Spotify is expanding how users can share their music on Instagram with two new features rolling out globally today. 

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The 9to5Toys Lunch Break is now ready to roll starting off with a rare deal on a M4 Mac mini configuration carrying 32GB of RAM and a 512GB SSD at $100 off the list price – you’ll also still find the base model down at $499 shipped as well. We have the return of Amazon’s renewed premium offer on the 32GB M2 Max Mac Studio at $900 off the original list price alongside some iPhone offers – iPhone 16 Pro is up to $470 off and iPhone 15 Pro is up to $674 off at Amazon – and much more waiting below. 

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Today’s big Made by Google event for the Pixel 10 was… something, but if nothing else, it showed a Google that was confident in the product it was bringing to the table. That included Google making a lot of jokes directed straight at Apple while talking about the Pixel 10’s various updates and features.

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AirPods aren’t just the best headphones. AirPods can also act like an AirTag, which happened to a North Carolina family traveling internationally when a pickpocketer stole the bag containing their passport and ID.

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Apple today announced it will be opening a new retail store at the Phoenix Mall of Asia in Bengaluru, India, on Tuesday, September 2.


"Namaskara, Bengaluru," says Apple. "Your first Apple Store is getting ready to open its doors. We're so excited to see you start something wonderful at Apple Hebbal."

To celebrate the new store, Apple has shared a special wallpaper for the iPhone, iPad, and Mac. The wallpaper can be downloaded on the store's page for a limited time, or you can use the direct links provided in the previous sentence.


The store's glass facade is currently covered by a wrapper with a similar design as the wallpaper, so we cannot see what it looks like. However, many of the newer stores include an Apple Pickup station for in-store pickup of online orders, and a Genius Bar with varied table and seat heights for improved accessibility. Apple's newer stores also use more engineered wood, whereas classic stores made extensive use of stainless steel.

The store's page also features an Apple Music playlist with a Bengaluru theme.

Apple Hebbal will be the company's third retail store in India, alongside Apple Saket in New Delhi and Apple BKC in Mumbai. As we previously reported, Apple is also preparing to open new stores at the KOPA Mall in Pune and at the DLF Mall of India in Noida later this year, but it has yet to officially announce those two locations.

India is an increasingly important market for Apple for both sales and manufacturing, with the company reportedly boosting iPhone production in the country, as part of its supply chain diversification efforts. Last month, Apple CEO Tim Cook said the majority of the iPhones sold in the U.S. last quarter were imported from India.

Apple will also be opening a new store in the United Arab Emirates later this year.
This article, "Apple Announces New Store in India — Download the Special Wallpaper" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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Apple's iOS 26 update, currently in beta, introduces a striking visual overhaul with its new Liquid Glass design language. However, if the translucent elements are causing readability issues or you simply prefer a more opaque interface, there's a quick accessibility setting that can help tone things down.


The Liquid Glass design brings transparency effects throughout the system interface and stock apps. On the Home Screen, you'll notice the search bar, dock, and app folders all feature translucent backgrounds. App icons themselves now sport a new layered glass appearance that adds visual depth and dimension to your device – plus there's a new Clear appearance option that ups the ante even more.

While visually impressive, these transparency effects can sometimes interfere with readability, especially for anyone with certain visual needs. Fortunately, Apple has included accessibility options to make the interface more accessible.

How to Reduce Transparency

The quickest way to make iOS 26's interface more opaque is through the Reduce Transparency setting:

1. Open Settings on your iPhone.


2. Tap Accessibility.


3. Select Display & Text Size.


4. Toggle on Reduce Transparency.

This setting adds darker backgrounds to translucent areas like Control Center, app icons, and app folders, so you should see increased contrast between elements throughout the system.

Note that Reduce Transparency doesn't completely eliminate all translucent elements or change button shapes – it simply makes translucent areas more opaque while maintaining the overall iOS 26 aesthetic.

Add Reduce Transparency to Control Center

For quick access to this setting, you can add it to your Accessibility Shortcuts to get to it from the Control Center interface:

1. Go to Settings ➝ Accessibility.


2. Scroll down and tap Accessibility Shortcut.


3. Select Reduce Transparency in the list.

If you like, you can add the Accessibility Shortcut button to Control Center (long press a space between the interface's buttons, then tap Add Control). After you've done that, you can quickly toggle the setting on and off directly from Control Center, making it easy to switch between the full Liquid Glass experience and a more opaque interface as needed.

Additional Contrast Options

If you're still having legibility issues after enabling Reduce Transparency, return to Settings ➝ Accessibility ➝ Display & Text Size, then toggle on Increase Contrast. Note that enabling both Reduce Transparency and Increase Contrast will cause icons to lose most of their translucency.

The Liquid Glass design is still in beta, so Apple will likely continue refining the visual effects based on feedback. A wider official rollout of iOS 26 is expected sometime in September.
This article, "iOS 26: Reduce Transparency of Apple's Liquid Glass Design" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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The monthly price of Apple TV+ is increasing to $12.99 per month in the U.S., according to 9to5Mac's Benjamin Mayo.


Apple TV+ cost just $4.99 per month in the U.S. when it launched in 2019, but the price has now increased three times. The price went up to $6.99 per month in 2022, and then to $9.99 per month in 2023, and now the service costs $12.99 per month. The latest price increase applies to select other countries too.

An annual subscription to Apple TV+ will continue to cost $99 in the U.S., and Apple One bundle prices are not changing, the report said.

The new price is effective immediately for new Apple TV+ subscribers, but various free trial options remain available. For existing subscribers, the price increase will take effect 30 days after their next renewal date, the report said.

In a statement shared with 9to5Mac, Apple attempted to justify the price increase by noting that it has continued to expand its library of original content, and it touted the value of its Apple One plans with multiple Apple services.
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MacRumors readers can get 20 percent off a collection of Anker's best charging accessories this month. In order to get this deal, head to Anker's website and add an accessory to your cart, then enter the code Ankermacrumors2025 at checkout to see the discount.

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

Our exclusive 20 percent off code works on most accessories sitewide, including Anker's "high power" charging accessories. This exclusive discount code does not stack with existing discounts on Anker's website, but it can be used on multiple items in the same cart.



In the lists below, we've collected a few examples of the best products available at a discount with our exclusive promo code, but remember that it works sitewide. It's also worth noting that Anker is hosting a back to school sale, and some of the discounts in that event are steeper than our 20 percent sitewide discount. Be sure to check and compare both discounts in your cart before you place your order to ensure you have the best deal.

Portable Chargers

• MagGo 10,000 mAh Power Bank - $64.00, down from $79.99


• Prime 20,000 mAh Power Bank - $89.99, down from $139.99

Wall Chargers

• 67W 3-Port Wall Charger - $40.00, down from $49.99


• 140W 4-Port Charger with USB-C Cable - $79.99, down from $99.99

Charging Stations

• MagGo 3-in-1 Foldable Charging Station - $69.00, down from $89.99


• MagGo 3-in-1 Charging Stand - $69.99, down from $110.99


• 3-in-1 Cube with MagSafe - $104.00, down from $129.99

Hubs

• 200W 6-Port Prime Charger with USB-C Cable - $83.20, down from $103.99


• 250W 6-Port Prime Charger - $136.00, down from $169.99

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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This article, "Anker Offers MacRumors Readers 20% Off Collection of Chargers, Hubs, Batteries, and More" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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Making payments on your iPhone is easy with Apple Pay. But what about those occasions when you need to input credit card details on a website or in a form? Not so easy. Fortunately, iOS 26 has the fix I’ve always wanted thanks to new AutoFill support for credit cards.

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HBO Max has been a strong supporter of Apple Vision Pro from the start, offering a robust native app for visionOS with a Game of Thrones immersive environment.

Today, HBO has announced an update to the visionOS app with an all-new environment: Hogwarts Great Hall.

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Apple today announced that the monthly price of Apple TV+ is rising in the United States and some international markets. From today, the monthly subscription will cost $12.99, up from $9.99.

Existing subscribers will see the price change 30 days after the next renewal date. The pricing for yearly TV+ subscriptions and the Apple One services bundle remains unchanged.

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Apple’s Vision Pro is a very nice piece of kit, but the $3,400 price means that even CEO Tim Cook has acknowledged it’s a niche product, and the 600g plus weight also means many find it uncomfortable to wear for longer than an hour.

Chinese brand Vivo has attempted to address both issues in a design which looks remarkably like a direct copy of Apple’s spatial computer …

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The Apple Watch’s health features have once again played a part in flagging a potential health problem. A 57-year-old woman from Brighton, East Sussex says her Apple Watch alerted her to an issue that ultimately led doctors to uncover a brain tumor.

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The most annoying thing about X is, well, X – but the company has at least fixed an app behavior many of us found frustrating.

Just 18 years after users started complaining about it, X’s head of product said that a fix is now rolling out …

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Chinese smartphone maker Vivo on Thursday unveiled its first mixed reality headset, the "Vivo Vision," and the photocopiers in Dongguan appear to have been working overtime.


The device "launched" as an in-store experience across mainland China today, featuring design elements that clearly ape Apple's Vision Pro. It's got a curved glass front visor, downward-pointing cameras, removable fabric light seals in four sizes, eight foam padding options, a knitted rear strap, and an aluminum external battery pack connected via a braided cable. The Vivo Vision "Explorer Edition" even offers support for 1.5-degree eye tracking and 26 degrees depth of field for gesture-based navigation.

To its credit, Vivo's clone has some competitive specifications. The dual 8K micro-LED displays provide 3,840 × 3,552 pixels per eye – slightly higher than the Vision Pro's resolution – and offers 180-degree panoramic field of view. At 398 grams, it's significantly lighter than Apple's 650-gram device. Vivo also claims its headset is 26 percent smaller than the "industry average."

As for software, the headset runs on OriginOS Vision, Vivo's in-house mixed reality operating system, which is said to offer ultra-low latency of just 13ms. As you'd expect, it supports recording 3D videos, spatial photos, and spatial audio. Users can also immerse themselves in a 120-inch cinema screen.

Pricing is expected at around 10,000 yuan (roughly $1,395), which is well below Apple's Vision Pro $3,499 starting price. Pre-orders are now open for the device, although Vivo has yet to confirm availability details, giving Apple plenty of time to consider its legal options.

Joking aside, this isn't the first Chinese Apple knock-off that we've seen by a long stretch, plus there's no indication that Vivo's headset is coming to international markets beyond China. The Vision Pro has sold poorly anyway, so the impact on Apple's bottom line is likely to be minimal.


Apple is currently working on a next-generation version of the Vision Pro with an M5 chip, based on code discovered by MacRumors. The refreshed Vision Pro isn't expected to feature any design changes or hardware updates aside from the new chip, but it could get a new strap that will make it more comfortable to wear for longer periods of time. The Vision Pro 2 with M5 chip could launch as soon as late 2025.
This article, "Vivo's $1,400 Apple Vision Pro Clone Launches Across China" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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A former Meta product manager has claimed that the social network circumvented Apple’s privacy protections, as well as cheating advertisers, and fired him when he repeatedly raised the issue internally.

Meta is said to have found ways to identify Apple users even after they refused consent for app tracking, in order to avoid an estimated $10 billion loss of revenue …

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The US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) carried out a record number of phone searches of travelers arriving at, or returning to, the US in the last quarter.

The legal position on these searches is unclear when it comes to US citizens, but there are steps you can take to protect your privacy …

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Medical technology company Masimo on Wednesday filed a lawsuit against U.S. Customs and Border Protection in which it challenged the agency's decision to allow Apple to restore blood oxygen monitoring to its Apple Watch models (via Bloomberg Law).


In a complaint filed Wednesday in the US District Court for the District of Columbia, Masimo said that Customs acted unlawfully when it ruled on August 1 that Apple can import watches with pulse oximetry technology – a reversal of the agency's decision from last year – without notifying Masimo. Masimo said it only discovered the ruling on August 14, when Apple publicly announced it would be reintroducing the pulse oximetry functionality through a software update.

The medical device maker claims Customs and Border Protection exceeded its authority when it issued the ruling permitting Apple's redesigned approach. Apple's workaround offloads blood oxygen calculations from the Apple Watch to a paired iPhone, where it performs similar functionality to what the ITC originally judged to have infringed Masimo's patents.

Masimo is seeking a temporary restraining order and preliminary injunction to block the Customs decision. "CBP's function is to enforce ITC exclusion orders, not to create loopholes that render them ineffective," Masimo said.

The dispute originates from an International Trade Commission ruling in December 2023 that found Apple's blood oxygen sensors infringed Masimo's patents, leading to an import ban on Apple Watch Series 9 and Ultra 2 models that have the feature enabled.

Apple paused sales in the U.S. for several days before resuming them on January 18, 2024. The Series 9 and Ultra 2 models then went back on the market without blood oxygen monitoring, up until Apple's release of iOS 18.6.1 and watchOS 11.6.1 last week, which shifted the feature's calculations to paired iPhones.
This article, "Apple Blood Oxygen Feature Workaround Sparks Fresh Masimo Lawsuit" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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While political satire has always been a part of South Park across almost three decades, things have reached a whole new level during the new season, with plenty of jokes involving the Trump Presidency. Tonight, that involved Tim Cook, and his recent White House appearance. You can watch the clip below.

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Apple today released a new update for Safari Technology Preview, the experimental browser that was first introduced in March 2016. Apple designed ‌Safari Technology Preview‌ to allow users to test features that are planned for future release versions of the Safari browser.


‌Safari Technology Preview‌ 226 includes fixes and updates for CSS, Canvas, JavaScript, Media, Rendering, Deprecations, SVG, Storage, Web API, Web Extensions, and Web Inspector.

The current ‌Safari Technology Preview‌ release is compatible with machines running macOS Sequoia and macOS Tahoe, the newest version of macOS that's set to launch this later this year.

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.
This article, "Apple Releases Safari Technology Preview 226 With Bug Fixes and Performance Improvements" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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Google introduced its next-generation Pixel 10 smartphones today, and while there are multiple hardware improvements, Google focused heavily on new AI features. The Pixel 10 devices offer quite a few new AI-powered capabilities, in addition to prior AI features that have come out over the last couple of years.


We've rounded up the new features, some of which the iPhone already supports, and some of which the ‌iPhone‌ can't do yet.

• Magic Cue - Magic Cue proactively surfaces relevant info and suggests actions, similar to how Apple's personalized Siri features were supposed to work. It can display flight information when you call an airline, or cue up a photo if a friend asks for an image.


• Daily Hub - Daily Hub uses Magic Cue to surface a personalized daily digest of upcoming calendar events, topics to explore, recommended playlists, and more.


• Call Transcripts - The Take a Message feature in the Phone app provides real-time transcripts for missed or declined calls. Apple already provides real-time transcripts for incoming voicemails.


• Pixel Journal - Pixel Journal provides AI writing prompts to help users process their thoughts, and it provides insights into patterns and progress over time. Apple has a similar Journal app that offers journaling suggestions.


• Voice Translate - Voice Translate translates calls in real-time in what sounds like each speaker's voice. It's similar to Apple's Live Translation features, but that doesn't mimic user voices. Voice Translate also supports more languages when translating to or from English, including Spanish, German, French, Japanese, Hindi, Italian, Portuguese, Swedish, Russian, and Indonesian.


• Camera Coach - Camera Coach can provide real-time guidance to help users capture better images. It suggests tips on lighting, composition, and more.


• Auto Best Take - Analyzes up to 150 frames in seconds to get the perfect group shot where everyone is looking at the camera.


• Add Me - The image feature that can add the photographer to a group shot using AI has been improved. It works with bigger groups and offers more creative composition options.


• AI Videos - The Pixel devices can generate a video based on short text descriptions.


• Visual Guidance for Gemini Live - Gemini Live allows for real-time conversations with Gemini AI. It's already able to converse and get context from the camera or screen sharing, but it now highlights things on the display to provide better visual guidance when responding to questions.


• More natural speech - Gemini Live is getting more human-like speech, with improvements to intonation, rhythm, and pitch for more expressive conversations. It will be able to speaker slower or faster when asked, and it can do accents.


• Gboard - The Google keyboard supports Writing Tools for spellchecking, plus it can rewrite in specific styles. Apple has a similar Writing Tools feature that supports grammar and spelling correction and rewrites in a specified style.


• Google Photos - Google Photos is getting conversation-based photo editing.


• NotebookLM - Google's AI research assistant integrates with Pixel Screenshots and Recorder. If Screenshots detects a picture that's useful for a notebook, it will suggest adding it for simpler tracking. Transcripts from Recorder can also be added.


• Gemini Nano - The Tensor G5 chip in the Pixel 10 smartphones runs the newest Gemini Nano model on-device.

Apple will be able to match some of these features when the updated version of ‌Siri‌ rolls out in 2026, but it is behind on image editing features and live AI capabilities since there is no dedicated Apple-designed LLM as of now.

Google's updated Pixel 10 devices are available for pre-order now, and will be launching later this month. Apple's iPhone 17 models will debut in September.
This article, "All the New AI Features Coming to Google's Pixel 10 Smartphones" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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Nanoleaf this week announced the launch of the 4D V2, a product that's designed to provide ambient lighting that matches the colors on your TV set. The second version of the Screen Mirror and Lightstrip Kit offers more accurate screen mirroring for a more engaging viewing experience.


The Nanoleaf 4D V2 has a redesigned zigzag lightstrip that makes it easier to install on a TV set that's up to 65 inches. The lightstrip is able to wrap around the entire display, and there is no need for corner brackets due to the design. The lightstrip can be trimmed to fit any size screen.

The lightstrip pairs with a camera that analyzes the colors on the screen so the lightstrip can change colors to match instantly. Nanoleaf says that the 4D V2 offers improved color accuracy for vivid colors and bright whites that bring the screen to life with a glow. For music, there's a Rhythm feature that turns the 4D into a sound-reactive audio-visual experience where lights pulse to the beat of the music.

The 4D V2 kit is able to pair up with other Nanoleaf lamps for a unified lighting experience that mirrors what's on the TV, plus the product offers different levels of color variance. Nanoleaf's new product can be controlled with the Nanoleaf app, but it also integrates into HomeKit.

Nanoleaf's 4D V2 can be ordered from the Nanoleaf website for $100.
This article, "Nanoleaf's New 4D V2 Brings Zigzag Design and Better Colors to TV Backlighting" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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With the launch of the Pixel 10 smartphones, Google announced new AI functionality that's coming to its Google Photos app and service.


Users will be able to describe the edits that they want to make with text or voice in the Google ‌Photos‌ editing interface, and the changes will appear. Google says there will be no need to select tools or adjust sliders, with complex edits enabled through conversational AI.

Requests can be generic or specific, with Google suggesting the AI can understand even the most basic requests. Some of Google's examples:

• Restore this old photo


• Remove the cars in the background


• Remove the reflections and fix the washed out colors


• Make it better


• Remove the glare, brighten the photo, and add clouds to the sky


• Add fun items like a party hat or sunglasses


• Change the background

The AI supports multiple requests in a single prompt, along with follow-up requests.

The new Google ‌Photos‌ functionality will be available on the Pixel 10 to start with, but it will presumably expand to other devices in the future.

Google is also adding C2PA Content Credentials to Google ‌Photos‌, which will more clearly show how an image was captured or edited. C2PA Content Credentials will roll out to Google ‌Photos‌ on Android and iOS devices over the coming weeks.
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In an update earlier today, the 2024 iPad App of the Year, Moises, released an impressive feature called AI Studio. It takes a recording of a single instrument and generates other instruments that match the original beat and style. Here’s how it works.

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