of the Settings app.


Compact tucks away the share, bookmark, and tab options behind the three-dot button on the left of the tab bar. It's a cleaner look, but it may be frustrating if you often need to access features like the tab menu. There is a back arrow, which splits into forward and back arrow options when you're navigating through content. Settings like Translate and Reader mode are still available by tapping on the small icon next to the URL.


The Top and Bottom views offer the same setup that's available in iOS 18, but with a new Liquid Glass look. Both bars are slimmed down, and no longer take up the full width of the display.


Tab management has been overhauled with the same design changes. The "+" button to open a new tab is still located on the left, and there's now a blue checkmark when you're done interacting with tabs. In the center of the tab view, there's a slider bar that shows your current number of open tabs in the tab group that you're in.


Swiping from left to right allows you to quickly swap between your tab groups. Changing profiles can be done with a dropdown menu at the top of the display, and other tab management tools are available by tapping on the "···" icon.

Web Apps

When you add a website to your Home Screen in ‌iOS 26‌, it will always open as a web app. Web apps have been supported on the ‌Home Screen‌ in earlier versions of iOS, but web developers needed to configure them to operate as web apps.


If websites weren't configured properly, they would open in Safari when added to the ‌Home Screen‌. Now a website will open as a dedicated web app, even if it hasn't been explicitly set up to work that way.

There is an Open as Web App option that can be toggled off when adding a website to a ‌Home Screen‌ if you prefer that websites open up in Safari.

Tracking Prevention

Advanced fingerprinting protection now extends to all browsing by default, rather than only being turned on by default for private web browsing. Apple's fingerprinting protection features are meant to keep websites from tracking your device usage across websites.

HDR Images

‌iOS 26‌ adds HDR image support to Safari. HDR images have a wider dynamic range for brighter whites and deeper blacks, along with improved color gamut. P3 HDR images will now appear as intended in Safari on iPhones with XDR displays.

SVG Icons

Safari supports the SVG file format for icons wherever icons appear in the interface, including the start page, web apps, Safari tabs, menus, and more.

SVGs are superior to PNGs because they can be scaled up without a loss of quality, and in Safari, icons often need to appear at multiple different sizes.

WebGPU

Safari in ‌iOS 26‌ includes WebGPU, a feature that Apple has been testing in Safari Technology Preview. WebGPU is similar to WebGL, but it maps more directly to Metal and the underlying iPhone hardware. WebGPU isn't a user facing feature that you'll be able to use directly, but there will be benefits from it.

Web-based games will be able to achieve higher frame rates and better effects with lower CPU load, plus photo editors, 3D modeling sites, CAD viewers, and websites that do on-device ML should run faster while using less battery. WebGPU requires an iPhone 15 Pro or later.

Digital Credentials API

Apple added support for the W3C Digital Credentials API to Safari, which means a website is able to request identity documents like a driver's license from Apple Wallet for private and secure identity and age verification.


The Verify with Wallet on the Web feature in ‌iOS 26‌ uses the Digital Credentials API and takes advantage of biometric authentication. Websites can ask customers for information like date of birth without receiving unnecessary extra data, and customers can approve the data sharing with Face ID or Touch ID.

The first websites that will support the Verify with Wallet on the Web feature include Chime, Turo, Uber Eats, and U.S. Bank.

Privacy Improvements

The ‌iOS 26‌ version of Safari prevents known fingerprinting scripts from accessing web APIs that can reveal device characteristics like screen dimensions, cutting down on the ways that advertisers can track you across websites. These scripts are also blocked from setting long-lived storage like cookies, and from reading query parameters that could be used for navigational tracking.

Reporting Website Compatibility Issues

A new feature lets you report an issue if you're having trouble with a webpage. In the Page menu, Apple is adding a "Report a Website Issue" option that lets you share information with Apple to improve Safari.

Release Timing

‌iOS 26‌ is available to developers right now, and Apple plans to release a public beta in July. After a few months of testing, ‌iOS 26‌ will launch alongside new iPhones in September.

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, "Safari in iOS 26: Everything New From Design to Privacy" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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Popular accessory maker Anker this month launched two separate recalls for its power banks, some of which may be a fire risk.


The first recall affects Anker PowerCore 10000 Power Banks sold between June 1, 2016 and December 31, 2022 in the United States. Anker says that these power banks have a "potential issue" with the battery inside, which can lead to overheating, melting of plastic components, smoke, and fire hazards.

Affected power banks should have the A1263 model number on the bottom of the device, but Anker has a website for checking the serial number. Anker is offering customers who have a faulty PowerCore 10000 a $30 gift card for the Anker website or a free 10K Anker Power Bank replacement. More information is available on the recall page.

Anker's second recall, which is worldwide, is for the following devices:

• Anker Power Bank (10K, 22.5W) -- Model A1257


• Anker Power Bank (20,000mAh, 22.5W, Built-In USB-C Cable) -- Model A1647


• Anker MagGo Power Bank (10,000mAh, 7.5W) -- Model A1652


• Anker Zolo Power Bank (20K, 30W, Built-In USB-C and Lightning Cable) -- Model A1681


• Anker Zolo Power Bank (20K, 30W, Built-In USB-C Cable) -- Model A1689

Anker says that it is launching a global voluntary recall because it discovered a potential defect with batteries sourced from one of its vendors. Anker says that the "likelihood of malfunction is considered minimal," but it is recalling the devices "out of an abundance of caution."

There isn't a lot of information about the problem in the announcement on Anker's U.S. website, but Anker's Chinese site says that the battery cells could contain impurities or foreign particles, leading to short circuits, overheating, smoke, and fire.

Some of the battery cells may have metal particles that can lead to short circuits, while others are not properly insulated. Some units were also exposed to extreme heat or mechanical shock during manufacturing, increasing risk.

Customers who may have an impacted Anker power bank can check the serial number or submit proof of purchase through the online recall form.

Anker is not offering refunds in the United States, but affected users can get a free replacement product or a gift card to use on the Anker website. Anker customers who purchased a device in China are eligible for a full refund, an upgrade exchange, or a gift card for the original purchase price plus 50 yuan.

On its Chinese site, Anker says that it is working with its suppliers to set up new oversight and testing protocols to prevent future issues.

For all power banks that are part of the recalls, Anker suggests that customers dispose of them at municipal household hazardous waste facilities.
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Apple hasn't refreshed the AirTags since their 2021 launch, despite the fact that they've become one of the most popular item tracking products. That's going to change in 2025, and we are expecting the AirTags 2 in the coming months.


Bloomberg's Mark Gurman initially said that the next-generation AirTags would launch in the middle of the year (which is now), but we might have a longer wait. Recent information from 9to5Mac suggests that Apple will debut AirTags 2 in September at its iPhone launch event.

If Apple were going to launch new AirTags in the middle of the year, we probably would have seen them introduced at WWDC in June. That didn't happen, so September is the next likely target date. Gurman did say just ahead of WWDC that the updated AirTags are "nearly ready" to launch, and there is a possibility that AirTags 2 will be announced via press release rather than at an event, so it's still unclear whether Gurman or 9to5Mac is correct.

Rumors agree that new AirTags are not far off, so expect to see them at some point between July and September. If you're planning to buy an AirTag, it's probably worth holding off to see what Apple has in store.

There are no rumors of an updated design, so the ‌AirTag‌ 2 might look a lot like the original ‌AirTag‌. We're not expecting a rechargeable battery either, which is a bit of a disappointment.

The ‌AirTag‌ 2 is expected to include a second-generation UWB chip that improves tracking range. With the new technology, you will be able to track an ‌AirTag‌ with Precision Finding from up to 3x further away. The UWB 2 chip in the ‌iPhone‌ has a range of approximately 200 feet, and the ‌AirTag‌ 2 could match that.

Apple is planning to make the speaker in the ‌AirTag‌ 2 harder to remove, which will prevent people from pulling out the speaker and using the device for stalking purposes. Along those same anti-stalking lines, Apple plans to make the speaker louder than before too.

Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has suggested Apple will integrate the next-generation AirTags with the Vision Pro for improved spatial computing, but it's not quite clear what role AirTags would play.

Pricing is not expected to change if there aren't going to be notable new features, and battery life is also likely to remain the same if Apple is sticking to the CR2032 batteries.

What new features would you like to see in the ‌AirTag‌ 2? Let us know in the comments below.
This article, "When Are AirTags 2 Launching? New Features and Launch Timeline" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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Apple hasn't updated the AirPods Pro since 2022, and the earbuds are due for a refresh. We're counting on a new model this year, and we've seen several hints of new AirPods tucked away in Apple's code. Rumors suggest that Apple has some exciting new features planned that will make it worthwhile to upgrade to the latest model.

1. Health Features - Earlier this year, Apple released the Powerbeats Pro 2 with heart rate monitoring, and that functionality is expected for the AirPods Pro 3 too. Temperature sensing is also a possibility. The Apple Watch can detect skin temperature, but that's not accurate for fevers. In-ear temperature readings would provide more useful data.


2. Audio Quality Upgrade - Apple is upgrading the H-series chip that's in the AirPods, which is likely to bring improved audio quality. The ‌AirPods Pro‌ 2 support Lossless Audio when paired with Vision Pro thanks to a proprietary wireless audio protocol, and Apple could expand that to other devices. The ‌AirPods Pro 3‌ could adopt Bluetooth 5.4 for better audio latency.


3. Better Active Noise Cancellation - The H3 chip will allow for even faster on-device processing for improved Active Noise Cancellation and better Adaptive Audio. The H2 chip in the ‌AirPods Pro‌ 2 actively reduces louder, intermittent noise at 48,000 times per second to cut down on environmental noise exposure, and an upgraded H-series chip could do even better.


4. Refreshed Design - Apple is going to update the design of the ‌AirPods Pro 3‌. The AirPods 4 got a slimmed down case, a hidden capacitive pairing button, and a concealed LED, so we could see those same changes with the next ‌AirPods Pro‌. The earbuds could get a design overhaul too, and upgrade possibilities include a smaller in-ear piece and a shorter stem.


5. Updated Tracking - The ‌AirPods Pro 3‌ are likely to get Apple's second-generation Ultra Wide Band (UWB) chip for more precise tracking using the Find My app.

Live Translation was a feature rumored for the ‌AirPods Pro 3‌, but as it turns out, that's functionality that Apple brought to all AirPods models that are connected to an iPhone that supports Apple Intelligence running iOS 26. Live Translation also works on Apple Intelligence-compatible Macs and iPads.

We're expecting to see the ‌AirPods Pro 3‌ later this year, perhaps at Apple's September event where the new iPhone 17 models will be unveiled.
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Riley Testut, known for the Delta Game Emulator and AltStore, today announced the upcoming launch of a new app called Delta Camera. Delta Camera is a standalone app that is meant to mimic the style of the Game Boy Camera.


The interface mirrors the Game Boy Camera, as do the photos that it captures. Though the images have a retro vibe, the app includes modern features like Camera Control support, front and rear camera integration, manual exposure, and zoom options.

The Game Boy Camera is a Game Boy add-on that first came out in 1998. It takes grayscale images and supports editing and drawing features.

Testut plans to launch the app later this year, but it is available now for those who subscribe to the AltStore Patreon.
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Apple today updated its codebase with a numerical reference to an unreleased audio product. We don't know what the product is, but based on where the information was found and rumors about upcoming devices, it could be the AirPods Pro 3.


All of Apple's AirPods and Beats headphones have specific Bluetooth ID numbers, such as 0x2024 (8228) for the AirPods Pro 2 with USB-C. Apple recently updated code related to device syncing, and that code included a list of all current audio devices, plus one extra Bluetooth ID.

The extra identifier, 8239, is not the number that Apple uses for any of its existing AirPods or Beats headphones. No other information about the device is available, except for its existence in Apple's codebase. Given ‌AirPods Pro 3‌ rumors, it would make sense for the number to correspond to the upcoming earbuds, but there is also the possibility that Apple is working on refreshed Beats of some kind that we don't know about yet.

Rumors suggest that Apple is working on the ‌AirPods Pro 3‌, with a launch planned for later this year. The ‌AirPods Pro 3‌ could have a refined design, improved audio quality and ANC, and possibly health related features like heart rate monitoring.
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Apple is updating its App Store linking rules and fees in the European Union to comply with the requirements of the Digital Markets Act, Apple said today.


Apps distributed through EU storefronts can now communicate information about non-App Store purchase options and deals for digital goods available through websites, alternative app marketplaces, or other apps. Developers can let customers access alternate purchase options outside the app, within an app through a web view, or through a native app experience.

Developers will be able to design and execute offer promotions in their apps, and can include information about subscription pricing or any other offers available within or outside the app. There can be actionable links that can be tapped, clicked, or scanned, and there are no limitations on URLs.

Apple says that developers who opt to promote offers for digital goods and services will need to agree to new business terms and pay an initial acquisition fee and a store services fee. Apps that also use the StoreKit External Purchase Link Entitlement will also need to pay a new Core Technology Commission. In Apple's own words:

App Store apps that communicate and promote offers for digital goods or services will be subject to new business terms for those transactions - an initial acquisition fee, store services fee, and for apps on the StoreKit External Purchase Link Entitlement (EU) Addendum, the Core Technology Commission (CTC). The CTC reflects the value Apple provides developers through ongoing investments in the tools, technologies, and services that enable them to build and share innovative apps with users.

By January 1, 2026, Apple plans to move to a single business model in the EU for all developers. Apple will transition from the Core Technology Fee (CTF) to the new Core Technology Commission (CTC) for digital goods and services. For now, there are some instances where developers will pay the CTC, and other developers will pay the CTF until Apple transitions to the unified system.

Apps with external purchase links will pay the CTC. Apps that just reference deals outside of the ‌App Store‌ and do not have actionable links will continue to pay the CTF for now.

Developers who use the External Purchase Link Entitlement and those who use the Alternative Terms Addendum will pay a reduced store services fee under a new two-tier store services system that Apple created. Apple's Store services are split into two tiers:

• Store Services Tier 1: This tier provides capabilities needed for app delivery, trust & safety, app management, and engagement; and features a reduced store services fee. This tier is mandatory for apps communicating and promoting offers.


• Store Services Tier 2: This tier is optional, and provides additional capabilities for app delivery and management, engagement, curation & personalization, app insights, and developer marketing.

Tier 1 does not include automatic app updates or automatic downloads across devices. Developers that opt for tier 1 will also not be able to take advantage of ratings and reviews, search suggestions, natural language search, keywords for custom product pages, the Apple Games app, ‌App Store‌ featuring and marketing, app tabs, and app insights like performance metrics. Tier 2 includes all of the current ‌App Store‌ services that Apple provides.

Apps that use the StoreKit External Purchase Link Entitlement will pay the following fees:

• 5% CTC for both tiers.


• 5% store services fee for tier 1 and 13% for tier 2 (10% for Small Business Program participants and subscriptions after the first year).


• 2% initial acquisition fee, which is waived for Small Business Program participants.

Apps that use the Alternative Terms Addendum (no external links) will pay the following fees:

• 0.50 euro CTF for both tiers.


• 2% initial acquisition fee for both tiers (0 for Small Business Program participants).


• 5% store services fee for tier 1, and 13 percent store services fee for tier 2 (10 percent for Small Business Program).

The Alternative Terms Addendum applies to apps that reference deals available outside of the ‌App Store‌ but do not have actionable links, while the StoreKit Link Entitlement with CTC is for apps that include actionable links for purchasing digital goods outside of the in-app purchase system. Eventually, the CTC will replace the CTF for all developers.

Developers using either option will need to report external transactions to Apple with the External Purchase Server API for commission calculations and fee collections. Developers are not able to offer both ‌App Store‌ in-app purchases and alternative payment options within the same app on the same ‌App Store‌ storefront in the EU, according to Apple.

Starting with iOS 18.6 and iPadOS 18.6, iPhone and iPad users will see a new interface for installing alternative app marketplaces or apps from a developer's website. Later in 2025, Apple plans to provide an API that will let developers initiate the download of alternatively distributed apps they publish from within their app.

Apple's new rules are complicated, so developers who distribute apps in the EU are encouraged to read Apple's new DMA compliance information.

In a statement to MacRumors, Apple said the following: "The European Commission is requiring Apple to make a series of additional changes to the ‌App Store‌. We disagree with this outcome and plan to appeal."
This article, "Apple Again Changes EU App Store Rules and Fees to Comply With DMA" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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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.
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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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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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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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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.
This article, "iOS 26 Brings Major Improvements to Image Playground" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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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.
This article, "Apple Seeds Updated Beta Firmware for AirPods Pro 2 and AirPods 4" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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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.
This article, "Everything New in iOS 26 Beta 2" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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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.
This article, "iOS 26 Beta 2 Expands Support for Order Tracking in Wallet" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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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.
This article, "Signs of iPhone 17 Air Spotted in iOS 26 Beta 2" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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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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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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