Driver's licenses and IDs may soon be available in Apple Wallet for iPhone and Apple Watch users who live in Utah. MacRumors discovered signs of a Utah ID in Apple's backend, suggesting Apple is moving forward on implementing support.


Utah already offers a mobile driver's license option through a standalone app, but there is no Apple Wallet integration. Utah's mobile driver's license FAQ page still says that it is still in the initial planning process of adding Utah IDs to Apple Wallet, but it may not be up to date.

The site also says that when Apple Wallet integration launches, iPhone users who already use the mobile app for their Utah ID will be able to download it to Apple Wallet.

Apple announced plans to add Utah driver's licenses and IDs to the Apple Wallet app way back in 2021, but no integration has materialized. Utah was one of the first states Apple mentioned when rolling out the feature.

Other states planning to add support for driver's licenses in Apple Wallet include Connecticut, Kentucky, Mississippi, Oklahoma, and Virginia.

Multiple states have already implemented support, as has Puerto Rico.

• Arkansas


• Arizona


• California


• Colorado


• Georgia


• Hawaii


• Illinois


• Iowa


• Maryland


• Montana


• New Mexico


• North Dakota


• Ohio


• West Virginia

Digital IDs and licenses are accepted at select TSA checkpoints across the United States. It can also be used at some business venues and in select apps that require ID verification for services or purchases.

In states that do not support licenses in the Wallet app, iPhone users can add their U.S. passport to the Apple Wallet app with the iOS 26 Digital ID feature.
This article, "iPhone Driver's Licenses May Soon Expand to New State" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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The Health in ChatGPT feature that integrates medical records and Apple Health data is rolling out to ChatGPT users in the United States as of today.


OpenAI announced plans for a health feature that used data from Apple Health and other sources back in January, but it was in beta and was not made widely available.

Health in ChatGPT can draw on health information connected by the user to compare lab test data, summarize changes since a prior appointment, track medications, and explore how sleep, activity, and workouts impact health.

With your permission, ChatGPT can consider relevant information you have connected, such as medications, lab results, recent visits, sleep, and activity, alongside the goals and context you share. This added context can make everyday conversations more useful. For example, ChatGPT can consider a dietary restriction when helping you choose a restaurant, or a recent injury when planning lower-impact weekend activities with your family. You can ask follow-up questions, add context, or correct information that is incomplete or out of date.

OpenAI says the feature is meant to help users understand their health information in context and keep track of what's changed over time. Users can get to the Health section from the ChatGPT sidebar.

Connected medical records and Apple Health information are not used to train OpenAI's models or target ads, nor are conversations that use health data. ChatGPT will ask for permission before using connected medical records and Apple Health information to personalize a response.

For users who would prefer not to connect health records, the Health section in ChatGPT works without them and can answer health-related questions.

Health is rolling out to logged-in ChatGPT users who are 18 years and older in the U.S. on web and iOS. The feature is available to Free, Go, Plus, and Pro plans.
This article, "ChatGPT's Apple Health Integration Now Rolling Out to U.S. Users" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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Primate Labs today announced the launch of Geekbench 7, the newest version of the popular benchmarking suite for CPU and GPU performance.


There's a redesigned multi-core benchmark in Geekbench 7 that's meant to better represent how applications work in the real world. A workload only runs in multi-threaded mode if the task it models runs multi-threaded in real applications.

Primate Labs says users can expect a multi-core score that's a more relevant measure of how a device performs when doing actual work.

Along with updates to multi-core testing, a revamped GPU benchmark focuses on machine learning and content creation to reflect how GPUs are used today. The GPU benchmark has tests that track faces and apply real-time filter effects to video, upscale images with machine learning, and blur backgrounds in video conferencing streams. New GPU image editing and synthesis tests are available, like RAW image processing, LUT-based video color grading, path tracing, and fluid simulation.

Nvidia's CUDA is once again a supported API alongside OpenCL, Vulkan, and Metal.

The new version of Geekbench uses more challenging data sets to better reflect how people use their computers today. The File Compression and PDF Viewer workloads have more variation, and developer and image processing tests have more assets and different image formats.

Geekbench 7 adds media workloads for testing audio and video encoding, decoding, and processing. The Whisper speech recognition, AV1, and Opus tests mimic video conferencing, screen sharing, and content consumption workloads.

There's also a Game Physics workload that uses the Jolt Physics engine used by popular video games. Primate Labs added an expanded Photo Editor test with a richer set of real-world edits, and the Photo Library workload supports importing and processing image formats like JPEG XL and DNG.

Geekbench 7 is available for iOS, macOS, and other platforms. The app remains free for personal use, and the Pro version is 20 percent off the regular $99 price through August 6.
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Apple today sent out emails letting Apple Pay users know about the latest promotion, which offers $20 off purchases of $120 or more from sportswear company Columbia.


The $20 discount is valid when making a purchase from the Columbia website and using ‌Apple Pay‌ to check out. The discount is not available in Columbia retail locations, and products from the Amaze Puff Collection and the ROC Collection are excluded.

It also can't be combined with other discounts like the Columbia back to school sale for teachers and students.

‌Apple Pay‌ users can take advantage of the promotion through August 7.
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Google today introduced a new selfie sign-in option for Google Account recovery. It offers an alternative way for Google users to access their accounts alongside passkeys, recovery contacts, and other entry methods.


To create a selfie video, you look at your device's camera and then follow Google's instructions to complete a series of head movements to capture multiple angles. The video is saved to your account and can be used later if you need access.

Google recommends users have multiple sign-in methods set up to avoid losing access to an account. With selfie video, you can take a selfie to get access to your account if you don't have access to your email address or a trusted device. Google compares your new selfie video to the one saved to the account to grant access. Multiple layers of security are meant to prevent impersonation attempts like AI-generated photos and videos.

Google says selfie videos are encrypted and stored securely, and are only used for helping you sign in to your account, unless you opt to "share it for additional purposes." Videos can be deleted anytime.

Selfie videos were previously tested in Brazil. The feature is designed for Google Accounts only, and does not work for Workspace accounts, children's accounts, or accounts enrolled in the Advanced Protection Program.
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Apple is working on a 12th-generation iPad, and plans to update the most affordable tablet in the ‌iPad‌ in 2027. It's not going to be a major update, but if you're planning a purchase, you might want to wait for the newest model.

Design

There are no rumors of an updated design for the 12th-generation ‌iPad‌, so it will likely have the same 11-inch edge-to-edge display with Touch ID Side Button and thick bezels.

Apple last updated the ‌iPad‌'s design with the 10th-generation model, giving the device a more modern look to better match the designs of the iPad Pro and iPad Air models.

The low-cost ‌iPad‌ is only available in a single screen size, and it is Apple's thickest tablet at 7mm. It features a Retina LED display with no ProMotion support, no P3 wide color, and no lamination (display technology that allows for improved visuals) compared to Apple's other tablets.

Apple makes the low-cost ‌iPad‌ in several fun colors, and we could see some new shades in 2026. Current colors include blue, pink, silver, and yellow.

No changes are expected for the rear camera, front camera, USB-C port, or compatibility with accessories like the Apple Pencil.

A-Series Processor

Rumors suggest the low-cost ‌iPad‌ will use Apple's A18 or A19 chip, both of which are built on a 3-nanometer process to bring speed and efficiency improvements over the A16 chip that's in the current model.

The A16 chip that Apple used in 2025 does not support Apple Intelligence, but the A18 and A19 do, so that will mark a major update for Apple's affordable tablet. The 2026 model should be able to support ‌Apple Intelligence‌ features that are unavailable with the 2025 model.

The updated chips also offer hardware-accelerated ray tracing and similar features for improved gameplay. The 11th-generation ‌iPad‌ has 6GB RAM, but Apple will need to bump that up to 8GB for ‌Apple Intelligence‌.

N1 Chip

Apple debuted its own Wi-Fi and Bluetooth chip, called the N1, in the iPhone 17 models. The N1 was added to the ‌iPad Pro‌, and it's possible that Apple plans to add the chip to all future devices coming in 2026 and beyond.

The N1 chip supports Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 6, and Thread networking technology for smart home devices.

The 11th-generation ‌iPad‌ is limited to Wi-Fi 6, so if the 12th-generation version does indeed get Wi-Fi 7, it will be able to connect to faster 6GHz networks for the first time. Bluetooth 6 would also be an improvement over Bluetooth 5.3. There is a chance that Apple is reserving the N1 chip for its more premium devices, based on leaked internal code. If that's the case, the ‌iPad‌ won't include the N1 chip.

Apple Modem

Apple has designed C1 and C1X modem chips that it has used in iPhones and iPads in 2025, and the next-generation version of the ‌iPad‌ could also get an Apple-designed modem chip for cellular models.

Apple's modem chips are more power efficient than Qualcomm chips while providing similar performance.

Pricing

With Apple's June price increase, the 11th-generation ‌iPad‌ is priced starting at $449 for 128GB of storage, which is up $100 from the previous price. Apple raised prices because of increasing RAM costs, and there are no indications that component costs are coming down before the 12th-generation model is set to launch.

It's likely it will have the same $449 starting price.

Launch Date

Bloomberg initially suggested Apple would refresh the ‌iPad‌ sometime in 2026, but now it looks like it's not going to get an update until the first quarter of 2027 at the earliest.
This article, "12th-Generation iPad: Everything We Know About Apple's Next Budget Tablet" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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Apple's privacy policy for the Apple Store app suggests it will soon get a virtual shopping assistant to help users decide what to purchase.


The app will have a chat interface where users can ask questions about Apple products, with Apple using data like account information, device identifiers, chat information, carrier information, and location data to offer a personalized experience. Transcripts of chats are saved for later reference.

Apple says that information is sent to its "partners" to help Apple provide a conversational response, which suggests Apple might be using a third-party AI model for the virtual assistant.

Where the Apple Store app virtual shopping assistant is available, Apple collects and stores your account information, device identifiers, carrier information, chat information, and where enabled, location data to personalize the chat experience, provide relevant responses, and if you opt in, to improve the virtual shopping assistant. Before sharing the chat with our partners, Apple scrubs personal identifiers from it. These partners will use this information only to help Apple to provide a conversational response. Apple will save these transcripts to make them available when you return to the Apple Store app, for our business analytics, and if you opt in, to improve the virtual shopping assistant.

The virtual shopping assistant interface is not live in the ‌Apple Store‌ app yet, though it is possible Apple is testing the feature with some users. Apple also added a virtual assistant to its Apple Support app, but that feature still hasn't rolled out to everyone.
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Apple today released a new update for Safari Technology Preview, the experimental browser that was first introduced in March 2016. Apple designed ‌Safari Technology Preview‌ to allow users to test features that are planned for future release versions of the Safari browser.


‌Safari Technology Preview‌ 248 includes fixes and updates for Accessibility, CSS, Editing, Forms, Images, JavaScript, Media, Navigation, Networking, Rendering, SVG, Scrolling, Security, Storage, Web API, Web Inspector, WebDriver, and WebRTC.

The current ‌Safari Technology Preview‌ release is compatible with machines running macOS Tahoe and macOS Golden Gate, the newest version of macOS.

The ‌Safari Technology Preview‌ update is available through the Software Update mechanism in System Preferences or System Settings to anyone who has downloaded the browser from Apple's website. Complete release notes for the update are available on the Safari Technology Preview website.

Apple's aim with ‌Safari Technology Preview‌ is to gather feedback from developers and users on its browser development process. ‌Safari Technology Preview‌ can run side-by-side with the existing Safari browser and while it is designed for developers, it does not require a developer account to download and use.
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Apple today released the second public betas of iOS 27 and iPadOS 27, allowing anyone with a compatible device to download and test the new software. The second betas come a week after Apple seeded the first betas.


You can get started by signing up on Apple's beta website and then opting in to the public beta by going to Settings > General > Software Update and choosing the ‌iOS 27‌ or ‌iPadOS 27‌ Public Beta option.

‌iOS 27‌ introduces Siri AI, a more capable version of ‌Siri‌ that can search the web, access your personal information, see what's on your screen, and take actions in and across apps. ‌Siri‌ in ‌iOS 27‌ is more similar to Claude or ChatGPT than the prior version of ‌Siri‌, with a dedicated ‌Siri‌ app for back-and-forth conversations. You can use ‌Siri‌ AI if you have a device that supports Apple Intelligence.

Apple updated the Liquid Glass design that debuted last year, adding a slider to adjust the transparency level and refining its look. There are new AI features in many of Apple's apps. Visual Intelligence moved to the Camera app and supports new features like getting the nutritional information for a meal or splitting a bill, and ‌Siri‌ is able to generate text for you or help you refine your writing with Write with ‌Siri‌.

There are new AI photo editing tools in the Photos app, Safari can organize your tabs automatically, and you can create Shortcuts and Safari extensions using natural language commands. AirPods have custom EQ, the Home app supports 4K video cameras, and there are new child safety controls for parents.

Apple made dozens of improvements to device performance, and everything feels faster, even on older iPhones. Apps launch quicker, AirDrop transfers are faster, the keyboard loads quicker, and more.

Additional information on the new features in ‌iOS 27‌ can be found in our dedicated iOS 27 roundup, with info on ‌iPadOS 27‌ available in our separate iPadOS 27 roundup.
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Apple today released the second public beta of macOS Golden Gate, allowing non-developers to test the software ahead of its fall release. You can sign up to test the update on Apple's beta website, and then download it by going to System Settings > General > Software Update and toggling on the macOS 27 beta.


‌macOS Golden Gate‌ includes the same Siri AI features as iOS 27 and iPadOS 27, but you get to ‌Siri‌ through Spotlight with a Command + Space keyboard shortcut. ‌Siri‌ can search the web to answer questions, look through your personal data like photos, emails, and messages to help you find what you're searching for, and complete actions in and between apps. There is a dedicated ‌Siri‌ app, and you can hold ongoing conversations with ‌Siri‌.

Apple brought Visual Intelligence to the Mac, so ‌Siri‌ can look at what's on your screen and answer questions about it.

The Liquid Glass design introduced last year has been updated, and Apple added a slider for controlling overall system transparency. Liquid Glass opacity has been changed so it better diffuses complex content, and other design changes bring more depth and separation to the UI so it's easier to tell which window is active.

Apps now feature uniform toolbars with headings and controls that are easier to read, and windows no longer have such dramatically rounded corners. Sidebars are no longer floating and extend edge-to-edge, plus window positioning is more consistent across external displays.

Write with ‌Siri‌ is able to generate text from scratch, correct your grammar, or give you feedback on your writing, and there are new AI editing tools in the Photos app. In Shortcuts, you can create automations with natural language requests, and search has been improved in Mail and Messages. Apple made multiple performance improvements across ‌macOS Golden Gate‌ for a faster, smoother experience even on older Macs.

More on the new features in macOS 27 can be found in our macOS Golden Gate roundup.
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Apple today released the second public betas of tvOS 27 and watchOS 27, giving Apple TV and Apple Watch users a chance to try the new software ahead of its fall launch. There's also a new HomePod Software 27 beta for the ‌HomePod‌ and HomePod mini.


You can sign up for Apple's public beta testing program on the beta website, and then download the updates through the Settings app on each device.

‌watchOS 27‌ adopts Siri AI, and you can use ‌Siri‌ from your wrist as long as you have an iPhone that supports it. ‌Siri‌ AI can access your personal information, answer all kinds of questions, and complete tasks for you. There is a dedicated ‌Siri‌ app that's front and center on the watch in the new dynamic app grid that comes up when pressing the Digital Crown.

There's a new gesture for selecting a widget in the Smart Stack, plus Apple added Smart Stack suggestions for finding a parked car, accessing a transit card, and getting a birthday reminder.

Workout Buddy works without your iPhone nearby, treadmill run and walk distances are tracked more accurately, and Apple added a unified Find My app that also supports Precision Finding.

tvOS 27 has a redesigned Podcasts app, Hi-Res Lossless audio and AutoMix song transitions in Apple Music, and easier profile switching. With performance improvements, apps launch faster, animations are speedier, and devices connect more quickly when AirPlaying content.

More on what's new in the updates can be found in our watchOS 27 roundup and Apple TV roundup.
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Android 17 includes a wireless native migration experience for transferring more types of data from an iPhone, making the process of switching to an Android device easier.


Google says the upgraded method allows Google Accounts, passwords, Wi-Fi credentials, and eSIMs to be transferred. It also supports photos, videos, contacts, messages, and calendars, like the prior version of the switching tool. Data transfers require an iPhone with iOS 26.3 or later.

Both Apple and Google had to implement iPhone and Android transfer tools that work without an app to comply with the European Union's Digital Markets Act. When you set up a new Android smartphone or iPhone, there are now simple built-in options to transfer data from a competing platform. Before the on-device transfer options, Google and Apple offered apps for moving data.

The Digital Markets Act requires services to offer data portability to prevent lock-in to an operating system. It also forced Apple and Google to implement a simplified eSIM transfer process.

Android 17 with the new data transfer method has been rolling out to select Pixel devices since June and will also come to Samsung's newly announced Galaxy Z Flip8 and Z Fold8 smartphones.
This article, "Switching From iPhone to Android Just Got Easier With Android 17" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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Samsung today debuted its latest foldable devices, including the Galaxy Z Flip8, the Galaxy Z Fold8 Ultra, and the new Galaxy Z Fold8, which has a design similar to what we're expecting from the foldable iPhone coming this September. We were able to take a look at the new Samsung foldables ahead of launch.


The Galaxy ZFold 8 Ultra has a 6.5-inch cover screen when closed, and an 8-inch display when it's unfolded. Both displays are OLED with 120Hz refresh rates. The device is just 4.1mm thick when open.

Samsung included a three-camera setup with a 200-megapixel wide lens, a 50-megapixel ultra-wide lens, and a 10-megapixel telephoto lens with 3x optical zoom and 30x Space Zoom. There are also two selfie cameras, one on the cover screen and one on the main display.

Samsung's Z Fold8 has a 7.6-inch display when open and a 5.5-inch display when closed, and it looks like Samsung read the foldable iPhone rumors and beat Apple to it. It has a passport-style form factor, so it's not as tall as prior Samsung foldables. It's wider and more square than the designs Samsung used in the past.

The aspect ratio of the unfolded Z Fold8 makes it feel similar to using an iPad mini, which feels more natural than using taller foldables. It's a size that's perfect for watching videos or running two apps side by side. The Z Fold8 gives us a pretty clear look at what the Apple foldable will look like and what it will feel like to use.

Samsung is reserving higher-tier specs for the Galaxy Z Fold8 Ultra. The Z Fold8 also has a three-camera setup, but with lower-end camera options. Both devices support the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 processor, and offer up to 16GB of RAM. Samsung is also releasing the Galaxy Z Flip8, which has a 6.9-inch display when unfolded and a 4.1-inch cover screen when closed. The Flip8 doesn't open like a book, and instead has a clamshell design.

Samsung is now offering foldables in three sizes and two form factors, and it has had multiple years to refine its foldable designs. Samsung is on its eighth-generation devices, while Apple's first foldable hasn't launched yet.

Along with new foldable smartphones, Samsung also launched the Galaxy Watch Ultra2 and Galaxy Watch9, which have the same round display that Samsung watches have used for several years. The titanium Watch Ultra2 is 47mm, while the Watch9 is available in 40mm and 44mm sizes.

Samsung's watches offer a bioelectrical impedance analysis, reading body composition from the wrist. They also have heart rate tracking, sleep apnea detection, and other features that mirror what's available on the Apple Watch.

Samsung's new Galaxy foldables and smartwatches are available for pre-order starting today from the Samsung website.

Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with Samsung. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment, which helps us keep the site running.
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Anthropic today said Claude Code for desktop has been updated to work with the iOS Simulator, with the integration available in public beta.


Claude Code can open in-progress apps in the iOS Simulator pane when it's instructed to build, run, or check an app. Claude can watch the iOS Simulator live as it runs, interact with it, and then iterate until a project is finished. Developers can continue to use the iOS Simulator as Claude works.

The pane in Claude Code drives the simulator directly, and it does not need computer use, which lets Claude control the screen the way a person would. With direct access, it works without the macOS Accessibility and Screen Recording permissions required for computer use.

Claude's screenshots of a device in iOS Simulator are sent to Anthropic and kept per standard conversation retention settings. Anthropic suggests users not sign in to real accounts on a device Claude uses.

iOS Simulator integration is available in Claude Code Desktop on macOS, and Xcode with the iOS platform installed is required. The simulator pane is available in local sessions only. Instructions on using the iOS Simulator with Claude Code can be found on Anthropic's website.
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Apple addressed a vulnerability in Hide My Email that exposed a user's real email address, reports 404 Media. Apple told the site the issue was fully fixed in a patch released on July 3.


The Hide My Email vulnerability was brought to Apple's attention in June 2025, but the company did not fix it until 404 Media publicized the bug in early July.

EasyOptOuts co-founder Tyler Murphy, who first reported the flaw to Apple, said he was told it was under investigation. Apple told him the vulnerability was fixed in March 2026, but it had not been. In the following months, Apple said it was again looking into the problem, but Murphy was unconvinced Apple would actually address it, so he contacted 404 Media to make it public.

404 Media confirmed the vulnerability has been patched, and has now shared details on how it worked, since it can no longer be exploited. Hide My Email is a paid iCloud+ feature that lets users create an anonymous email address for website sign-ups and email correspondence.

Sending a targeted Hide My Email user a message that got rejected as spam caused the person's real email address to appear in email logs.

"We don't know how often hidden email addresses were leaked in email logs. For many major email hosts, the leak was triggered simply by an email being automatically rejected as spam, even if it was a legitimate message. Such emails probably didn't make it to your inbox, so you can't review your spam folder to learn whether you were affected," Murphy and EasyOptOuts co-founder Ben Weiner said in a new statement.

"The bug that caused Apple's Hide My Email to leak hidden email addresses to senders has been fixed. However, we don't think the risk to Hide My Email users has been eliminated. Because non-malicious emails could bounce, revealing your hidden email address, and because mail transfer logs are often retained, we'd assume that any hidden email address linked to a Hide My Email address created before July 7, 2026, may have been exposed and could still be in third-party logs," they added.

While the bug has now been addressed, email logs that pre-date the fix could still expose user email addresses.

Apple has been sued over the Hide My Email flaw, and the plaintiffs are seeking class action status. The lawsuit says Apple violated California's false advertising law and other consumer protection statutes because Apple knew Hide My Email did not work as advertised.
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Apple today highlighted the SOS feature in the Apple Watch, publishing a short video featuring a man named Phil, who crashed while mountain biking.


Phil was biking with his two young children when he had an accident and was knocked unconscious. His Apple Watch detected the fall, calling emergency services and alerting his wife.

He ended up breaking his collarbone and seven ribs, but was able to receive help quickly because his watch gave emergency services his location. Phil was in the hospital for a week, and at the end of the video, he said "Just really glad that I had my Apple Watch on."

The Apple Watch is able to detect serious falls and vehicle crashes, getting help when the wearer is unconscious or unable to get help on their own. It calls emergency services automatically, and alerts a person's emergency contacts.
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Samsung today announced the launch of its first credit card in the United States, debuting the Samsung Galaxy Card in partnership with Barclays.


The Samsung Galaxy Card works as a standard Visa card and offers special financing options for Samsung Galaxy devices purchased through Samsung. Apple Card has a similar financing option for Apple devices.

There is no annual fee for the Samsung Galaxy Card, and cardmembers earn 5% cash rewards on in-store or online purchases made directly from Samsung in the U.S. There are 3% cash rewards on purchases made using Samsung Wallet, 2% cash rewards on streaming service purchases like Netflix, Disney+, and Spotify, and 1% on everything else.

New users can earn $200 in cash rewards after spending $2,000 on purchases in the first 90 days of opening an account, and get a 20% discount on the Samsung VIP Advantage membership when using a Galaxy Card. ‌Apple Card‌ has 3% cash back for Apple purchases and purchases from select merchants, 2% for Apple Pay purchases, and 1% for everything else, so Samsung is offering higher cash back amounts.

‌Apple Card‌ is built around Apple's Wallet app, and the same is true for the Galaxy Card. It is integrated into Samsung Wallet, and the app can be used for account management. Samsung Wallet also houses passes, IDs, and digital keys, much like the Apple Wallet app.

Barclays says the Samsung Galaxy Card is its first digital wallet-native credit card, with no separate banking app. Apple worked with Goldman Sachs for the ‌Apple Card‌, but Goldman Sachs is exiting the partnership and JPMorgan Chase is taking over as issuer in a transition that will run through 2027.

After a user applies for the Samsung Galaxy Card and is approved, it is available for use immediately in Samsung Wallet. Samsung will ship out a physical version of the card, which is black metal, the inverse of the white titanium ‌Apple Card‌.

Samsung users can apply for the card online or in Samsung retail stores starting on July 22, which is the date of the Samsung Unpacked event. Samsung is expected to introduce its latest Galaxy foldables at the event.
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Apple is continuing to tweak iOS 27 ahead of its September launch, and the fourth developer beta is available as of today. There are fewer changes than in prior betas, but Apple is still adding new features.

TV App

In the Settings section of the Apple TV app, there's a new Automatic Downloads toggle. Turning it on will automatically download the next two episodes of shows you start in Continue Watching. They'll be deleted when you finish the episodes.

Photos

There is a "Zoom Photos to Fill" toggle in the ‌Photos‌ section of the Settings app. It slightly zooms photos that nearly match the screen's aspect ratio, and it is turned on by default.

Wallpaper

Apple has removed the wallpaper feature that it added in the Notification Center in beta 3. When swiping, you would see a cutout of the subject of your wallpaper on the Home Screen, but that's no longer available.

Siri Voices

The Siri Voice selection interface has changed. On devices without the option to set a customizable voice, it has the custom voice look with voices and accents to select. On devices with custom ‌Siri‌ selections, there are more voices options, which Apple says are coming soon.


The customizable voice for ‌Siri‌ is limited to the iPhone 17 Pro, ‌iPhone 17 Pro‌ Max, and iPhone Air right now.

Siri Settings

In the ‌Siri‌ section of the Settings app, there's a new option to adjust the length of previews in the ‌Siri‌ app. You can choose up to five lines, or none.


In Accessibility, there's a new "Always Show Request" toggle that shows a transcription of what you say to ‌Siri‌ on the screen.

Siri Search or Ask

When you swipe down to get to the ‌Siri‌ Search or Ask interface, there's now a splash screen that explains it.

ProRes Log Format

In the Camera section of the Settings app, there's an option to choose a ProRes log format if you toggle Apple ProRes on. You can tap on ProRes Log Video Encoding and select Log or Log 2.


Log 2 is the latest format and retains more information in the file for additional flexibility when editing color and making adjustments after the video is captured.

Wi-Fi Assist

There's an option to enable or disable Connectivity Assist for each Wi-Fi network, regardless of whether the Connectivity Assist master toggle is on.

AirPods

Apple changed the look of AirPods options in Control Center, including adding more options for Adaptive mode.

Dual Battery iPhone References

Code in the fourth beta of ‌iOS 27‌ references an iPhone with two batteries, with strings like "The batteries in this iPhone are performing as expected."



It may hint at the foldable iPhone Ultra, which is expected to have a dual-battery design.

This article, "Everything New in iOS 27 Beta 4" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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Apple today provided developers with the fourth beta of an upcoming visionOS 27 update for testing purposes, with the beta coming two weeks after Apple released the third beta.


visionOS 27 can be installed by opening the Settings app, going to Software Updates, and opting into Beta Updates.

visionOS 27 introduces Siri AI, the smarter and more capable version of ‌Siri‌ that's similar in capability to chatbots like ChatGPT and Claude. On the Vision Pro, ‌Siri‌ can answer questions about anything the wearer is looking at, and there's a new ‌Siri‌ orb that can be placed anywhere in wearer's virtual space.

Panorama photos can be turned into spatial environments, and there's a new Icelandic Thórsmörk environment that features dramatic mountains, valleys, and glaciers, along with the northern lights. Web Environment support allows developers to create 360-degree environments in Safari for a more native Vision Pro browsing experience.

App windows are now curved to provide a more immersive workspace, and Control Center has been reorganized to make system controls easier to find. Apple added a smaller widget size, and notifications automatically expand when the wearer looks at them.

More on what's new in visionOS 27 is listed in our Vision Pro roundup.
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The fourth developer beta of iOS 27 has references to an iPhone with two batteries, according to Macworld. New Battery Health strings include mentions of multiple internal batteries, instead of a single battery. MacRumors confirmed the mentions are in the beta.

• "The batteries in this iPhone are performing as expected."


• "The health of the batteries in this iPhone has significantly degraded. An Apple Authorized Service Provider can replace the batteries to restore full performance and capacity."


• "The health of the batteries in this iPhone has significantly degraded, and one of the batteries could not be verified as a genuine Apple battery. An Apple Authorized Service Provider can replace the batteries to restore full performance and capacity."

All of the wording in the Settings app on current iPhone models references a single battery, so the plural phrasing is curious.

Macworld speculates the wording references the foldable "iPhone Ultra" Apple is working on. Prior rumors suggest the ‌iPhone Ultra‌ will use two battery cells with 1,921mAh and 2,962mAh capacities for a total of 4,883mAh. Foldable smartphones typically have two batteries, with one located in each half of the device. Apple is likely to use the same design.

The ‌iOS 27‌ strings suggest the batteries in the ‌iPhone Ultra‌ could be serviceable separately, so a single failing cell could be swapped on its own. An option to replace a single degraded cell could lower repair costs.

Apple's ‌iPhone Ultra‌ is expected to debut this September alongside the iPhone 18 Pro models.
This article, "iOS 27 Code References iPhone With Two Batteries" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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Apple today seeded the fourth beta of watchOS 27 to developers, with the update coming two weeks after the launch of the third beta.


The beta can be downloaded through the Watch app on the iPhone with a free developer account. The Apple Watch will need to be on the charger, connected to Wi-Fi, and have a battery level of 50 percent or above for new software to be installed. The beta is available for all Apple Watch models compatible with ‌watchOS 27‌ except for the Apple Watch Ultra 3.

‌watchOS 27‌ gains Siri AI, the smarter, more capable version of ‌Siri‌. ‌Siri‌ can hold back-and-forth conversations, plus it has access to general world knowledge and your personal data to answer questions and find information. ‌Siri‌ AI on Apple Watch requires an iPhone that supports Apple Intelligence, including the iPhone 15 Pro and later.

There's a new Dynamic app grid that highlights ‌Siri‌ suggested apps, and more intuitive Smart Stack Suggestions. You can find your parked car, see pinned messages, get noise alerts, and view identity and transit cards.

Liquid Glass has been updated to improve legibility, and Workout Buddy works on the Apple Watch even when an iPhone isn't nearby. Workout Buddy also gains new metrics like progressive increases to distance, pace, or duration. Apple added a new all-in-one Find My app with support for Precision Finding, and there are performance optimizations that improve battery life.

More on what's new in ‌watchOS 27‌ is available in our watchOS 27 roundup.
This article, "Apple Seeds watchOS 27 Beta 4 to Developers" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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Apple today provided developers with the fourth beta of macOS Golden Gate, with the update coming two weeks after Apple seeded the third beta.


Developers can download ‌macOS Golden Gate‌ by going to System Settings > General > Software Update. Beta Updates will need to be enabled, and a free developer account is required.

‌macOS Golden Gate‌ includes multiple design improvements. Liquid Glass opacity has been improved to increase readability, there's a slider for controlling the level of transparency, and changes to shadowing make it easier to tell when a window is active. Apps now have uniform toolbars, edge-to-edge sidebars, and less rounded corners, plus there are fewer icons in menu bars.

Siri has been transformed into ‌Siri‌ AI, a chatbot-style assistant that combines general world knowledge, your personal data, and onscreen awareness to answer questions about anything and find information for you. ‌Siri‌ lives in Spotlight, and you can ask questions with the new Search or Ask interface.

There's also a ‌Siri‌ app where you can chat with ‌Siri‌ and view past conversations, and on newer Macs, you can set a custom voice for ‌Siri‌ with personalized pace and expressivity. Visual Intelligence is now on the Mac so ‌Siri‌ can answer questions about what's on your screen, and a Write with ‌Siri‌ feature lets ‌Siri‌ generate text or give feedback on your writing.

There are AI photo editing tools in the Photos app, AI tab organization in Safari, an option to use AI to automatically update weak passwords in the Passwords app, and a revamped Image Playground app that can generate photorealistic images.

More on all of the new features in ‌macOS Golden Gate‌ can be found in our macOS Golden Gate roundup.
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Apple today seeded the fourth betas of iOS 27 and iPadOS 27 to developers for testing purposes, with the update coming two weeks after Apple released the third betas.


Registered developers can download the betas from the Settings app on the iPhone or iPad by going to the General section and selecting Software Update.

‌iOS 27‌ introduces Apple's smarter version of Siri, ‌Siri‌ AI. ‌Siri‌ AI is a chatbot similar to ChatGPT, incorporating general world knowledge, personal data from apps like Messages and Mail, and onscreen awareness to answer questions and find information for you.

There are new Apple Intelligence features in apps like Photos, Safari, Shortcuts, Wallet, and Passwords, plus Apple added a standalone ‌Siri‌ app that houses ‌Siri‌ conversations. Write with ‌Siri‌ is available systemwide for generating text or offering feedback on your writing, and Visual Intelligence has been relocated to the Camera app with a new ‌Siri‌ mode.

Apple improved the look of Liquid Glass and added a slider for customizing transparency. There are multiple performance improvements to speed up iOS, so everything feels faster, even on older iPhones. Apps launch quicker, AirDrop transfers are faster, the keyboard pops up more quickly, and devices are better at transitioning between Wi-Fi and Cellular to keep you connected.

For more on what's new in ‌iOS 27‌, we have a dedicated iOS 27 roundup.
This article, "Apple Seeds Fourth iOS 27 and iPadOS 27 Betas to Developers" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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Apple today seeded the release candidate versions of upcoming iOS 26.6 and iPadOS 26.6 updates to developers for testing purposes, with the software coming a week after Apple seeded the fifth betas. The RCs represent the final version of the software that will be released soon should no additional bugs be found.


Registered developers can download the betas from the Settings app on the iPhone or iPad by going to the General section and selecting Software Update.

With iOS 27 set to launch in September, Apple is wrapping up work on iOS 26. According to Apple's release notes, the update includes security fixes and optimized the Spotlight index to prepare for ‌iOS 27‌.
This article, "Apple Seeds iOS 26.6 and iPadOS 26.6 Release Candidates" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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Apple today provided the release candidate version of an upcoming macOS Tahoe 26.6 update to developers for testing purposes, with the update coming a week after Apple seeded the fifth beta. The release candidate marks the final version of ‌macOS Tahoe‌ 26.6 that will be released to the public if no major bugs are found.


Developers can download the ‌macOS Tahoe‌ 26.6 update by opening up the System Settings app, selecting the General category, and then choosing Software Update. Beta Updates will need to be enabled, and a free developer account is required.

With macOS Golden Gate launching in just a couple months, Apple is likely focusing most of its attention on the new software. We are not expecting any major new features in ‌macOS Tahoe‌ 26.6.
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Apple today seeded the fourth beta of tvOS 27 to developers for testing purposes, with the update coming two weeks after Apple released the third beta.


The beta can be downloaded and installed through the Settings app on the Apple TV. A free developer account is required.

tvOS 27 has few new features compared to the other 27 software updates, but it does add a redesigned Podcasts app, options for larger text, and a more responsive Control Center.

AirPlaying to an ‌Apple TV‌ from another Apple device is faster, and apps and animations are smoother. You can also now see AppleCare coverage details in the Settings app.

More on the features in tvOS 27 can be found in our Apple TV roundup.
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Apple today provided developers with the release candidate versions of upcoming watchOS 26.6, tvOS 26.6, and visionOS 26.6 betas for testing purposes. The software comes a week after Apple seeded the fifth betas. The RCs are the final version of the software that will be released to the public as long as no bugs are found during this final testing period.


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

There's no word on what's in the software as of yet. watchOS, tvOS, and visionOS often get few features in each new beta, with updates primarily focusing on bug fixes and performance improvements.
This article, "Apple Seeds watchOS 26.6, tvOS 26.6 and visionOS 26.6 Release Candidates" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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Apple has increased the price of iCloud+ in Nigeria, Türkiye, Vietnam, Japan, Egypt, New Zealand, the Philippines, and Indonesia, according to an updated version of its iCloud support document.


Price increases range from 11 percent to 55 percent depending on the plan and the country. Nigeria saw the biggest hike, and a 50GB plan is now ₦1,300, up from ₦900. Türkiye saw the next largest increase, with a 50GB plan priced at 49.99 TL, up from 39.99 TL.

Apple has likely adjusted pricing due to currency fluctuations. The Japanese Yen has weakened over the past year, for example, and the dollar is up almost 10 percent against the yen. The Turkish Lira has also depreciated, increasing the value of the U.S. dollar.

A full list of price changes can be found on Apple's iCloud website. U.S. pricing has not changed, nor has pricing in any other country not listed above.

All Apple Accounts receive 5GB of free ‌iCloud‌ storage. Apple's ‌iCloud‌+ plans give users extra storage, as well as perks like Hide My Email, HomeKit Secure Video, and ‌iCloud‌ Private Relay.
This article, "Apple Raises iCloud+ Prices in 8 Countries" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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Apple today increased the price of Apple Music and some Apple One subscription bundles. An individual ‌Apple Music‌ subscription is now $1 more expensive in the United States, going from $10.99 to $11.99 per month.


Pricing on the ‌Apple Music‌ Family plan increased by $3, increasing from $16.99 to $19.99. Student pricing is up $1, with the plan now priced at $6.99.

The price of the individual ‌Apple One‌ plan hasn't changed, but the Family and Premier plans have gone up $2. The Family plan is now $27.95 per month and the Premier plan is $39.95 per month. Apple has also raised prices in Brazil.

In a statement to Music Business Worldwide, Apple said it was raising prices due to the "result of rising licensing costs." ‌Apple Music‌ prices were last increased in October 2022.
This article, "Apple Music Now Costs $11.99 as Apple Increases Subscription Prices" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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Apple is working to settle an antitrust lawsuit with the U.S. Department of Justice, reports Bloomberg. Apple has proposed several offers and is now in early settlement talks with the DOJ.


The DOJ sued Apple for antitrust violations in 2024 as part of an expansive antitrust investigation into major tech companies. The government accused Apple of getting customers "hooked" on its platform through a long-running history of anti-competitive behavior.

The lawsuit accused Apple of restricting "super apps" with broad capabilities, limiting cloud gaming, preferencing its own Messages app over third-party apps, and limiting the function of third-party digital wallets and smartwatches.

Since the lawsuit was filed in 2024, Apple policy changes have addressed many of the claims, weakening the DOJ's position.

While the talks are ongoing, Bloomberg says there's no guarantee an agreement will be reached. Apple attempted to have the lawsuit dismissed last year, but was unsuccessful. So far, no trial has been scheduled.
This article, "Apple and DOJ Hold Early Settlement Talks in iPhone Antitrust Case" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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