The Notes app in iOS 18 and iPadOS 18 makes it easy to add an audio recording to a note, and create a written transcription of it if desired. Here's how to do it.


It has long been possible to add an audio recording to a note created in the Notes app, but in earlier iOS versions it was a little more cumbersome. Users would open the Voice Memos app, record the audio, and then attach that recording to a new note in the Notes app.

As of iOS 18, that functionality is directly available in Notes — though it is still somewhat hidden until you know how to find it. The big change compared to the previous Voice Memos app is that Notes can now also provide a written transcript of what was said, if you are using an iPhone 12 or later.


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Apple TV+ show "Servant" allegedly stole key elements from a 2013 film called "The Truth About Emmanuel," and the trial is back on with a jury set to decide if Apple and M. Night Shyamalan should be fined $81 million.


Director Francesca Gregorini sued in January 2020, and the case was initially thrown out. She alleges that the dark themes surrounding a reborn doll and similar shots between the properties are enough to suggest copyright infringement.

According to a report from Variety, creators of the show and M. Night Shyamalan will testify to a jury. The jurors will watch "The Truth About Emmanuel" and the first three episodes of "Servant" to help make a determination.


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If you're tired of smelly garbage, the Vego Kitchen Composter is a great way to responsibly dispose of food scraps — if you're fine with sacrificing the countertop space.


Food waste is a big deal. While the numbers vary depending on your source, it's estimated that the average American throws away anywhere between 200 and 400 pounds of food a year.

That might not seem like a big deal because that averages about 0.82 pounds of waste a day — about 2.5 apples or a little less than one russet potato.


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Always on a quest to bring readers the steepest savings, AppleInsider has partnered with B&H Photo to drop prices on two MacBook Pro configurations from Apple's M4 Pro line.


The first 14-inch MacBook Pro model features Apple's M4 Pro chip with a 12-core CPU and 16-core GPU. It also has 24GB of unified memory and a bump up to 1TB of storage. Normally retailing for $2,199, you can grab the laptop in Space Black for $1,949 when you shop through the pricing links in this post from a laptop or desktop computer (activation instructions can be found below).


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watchOS 11.3 has received its third developer beta, following the arrival of similar beta updates for the HomePod and Apple TV only hours earlier.


On Tuesday, Apple first released the third developer betas of tvOS 18.3 and HomePod OS 18.3, respectively. Now, the company has deployed a beta software release for its Apple Watch platform.

The third developer beta of watchOS 11.3 increases the build number to 2S5550a, up from the previous 22S5540e, which was released on January 7, 2025.


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Apple has moved on to its third round of developer betas, but it has started quietly with a trial of tvOS 18.3's third beta, along with HomePod OS 18.3.


The third beta for tvOS 18.3 follows after the second, which surfaced on January 7. The first round was issued on December 16.

It's also accompanied by the third developer beta of HomePod OS 18.3, which is used by the HomePod and HomePod mini.


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The Apple Watch Series 10 has been on my wrist for three months now and it's clear that it's the best smartwatch Apple ever made. But that doesn't mean there aren't things that a future Series 11 could do better.


At this point, so early in the review, you're probably ready to scream "Apple Watch Ultra 2" at your screen. Don't worry, I haven't forgotten it, but the Apple Watch Ultra models are different and I'd argue the Series 10 is the better watch.

For most Apple Watch buyers, the Ultras are just too big, too bulky, and too expensive. They come with features they don't need like cellular connectivity and a huge, rugged design that's built to deal with the great outdoors in ways the standard models aren't.


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Apple has joined the board of directors for the Ultra Accelerator Link Consortium, giving it more of a say in how the architecture for AI server infrastructure will evolve.


The Ultra Accelerator Link Consortium (UALink), is an open industry standard group for the development of UALink specifications. As a potential key element used for the development of artificial intelligence models and accelerators, the development of the standards could be massively beneficial to the future of AI itself.

On Tuesday, it was announced that three more members have been elected to the consortium's board. Apple was one of the trio, alongside Alibaba and Synopsys.


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MacBook deals are heating up this Tuesday, with Apple's latest M4 14-inch MacBook Pro on sale for $1,799 when equipped with 24GB of RAM and 1TB of storage.


Save $200 on Apple's 14-inch MacBook Pro with an M4 chip, 24GB of unified memory and 1TB of storage. This upgraded configuration is on sale for $1,799 at Apple Authorized Resellers B&H Photo and Amazon, as the two retailers engage in a price war in an effort to earn your business. Both Space Black and Silver are eligible for the markdown.

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Adobe is giving private beta users a chance to test out a long-anticipated feature — allowing more than one person to access and edit Photoshop documents simultaneously.


Adobe says the feature, dubbed Live Co-Editing, has been inspired by community input. Live Co-Editing will be implemented into both the desktop and web app versions of Photoshop, but there's no word if it will make its way to Photoshop on the iPad at this time.

The feature will be a boon for Photoshop users. Multiple designers can work together on a Photoshop document and split up tasks to finish a project more efficiently.


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As Apple tries to diversify its supply chain, China's tightened export controls are slowing things down as the country asserts its manufacturing dominance.


For years, Apple relied heavily on China's manufacturing ecosystem. But rising labor costs, trade tensions, and pandemic disruptions are forcing the company to rethink its strategy.

In response, Apple has started moving production to India and Vietnam, countries that offer lower costs, friendly trade policies, and proximity to emerging markets. India is now a growing hub for iPhone assembly, with Apple leveraging the country's massive workforce and government incentives.


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Widgets in the next generation of CarPlay will be very familiar to iPhone users, a leak of the user interface reveals.


Apple is still working on the next generation of CarPlay, despite having missed its self-imposed release deadline of 2024. Whenever it does actually ship, we now may have a good idea of what it will look like.

Images posted to X on Monday by @Aaronp613 claim to depict how widgets appear in the CarPlay 2.0 interface. The four images offer the same general appearance, with the central section dedicated to widgets and core functions.


Rumor Score: 🤯 Likely


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After four years of planning, TSMC is now finally going to make older iPhone processors in the US, but it's not and never will be a true return to American manufacturing.


It was back in 2020 when pressure over taxes made firms look again at manufacturing in the US, and TSMC announced it would build a processor plant in Arizona. By 2022, that expanded to plans for a second plant — and Tim Cook pledged that Apple would use processors made in Arizona.

Now after reportedly starting its first production run in September 2024, TSMC USA is about to reach a key milestone. According to Nikkei Asia, Apple is now in the process of officially certifying and verifying the processors.


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The ban on TikTok in the United States is happening soon, but the circus surrounding it that's kicked off in the last few days makes it anything but guaranteed.


TikTok has had a troubled existence in the United States, after years of threats for it to be banned. With the latest effort's deadline on January 19, it's days away from a reality.

The latest installment in the ongoing affair is a combination of waiting for a ruling, trying to implement delays on it happening, and searching for a sale. It's anyone's guess what will actually happen to TikTok now, with everything being so uncertain.


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All the impending EU fines and rulings against Apple, Google, and Meta, are reportedly off the table as Europe awaits Trump — and reveals just how political its regulations are.


For ten years, the European Union and especially competition chief Margrethe Vestager, has been working to control Big Tech. It's done so mostly very successfully, with the region being the first to implement a Digital Markets Act (DMA) that laid out conditions — and especially potential fines for transgressions.

Now according to the Financial Times, however, all of the regulator's plans for fines are on hold. Only what is described as technical work will continue on any of the Big Tech investigations, and for the moment there will be no fines.


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Several sources report the firewall in macOS Sequoia can sometimes leak data after an update. Here's how to test and fix it.


The macOS firewall in System Settings allows you to protect your Mac and filter network traffic based on a set of rules.

Several sites, including mullvad.net have reported that after macOS Sequoia updates, the firewall built into macOS may leak some data, allowing it to avoid firewall rules.


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Mobile gamers rejoice, the Abxylute S9 is an affordable controller that can stretch to fit your cased iPhone or iPad mini with a powerful set of customization features.


A controller manufacturer called Abxylute has finally built the perfect mobile gaming controller for iPhone and iPad mini owners. If all it did was stretch to fit an iPad mini and cost under $100, that would be enough, but it's so much more than that.

The Abxylute S9 is a wraparound controller that connects to the iPhone or iPad mini over USB-C while gripping it from either side. The end result is a mobile gaming solution similar to a Nintendo Switch or Steam Deck.


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Illinois is the latest state to claim Apple Wallet users will have access to digital IDs and driver's licenses by the end of 2025.


An Illinois state law took effect on January 1, 2025 that will bring digital versions of IDs and driver's licenses to Apple Wallet. Illinois is already working with Apple to make digital IDs a reality, according to a press release from the Illinois Secretary of State, Alexi Giannoulias, as was originally discovered by 9to5mac.

Residents will be able to access their new digital IDs via Apple Wallet on their iPhone or Apple Watch. Digital IDs will be available at no cost and will be usable alongside existing physical ID cards rather than replacing them entirely.


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Parallels Desktop 20.2 is out now, with the latest edition including 64-bit x86 emulation for Apple Silicon and more enhancements to make Apple Intelligence Writing Tools work with Windows apps.


January's update to the popular virtual machine tool Parallels Desktop brings the software up to version 20.2, just under three months after the update to version 20.1. The latest version adds a few more key changes to the virtualization tool.

The big addition is an early technology preview of x86 emulation for Apple Silicon Macs. Using a proprietary emulation engine, it allows Apple Silicon Macs to run x86_64 virtual machines, for Windows 10, Windows 11, and Linux.


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We saw some great products for Apple users after a week of wearing our feet to the bone at CES! Here's what we like the most that we got the chance to check out in person at the show.


While we found a lot of future-looking tech, everything we rounded up will be shipping soon.

Specifically, we'll be looking at accessories for Mac, iPhone, and iPad. We won't cover smart home though, but we'll be talking about that soon.


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Apple is allowing emulators on the App Store. Here's what's arrived, and what's on the way to play your favorite retro games on your iPhone, updated on January 6.


The early April changes to the App Store Review Guidelines reversed a rule that practically banned emulators from the App Store. After the rule was removed, it was expected that there would be a sudden rush of emulators being submitted to Apple for inclusion in the digital storefront.

Emulators for the iPhone have existed for a while, but outside of the App Store as a side-loadable app. With Apple's changes, some of the projects are making the transition, and potentially gaining more traction from a larger user base in the process.


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A security researcher has worked out how to hack a proprietary USB-C controller used by Apple, an issue that could eventually lead to new iPhone jailbreaks and other security problems.


As one of the more privacy and security-focused companies, Apple has become a prized target for hackers to beat. In one instance, it seems the iPhone's USB-C controller has become a risk factor.

Revealed at the 38th Chaos Communication Congress in December, with information only being revealed to the public in January, researcher Thomas Roth presented a demonstration of attacking the ACE3 USB-C controller.


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The best price we've ever seen on Apple's current iPad mini 7 has returned, with numerous storage capacities $100 off.


Both Amazon and Best Buy are competing for your business with fresh price drops on Apple's latest iPad mini. You can pick up the 128GB Wi-Fi capacity at Amazon for $399 when ordered in Space Gray. Or if you'd like another color, Best Buy is running the $100 discount on all four colorways.

Grab the deal at Amazon


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On this special episode of the HomeKit Insider Podcast, your host talks through all the smart home releases coming out of CES 2025.


CES 2025 has wrapped and we have a ton of new smart home announcements to cover, which is what this entire episode is dedicated to. We walk through more than a dozen new smart home products.

Joining this episode, is your host's better half, Faith O'Hara. She details the pros and cons of the smart home while Andrew was away, before learning about all the new announcements and what she's excited to try.


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Patrick Spence has left Sonos after eight years as CEO, following the disastrous rollout of an iOS app that left customers unable to use their devices.


Spence was originally the deputy to Sonos founder John MacFarlane, and took over the role of CEO from him in 2017. Unfortunately, his most visible impact has been the release of the revamped and subsequently failed iOS app.

Now according to Bloomberg, Patrick Spence has left Sonos. It's now been revealed that he has resigned the post, while the company has promoted board member Tom Conrad to the post of interim CEO.


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New research says that overall smartphone sales rose by 4% year over year in 2024, but the iPhone's share slightly declined as rivals such as Xiaomi grew in popularity.


Previous reports have agreed that iPhone sales are down, although in November 2024 it was claimed that the iPhone 15 was leading sales globally. It may now be significant that it was the iPhone 15 that was doing well, as new figures from Counterpoint Research suggest that the iPhone 16 underperformed.


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Ahead of its annual shareholders meeting, Apple has asked investors to vote against a proposal that the company should abandon its diversity hiring practices.


Apple's 2025 shareholders' meeting is on February 25, and as ever will be a mix of regular business and accounting issues, plus proposals by the various shareholders. These proposals have proved controversial before, even Apple usually gets the votes it wants, but this time a topic will be DEI.

As firms including Meta scale back or abandon their Diversity, Equality, and Inclusion (DEI) hiring, Apple says that it wants to continue. According to BBC News, shareholders in the National Center for Public Policy Research (NCPPR) say that DEI policies expose firms to "litigation, reputational and financial risks."


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B&H's blowout MacBook Pro deal shaves $800 off the price of this upgraded M3 Pro spec for a limited time only.


This last-gen 14-inch MacBook Pro sports an M3 Pro chip with a 12-core CPU and 18-core GPU. It also has 36GB of unified memory and 1TB of storage, making it a well-equipped laptop at the Deal Zone price of $1,999 ($800 off retail in Space Black).

Save $800 today only


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Samsung's M8 smart monitor is heavily discounted, providing an affordable external display option for your MacBook or Mac mini.


Samsung monitor discounts can be found at both Amazon.com and Samsung.com today, with the 32-inch M8 4K display on sale for $399.99. This reflects a 43% price cut off retail for the smart monitor that has USB-C, HDMI and USB-A ports.

Buy M8 for $399.99


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Crime in the world of Apple continues with bad guys misusing AirTags in Florida, while others elsewhere use them for good. A few thousand in merchandise were stolen in California, and a disco ball was taken with an iPad in Nashville.


The latest in an occasional AppleInsider feature, looking at the world of Apple-related crime.


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Apple's Messages app has a built-in safeguard to prevent links or phone numbers in unsolicited messages on iPhones from being clickable, and now scammers are trying to trick the unwary into enabling them.


By default, if you receive a text message on an iPhone or other Apple device from an unknown sender, any links therein are disabled. Once you reply to a message, however, the Messages app then allows clickable links, reports Bleeping Computer.

Scammers and other threat actors have developed a way around this restriction that savvy users will spot easily, but novice users might fall for. Often, this "smishing" attack comes in the form of a notice of an unpaid bill for a small amount, or a "failed delivery" notification.


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A four-year-old class action lawsuit filed in the UK again Apple's App Store fees will finally go to trial on Monday, January 13 — seeking up to 1.5 billion pounds ($1.83 billion) in potential damages.


Claimants in the case, led by digital economy specialist and lecturer at King's College Dr. Rachael Kent, are fighting the up to 30 percent commission Apple collections for in-app purchases (IAP). The lawsuit charges Apple is running its App Store as an illegal monopoly.

The suit says Apple forces developers to pass on the commission costs to consumers in the form of higher app prices. Apple has called the lawsuit "meritless" in court filings.


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The expected Apple Home Hub that was believed to be coming in March may now ship later, claims a new report that also backs up rumors that Apple is working on a home camera.


Rumors of Apple aiming to expand its home and particularly smart home offerings have chiefly centered on what's been described as a Home Hub. It's expected to have an iPad-like screen and may have the body of a HomePod.

Now according to Bloomberg, the Home Hub will feature a 7-inch screen, and will run on a new operating system codenamed Pebble. Despite being a new operating system, perhaps the previously-rumored homeOS, the Home Hub will reportedly make extensive use of App Intents, that will come with the iPhone's iOS 18.4 and iOS 19.


Rumor Score: 🤯 Likely


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A new report claiming to detail Apple's product plans for 2025 says that there will be revisions to the Apple Watch range that include satellite communications, plus new features for AirTags and AirPods.


While there was no update to the Apple Watch Ultra in 2024, a new version is now expected in 2025, according to Bloomberg. It will remain the same as the Apple Watch Ultra 2 visually, but as previously rumored, bring with it satellite connectivity. The new report doesn't add any detail, but it's likely that the feature will be similar to the original Emergency SOS via Satellite that was introduced with the iPhone 14 and allowed brief text messages to be sent to first responders.

It's also claimed that the Apple Watch Ultra 3 will gain 5G RedCap (Reduced Capacity) network access. This is like a lite version of 5G which needs fewer components such as antennas, and has better power efficiency.


Rumor Score: 🤯 Likely


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A new report suggests that potential buyers anticipating an updated iPhone SE, or new iPads and their accessories, won't have much longer to wait.


While 2025 will bring a slew of new and updated products to the table, Apple will be spacing those out across the year. A new report from Bloomberg speculates that while an updated MacBook Air lineup may be among the first hardware products announced in the new year, the iPhone SE will get a notable revamp in the spring as well.

In line with recent reports, the fourth-generation iPhone SE is expected around March or April 2025. As part of an overall redesign, the SE will finally lose the Touch ID home button in favor of FaceID, and bump up to the size of the iPhone 14.


Rumor Score: 🤯 Likely


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Apple's Mac lineup for 2025 will include quite a lot of updates, with the Mac Studio anticipated to get a refresh early in the year alongside more typical updates.


The migration of Apple's Mac and MacBook lines in 2024 saw some get upgrades to the M4, but not all models. The Mac mini, the iMac, and the MacBook Pro models all migrated over to M4, leaving behind a lot of other models on earlier chips.

According to Mark Gurman's newsletter for Bloomberg, the upgrades to M4 will continue early in the year, and continue throughout to cover most of the remaining range.


Rumor Score: 🤔 Possible


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Amazon-owned Woot has launched a flash deal on a closeout 16-inch MacBook Pro that's equipped with an impressive 8TB of storage.


If you're looking for a heavily discounted Apple laptop, Woot's weekend flash sale has dropped the 16-inch M1 Max model to $2,119.99 for 24 hours only.

Grab the 24-hour deal


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Apple is holding its annual shareholder meeting on February 25 at 11 a.m. Eastern Time, which is when participants will be able to vote and ask questions.


Annual shareholder meetings are held to vote on matters presented by shareholders and how future goals are being met. During such meetings, the company's performance during the previous year is also discussed.

As part of Apple's meeting on February 25, participants will vote on the re-election of the Board of Directors, approval of executive compensation, and will ratify Ernst & Young — Apple's accounting firm.


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During an interview with Joe Rogan about Meta's abandonment of fact-checking and changing rules to allow hate speech, Meta's CEO targeted Apple for lacking innovation since the iPhone.


Meta has always had a bone to pick with Apple, and Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg is never afraid to discuss the company in interviews. The latest wide swing comes after a perceived lack of innovation, over-reliance on iPhone, and use of proprietary technologies.

The interview itself is covered in detail by 9to5Mac's Chance Miller, breaking down specific segments of the interview. I want to dive into a few of the things Zuckerberg said about Apple.


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Synchrony Pay Later can soon be used to complete purchases in installments via Apple Pay.


Synchrony joins existing companies such as Affirm and Klarna, both of which offer buy-now, pay-later services via Apple Pay. They act as a replacement to Apple Pay Later, an installment service Apple abandoned in 2024.

The support page for Apple Pay lists Synchrony under the pay with installments section, first discovered by MacRumors. The service should appear under the "Other Cards & Pay Later Options" at checkout when using Apple Pay.


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