A commonly expressed frustration with algorithmically-driven apps like Instagram is that users have no control over their feeds. They are instead shown what the app thinks they want to see, which is often wildly inaccurate.

Meta is promising to provide at least a partial solution to the problem with a new feature called Your Algorithm …

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I love smart plugs for smart home automations. Smart plugs are one of the easiest ways to start building out a smart home without overwhelming someone. They are easy to install, use, and are usually low-cost. Today, Shelly has released the new Shelly Plug Gen4. Big point up front: it works with Matter, and it’s under $20. For HomeKit users, it is an easy way to add automations, track power usage, and control lamps or small appliances directly from the Home app.

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Apple's App Store has been unlawfully hosting dozens of apps tied to U.S.-sanctioned companies, according to a new watchdog report (via The Washington Post).


The Tech Transparency Project, a non-profit advocacy group, flagged 52 apps in the App Store that had links to entities found on the Treasury Department's list of Specially Designated Nationals (SDNs), a designation that prohibits U.S. companies from doing business with them.

Linked organisations included Russian financial institutions such as Gazprombank and National Standard Bank propping up Moscow's invasion of Ukraine, and China's Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps (XPCC), which has been sanctioned for involvement in repression of Uyghur minorities. Another app was run by a company owned by an accused Lithuanian drug trafficker.

The linked entities reportedly used name variants, shell developers, or partial references to obscure their sanctions status.

Google's Play Store was also found to be hosting 18 apps for similarly sanctioned organizations. Google took down all but one of the apps after being contacted by The Post. Apple removed 35 out of 52 during or after the investigation. Apple disputed that all the flagged apps violate sanctions, but said it was enhancing its review process.

Apple previously committed to improving sanctions detection after a 2019 Treasury settlement involving a naming-variation failure.

According to The Post, the Treasury could have fined Apple more than $70 million at the time, but said it accepted a settlement of less than $1 million because Apple had self-reported, had not had a violation in the preceding five years, and promised to revamp its sanction search tools "to fully capture spelling and capitalization variations and to account for country-specific business suffixes."

Legal experts say that prior agreement increases Apple's exposure now, since the latest similar lapses suggest its promised improvements were insufficient. The findings also call into question Apple's long-standing claim that its App Store provides a "safe and trusted" environment for users.
This article, "Apple Faces Scrutiny as Sanctioned Entities Slip Through App Store Controls" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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Apple has been accused of breaking the law by failing to comply with US sanctions after the App Store was found to have contain dozens of apps from sanctioned companies. The same was true of Google, though at a smaller scale.

The banned apps were identified by the Tech Transparency Project, which says it demonstrates that Apple failed to live up to its promises that the App Store represents a safe and trusted source …

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Starting today, features from three of Adobe’s flagship products will be natively integrated into ChatGPT, for free. Here’s how it works.

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Around 210,000 budget portable power banks sold exclusively by Amazon USA are being recalled after they were found to have caused 11 fires resulting in both injuries and property damage …

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Authoritarian governments don’t like their citizens being able to have private conversations using end-to-end encrypted messaging apps. This is the reason Russia has just banned FaceTime, but it was surprising iMessage had escaped a ban.

A potential reason for this has now been discovered: Apple may have accidentally made it almost impossible for a government to ban its end-to-end encrypted text messaging app …

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Spotify has announced music videos are rolling out now to Premium users in the U.S. and Canada, though the feature remains in beta.


The catalog currently includes music videos from artists like Ariana Grande, Olivia Dean, BABYMONSTER, Addison Rae, Tyler Childers, Natanael Cano, and Carín León.

Spotify says the initial video catalog is "limited" for now while the feature is in beta, but asks users to "stay tuned" as availability is set to grow "over the coming months."

If you're a Premium subscriber and want to check out music videos, open Spotify on you TV, desktop, iOS, or Android device, and a "Switch to Video" icon will appear above the song title in supported music tracks. Tapping starts the song from the beginning with accompanying video within the Now Playing view, which can also be rotated to landscape orientation on iPhone and Android.

To find additional music videos – including live and cover videos – scroll down to explore Related Music Videos, or go to an artist's profile and look under the Music tab. You can also watch by genre and era via playlists like 90s Video Hits, Hip-Hop Throwbacks, and Latin Party Hits.

Spotify first announced beta support for music videos back in March 2024, but the feature was limited to 11 markets including the UK, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland, Sweden, Brazil, Colombia, Philippines, Indonesia, and Kenya.

In October, Spotify released a redesigned app for Apple TV that supports music videos, which had by then expanded to 97 countries around the world. Spotify says music videos will be available to all Premium users in the U.S. and Canada by the end of the month.

Previously, video content on Spotify has been limited to video podcasts and short repeating music video clips when a song plays. Apple Music has included its own music video catalog for almost seven years now. The feature was introduced with the release of iOS 11.3 in March 2018.


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Google Maps on iOS quietly gained a new feature recently that automatically recognizes where you've parked your vehicle and saves the location for you.


Announced on LinkedIn by Rio Akasaka, Google Maps' senior product manager, the new feature auto-detects your parked location even if you don't use the parking pin function, saves it for up to 48 hours, and then automatically removes it once you start driving again.

Saving your parking spot in Maps isn't a new ability in itself. You could already do that manually by tapping your location on the map and then choosing Saved Parking. The difference here is that the whole process is automated for you.

Akasaka explains what you need to do to get the feature to work:

Get in a car with Google Maps and connect to your car with USB, Bluetooth or CarPlay, and once you're done driving, there's a little pin waiting for you when you open Google Maps next – a personal parking Maps valet, just for you. When you drive again, the pin goes away, just like that.

Automatic parking location saving started rolling out on iPhone about a month ago, but since then another feature has gone live that will now use any custom car icons you've set up as a parking icon, instead of the default "P" icon. Google added custom car icons to Maps in 2020, and eight new car shapes and colors were added earlier this year.

As things stand, the new auto-save parking place feature only works on iOS. While a similar parking reminder can be found on Android, the icon will only go away if the user manually removes it.

(Via 9to5Google.)
This article, "Google Maps Quietly Added This Long-Overdue Feature for Drivers" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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Pebble today announced the Pebble Index 01, a simple smart ring that's designed for recording information. It is equipped with a microphone and a button to start a recording, but little else.


Priced at $75, the Index 01 does not require an internet connection or a subscription, and it doesn't record unless the button is pressed. Recordings are sent to a connected smartphone, and can be saved as a note, added to a calendar, or set as a reminder. Information is processed by open source speech-to-text and AI models locally on an iPhone or Android smartphone.

It is customizable, and single or double button clicks can be set to control different actions like switching to a new song, taking a photo, or activating smart home devices.

The device is made from stainless steel, and it is available in three colors, including silver, gold, and black. Sizes range from 6 to 13. It is resistant to water, and no charging is necessary. Pebble says the battery will last for 12 to 15 hours of recording, which equates to 10-20 recordings per day that are 3-6 seconds in length. Since there is no replaceable battery and no option to charge, the ring is meant to be recycled when the battery dies.


The Pebble Index 01 is priced at $75 and is available for pre-order from the Pebble website. It will ship in March 2026, and after that, the price will increase to $99.
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The simplified smartphone switching Apple and Google are adopting is an example of how the Digital Markets Act (DMA) benefits users and developers, the European Commission said today. Apple and Google are making it easier for users to switch between iPhone and Android smartphones, adding an option to transfer data from another smartphone during the device setup process.


Apple and Google are implementing this functionality because the DMA requires services to offer effective data portability to avoid data lock-in to an operating system. The EC says the new interoperability is a "direct result of the DMA."

The European Commission welcomes the cross-OS data portability solution that has been communicated by Apple and Google. This is an example of how the Digital Markets Act (DMA) brings benefits to users and developers.

This OS portability solution will allow users to easily transfer data from iPhone to Android and vice versa when they set up a new device. It will support many types of data, including: contacts, calendar events, messages, photos, documents, Wi-Fi networks, passwords, and even data from third-party apps. It will also work wirelessly. These are major upgrades compared to the currently limited data transfer solutions.

The DMA is also the reason why Apple and Google designed a simplified eSIM transfer solution earlier this year. The EC says that both new features were made possible by "extensive engineering work and collaboration" between the two companies, along with "intensive discussions with the Commission."

Taken together, the eSIM transfer and the OS data portability solutions will greatly simplify the experience of users who want to switch from an iPhone to an Android phone, or vice versa. This improved data portability across platforms brings more user choice, which drives competition and creates more incentives to innovate. Users should be able to pick a new phone based on innovative features, not based on where their data is locked.

Apple and Google are currently testing the new smartphone switching solution. Google implemented it in an Android Canary build, and Apple is expected to add it in a future update to iOS 26. Apple and Google will support transferring contacts, messages, photos, documents, Wi-Fi networks, passwords, information from third-party apps, and more.

Though Apple and Google are implementing simplified switching due to DMA requirements, it is functionality that will be rolled out worldwide and not just in Europe.

The European Commission is highlighting DMA wins because earlier this year, Apple commissioned a study that said the Digital Markets Act has failed to lower App Store prices for consumers. Apple said the DMA has "failed to live up to its promises," and has only delivered "less security, less privacy, and a worse experience for consumers across Europe."
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Despite the ongoing leadership turmoil and AI uncertainty, Citi’s analysts raised the price target on Apple’s stock from $315 to $350. Here’s why.

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A new study by researchers from MIT and Empirical Health used 3 million person-days of Apple Watch data to develop a foundation model that predicts medical conditions with impressive accuracy. Here are the details.

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Yesterday, Apple and Google announced that they have teamed up to make it easier to switch between Android and iPhone devices. The companies say they have developed new features that make it easier and faster to move data between each platform as part of this joint collaboration.

In a new statement to 9to5Mac, a European Commission spokesperson says this is an “example of how the Digital Markets Act (DMA) brings benefits to users and developers.”

While the European Commission is taking credit for this Apple-Google collaboration, the features will be available worldwide, not just in the European Union.

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Former Apple chief operating officer Jeff Williams may soon join Disney's board of directors. The Walt Disney Company Board of Directors nominated Williams to be a new independent director, and he will stand for election at the 2026 annual shareholders meeting.


Williams was Apple's chief operating officer from December 2015 to November 2025, when he retired from Apple. Williams was in charge of Apple's worldwide operations, customer service, and support. He also led the Apple Watch engineering and health initiatives, and headed up the design team from 2023 until his retirement.

In a statement, Williams said that he looks forward to contributing to Disney's growth.

"I have long admired Disney's legacy of pairing imagination with innovation--leveraging new technologies in bold, creative ways to bring to life timeless stories and entertain its guests," said Williams. "It is an honor to be nominated to the board of this storied company. I look forward to working with Disney's talented leadership team and contributing to the company's ongoing journey of creativity and excellence."

Disney's board will expand to 11 members with Williams, and he is set to join Bob Iger, GM CEO Mary Barra, former Morgan Stanley Executive Chairman James Gorman, former Sky CEO Jeremy Darroch, Lululemon CEO Calvin McDonald, and others.
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Jeff Williams wasted no time finding his next thing after retiring from Apple. The former Apple chief operating officer has been nominated to Disney’s board.

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Apple's upcoming foldable iPhone is expected to spur strong growth in worldwide foldable smartphone shipments in 2026, according to new estimates shared by IDC.


IDC believes the ‌iPhone‌ Fold will capture over 22 percent unit share and 34 percent of the foldables market value in its first year due to an expected $2,400 starting price point. Right now, the foldable market is dominated by Samsung and Google.

"The launch of Apple's first foldable iPhone will mark a turning point for the foldable segment," said Francisco Jeronimo, vice president of client devices at IDC. "This move is likely to boost category awareness and drive consumer interest. Apple tends to be a catalyst for mainstream adoption of new categories. Although foldables will continue to be a niche segment from a volume perspective, it will become a relevant value driver for most vendors offering foldables, as average selling prices will be 3 times higher than a standard smartphone."

The overall foldable smartphone market is expected to grow 30 percent in 2026 thanks to Apple joining the market, with some growth also expected from Samsung's Galaxy Z Trifold launching in January 2026.


Rumors suggest Apple's first foldable iPhone will debut in fall 2026 alongside the iPhone 18 Pro models. The ‌iPhone‌ Fold is expected to feature book-like design that folds horizontally, opening out into a larger iPad mini-sized display.


The device will be around 5.5 inches in size when folded, but it will open up to around 7.8 inches. Apple has worked to eliminate the crease with a reinforced hinge, and it could be one of the first foldable devices with no visible crease.

Details on what to expect from Apple's foldable ‌iPhone‌ can be found in our iPhone Fold roundup.
This article, "iPhone Fold Expected to Claim 22% of Foldable Market, 34% of Revenue in First Year" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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When iOS 26 launched, it brought a variety of upgrades and expansions to the Shortcuts app, including 25+ brand new actions. Here’s everything new.

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Every month, JustWatch ranks the most-watched Apple TV titles among its users, which offers helpful context on which premieres or catalog titles are trending worldwide. Here’s November’s Top 10, according to the streaming guide.

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IDC has published a new report highlighting expectations for the foldable smartphone market next year, projecting huge 30% year-over-year gains driven by the “game-changer” of the iPhone Fold.

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In macOS 26.2, which will be released soon, Apple is introducing a new low-latency feature that lets you cluster several Macs together using Thunderbolt 5 at up to 80Gb/s. Among other potential use-cases, this feature may prove to be handy for AI developers and researchers looking to run massive local models by pooling together device resources.

This clustering capability won’t just be limited to high end machines like the Mac Studio, but will work with any Thunderbolt 5-enabled Mac, including the M4 Pro Mac mini. It’s perfect timing, because I just went hands-on with Sonnet’s new rack mount solution for the M4-era Mac mini, aptly titled RackMac mini.

The RackMac mini lets users mount up to three Mac mini machines in a standard 19-inch rack footprint, and features a handful of intelligent design decisions – like front power buttons – that make managing multiple machines easy. Watch our hands-on video as we take a closer look, and be sure to subscribe to 9to5Mac on YouTube for more.

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It’s been a long time coming, but premium Spotify subscribers in the U.S. and Canada can finally watch music videos of their favorite artists. However, the feature is still in beta. Here are the details.

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Apple has a strong lineup of new Macs expected next year, but there are two 2026 models in particular that seem set to kick off a new era for the Mac.

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Apple is offering U.S. customers who purchase and redeem an Apple Gift Card three months of free access to Apple Arcade. Holiday gift card purchases made before January 6, 2026 are eligible for the ‌Apple Arcade‌ trial, as long as the card is redeemed by January 13, 2026.


The offer is available to new or qualified returning ‌Apple Arcade‌ subscribers, but it is not an option for existing ‌Apple Arcade‌ subscribers. New subscribers can try ‌Apple Arcade‌ for three months, while returning subscribers get two months of access.

There is no minimum denomination required for the gift card purchase, and the gift card can be acquired from the Apple retail store or Apple online store. Apple gift cards from third-party retailers or new value added to an Apple Account balance are not eligible for the ‌Apple Arcade‌ trial. Only one trial per Apple Account is available.

Apple will provide the bonus code immediately after gift card redemption to an Apple Account balance. An Apple Account with a payment method on file is required, and the plan will automatically renew at $6.99 per month unless it is canceled.

‌Apple Arcade‌ is Apple's subscription gaming service, offering over 200 games with no in-app fees or ads. Up to six family members can access ‌Apple Arcade‌ with a single subscription.
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