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AirPods With Cameras Could Bring Improved Spatial Audio Head Tracking

Apple's AirPods with cameras could improve spatial audio on the iPhone and other Apple devices by detecting the position of the display the wearer is looking at. Details on the capability were found in macOS Tahoe 26.7 code, and shared on the MacRumors forums by member Mactracker.


Sensors in the current AirPods power a spatial audio head tracking feature, and cameras could take that further. Code suggests the camera-equipped AirPods will find the physical screen the wearer is watching content on, comparing the screen's direction with the direction estimated by the motion sensors in the AirPods.

The AirPods may be able to identify laptops, displays, smartphones, tablets, and TVs, even detecting multiple displays and narrowing audio to the one the wearer is looking at. Screen detection will work behind the scenes and may pause when the wearer is in motion.

Devices with Face ID already use the ‌Face ID‌ sensors to assist with head tracking, but if the user also has AirPods with cameras, the AirPods will prefer camera input over ‌Face ID‌.

Code also references a server-based visual reasoning feature, further reinforcing rumors of Visual Intelligence support. The AirPods will reportedly send camera data to Apple's servers for ‌Visual Intelligence‌ requests.

The ‌macOS Tahoe‌ 26.7 release candidate that came out in August leaked a long list of references to unreleased Apple products, including the AirPods with cameras. Though multiple references to the AirPods were found, rumors suggest the product isn't going to launch until fall 2027.
Related Roundups: AirPods 4, AirPods Pro 3
Related Forum: AirPods

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Apple Adds Three More Macs to Obsolete Products List

Apple today added three Macs to its list of obsolete products. The 2018 Retina MacBook Air, the 13-inch 2018 MacBook Pro with four Thunderbolt 3 ports, and the 13-inch 2017 ‌MacBook Pro‌ with two Thunderbolt 3 ports are now considered obsolete.


The three products were previously part of the vintage list, but have been moved. Apple adds a product to the vintage list when it's been five years since it was last distributed for sale, and it becomes obsolete at the seven-year mark.

Vintage products can still be repaired at Apple retail locations and by Apple Authorized Service Providers if Apple has the parts available. Devices that are obsolete are generally not eligible for repair, and Apple stops making repair components.

Apple has a battery-only repair policy for Mac laptops for up to 10 years after the Mac was last distributed for sale, so 2017/2018 ‌MacBook Pro‌ and 2018 ‌MacBook Air‌ owners may still be able to get battery replacements.

The 2018 ‌MacBook Air‌ was the first in the Air line with Touch ID and a Retina display. Prior ‌MacBook Air‌ models had a non-Retina display with much lower resolution and less vibrant colors. 2018 was also a redesign year for the ‌MacBook Air‌, with Apple introducing smaller bezels and a thinner, lighter chassis.

Apple's 2017 ‌MacBook Pro‌ used Intel's Kaby Lake processors, and it was a minor processor update with few other changes. The 2018 refresh added True Tone display support for the first time and a third-generation keyboard with butterfly keys.
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Apple Releases macOS Golden Gate Beta 8

Apple today provided developers with the eighth beta of macOS Golden Gate, with the update coming a week after Apple seeded the seventh 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, and 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.
Related Roundup: macOS Golden Gate

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Apple Seeds Eighth iOS 27 and iPadOS 27 Betas to Developers

Apple today seeded the eighth betas of iOS 27 and iPadOS 27 to developers for testing purposes, with the update coming one week after Apple released the seventh 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.
Related Roundups: iOS 27, iPadOS 27

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Apple Seeds watchOS 27 Beta 8 to Developers

Apple today seeded the eighth beta of watchOS 27 to developers, with the update coming a week after the launch of the seventh 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.

‌watchOS 27‌ introduces 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 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.
Related Roundups: watchOS 26, watchOS 27
Related Forum: Apple Watch

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Apple Seeds tvOS 27 Beta 8 to Developers

Apple today seeded the eighth beta of tvOS 27 to developers for testing purposes, with the update coming a week after Apple released the seventh 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.
Related Roundup: Apple TV
Buyer's Guide: Apple TV (Don't Buy)

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Apple Seeds Eighth visionOS 27 Beta to Developers

Apple today provided developers with the eighth beta of an upcoming visionOS 27 update for testing purposes. The beta comes a week after Apple released the seventh 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.
Related Roundup: Apple Vision Pro
Buyer's Guide: Vision Pro (Neutral)
Related Forum: Apple Vision Pro

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Apple's Phil Schiller Scales Back Role as John Ternus Era Begins

Apple's Phil Schiller is no longer going to run the App Store or oversee product events, reports Bloomberg. Schiller isn't leaving Apple, but he is narrowing his responsibilities and working on unspecified projects.

Phil Schiller
Employees at Apple told Bloomberg that 66-year-old Schiller appears to be taking another step toward retirement.

Schiller was Apple's marketing chief until 2020, when he stepped down and took on the title Apple Fellow. At the time, Schiller said he would stay at Apple for "as long as they will have me," but added that he wanted to make time for family, friends, and personal projects.

As Apple Fellow, Schiller continued to oversee the ‌App Store‌ and Apple events, but the role may not have left him with sufficient time for his own endeavors. In 2024, The Wall Street Journal said Schiller was working close to 80 hours a week. He has been in charge of the ‌App Store‌ during some of its most tumultuous years, including Apple's ongoing struggles to comply with the Digital Markets Act in the European Union, the company's legal battle with Epic Games, and multiple other changes demanded by regulatory action in countries like Brazil and Japan.

Schiller first joined Apple in 1987, left in 1993, and came back to the company in 1997 when Steve Jobs returned to Apple. He has been at the forefront of some of Apple's biggest product launches, including the iPod, iPhone, iPad, and Apple Watch. He plans to remain at Apple, and he will keep his Apple Fellow title.

Schiller is stepping down from overseeing the ‌App Store‌ and Apple product launches just as John Ternus is set to take over as Apple CEO. Today is Tim Cook's last day as CEO, with Cook transitioning to Apple Chairman.

Apple is moving the ‌App Store‌ to Eddy Cue, who oversaw it until 2015. Cue is Apple's services chief and will reportedly be taking a more influential role under Ternus' leadership. Carson Oliver, who has long been on the ‌App Store‌ team, will oversee its day-to-day operations.

Schiller deputy Nola Weinstein will lead the Apple events team, reporting to vice president of communications and public relations Kristin Huguet Quayle.
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Steve Jobs' 8th Grade Science Project Sells for $34,375

A science project that Apple co-founder Steve Jobs built for his 8th-grade science fair sold at auction for $34,375.


Jobs was attending Cupertino Jr. High when he designed the project, which is titled "What is the SCR?" The lot includes a display board built from plywood with three explanatory panels and a 10-page report with the same title.

The left panel has a wooden model of a "typical silicon-controlled rectifier with its four alternate layers of P- and N-Type semiconductor material," while the center test circuits demonstrate the basic principles and characteristics of the silicon-controlled rectifier, as well as how it is most widely used. The right panel has a diagram and description of a 25-amp silicon-controlled rectifier.

The project is labeled with Jobs' name, and the accompanying report is titled "What is the Silicon-Controlled Rectifier by Steve Jobs, Science, Mrs. Yakel, Feb. 29, 1968."

A note included on the project instructs judges to plug in Circuit II and the oscilloscope to see it operate, and it asks them to "please unplug!" the device after testing it.

Jobs' science fair project came from John Chovanec, Jobs' stepbrother. Chovanec's mother, Marilyn, married Paul Jobs in 1990 and continued to live in the Jobs family home in Los Altos. After Paul Jobs died in 1993, Steve Jobs declined to collect some of his personal belongings that remained in the home. Chovanec apparently asked Jobs to collect the items several times and at one point said he would keep the items himself instead. "Fine, but I don't want to be bothered about it again," Jobs reportedly responded.

Chovanec previously sold other items from Jobs' early years, including posters, magazines, bow ties, a desk, and more. A 1977 Apple Computer poster sold for $659,900, while an Apple–1 Byte Shop wooden case owned by Jobs sold for $254,375. The bow ties sold for $113,580.
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Which Macs Will Get an M6 Chip and Which Won't?

Apple announced new Mac mini machines this week, and the lower-end models include the first M6 chip. The M6 era will be a little complicated, because few Macs are going to get it. We won't have M6 Pro or M6 Max chips, which shakes up the Mac lineup for the next couple of years.


Devices With M6


The ‌Mac mini‌ is the first Mac with an M6, but the chip is going to come to a couple of other products in the lineup.

  • MacBook Pro - The 14-inch entry-level MacBook Pro could be updated with an M6 chip in October 2026.

  • iMac - The 24-inch iMac is also expected to get the M6 chip, likely around the time the ‌MacBook Pro‌ is updated.

  • MacBook Air - The MacBook Air could get the M6 chip in early 2027.

  • iPad Pro - The next iPad Pro could get the M6 chip.

  • iPad Air - A future version of the iPad Air is likely to adopt the M6. Apple usually keeps the ‌iPad Air‌ processor one generation behind the ‌iPad Pro‌.


M6 Pro and M6 Max


Apple isn't going to make M6 Pro or M6 Max chips, according to Bloomberg, so the M6 will be the first standalone Apple silicon chip that won't have more powerful variants.

Instead of manufacturing M6 Pro and M6 Max chips, Apple is speeding up its chip development timeline to bring the M7 Pro and M7 Max to market more quickly. The M7 Pro and M7 Max will have technologies that support on-device AI and GPU-intensive software, so they better meet growing demand for processors with those capabilities.

M5 Makes Up the Gap


Macs that would have used an M6 Pro or M6 Max chip are going to be stuck with the M5 Pro and M5 Max until the M7 family is ready. That means the high-end OLED "MacBook Ultra" we're expecting in late 2026 or early 2027 is going to use the same M5 Pro and M5 Max chips that are in the current ‌MacBook Pro‌ models. It's also possible it will get the M5 Ultra.

The new ‌Mac mini‌ also got the M5 Pro instead of an M6 Pro chip. The new Mac Studio announced alongside the ‌Mac mini‌ uses M5 Max and M5 Ultra chips.

Short Life Span


The M6 isn't going to be around for long, because Apple plans to launch the M7 in the first half of 2027. The M7 Pro and M7 Max will follow at the end of the year.

M6 Features


The M6 is Apple's first chip built on a new 2-nanometer process that increases transistor density on a smaller die. The process change improves performance and efficiency.

It has a 12-core CPU with what Apple says is the world's fastest CPU core, a larger 12-core GPU with Neural Accelerators for each core, a new Dual 16-core Neural Engine, and up to 170GB/s memory bandwidth.

The GPU has updated shader core architecture, Dynamic Caching, hardware-accelerated ray tracing, and 50 percent higher geometry rates for complex graphics.
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Pikachu Visits Apple Park, Meets Tim Cook and John Ternus

Tim Cook shared an inside look at the work he is doing behind the scenes as he prepares to step down as Apple's CEO next week. Cook has been preparing incoming CEO John Ternus for the transition over the last several months, and today he introduced Ternus to popular Pokémon character Pikachu.


Cook said he and Ternus met with the Pokémon team to talk gaming. The accompanying video features Pikachu exploring the Apple Park campus, including dancing under the rainbow arch and picking an apple from the orchard.

Today's agenda at Apple Park: Introduce the @Pokemon team to John, talk gaming, and politely ask Pikachu to stay out of the pond. Two out of three were accomplished. pic.twitter.com/KzirV3VX8U

— Tim Cook (@tim_cook) August 27, 2026

It's not clear why the Pokémon team was at ‌Apple Park‌, but Cook first met Pikachu in September 2025 on a trip to Japan for the reopening of Apple Ginza in Tokyo.

There are several Pokémon-themed games available on Apple's platforms, including Pokémon GO, Pokémon Trading Card Game Pocket, Pokémon UNITE, and Pokémon Champions.
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Apple's iPhone Event Tagline is Different in Every Country

Apple today announced it will hold its annual iPhone-centric event on Wednesday, September 9 at 10 a.m. Pacific Time. In the U.S. and several other countries, Apple used "Surprise and Shine" as its tagline for the event, but in other countries, the tagline isn't a literal translation.


Here are the different taglines Apple is using on its regional websites.

  • U.S., UK, NZ, Australia, Ireland, India, Canada - Surprise and Shine.

  • Canada, French - Des surprises dans l'air, or surprises in the air.

  • Brazil - Surpreendente e brilhante, or surprising and brilliant.

  • Mexico and Latin America - Sorpresas listas para brillar, which means surprises ready to shine.

  • Germany, Austria, Switzerland - Staunen und strahlen, or something like wonder/amazement and radiate/shine.

  • Spain - Un rayo de wow, which means a ray of wow or a flash of wow.

  • France, Belgium - Un jour nouveau. Bientôt. The French phrase is a little different, translating to a new day, soon.

  • Italy - L'alba di nuove sorprese, or the dawn of new surprises.

  • Denmark - Det bliver solstrålende, or something like it's going to be brilliant/sunny. Solstrålende merges two words that mean sunbeam and brilliant.

  • Norway - Tid for gode overraskelser, time for good surprises.

  • Sweden - Förväntan. Förundran. Anticipation and wonder.

  • Finland - Uudenkoitto, which translates to a new dawn or a new beginning.

  • Poland - Zdumienia i olśnienia, which is surprise and amazement, or astonishment and revelation.

  • Hungary - Ragyogó meglepetés, radiant/brilliant surprise.

  • Portugal - O despontar de surpresas brilhantes, which translates to the dawn of brilliant surprises. Despontar is a word used for daybreak or sunrise, though Apple's Translate app says the phrase means "the unfolding of brilliant surprises."

  • Turkey - Işıltılı. Şaşırtıcı. Heyecanlı or dazzling/sparkling, surprising, exciting.

  • The Netherlands - Surprise party. Apple left this one in English.

  • Czechia - Čas těšení, or time of anticipation.

  • UAE, Saudi Arabia - بدايات تسطع بالمفاجآت, which means beginnings that shine with surprises.

  • China - 亮新篇,来耀眼, which roughly means a bright new chapter, prepare to be dazzled. The 篇 character can also mean page of a book, which is perhaps an interesting nod to a foldable device.

  • Hong Kong - 耀目驚喜,亮起新一章, translates to a dazzling surprise, lighting up a new chapter. It uses a different character for chapter and more clearly says surprise.

  • Taiwan - 驚喜耀現,開新篇, meaning something like a dazzling surprise opens a new chapter.

  • South Korea - 깜짝 빛날 시간, which translates to something like time to shine with a surprise. 깜짝 is surprise, 빛날 is shine, and 시간 is time.


The different taglines make it clear Apple lets its regional teams write their own content instead of using the same translation worldwide. Taiwan, Hong Kong, and China all use the chapter concept, which is absent from the rest of the world. Many of the European translations use a new beginning or a new dawn, along with the same shining or radiant word in the U.S. version. A new beginning is similar to a new chapter, so the Chinese taglines are probably using that context rather than a book-like chapter context, but there may also be an intentional dual meaning there.

For all of the translations to English, there are multiple interpretations because there are characters or words with multiple meanings in English, or phrases that don't translate, but most have the same general meaning as Surprise and Shine.

Some regional Apple pages haven't been updated with the event info yet, including Japan, Korea, Brazil, Mexico, Thailand, and Vietnam.

We're expecting Apple to introduce the iPhone 18 Pro, the ‌iPhone 18 Pro‌ Max, and the first foldable iPhone at its September 9 event.
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Astropad Launches Rock Paper Pencil 4.0 With New Graphite Apple Pencil Tip

Astropad today launched Rock Paper Pencil 4.0, an updated version of its screen protector and Apple Pencil tip combo made for the iPad.


Rock Paper Pencil offers a paper-like writing experience on a tablet display by pairing a paper-textured screen protector with custom tips for the ‌Apple Pencil‌. The new version of the product comes with two ‌Apple Pencil‌ tips, one with a smooth ballpoint feel and one that mimics a soft graphite pencil. Two of each tip come in the kit for four total.

Astropad says the new graphite tip is meant to feel just like a 2B pencil with a "soft, toothy drag" that's ideal for sketching or shading. It even has the sound of a pencil on paper. The ballpoint tip is meant to feel like a smooth gel pen, and it's suited to writing and linework.

The reusable screen protector remains the same as before, and users can put it on when writing or drawing on the ‌iPad‌ and take it off for other activities like gaming. It uses Astropad's NanoCling technology to attach, and it leaves no residue on the ‌iPad‌'s display because it doesn't use adhesive. The paper-like feel of the screen protector comes from a microscopic texture that adds a small amount of friction to improve control. When not in use, the screen protector can be kept in an included protective storage sleeve.


Rock Paper Pencil is compatible with most iPads, with a list available on the website. The tips work with all ‌Apple Pencil‌ models, including the ‌Apple Pencil‌ Pro.

Rock Paper Pencil 4.0 can be purchased from the Astropad website for $49.99. Astropad is also running a "Peel It Off" promo that offers $20 to people who switch to Rock Paper Pencil and share the removal of their old screen protector on social media.
Related Forum: iPad Accessories

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Meta Agrees to Limit Teens' Time on Facebook and Instagram, Calls on TikTok and YouTube to Match

Meta today said it will implement major changes to Facebook and Instagram's child safety features as part of a settlement agreement with almost all U.S. states.


Here's what will change for users under 18 on Instagram and Facebook if the agreement is approved.

  • Time Limit - Teens will have a two-hour daily time limit on Facebook and Instagram, though it can be overridden by a parent. The two-hour total includes both apps.

  • Night Mode - Users will be blocked from posting and viewing content between midnight and 6 a.m.

  • School Mode - Notifications are muted between 8 a.m. and 3 p.m.

  • Prompts - The apps will send prompts after every 15 minutes of continuous screen time. There will also be prompts when daily usage hits 60 minutes and 90 minutes.

  • Feed Control - Teens can choose a non-algorithmic feed that does not include personalization through the Instagram and Facebook recommendation systems. Parents will be able to require this setting.

  • Autoplay Control - Teens will be able to turn off autoplay. Parents can require this setting.

  • Hidden Likes - Teens won't see the likes and reactions on a post by default.

  • Filters - Cosmetic surgery and extreme makeup filters won't be accessible to teens.

  • Age Assurance - ‌Meta‌ plans to strengthen tools it uses to catch accounts belonging to users under 13, as well as accounts used by teens aged 13 to 17 to make sure the accounts have "experiences designed for teens."

  • Parental Controls - ‌Meta‌ will add new controls for parents, notifying them if a teen links a second account or interacts with suspicious accounts. Parents will also get periodic updates on teen usage.

  • Direct Messages - Direct messages are exempt from Time Limit, Night Mode, and School Mode.


‌Meta‌ will also pay approximately $18 billion to states to fund online youth safety initiatives, which is far less than its 2025 net income of $60.5 billion. The payment will be spread over a 10-year period, and ‌Meta‌ is withholding $5.3 billion unless TikTok and YouTube implement similar measures. If they do, ‌Meta‌ says it will lower daily usage limits from two cumulative hours across both apps to one hour for each app and expand ‌Night Mode‌ to run from 10 p.m. to 7 a.m.

‌Meta‌ wants YouTube and TikTok to add a one-hour daily limit, night mode, and age assurance measures, as well as pay $5.3 billion each to match ‌Meta‌'s withheld $5.3 billion. ‌Meta‌ posted an open letter calling on TikTok and YouTube to implement the same measures. Teens with restrictions on Instagram and Facebook could instead just move over to TikTok and YouTube, and ‌Meta‌ likely doesn't want to be the only company losing out on revenue.

‌Meta‌ has been in a federal trial over the lawsuit, and had it continued, it could have been forced to pay more. California, Colorado, Kentucky, and New Jersey were seeking closer to $200 billion in civil penalties, according to Reuters. The settlement came before ‌Meta‌ CEO Mark Zuckerberg was set to testify, but Florida declined to settle and will continue litigation. New Mexico was also uninvolved because it won its own case against ‌Meta‌ earlier this year.
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Apple Releases Safari Technology Preview 251 With Bug Fixes and Performance Improvements

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.


Apple has not provided notes on what's changed in Safari 251.

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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iOS 27: 13 Ways the Messages App is Smarter and Less Annoying

The Messages app is arguably the most important app on the iPhone, and in iOS 27, Apple is adding some useful improvements. There are some quality-of-life fixes for longtime issues, and new AI features.


Contextual Suggestions


Messages uses Apple Intelligence to surface one-tap suggestions based on what's being discussed in a conversation. If someone you're talking to asks you to send a photo, Messages recognizes the request and suggests adding the relevant photos.


If someone invites you to an event, Messages offers to add it to your Calendar. If someone asks you to pick something up at the store, Messages will suggest adding it to your Reminders list or to the Notes app.

Messages will also suggest Genmoji you might want to generate based on the conversation.

Write With Siri


There's a systemwide Write with Siri feature that's available in the Messages app. ‌Siri‌ AI can compose entire messages for you, proofread your messages, or give you feedback.


There is a dedicated Write with ‌Siri‌ button above the keyboard where you can get to the new ‌Siri‌ tools.

Smart Reply suggestions also use your writing style so they sound more natural.

Siri AI


‌Siri‌ AI integrates with the Messages app. You can ask ‌Siri‌ to find images, videos, links, addresses, phone numbers, and more in the Messages app, plus ‌Siri‌ can draft message replies and act on info in the Messages app, like adding an event date to the Calendar app.

Drawing


You can use a new Drawing interface in the Messages app to send little sketches and notes. It's available when tapping on the "+" button next to the text bar in a conversation.


The drawing interface is the same as the Markup tool available in apps like Photos and Notes. There's a marker, a pen, a highlighter, and an eraser, plus options to use the tools in any color.

Accidental Recordings


The ‌iOS 27‌ Messages app includes an option to remove the audio button from the text bar. In the Messages section of the Settings app, you can navigate to Show in Text Field to set the right-side button to Record Audio, Start Dictation, or None.


Setting the option to none will prevent you from accidentally recording a voice message with an errant tap.

Tapbacks


Messages now consolidates notifications for Tapback responses, which is useful when you're in a group thread and tons of people are sending emojis.

Sending


When a message fails to send in ‌iOS 27‌, your iPhone will automatically retry sending it. In iOS 26, you get an alert if a message fails, but you have to manually tap to try to send it again.

The Messages app also supports continuous sending of photos, videos, and texts. If you're sending someone a photo and your connection is poor or you go offline, it automatically resumes sending when the connection is restored.

Syncing


Cross-device syncing is improved in ‌iOS 27‌, so conversations will sync more reliably across the iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch, and Vision Pro. Fewer messages will fail to sync and display properly when you switch between devices.

Messages, read states, reactions, and attachments sync faster.

When you take a photo and then go to the Messages app to send it, you're more likely to see it right away. Apple says the iPhone is faster to add recent camera captures to Messages.

Search


Apple improved its search index across apps like Mail and Messages, so you're more likely to find what you're looking for.

You can also search for conversations in Messages using a phone number or a contact's nickname.

Offloaded Media


If you have photos or videos that have been offloaded to save storage space, you can still find them in the ‌iOS 27‌ Messages app when you search.

Thumbnails are also displayed for offloaded media instead of a placeholder image, so you know what's there.

RCS


In RCS message conversations with Android users, you can now long press on a message to send an inline reply. ‌iOS 27‌ also shows reaction emoji directly on images and videos, a feature that was not functioning in ‌iOS 26‌.

Genmoji


Apple revamped ‌Genmoji‌ creation in ‌iOS 27‌. There's an updated interface for describing an emoji that you want, with options to start from an existing emoji, choose an image from ‌Photos‌, or select a person.


After uploading an image or using a text phrase to create a ‌‌Genmoji‌‌, there's a new "Describe a change" interface for making updates to what you've already created. You can iterate on designs and change individual elements of a ‌‌Genmoji‌‌, tweaking colors and objects. Each change uses the old base instead of regenerating a new ‌‌Genmoji‌‌.

With a series of requests, it is possible to make a complicated, multi-element ‌‌Genmoji‌‌. Along with describing changes, you can add in additional emoji, and the interface makes suggestions on what to do next.

‌‌Genmoji‌‌ output is more consistent, and ‌‌Genmoji‌‌ look more like real emoji with a 3D, cartoonish style by default. There is now an option to change style, so if you don't want the cartoonish look, you can ask for something else like a drawing or a sketch.

Large Conversations


Large conversations load and scroll faster in ‌iOS 27‌, according to Apple.

Read More


More on all of the features in ‌iOS 27‌ can be found in our iOS 27 guide.
Related Roundups: iOS 27, iPadOS 27

This article, "iOS 27: 13 Ways the Messages App is Smarter and Less Annoying" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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Apple Event Livestream: Where and When to Watch on September 9

Following this morning's announcement of the iPhone event that will take place on September 9, Apple added an event placeholder to its YouTube channel.


Apple will stream the "Surprise and Shine" event on YouTube, on the Apple Events website, and in the Apple TV app wherever it is available.

YouTube users can click on the video placeholder and choose the "Notify me" option to get a notification when the livestream is up. Apple also added an event countdown.

If YouTube has your location information, the notification and countdown will be displayed in your local time, so it's a good way to double-check when you will need to tune in to watch the event.

Apple's event will start at 10 a.m. Pacific Time, which is 1 p.m. Eastern Time, 6 p.m. British Summer Time, 7 p.m. Central European Summer Time, and 10:30 p.m. India Standard Time, 1 a.m. China Standard Time (Thursday, September 10), 1 a.m. Australian Western Standard Time, 3 a.m. Australian Eastern Standard Time, and 5 a.m. in New Zealand Standard Time.

You're also able to add the event to your calendar using the Apple Events website.

For those who are unable to watch the livestream on September 9, MacRumors will have full event coverage on MacRumors.com and the MacRumorsLive X (formerly Twitter) account so you can follow along with the announcements.
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Apple Event Announced for September 9: 'Surprise and Shine'

Apple plans to hold its annual iPhone-centric event on Wednesday, September 9 at the Apple Park campus in Cupertino, California. The event will begin at 10:00 a.m. Pacific Time, with select members of the media invited to attend.


The September 2026 iPhone event will see Apple announce the iPhone 18 Pro, the ‌iPhone 18 Pro‌ Max, and the foldable iPhone, which could be called the iPhone Ultra. There won't be an iPhone 18 this year because Apple is waiting until spring 2027 to launch the more affordable models.

All three new iPhones will use Apple's latest A20 Pro chip built on a 2nm process for speed and efficiency improvements. The ‌iPhone 18 Pro‌ models could get an upgraded variable aperture rear camera, but will otherwise be similar to the iPhone 17 Pro models. We are expecting price increases due to ongoing memory shortages.

Surprise and shine! It's almost time for the #AppleEvent, on Wednesday, September 9! pic.twitter.com/SLkIcNmLwP

— Greg Joswiak (@gregjoz) August 26, 2026

The foldable iPhone will be Apple's first new form factor since the launch of the 2017 iPhone X. It will have a book-like design, and it will be around 5.5 inches when closed and 7.6 inches when open. It is wider than it is tall, and will be similar to using an iPad when unfolded. Since the foldable iPhone is so thin, there are compromises, and it will use Touch ID instead of Face ID and it won't have a telephoto camera.

Apple is also going to introduce the Apple Watch Series 12 and Apple Watch Ultra 4, plus there's a possibility we'll see new smart home devices, including the long-rumored home hub, a new Apple TV 4K, and an updated HomePod mini.

Along with new hardware, Apple will give us launch dates for iOS 27, iPadOS 27, macOS Golden Gate, and other upcoming software updates.

Apple plans to stream the fall event live on its website, on YouTube, and through the ‌Apple TV‌ app. For those unable to watch, MacRumors will be providing full event coverage on MacRumors.com and the MacRumorsLive Twitter account.
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BenQ's New iScreenBar is a Monitor Light Bar Made for the iMac

BenQ today announced the launch of the iScreenBar, which it says is the first monitor light bar built for the iMac.


The iScreenBar is meant to look like an extension of the ‌iMac‌, offering desk lighting that does not clash with the ‌iMac‌'s design or block the camera or microphone. It's made from aluminum and lights an area of 33.5 by 19.7 inches at 500 lux. A glass touch panel is available for adjustments, and there's also a macOS app for tweaking brightness, color temperature, and light mode.

It turns on and off using presence detection and can also activate when the ‌iMac‌ wakes, plus it dims or brightens as the lighting in the room changes. In video call mode, evens lighting and reduces glare on the face for a better image when the camera is in use.


The light bar mounts to the back of the ‌iMac‌ using a magnetic clamp, and it comes with a magnetic cable clip to hide cords. BenQ says asymmetric optics light the user's desk without shining on the screen or in the eyes to reduce glare and preserve color accuracy. It is powered by the ‌iMac‌'s USB-C port, which also allows for automatic camera mode activation.

The iScreenBar can be purchased from BenQ or from Amazon for $189. It is compatible with the 24-inch ‌iMac‌ (2021 and later).
Related Roundup: iMac
Tag: BenQ
Buyer's Guide: iMac (Don't Buy)
Related Forum: iMac

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Apple Maps Ads Are Here, and There's No Way to Turn Them Off

Ads in Apple Maps are live in the United States and Canada, which means iPhone and iPad users will see them when searching for locations and when viewing Suggested Places.


Apple announced plans to bring ads to the Maps app in March, and said the feature would roll out starting in late summer. Apple confirmed to 9to5Mac that ads began showing up for users over the last few days, with ad placement to ramp up in the coming weeks.

Ads are shown in Suggested Places when initiating a search and after searching if a company has bought an ad for a keyword you're looking for. Ads are shown at the top of search results, with one ad per set of search results.

There is no option to turn off ads in the Maps app, but ads are clearly labeled with a blue "Ad" tag. Apple says ads you interact with in the Maps app are not associated with your Apple Account, and data is not shared with third parties.

Apple has been preparing to launch ads all summer, with signs of ads showing up in iOS 26 updates. Apple started allowing businesses to purchase ad slots in August, offering a 15 percent credit toward future ad spend as an incentive.

Ads for home services, bail bonds, and cryptocurrency ATMs are not allowed in the Maps app per Apple's Advertising Services policy. Ads that promote or reference medical services may be allowed, and are evaluated on a case-by-case basis. Maps ads also have to adhere to Apple's other advertising rules.
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New Mac Mini and Mac Studio: 13 Things You Might Have Missed

Apple today announced new M6 and M5 Pro Mac mini models and M5 Max and M5 Ultra Mac Studio models. We've covered all of the announcements in-depth, but wanted to highlight some interesting tidbits about the new machines.



  • Price Increases - The Mac mini now starts at $899, $300 over the original starting price of the M4 Mac mini when it launched in October 2024. Mac Studio pricing starts at $2,499, $500 more than the original price of the M4 Max model when it came out in March 2025.

  • Connectivity - Apple upgraded the new Macs with Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 6, so they are on par with the connectivity standards in the latest iPhone models. Wi-Fi 7 offers faster data speeds in the 6GHz band, lower latency, and an option to connect across 2.4GHz, 5GHz, and 6GHz networks at once for reliability improvements.

  • Genlock - The ‌Mac mini‌ and ‌Mac Studio‌ support genlock over USB-C, so there's no need for a separate sync box. Genlock is used in multi-camera shoots and virtual production to lock timing to a shared reference signal. The Mac's display and the camera filming it are synchronized, preventing flickering and tearing from a mismatch between the display refresh rate and camera shutter. Apple previously added genlock support to the iPhone 17 Pro models, so now an ‌iPhone 17 Pro‌ and one of the new Macs can work in tandem for pros who need the feature.

  • Ethernet - The ‌Mac mini‌ now starts with 2.5Gb Ethernet instead of 1Gb. There's an option to upgrade to 10Gb, which is what the ‌Mac Studio‌ starts with (same as the prior-generation model).

  • Neural Engine - The M6 chip has an upgraded Neural Engine with two 16-core engines instead of just one. Apple says the new Neural Engine offers 2x more peak compute so AI workflows run faster.

  • GPU - The M6 ‌Mac mini‌'s 12-core GPU has Neural Accelerators in each core, offering up to 4x faster AI performance and 2x faster graphics than the ‌M4 Mac mini‌. The ‌Mac Studio‌'s M5 Ultra is also the first Ultra chip with Neural Accelerators. Peak AI compute performance is 4.3x the M3 Ultra's performance.

  • SSD - ‌Mac Studio‌ storage is twice as fast with new SSD architecture built on PCIe Gen 6.

  • SSD Pricing - As Daring Fireball points out, upgrading a ‌Mac mini‌ with a 2TB SSD costs $1,000, which is more than the $899 base price of the machine. Upgrading to the 4TB SSD for the M5 Pro costs $1,800, which is $100 over the price of the base machine.

  • Thunderbolt - The M6 ‌Mac mini‌ continues to have Thunderbolt 4, not Thunderbolt 5. The M5 Pro model does have Thunderbolt 5.

  • Current Max Pricing - An M5 Pro ‌Mac mini‌ with 18-core CPU, 64GB RAM, an 8TB SSD, and 10GbE is $6,799. The M5 Ultra ‌Mac Studio‌ with 36-core CPU, 256GB RAM, and 16TB SSD is $18,299.

  • 512GB RAM - You can only buy the M5 Ultra with 96GB or 256GB of RAM right now, but a 512GB option is coming in late October. Since upgrading from 96GB RAM to 256GB RAM costs $4,000, the 512GB option will likely cost at least $6,000.

  • Announcement Timing - This is the first time Apple has announced new Macs in August since the 27-inch iMac debuted in August 2020.

  • macOS Golden Gate - When the new machines launch on September 22, they will likely have macOS Golden Gate installed. The software update is probably going to come out the week of September 14.


The new ‌Mac Studio‌ and ‌Mac mini‌ models can be pre-ordered starting today, and will be available on September 22.
Related Roundups: Mac Studio, Mac mini
Related Forums: Mac Studio, Mac mini

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Apple's 40W Dynamic Power Adapter Expands to More Countries

Alongside the launch of new Mac Studio and Mac mini models, Apple today expanded its 40W Dynamic Power Adapter with 60W Max to Vietnam and countries in Europe that use the type C two-pin Europlug.


The updated variant of the power adapter has a retractable two-prong design. The prongs pop back into the power adapter's enclosure, making it easier to tuck into a bag or a pocket. Apple previously debuted a standard U.S. variant in September 2025 alongside the iPhone 17 models, and a type G plug version in November 2025.

Countries where the type C 40W Dynamic Power Adapter with 60W Max is available include Austria, Belgium, Czechia, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, and Vietnam. In most eurozone countries, it's priced at €45.

The 40W Dynamic Power Adapter is the same size as Apple's 20W charger, but it offers faster 40W charging. It also supports up to 60W charging in short bursts to speed up charging further. The power adapter can fast charge ‌iPhone 17‌ models, the iPhone Air, and the iPad Pro models.
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Siri AI Will Have a Waitlist When iOS 27 Launches

iOS 27, iPadOS 27, and macOS Golden Gate include Siri AI, Apple's much more capable version of ‌Siri‌. When the new updates launch, it appears Apple will use a waitlist and limit initial access.


On the MacRumors forums, Mactracker found that the seventh betas of ‌iOS 27‌, ‌iPadOS 27‌, and ‌macOS Golden Gate‌ include waitlist infrastructure.

Apple will use dynamic wait time messages once a user joins the ‌Siri‌ AI waitlist. It looks like Apple will give a clear estimate of the wait, and the company will be able to adjust the wait time readouts server-side based on demand and capacity. Apple will send a notification when ‌Siri‌ AI can be used.

‌Siri‌ AI had a waitlist during the beta testing period. It took up to a week for some people to get access, but there's no indication yet of how long people might have to wait after the public launch in September.
Related Roundups: iOS 27, iPadOS 27
Tag: Siri

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Apple Releases New iOS 27, iPadOS 27, macOS 27, and tvOS 27 Public Betas

Apple today released the fifth public betas of iOS 27, iPadOS 27, tvOS 27, and macOS Golden Gate, allowing anyone with a compatible device to download and test the new software. The fifth betas come a week after Apple seeded the fourth betas and a few hours after the seventh developer betas.


You can get started by signing up on Apple's beta website and then opting in to the public beta by opening up the Settings app on your device, selecting General, and choosing Software Update.

We are nearing the end of the beta testing process, and no notable new features were found in today's developer betas.
Buyer's Guide: Apple TV (Don't Buy)

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Home Hub Code Hints at Face-Based Profile Switching

Apple's upcoming home hub will support multiple profiles and will include "ambient sensing" for identity verification, according to code we found in the macOS Tahoe 26.7 update.


The accessory will show Personal Content for different users in the home, with options to select a profile via Control Center or the Settings app on the device. The home hub is expected to have an operating system similar to tvOS, so the Control Center and profile selection options might look like those on the Apple TV.

It sounds like the home hub can switch between profiles automatically using some combination of cameras and sensors, based on the mentions of ambient sensing. The device is rumored to include cameras and a presence-sensing feature to determine when someone is in the room, so it will be able to tell who is near it and switch profiles appropriately.

Here are some of the code strings.

  • Sorry, I'm not sure who you are. To access your Personal Content, you'll need to select yourself in Control Center.

  • Before I can help with that, you'll need to enable Personal Content. In the Settings app, tap on your name, and turn on Personal Content.

  • I'm not sure who's speaking. Please come in front of this device and ask again.

  • Sorry, since this device hasn't seen you in a while, you'll need to ask again in front of the camera.

  • To access your Personal Content, you'll need to select yourself in Control Center and temporarily allow ambient sensing to verify your identity.


There are also mentions of a wall-mounted version of the home hub, confirming that there will be two models. The other version will include a speaker base.

Rumors suggest the home hub will have a square, 7-inch display. It will run apps and have a main home screen with quick-access widgets. We could see the home hub announced as soon as September.
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Apple Won't Change Hide My Email Domain After Backlash

Apple today said it is reversing its decision and will not change the email domain used for the iCloud+ Hide My Email feature.


Emails sent using Hide My Email will continue to use the same icloud.com domain that Apple uses for standard ‌iCloud‌ emails.

In June, Apple said it would unify the email domains used by Sign in with Apple and Hide My Email under a single private.icloud.com domain. iPhone users expressed concern that moving Hide My Email to a private.icloud.com domain instead of icloud.com would let platforms easily block iCloud aliases. Using the same domain for ‌iCloud‌ and Hide My Email makes it hard for services to block the disposable ‌iCloud‌ addresses because doing so would also block legitimate users.

Apple said after further consideration and reviewing feedback from the community, it will not make the change. Sign in with Apple addresses will be issued through private.icloud.com instead of privaterelay.appleid.com starting later this year. There will be no update for Hide My Email addresses.

Sign in with Apple addresses created before the change will continue to be forwarded without interruption. Apple says developers with apps or websites that use Sign in with Apple should make sure their systems allow the private.icloud.com domain in addition to privaterelay.appleid.com.

Hide My Email is a paid ‌iCloud‌ feature that allows users to generate unique email addresses for each website or service, with options to deactivate and delete those addresses at any time. Hide My Email addresses are forwarded to a user's real email address, which is hidden from the site or service.
Tag: iCloud

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Apple Holds Farewell Party for Tim Cook as Ternus Prepares to Take Over

Tim Cook will step down as Apple's CEO on Tuesday, September 1, and ahead of that date, Apple hosted a farewell party for him. According to The Information, the party took place on August 23, just a day before Cook celebrated his 15th anniversary as Apple CEO.


Approximately 200 people celebrated Cook at the Caffé Macs cafeteria on the Apple campus, and band OneRepublic performed. Several speakers shared tributes to Cook, including Steve Jobs' wife Laurene Powell Jobs, former Apple COO Jeff Williams, Apple services chief Eddy Cue, and incoming CEO John Ternus.

.@OneRepublic at Apple Park Cupertino HQ with outgoing Apple CEO @tim_cook

📷 Brody Harper pic.twitter.com/LSqtAidmBJ

— OneRepublic News (@1RNews) August 24, 2026

Cook is not leaving Apple, despite the party. Next Tuesday, he will become Apple's executive chairman, where he will "assist with certain aspects of the company, including engaging with policymakers around the world." Cook will spend less time in the spotlight in his new role.

Ternus has been at Apple since 2001, serving as senior vice president of hardware engineering since 2021. Apple's September iPhone event will be his first major product launch as CEO.

Insiders at Apple told The Information that continuity is the focus of the transition from Cook to Ternus, with few things to change. Cook's executive assistant will stay on and work for Ternus.
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Apple Releases macOS Golden Gate Beta 7

Apple today provided developers with the seventh beta of macOS Golden Gate, with the update coming a week after Apple seeded the sixth 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.
Related Roundup: macOS Golden Gate

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Apple Seeds Seventh iOS 27 and iPadOS 27 Betas to Developers

Apple today seeded the seventh betas of iOS 27 and iPadOS 27 to developers for testing purposes, with the update coming one week after Apple released the sixth 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.
Related Roundups: iOS 27, iPadOS 27

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Apple Seeds watchOS 27 Beta 7 to Developers

Apple today seeded the seventh beta of watchOS 27 to developers, with the update coming a week after the launch of the sixth 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.
Related Roundups: watchOS 26, watchOS 27
Related Forum: Apple Watch

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