Chase this week announced new perks for its Sapphire Preferred credit card, and one of them is a complimentary one-year Apple TV streaming subscription.


To get the free year of Apple TV, which typically costs $12.99 per month in the U.S., you must activate the card by December 31, 2026.

If you are already subscribed to Apple TV directly through Apple, the complimentary subscription from Chase will automatically supersede your paid subscription until it ends, at which point the paid subscription will resume at the going price.

As noted by 9to5Mac, Apple One subscribers can receive a $7.50 discount per month instead.

If you are subscribed to Apple One directly through Apple, and activate your complimentary Apple TV access on Chase.com or the Chase Mobile app with the same Apple Account connected to your Apple One billing, you will automatically receive a $7.50 discount on your Apple One subscription for 12 months starting on your next billing period.

Chase's Sapphire Preferred card continues to have a $95 annual fee. New and existing cardholders have access to these new benefits starting today.

The other new benefits include 3× points on gas, EV charging, and Airbnb and Vrbo bookings, while the card's annual hotel statement credit has been doubled to $100. There is also a new $120 Global Entry, TSA PreCheck, or NEXUS credit every four years, along with new "emergency evacuation and transportation" coverage.

On the other hand, the 10% anniversary bonus benefit is being discontinued, and Ultimate Rewards points will transfer to World of Hyatt at a rate of 4:3.

More details are available in Chase's press release. For a limited time, new cardholders can earn 100,000 points after spending $5,000 in the first three months.

Chase's higher-end Sapphire Reserve credit card offers complimentary Apple TV and Apple Music subscriptions, but it has an annual fee of $795.

Update: Sapphire Reserve cardholders can now get a $15/month discount on Apple One.
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Apple today provided the second beta of an upcoming macOS Tahoe 26.6 update to developers for testing purposes, with the update coming almost three weeks after Apple seeded the first beta.


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 set to launch in just a few 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 second betas of upcoming iOS 26.6 and iPadOS 26.6 updates to developers for testing purposes, with the software coming three weeks after Apple seeded the first 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.

With iOS 27 set to launch in September, Apple is wrapping up work on iOS 26. We are not expecting any major new features in the iOS 26.6 update, and it will primarily focus on bug fixes and performance improvements.

The update adds new wording around blocked contact limits, letting users know when they have exceeded the maximum number of blocked contacts. The update might also include a new anti-snatching feature that locks your iPhone if it's grabbed from your hand.
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Apple's standard iPhone 18 model will launch in early 2027, based on comments from a partner in the company's supply chain that appear to corroborate rumors of a delayed spring release for the base model.


Apple typically works on an annual smartphone launch cycle where it releases the entirety of its latest flagship iPhone series in the fall, usually around mid-September. That appears set to change this year, however.

Multiple reports claim the base iPhone 18 model will be held over until spring 2027, and only the iPhone 18 Pro models will debut this year alongside Apple's first foldable iPhone.

Now, comments from a key Apple supplier appear to offer corroborating evidence that the company is preparing to break from its traditional launch schedule.

Speaking at Largan Precision's annual shareholders' meeting, chairman Lin En-ping said a major U.S. customer had postponed the launch of a new model to the first quarter of 2027, shifting component procurement later into the year and boosting expected factory utilization in the fourth quarter.

Lin did not identify the customer or product, but Largan is Apple's primary supplier of iPhone camera lenses, so the remarks are notable in light of reports that the standard iPhone 18 will not launch alongside Apple's higher-end models this time around.

The comments are particularly noteworthy because Apple suppliers rarely offer public details about clients' future product launches, even indirectly.

According to reports, Apple plans to split future iPhone launches across two release windows. Under the new strategy, premium models would continue to debut in September, while lower-cost models would follow the next spring. If accurate, the standard iPhone 18 will arrive in early 2027 alongside the iPhone 18e and iPhone Air 2, roughly six months after the iPhone 18 Pro, iPhone 18 Pro Max, and Apple's much-rumored foldable "iPhone Ultra."

The staggered approach is expected to help Apple manage manufacturing resources more efficiently as its lineup grows to six devices instead of five, while helping maintain sales momentum throughout the year. If implemented, it would be the first deliberate separation of Apple's flagship iPhone releases since the company established its annual fall launch pattern with the iPhone 4S in 2011.

The standard iPhone 18 models are not expected to feature design changes, with Apple using the same 6.3-inch display size for the iPhone 18 and the 6.1-inch size for the iPhone 18e. For everything we know so far, be sure to check out our dedicated roundup.
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Apple today provided developers with the second betas of upcoming watchOS 26.6, tvOS 26.6, and visionOS 26.6 betas for testing purposes. The software comes three weeks after Apple seeded the first betas.


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.
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Apple is internally testing iOS 26.5.2, according to the MacRumors visitor logs, which have accurately confirmed many future iOS versions over the years.


iOS 26.5.2 will almost certainly be a minor update that fixes software bugs and/or security vulnerabilities. We do not know exactly when the update will be released, but our best guess is that it will arrive this week or next week.

iOS 26.5.1 was released earlier this month with a fix for a charging issue that impacted some iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Pro, iPhone 17 Pro Max, and iPhone Air units. That update was not released for any other iPhones, so it is reasonable that Apple is apparently planning a follow-up iOS 26.5.2 update that supports the full range of compatible models.

Apple has a lot of software updates in the works, as iOS 26.5.2 will arrive alongside the iOS 26.6 beta and iOS 27 beta. The first iOS 26.6 beta did not introduce any major new features, as Apple is focused on the much bigger iOS 27 update with a more intelligent and personal version of Siri, design tweaks, and performance improvements.
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Signify has launched Sports Live, a new feature for Philips Hue and WiZ smart lighting products that synchronizes lighting effects with live soccer match data in real time (via Hue Blog).


The feature is rolling out now for the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Sports Live uses live match data to trigger lighting changes at key in-game moments, including goals, yellow cards, and red cards, with the aim of making at-home viewing feel more immersive.

Unlike traditional TV sync systems that rely on HDMI-based hardware to analyze on-screen content, Sports Live connects directly to live match data and responds to events as they occur, eliminating the need for additional synchronization hardware. During quieter periods, lights adapt to reflect a favorite team's colors, the leading team's colors, or a neutral white when the score is tied.

Setup is handled through either the Philips Hue or WiZ mobile app. In the Hue app, the feature is found under the Sync tab, where users select a room or zone, which must include at least one color-capable light, and optionally choose favorite teams to receive match suggestions.

Current games appear directly in the Sync tab, with a separate list available for upcoming fixtures. Sports Live automatically starts 15 minutes before kickoff once a match is selected, and a delay adjustment tool lets viewers sync lighting effects to their specific broadcast.

After setup, users can still customize the default scene, brightness, and room. Any lights paired with Hue Sync Box take priority and will not be used for Sports Live. WiZ users can access the feature through the company's Wi-Fi platform without requiring a hub.

The Philips Hue 5.69 app update that delivers Sports Live also introduces a new Bridge zone, which consolidates all devices and automations across an entire Hue Bridge into a single group on the home dashboard, with options to create scenes and hide or rearrange groups. The zone appears in the "Hidden" section by default and must be manually surfaced.

Sports Live is compatible with existing Hue and WiZ entertainment features, including Hue Sync and WiZ Sync with TV, with the 2026 FIFA World Cup now underway in Mexico, Canada, and the U.S.
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Early Prime Day deals continue to trickle in as Amazon this week has brought back the best price of the year so far on the Apple Watch Ultra 3, taking $99 off the Black Titanium model with the Black Ocean Band. It's been nearly two months since we last tracked notable discounts on the Apple Watch Ultra 3, and right now only one model is on sale at $99 off.

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

There are discounts on a wide array of different Ultra 3 models, but they're only hitting around $50 off as of writing. For the Black Ocean Band model, Amazon provides an estimated delivery date before the end of the week, so it will arrive before Father's Day.



You'll also find all-time low prices on the Apple Watch Series 11 on Amazon ahead of Prime Day, with $100 discounts across numerous models of the smartwatch. This sale includes a handful of GPS aluminum models on sale at record low prices.




You can get the 42mm GPS Apple Watch Series 11 for $299.00, down from $399.00, and the 46mm GPS model for $329.00, down from $429.00. On Amazon, you'll find four of the 42mm GPS models and four of the 46mm GPS models on sale at these all-time low prices.

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

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A known Weibo leaker has reiterated that the iPhone 18 Pro will retain its aluminum alloy build, while issuing a specific warning that the new color options may be susceptible to paint peeling.


In a new Weibo post, the leaker "Fixed Focus Digital" said the ‌iPhone 18 Pro‌ "will still feature an aluminum alloy build" and noted that heat dissipation is "indeed excellent." The leaker then added a pointed caveat: anyone unfamiliar with the durability problems that plagued the iPhone 17 Pro should "be careful about potential paint-peeling issues with the new color options."

Fixed Focus Digital previously pointed out that surface chipping on the ‌iPhone 17 Pro‌ is a common complaint, and that users who seek recourse from Apple are often told they cannot claim it, with the company classifying the issue as an inherent characteristic of the aluminum alloy material and normal wear and tear. The leaker added at the time that the ‌iPhone 18 Pro‌ would "continue to utilize this same design approach" despite its weaknesses.

The ‌iPhone 17 Pro‌ moved away from the titanium frames Apple used in its Pro lineup for the previous two years, adopting an anodized aluminum unibody design. Surface durability concerns surfaced almost immediately after launch. Reports suggested that Dark Blue and Cosmic Orange models appeared to scratch more easily than other finishes, with MacRumors forum users describing visible marks on in-store display units within days of availability.

A scratch test by YouTuber JerryRigEverything added some nuance, finding that most of the anodized shell holds up well against everyday items like keys and coins, but pinpointing the camera plateau as a clear weak point where the raised, unchamfered edges chip and scratch easily.

A separate issue emerged the following month, when a number of Cosmic Orange ‌iPhone 17 Pro‌ owners reported color shift, with the aluminum frame and camera plateau drifting toward a rose-gold or pink hue and in some cases prompting device replacements by Apple Support.

Rumors point to four color options for the ‌iPhone 18 Pro‌ models: Dark Cherry, Light Blue, Dark Gray, and Silver. Dark Cherry is expected to serve as the signature new color, described as a deep, wine-like red that is considerably more muted than last year's Cosmic Orange. The ‌iPhone 18 Pro‌ is not expected to offer a black option for the second consecutive year, but the rumored gray option could come very close.

The ‌iPhone 18 Pro‌ and ‌iPhone 18 Pro‌ Max are expected to be announced in September 2026, alongside the first foldable iPhone.
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Apple last week announced a series of new App Store features, including personalized app recommendations and expanded tools for developers to market their apps.


The most visible change for users is Personalized Collections, a new discovery feature that surfaces app and game recommendations tailored to individual interests and behavior. Alongside each recommendation, new "App Notes" explain why a specific app is being surfaced.

The collections can appear across the Apps, Games, and Search tabs, and will evolve over time as users' download and usage patterns change. Apple says the feature is now available in English in the U.S., with additional languages and regions to follow.

For developers, Apple introduces Creative Assets, rich images and videos that can appear in a product page header and search results, going beyond standard screenshots and app preview clips. These assets can be used to highlight seasonal content, new features, or brand identity, and are compatible with custom product pages and Apple's existing product page optimization testing tools.

A new Asset Library in ‌App Store‌ Connect gives developers a single place to manage all creative materials, with the ability to reuse assets across in-app events and promotions without re-uploading them. Developers can also submit assets for App Review approval independently of a full app update, which is useful for time-sensitive campaigns.

Mac App Store apps and games no longer require Intel support, allowing developers to ship Apple silicon-only binaries. Apple is also allowing developers to group multiple In-App Purchases into a single App Review submission, streamlining the process.

Apple also announced that the age rating questionnaire in ‌App Store‌ Connect will be updated in July to allow developers to indicate whether their app includes social media capabilities such as interacting with user-generated content through a social feed. This ties into new Time Allowances features coming in iOS 27, iPadOS 27, and macOS 27, which give parents more granular controls over how much time children spend in apps across categories including Entertainment, Games, and Social Media.
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Apple developed more for its next-generation software updates than it revealed at WWDC last week, with three features already present in internal builds being deliberately withheld from the public announcement, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman reports.


Writing in the latest edition of his "Power On" newsletter, Gurman says all three missing features are active in internal versions of Apple's operating systems on employee devices today, and each is expected to surface publicly at a later date.

Customizable Camera App

A customizable Camera app for the iPhone, first reported by Gurman in May, also failed to appear at WWDC. The feature would let users rearrange camera controls as widgets along the top of the interface, choosing from options like flash, exposure, timer, depth of field, photo styles, and resolution.

Gurman believes Apple is holding it back specifically for the iPhone 18 Pro, which is expected to bring the most significant camera hardware upgrade in several years.

Siri Extensions

The most notable omission is Extensions, a framework that would allow third-party AI chatbots beyond ChatGPT to integrate with Siri, Apple Intelligence, and features like Writing Tools and Image Playground. Gurman says underlying support for Extensions is already present and visible in the first iOS 27 developer beta, with both a dedicated settings panel and an App Store section built and waiting to be switched on.

Apple has reportedly already held discussions with OpenAI, Anthropic, and Google about the framework, including details about an entitlement those companies would need to apply for. Gurman says he has "no doubt" the feature will arrive eventually.

As for why the Extensions feature was kept out of the WWDC, Gurman offers four theories. Firstly, demonstrating strong AI interoperability could weaken Apple's ongoing argument against EU regulators. Secondly, announcing robust third-party chatbot support could have overshadowed Apple's own Siri overhaul. Thirdly, the threat of litigation from OpenAI may have persuaded Apple to avoid publicly stripping ChatGPT of its exclusive status at its developer conference. Finally, adding a range of external AI options would have further complicated Apple's messaging at a time when it already needed to explain its use of Google's AI models in ‌Siri‌ AI.

Anyone running the first ‌iOS 27‌ or macOS Golden Gate betas can already see a chatbot picker allowing users to switch between ‌Siri‌ and ChatGPT; Gurman says that list is expected to grow via the new developer framework and ‌App Store‌ section. The feature has reportedly been in active use inside Apple for months.

Modular Watch Face

A new Modular watch face for Apple Watch was among the items Gurman had flagged as expected at WWDC but did not appear. Gurman's earlier claim that watchOS 27 would introduce new faces centered on a simplified take on the Modular Ultra design currently exclusive to the Apple Watch Ultra.

Gurman now expects the new face to debut alongside new Apple Watch models this fall.
This article, "These Three Unannounced iOS 27 and watchOS 27 Features Are Still Coming" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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Apple may eventually build a direct competitor to OpenClaw, an agentic AI system capable of autonomously operating software on behalf of the user, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman believes.


Writing in his Power On newsletter, Gurman says he expects Apple to develop a system that could fully operate iPhone, iPad, and Mac software on the user's behalf. The prediction comes on the back of comments made by Apple's Siri engineering chief, Mike Rockwell, following last week's WWDC keynote.

Rockwell appeared to leave the door open for ‌Siri‌ to expand beyond its current capabilities, describing the new engine underpinning the assistant as "a completely modern architecture" built with extensibility in mind:

[An agent is] something that is operating on a loop of information coming in, making decisions, and then taking action. And ours is primarily request based today.
 But the underpinning architecture for Siri is a completely modern architecture, and so our ability to extend in the future is is very similar.

Apple's SVP of Software Engineering, Craig Federighi, acknowledged the broader category but was measured in his framing of it, describing the space as experimental and saying that finding the right user experience remains the priority, while stopping short of ruling out Apple's eventual participation.

Apple's upcoming ‌Siri‌ implementation is newly rebuilt on a large language model foundation, and remains a request-based system. Full computer-use agentic functionality of the kind offered by OpenClaw and similar tools from Google and Anthropic would represent a significant expansion beyond what Apple announced last week.
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The British government will introduce a ban on social media access for all users under 16 years of age, set to take effect in 2027. UK prime minister Keir Starmer announced the plans on Monday, calling the move "the right step for Britain" and the best way to keep children safe online.

"This is not something I do lightly, and I will not present it as cost-free, as if social media has [brought no] benefits to young people, because clearly that is wrong," he said. "But government is always about choices, and it's clear to me that a total ban is the right choice."

The plan goes further than a similar ban introduced in Australia. It will cover major platforms Snapchat, TikTok, YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, and X. An exhaustive list has not yet been released, but Starmer said the rules will apply to services "whose purpose is to enable social interaction and which allow users to post material."

Messaging apps like WhatsApp and Signal are not covered by the ban, and most social media platforms already require children to be over 13 to create an account and use their services.

Platforms will also be required to stop under-16s from livestreaming, including on gaming services, and to block functions that let strangers contact children. Those restrictions will be on by default for under-17s to avoid what the government called "a cliff-edge at 16."

Meanwhile, "romantic companion" chatbots designed to simulate sexual relationships will have to enforce a minimum age of 18, and AI chatbots in general must restrict "intimate functionalities" for under-18s.

"I am not prepared to compromise on the safety and happiness of our children, and that is why this ban must happen, and that is why this ban will happen," Starmer said. "Yes, it's hard – hard to legislate for, hard to regulate, hard to enforce. That's why we sought a wide range of views on this. That's why we listened to people, had a conversation, we looked carefully at the evidence, learned from countries like Australia that are taking similar steps."

Starmer said he plans to pass legislation before Christmas, ahead of a spring 2027 rollout. The government said on Sunday that responses to its "Growing Up in the Online World" consultation showed that 90 percent of parents supported setting a minimum age of 16 for access to the apps.
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