Telegram was subject to a "takedown extortionist" who planted AI-modified child sexual abuse material (CSAM) to get Apple to remove the app from the App Store, Telegram CEO Pavel Durov said today. Apple removed Telegram from the App Store for about 40 minutes on Monday night after discovering CSAM, but reinstated the app after Telegram removed the content.

The attacker was a takedown extortionist: someone who demands ransom from group owners in exchange for not targeting their communities. These extortionists use automated accounts to plant illegal content in public groups and then report it directly to Apple, attempting to trigger the removal of legitimate communities whose owners refused to pay them.

Durov said the attacker used a "technical trick" to evade moderation tools, editing an old message in an active group chat to add illegal content. The attacker was able to bypass moderation because group members didn't see the message to report it. Durov said illegal pornographic content in public groups is not a systemic problem because Telegram has effective moderation, and this was an edge case where an attacker used "backdated, effectively invisible content."

Apple pulled Telegram from the ‌App Store‌ before contacting the company, according to Durov. He said Apple was manipulated into overreacting, and he warned of a "potential systemic risk for every mobile app that hosts user-generated content."

After removing Telegram from the ‌App Store‌, Apple said a content review found child sexual abuse material that violated the ‌App Store‌ guidelines. Apple further said Telegram "promptly removed the content and banned the user," leading to the app's return to the ‌App Store‌. Apple has not commented on Durov's extortionist claim.
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Apple limited the number of vulnerabilities security researchers can submit to its bug bounty program because of an uptick in reports about fake bugs hallucinated by AI, according to The Financial Times.


Apple said its bug review system was seeing a high volume of poor-quality submissions from amateur bug hunters using AI to locate vulnerabilities. In some cases, there is no actual vulnerability, and real submissions are lost in the deluge.

The Financial Times learned of the limit after cybersecurity startup Bynario used ChatGPT to locate more than 50 macOS bugs in three weeks. Bynario found a privilege escalation exploit that could let an attacker get unrestricted access to a Mac, but was unable to report it because Apple limited the number of bug reports Bynario could submit. Bynario sent eight reports to Apple in 2025, and another five in 2026 before hitting a restriction.

Bynario's founder said it is a "very difficult time in the industry" because companies are being "flooded by the sheer amount of bugs." Apple has since been in contact with Bynario and is reviewing the company's submissions.

While Apple now has a cap on the number of open submissions a researcher can have, researchers can request an increase to make sure Apple's security team doesn't miss a critical vulnerability.

AI has overwhelmed Apple because it primarily uses humans to check reports, but Apple too has turned to AI for parsing submissions. AI has also helped Apple find a huge number of bugs. Apple's recent iOS 26.6 update fixes almost 90 security vulnerabilities, some of which are credited to Anthropic's Claude and OpenAI's Codex Security.

Apple's bug bounty program offers rewards up to $2 million for exploit chains used for sophisticated, real-world attacks, plus bonuses that can increase rewards to over $5 million. Apple boosts reward totals for bugs found in betas and for bugs that bypass Lockdown Mode.
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Apple today released a fourth version of the beta firmware it is testing for the AirPods Pro 2, AirPods Pro 3, AirPods 4, and AirPods Max 2. The firmware is available for developers and has a build number of 9A5336b.


In iOS 27, iPadOS 27, and macOS Golden Gate, Apple is adding a new AirPods interface, a slider for Adaptive mode, and support for custom EQ, so the firmware adds support for those features. AirPods are also compatible with the new Siri AI.

When the AirPods are connected to an iPhone, iPad, or Mac running iOS 26, iPadOS 26, or macOS 26 or later, there is a beta firmware option that can be accessed in the AirPods settings interface. Toggling on beta updates allows users to install the beta firmware.

Firmware updates can be downloaded by connecting the AirPods to an Apple device and connecting them to power. It can take a few hours for new firmware to be installed because there is no software update option like there is for other Apple devices.
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Apple is getting ready for its big September iPhone event, which is expected to see the debut of the iPhone 18 Pro, ‌iPhone 18 Pro‌ Max, and an all-new foldable iPhone.


Ahead of the event, Apple is holding an Event Support Experience Program lottery for U.S. retail employees who want to travel to its Apple Park campus to staff the in-person media gathering. According to Bloomberg, Apple will bring in employees to organize lines, check in guests, offer directions, greet attendees, and support security teams.

Employees were told the iPhone event will take place during the first half of September, but Apple declined to offer more specific information. It's likely Apple will hold its event on Tuesday, September 8 or Wednesday, September 9. September 7 is Labor Day and Apple often gives members of the media a day to travel, so September 9 could be the target date this year.

Apple presumably pays for travel and lodging for employees who are invited to ‌Apple Park‌ to work the media event. Retail workers who were at the Worldwide Developers Conference or the iPhone launch in 2025 are not eligible to enter the lottery. Employees can enter the lottery until August 8, and Apple plans to notify winners on August 17.
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Apple is prototyping a second new iPhone display, this one measuring around 6.4 inches, that could be destined for the 20th anniversary iPhone, according to a Chinese leaker.


In a recent post on Weibo, the leaker known as "Digital Chat Station" said Apple is currently sampling two new display panels. One measures roughly 6.4 inches and has a chance of being used in the "‌iPhone 20 Pro‌," while the other is the approximately 7-inch panel previously reported for the larger ‌"iPhone 20 Pro Max‌."

According to the leaker, physical screen sizes across the entire 20th anniversary lineup are set to increase while the aspect ratio stays the same as before, and the devices may adopt an all-new borderless design with curves on all four edges. That would line up with earlier claims that the lineup will feature an edge-to-edge display with curved glass on all sides for a nearly borderless visual effect.

A 6.4-inch screen would be a modest step up from the 6.3-inch displays on the current ‌iPhone 17 Pro‌ and the upcoming ‌iPhone 18 Pro‌, which is not expected to change size this year. Apple last grew its premium iPhone displays with the iPhone 16 Pro lineup in 2024, when the ‌iPhone 16‌ Pro increased from 6.1 to 6.3 inches and the ‌iPhone 16‌ Pro Max grew from 6.7 to 6.9 inches.

The claim follows a Bloomberg report from last month that said Apple had ramped up work on two sizes of the 20th-anniversary iPhone.

In addition to the new design and larger displays, Apple's 20th anniversary iPhone models are expected to feature under-display Face ID technology, a custom Apple image sensor, haptic buttons, the A21 chip, higher bandwidth memory, and a pure silicon battery.
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Apple Card users now have a new benefit available to them at Booking.com, with users automatically being upgraded to Genius Level 2 after completing just one eligible stay or car rental rather than the usual standard of five bookings within a two-year period.


Genius is Booking.com's free loyalty program, with Level 2 unlocking a number of benefits including discounts of 10–15% on select stays and car rentals as well as free breakfast and/or room upgrades at select stays.

Booking.com has been a premier ‌Apple Card‌ partner for some time now, with users receiving enhanced 3% Daily Cash when booking stays and car rentals using ‌Apple Card‌ with Apple Pay, and users also receiving 2% in Booking.com Travel Credits.
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WhatsApp today announced a series of updates to group chats, including an "@all" mention feature, three new poll upgrades, and a faster way to spin off new groups from existing ones.


The most notable addition is @all, which lets a group member alert everyone in a chat at once instead of tagging people individually. WhatsApp says the feature is meant for important, time-sensitive messages, such as school or office closures, event deadlines, or last-minute changes to plans. In groups with more than 32 members, only admins can use @all. The mention will surface even in muted chats, though WhatsApp says users can mute @all specifically in their notification settings if they want to opt out.

Polls are also gaining three improvements. Poll creators can now set an end time that automatically locks voting once it passes, hide voter names so participants can respond without others seeing their choices, and edit a poll's question for up to 15 minutes after posting it to fix typos or add clarity.

WhatsApp is also simplifying group creation. A new "Create a similar group" option lets users start a new group chat populated with members from an existing one in a single tap, rather than adding participants one by one. WhatsApp suggests the feature for splitting off side conversations, such as planning a surprise party away from the group being surprised, or diving into a specific topic without cluttering the main chat.

Today's changes come as a continuation of updates introduced earlier this year, when WhatsApp added group message history, member tags, and event reminders. WhatsApp has more than 100 million users in the U.S. and over 3 billion globally.
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Amazon this week has brought back notable discounts on the M4 iPad Air, with a trio of markdowns on the tablet. This includes both 11-inch and 13-inch models of the brand new 2026 M4 iPad Air.

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

Specifically, the 128GB Wi-Fi 11-inch M4 iPad Air has dropped to $689.99, down from $749.00. You'll also find low prices on the 128GB and 256GB Wi-Fi 13-inch tablet, both of which we're only tracking on Amazon.





The new iPad Air features the M4 chip, C1X modem, and N1 networking chip, which brings support for Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 6. In terms of design, the 2026 models are identical to the 2025 iPad Air tablets, with an edge-to-edge display, slim bezels, and aluminum chassis.

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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Apple's annual sales in India surpassed $10 billion for the first time in the fiscal year ending in March, according to a person familiar with the matter cited by Bloomberg, as the company continues to widen its retail footprint in the country.

Revenue grew at a double-digit percentage rate over the 12 months through March, up from about $9 billion a year earlier, with iPhones accounting for a significant majority of the total and demand for iPads and MacBooks also rising.
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Apple has asked a federal judge for a preliminary injunction against OpenAI as its trade secrets lawsuit escalates, and OpenAI responded hours later with a detailed public rebuttal that includes internal messages and legal correspondence.


Reuters reports that Apple yesterday filed a motion seeking to bar OpenAI and two former employees, Chang Liu and Tang Tan, from accessing, using, or disclosing its alleged confidential information, along with a request for expedited discovery. "Apple will be irreparably harmed absent a preliminary injunction," the company said in its filing.

Apple originally sued OpenAI on July 10, alleging that former Apple engineer Liu and former Apple design executive Tan ran a scheme to funnel confidential product information to OpenAI's hardware business. OpenAI has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing, saying it has "no interest in other companies' trade secrets."

Late on Monday evening, OpenAI published a blog post titled "Apple is getting this wrong," calling the lawsuit "careless, aggressive and oddly personal." The company disputes Apple's account of its pre-litigation contact, saying Apple's outside counsel emailed the wrong person in February after confusing two Asian last names, and published the underlying email chain showing the mix-up, along with an apology from Apple's counsel. OpenAI says it heard nothing further about the specific allegations for five months before Apple filed suit.

OpenAI published iMessage exchanges it says show Apple employees repeatedly asking Liu for help locating files and technical information after his January 22 departure, including directing a colleague to AirDrop files from his Apple-linked iCloud account. The same messages show an Apple employee still asking Liu about internal files as late as March 5, with another participant in the thread calling the exchange "highly irregular."

OpenAI also defended Tan, who spent 24 years at Apple before joining io Products, the hardware startup he co-founded with Jony Ive, which merged with OpenAI in July 2025. "Tang has always been clear with the team that we do not want, and must not use, any confidential information from other companies," OpenAI said.

Apple's complaint claims more than 400 former Apple employees now work at OpenAI. A hearing on Apple's injunction request has not yet been scheduled.
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Apple briefly removed Telegram from the App Store on Monday night after a review found content that violated its guidelines against child sexual abuse material (CSAM), but restored the app a short while later, according to Reuters.


Reports of the removal began circulating around 9:30 p.m. ET on Monday, with searches for Telegram on the ‌App Store‌ returning nothing and the app's direct listing showing a "page can't be found" error. Existing users were not affected and could keep using the app throughout, and Telegram remained available on the Mac App Store. The app returned to the ‌App Store‌ roughly 40 minutes later, around 10:10 p.m. ET. Apple confirmed the reason for the takedown in a statement:

We briefly removed Telegram from the App Store after our review found content that violates our strict guidelines prohibiting child sexual abuse material. The app was subsequently restored after the developer promptly removed the content and banned the user who posted it.

Telegram said the action stemmed from a single account. "Apple reported one user sharing CSAM, who was immediately banned," the company said, adding that it has removed more than 337,900 groups and channels related to CSAM in 2026, on top of 29,640 removals in 2025 following reports from groups including the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children.



Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney, a longtime critic of ‌App Store‌ policy amid his own antitrust fight with Apple, argued on X that the takedown showed the need for more competition in app distribution. "Apple's ‌App Store‌ desperately needs competition worldwide," Sweeney wrote. "Apple capriciously removes a vital communication and privacy tool from availability to a billion users, and sadly this is business as usual." He went on to question the consistency of the standard Apple applied, noting the company "did not elaborate on how, if that is the standard for app removal, any communications app could operate at scale, including iMessage."

Monday's action echoes a February 2018 removal, when Apple pulled both Telegram and its Telegram X client over what founder Pavel Durov described at the time as "inappropriate content," restoring the apps only after Telegram added extra safeguards.
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Apple is working on a new feature that will support cross-device copy and paste between iOS devices and Windows PCs.


Microsoft asked for the feature using Apple's EU interoperability request system for developers, which Apple implemented to comply with the Digital Markets Act. Apple began evaluating the request in March, and on June 26, proposed a project plan.

Microsoft described how the feature would be used:

• Copy text or other supported content on their iPhone and paste it directly on their Windows PC, and vice versa.


• Perform common productivity workflows without needing to foreground an app or take explicit repeated actions to initiate a transfer.


• Experience clipboard synchronization as a lightweight, continuous capability rather than a manual, app-driven operation.

Apple proposed a solution that would let an iPhone share and import items from the pasteboard to a paired accessory, like a Windows PC. Apple plans to use a solution similar to the Accessory Notifications option it added for third-party wearables in the EU in iOS 26.5. Users would need to give a paired device one-time permission to paste content from an iPhone.

To adopt this solution, you will need to adopt AccessorySetupKit in order for the user to consent to the necessary permissions allowing the pasteboard to be shared with your accessory. This solution will require the user to perform a one-time consent to sharing the pasteboard with each paired accessory that will receive this functionality.

Right now, an app can only read an iPhone's clipboard if the app is actively running in the foreground and the user grants clipboard access with each copy/paste action. For its own devices, Apple has a Universal Clipboard feature with cross-device copy and paste between iOS and macOS.

Microsoft complained that the clipboard restrictions imposed on apps prevent the continuous synchronization of clipboard content from an iPhone to a PC or other connected device in the background.

Apple says introducing cross-device copy and paste is a significant engineering effort, with work expected to be complete by fall 2027. It will be shipped first in a developer beta for testing ahead of a public release. If the feature is added toward the end of fall 2027, it could be early 2028 before the public gets access.

It is likely that cross-device copy and paste will be limited to iPhone and Windows users in the European Union, though it is possible Apple could implement it worldwide.

Apple has brought some features it was required to support under the DMA to all countries, like eSIM transfers from iPhone to Android and simpler data transfers when switching between Android devices and iPhones. Other features, like AirPods-style pairing and notification forwarding for third-party wearables, have only rolled out in the EU.
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Ted Lasso season four is set to premiere Wednesday, and to celebrate the debut, Apple is hosting a Ted Lasso look-alike contest in New York.


"Think you have the stache to make fans believe? Join the fun this August 6 at Apple Fifth Avenue Plaza for a Ted Lasso Look-Alike contest," reads Apple's Facebook event page. Apple has a set of contest rules instructing participants to visit Apple Fifth Avenue to be judged on "the degree to which they look and act like the character Ted Lasso."

There will be a three-round contest with eliminations in each round. Ten semifinalists will be selected after round one, five finalists will make it past round two, and three finalists will be selected in round three. The event starts at 4:30 p.m. Eastern Time and runs until 7:00 p.m.

• Round One, Ted Energy - Contestants have to introduce themselves in character and have a two-minute dance break. Judging will be based on optimism, posture, and presence, along with costume commitment and participation level.


• Round Two, Head Coach - Semifinalists will participate in a trivia game and will be judged on the level to which each participant embraces the Ted Lasso character. The round will be judged on trivia results, costume commitment, mustache authenticity (Apple says 'stick-ons OK; real grows extra credit'), and The Believe Factor (something unique and special).


• Round Three, Ted Talk - Each remaining contestant will present a 30- to 45-second pep talk to the crowd. It will be judged on how moved the crowd is, costume commitment, and Ted Energy.

A first-place winner will receive custom Beats headphones and a custom soccer scarf, while the two runners-up will get the scarf alone. Full rules are on Apple's site for the event.


Season four of Ted Lasso will premiere on Wednesday, August 5, and it has 10 total episodes. One episode will be released every Wednesday through October 7. In the new season, Lasso returns to Richmond to coach a second-division women's soccer team. Ted Lasso favorites including Hannah Waddingham, Juno Temple, Brett Goldstein, Brendan Hunt, and Jeremy Swift will star in the series.
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