Macworld's Filipe Espósito today revealed a handful of features that Apple is allegedly planning for iOS 26.4, iOS 27, and even iOS 28.


The report said the features are referenced within the code for a leaked internal build of iOS 26 that is not meant to be seen by the public. However, it appears that Espósito and/or his sources managed to gain access to it, providing us with a sneak peek at some of the things that Apple's software engineers are working on.

As always, Apple's plans could change, so there is no guarantee that any or all of these features will end up being released to the general public.

Here is what Apple is planning for iOS 26.4, according to the report:

• A revamped, more personalized version of Siri powered by Apple Intelligence.


• A redesigned Health app, with a new layout for categories and simplified metric logging. A previous rumor indicated there will also be an Apple Health+ subscription service with an AI-powered health and fitness assistant.


• If you have credit card information stored in Apple's Passwords app, you will be able to AutoFill those details in third-party apps.


• The ability to create folders in the Freeform app.


• Apple is apparently working on a new "Sports Tier" for the Apple TV app, but the report did not offer any further details about this.


• There are signs of "a new validation system that will check the integrity of the device before logging into Apple ID and iCloud."


• New features for AirPods, including "Precise Outdoor Location" in the Find My app.

These features are allegedly planned for iOS 27:

• Improvements to photo collections in the Photos app.


• Improvements to the AirPods pairing process.

The report even mentioned a potential iOS 28 feature:

• New metrics for Apple Watch sleep tracking.

Apple is also planning to expand the Health app to the Mac with macOS 28, the report said.

Based on information from the same internal build of iOS 26, Espósito also shared alleged details about Apple's long-rumored smart home hub, as well as upcoming models of the Studio Display, entry-level iPad, AirTag, and more.
This article, "iOS 26.4 and iOS 27 Features Revealed in New Leak" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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Apple seeded the second iOS 26.2 Release Candidate to developers earlier this week, meaning the update will be released to the general public very soon.


Apple confirmed iOS 26.2 would be released in December, but it did not provide a specific date. We expect the update to be released by early next week.

iOS 26.2 includes a handful of new features and changes on the iPhone, such as a new Liquid Glass slider for the Lock Screen's clock, offline lyrics in Apple Music, and more. Below, we have highlighted eight new features in particular.

Liquid Glass Slider on Lock Screen

A new slider in the Lock Screen customization menu lets you adjust the opacity of Liquid Glass for the clock, allowing you to decide how clear or frosted it appears.

This comes after iOS 26.1 added "Clear" and "Tinted" options for Liquid Glass overall.

Offline Lyrics in Apple Music

iOS 26.2 adds offline lyric support to Apple Music, allowing you to view a song's lyrics even when you are not connected to a Wi-Fi or cellular network.

Sleep Score Revisions

iOS 26.2 and watchOS 26.2 have revised Sleep Score ranges:

• Very Low: 0-40 (previously 0-29)


• Low: 41-60 (previously 30-49)


• OK: 61-80 (previously 50-69)


• High: 81-95 (previously 70-89)


• Very High: 96-100 (previously 90-100)

Apple says sleep scores are calculated based on how long you slept, the consistency of when you fell asleep, and the frequency and duration of waking up during the night. The feature is available in the Health app on all iPhone models compatible with iOS 26, and in the Sleep app on all Apple Watch models compatible with watchOS 26.

Alarms for Reminders

iOS 26.2 lets you set alarms for reminders in Apple's Reminders app.

When adding a reminder, selecting a time and then toggling on the "Urgent" option will cause an alarm to go off at the designated time.

Apple Podcasts Enhancements

Apple's Podcasts app has three new features on iOS 26.2, including automatic chapters for episodes, timed links on the screen, and the ability to view other podcasts that a podcast mentions right from the audio player and the transcript.

Apple News Revamp

In the Apple News app, there is now a dedicated "Following" tab, and buttons for quick access to topics like sports, puzzles, politics, business, and food.

iPhone Screen Flash for Notifications

Starting with iOS 26.2, your iPhone's screen can flash when you receive a notification. Previously, this setting was limited to the LED camera flash on the back of the iPhone.

In the Settings app, under Accessibility → Audio & Visual → Flash for Alerts, there are now options for LED Flash, Screen, and Both. Or, you can keep the setting turned off.

AirPods Live Translation in EU

iOS 26.2 makes Live Translation on AirPods available in the EU.

Live Translation allows you to understand someone who is speaking a different language than you. For example, if you speak English, and someone is speaking to you in French, Siri can tell you what they are saying in English through your AirPods.

The feature works best when both participants in a conversation are using Live Translation on AirPods. If you are talking with someone who is not wearing AirPods, you can display a live transcription in the other person's language on your iPhone.

Live Translation is available on the AirPods Pro 3, AirPods Pro 2, and higher-end AirPods 4 with Active Noise Cancellation. The feature launched in the U.S. and select other countries with iOS 26, but it was not available in the EU until iOS 26.2, as Apple said it needed additional time to ensure compliance with the EU's Digital Markets Act.

• iOS 26: Use Live Translation With AirPods

In addition to compatible AirPods, users need an iPhone 15 Pro or newer with Apple Intelligence turned on and Apple's Translate app installed.

As of iOS 26.1, Live Translation on AirPods supports the following languages:

• English (U.S.)


• English (U.K.)


• French (France)


• German (Germany)


• Portuguese (Brazil)


• Spanish (Spain)


• Chinese — Simplified (China)


• Chinese — Traditional (China)


• Japanese


• Korean


• Italian

iOS 26 also has a built-in Live Translation feature in the Messages, Phone, and FaceTime apps, with no AirPods required.
This article, "iOS 26.2 Coming Soon With These 8 New Features on Your iPhone" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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Shazam today announced it is rolling out a new Popular Segments feature that reveals exactly which part of a song is most popular with listeners.


For example, the image above shows that the given song was most discovered around 30 to 35 seconds into the track during the preceding week. This was the moment in the song when the most people asked Shazam to identify the song.

More details about the feature:

Popular Segments spotlights the key moments within a track that drove the most Shazam activity within the past week. Available for top tracks ranking on Shazam's charts and based on Shazam tag volume, this interactive feature displays relative segment popularity throughout a song, allowing users to hover over the graph and reveal precise time markers and corresponding segments.

Shazam says Popular Segments will provide both listeners and artists with helpful insights into what makes songs resonate.

The feature will begin rolling out today on the Shazam.com website across desktop and mobile platforms, according to Apple. The announcement did not indicate if the feature will be coming to the Shazam app on the iPhone and iPad.

Shazam is a popular music identification service that Apple acquired back in 2018, and it has Apple Music integration. In addition to being available on the web and as an app, Shazam powers a Recognize Music control in Control Center on the iPhone, iPad, and Mac. You can also use Shazam via Siri voice commands.

Last month, the Shazam app for iPhone was updated with a Liquid Glass design.
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Apple is opening a new store tomorrow at The Shops at Blackstone Valley, an open-air shopping center in Millbury, Massachusetts, near Worcester.


The store is set to open this Friday, December 12, at 12 p.m. local time. Apple is located next to fashion retailer Coach at the shopping center.

The new store is a replacement for Apple's previous location at Solomon Pond Mall, in nearby Marlborough, Massachusetts. That location permanently closed on Wednesday, after more than 10 years of operations. When it relocates a store, Apple typically gives all employees the opportunity to transfer to the new location.

Apple has yet to reveal the new store, but the photo below from local resident Steve Stearns provides a sneak peek at the facade.


Apple's newer stores typically feature a dedicated counter for customers to pick up orders they placed online, and the Genius Bar has become a prominent element again in recent years. There will also be free "Today at Apple" creative sessions.
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Apple today unveiled its fifth retail store in India, at the DLF Mall in Noida. The store opens to customers this Thursday, December 11, at 1 p.m. local time.


The store features familiar amenities, including an Apple Pickup station for in-store pickup of online orders, and a Genius Bar for tech support and repairs.


Apple operates four other stores in India:

• Apple Saket in New Delhi


• Apple BKC in Mumbai


• Apple Koregaon Park in Pune


• Apple Hebbal in Bengaluru

In addition, the Apple Store app launched in India earlier this year.

Earlier this month, Apple opened a new store in China, at the Livat Centre in Beijing. This store also has an Apple Pickup station and a Genius Bar, plus a dedicated seating area where customers can demo the Apple Vision Pro.


Apple remains committed to expanding its retail presence in international markets, such as China, India, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates.
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Starting today, many Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Acrobat, and Adobe Express features are available to use directly in ChatGPT, allowing you to edit photos, transform PDF documents, design event invitations, and more with conversational prompts.


After connecting the apps, you can use prompts such as "add creative effects to the background" or "create an invitation for my dance party."

Here is what you can do, according to Adobe:

• Easily edit and uplevel images with Adobe Photoshop: Adjust a specific part of an image, fine-tune image settings like brightness, contrast and exposure, and apply creative effects like Glitch and Glow — all while preserving the quality of the image.
• Create and personalize designs with Adobe Express: Browse Adobe Express' extensive library of professional designs to find the best one for any moment, fill in the text, replace images, animate designs and iterate on edits — all directly inside the chat and without needing to switch to another app — to create standout content for any occasion.
• Transform and organize documents with Adobe Acrobat: Edit PDFs directly in the chat, extract text or tables, organize and merge multiple files, compress files and convert them to PDF while keeping formatting and quality intact. Acrobat for ChatGPT also enables people to easily redact sensitive details.

After connecting the apps to ChatGPT in Settings → Apps & Connectors, you can find them by clicking on the plus sign next to the chat field and selecting "More." ChatGPT can also automatically surface the apps if you use a prompt such as "Adobe Photoshop, help me blur the background of this image" or "Adobe Acrobat, help me edit this PDF."



Adobe's app integrations are available to all ChatGPT users worldwide, for free, across ChatGPT.com and the ChatGPT app for the iPhone, iPad, and Mac. Adobe Express for ChatGPT is also available on Android, with support for Photoshop and Acrobat for ChatGPT on Android coming soon, according to the announcement.

If you want to use more advanced features, you an seamlessly move from ChatGPT to Adobe's standalone apps and pick up right where you left off.
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Klarna is now available as a buy-now, pay-later option when using Apple Pay in France and Italy. This financing option lets you pay for your Apple Pay purchase in monthly installments, with the shortest payment plans being interest free.


Eligible customers can split purchases into three monthly installments, or choose to pay up to 30 days later, without paying any interest. For higher-value purchases with longer payment plans, Klarna says it offers competitive interest rates.

Klarna was already available via Apple Pay in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Denmark, Spain, and Sweden, so there are now eight countries supported.

Apple discontinued its own buy-now, pay-later service called Apple Pay Later last year, and instead started partnering with third-party providers, including Klarna, Affirm, and Synchrony. Availability of these providers varies by country.

When checking out with Apple Pay online and in apps, iPhone and iPad users can select "Other Cards & Pay Later Options" to access installment payment plans from Klarna and other financing partners, where available. Starting with iOS 26, the buy-now, pay-later options are also available for in-store Apple Pay purchases.
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Apple Arcade will be adding four new games on Thursday, January 8, including True Skate+, Cozy Caravan, Sago Mini Jinja's Garden, and Potion Punch 2+.


True Skate+ is a skateboarding simulation game with realistic physics. You can flick a virtual skateboard with your fingers to perform various tricks.

Cozy Caravan is a kid-friendly, single-player game in which you navigate a caravan through picturesque landscapes, helping communities along the way.

Sago Mini Jinga's Garden is another kid-friendly game in which you plant gardens, harvest ingredients, and explore the open world at your own pace.

Potion Punch 2+ tasks you with mixing powerful potions.

Apple Arcade is a subscription service that provides access to hundreds of games across the iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple TV, and Apple Vision Pro. All of the games are free of ads and in-app purchases. In the U.S., Apple Arcade costs $6.99 per month, and it is also bundled with other Apple services in all Apple One plans.

Apple Arcade can be accessed through the App Store and Apple Games apps.
This article, "Apple Arcade Adding These Four Games in January" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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Apple's chipmaking chief Johny Srouji has reportedly indicated that he plans to continue working for the company for the foreseeable future.


"I love my team, and I love my job at Apple, and I don't plan on leaving anytime soon," said Srouji, in a memo obtained by Bloomberg's Mark Gurman.

Here is Srouji's full memo, as shared by Bloomberg:

I know you've been reading all kind of rumors and speculations about my future at Apple, and I feel that you need to hear from me directly. I am proud of the amazing Technologies we all build across Displays, Cameras, Sensors, Silicon, Batteries, and a very wide set of technologies, across all of Apple Products. Together we enable the best products in the world. I love my team, and I love my job at Apple, and I don't plan on leaving anytime soon.

Last week, Gurman said that Srouji recently told Apple CEO Tim Cook that he was "seriously considering leaving in the near future." Srouji did not explicitly deny the report, but it appears that he has no plans to leave Apple for now.

Srouji informed colleagues that he would be interested in working for another company if he did leave Apple, rather than retiring, according to Gurman.

Srouji is Apple's Senior Vice President of Hardware Technologies. He joined the company in 2008 to lead development of the iPhone 4's A4 chip, the first Apple-designed system-on-a-chip. He previously held senior positions at Intel and IBM.

Apple's chips have achieved many performance records, making Srouji one of the company's most important executives. For example, the A19 Pro chip in the iPhone 17 Pro models offers the world's fastest CPU in any smartphone, while Apple silicon chips in Macs continue to deliver industry-leading performance per watt.

Apple is facing turnover among its top ranks. Apple's operations chief Jeff Williams recently retired, and he will soon be followed by the company's AI research chief John Giannandrea, environmental chief Lisa Jackson, and general counsel Kate Adams. In addition, Apple's software design chief Alan Dye is joining Meta's Reality Labs later this month. Finally, Cook is reportedly planning to step down as CEO as early as next year.
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Apple Wallet car key support is coming to Rivian's second-generation R1S and R1T electric vehicles with a 2025.46 software update later this month, according to the company's software chief Wassym Bensaid. He did not provide a specific date.


This feature will allow you to remotely unlock, lock, and start a second-generation R1S or R1T with an iPhone or Apple Watch, without needing to use the Rivian app. Express Mode will be supported, meaning you can keep your iPhone in your pocket as you approach the vehicle, as unlocking the device with Face ID is not required.

Rivian is implementing a newer version of the feature with Ultra Wideband technology for passive entry, eliminating the need to place your iPhone near an NFC reader.


If your iPhone battery runs out, a Power Reserve feature ensures the Apple Wallet key can still be used for up to five hours after the device shut off.

You can share an Apple Wallet car key with up to eight family and friends via AirDrop or any messaging app, such as the Messages app or WhatsApp.

Apple Wallet car keys will not be supported in Rivian's first-generation R1S and R1T vehicles that were built through the 2024 model year.

Despite implementing Apple Wallet car key support, Rivian remains opposed to CarPlay. The electric vehicle maker does offer a built-in Apple Music app with a Connect+ subscription, which costs $14.99 per month or $149.99 per year.
This article, "Rivian to Offer iPhone Car Keys in Apple Wallet App Later This Month" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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Intel is expected to begin supplying some Mac and iPad chips in a few years, and the latest rumor claims the partnership might extend to the iPhone.


In a research note with investment firm GF Securities this week, obtained by MacRumors, analyst Jeff Pu said he and his colleagues "now expect" Intel to reach a supply deal with Apple for at least some non-pro iPhone chips starting in 2028.

The non-pro iPhone chips would be manufactured with Intel's future 14A process, according to Pu.

The research note did not provide any other details about these potential plans, but based on the stated timeframe, Intel could start supplying Apple with the A22 chip for devices like the "iPhone 20" and "iPhone 20e" in around three years from now.

Importantly, there is no indication that Intel would play a role in designing the iPhone chips, with its involvement expected to be strictly limited to fabrication. Apple would continue to design iPhone chips, and Intel would start to handle a smaller percentage of manufacturing alongside Apple's primary chipmaker TSMC.

Last month, Apple supply chain analyst Ming-Chi Kuo said he expects Intel to begin shipping Apple's lowest-end M-series chip for select Mac and iPad models as early as mid-2027. For this, Kuo said Apple plans to utilize Intel's 18A process, which is the "earliest available sub-2nm advanced node manufactured in North America."

Intel supplying Apple-designed, Arm-based chips would differ from the era of Intel-based Macs, which used Intel-designed processors with x86 architecture.

Apple reaching a chip supply deal with Intel would boost its reliance on an American manufacturing company and help to diversify its supply chain.

Intel previously supplied Apple with cellular modems for some iPhone 7 to iPhone 11 models.
This article, "Apple's Return to Intel Rumored to Extend to iPhone" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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