Listen to a recap of the top stories of the day from 9to5Mac. 9to5Mac Daily is available on iTunes and Apple’s Podcasts app, Stitcher, TuneIn, Google Play, or through our dedicated RSS feed for Overcast and other podcast players.

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Over the past few years, Apple has been offering more self-repair options than ever before. One evidence of this is the Self Service Repair Store, where you can buy tools and parts for repairing your own Apple devices—even recent ones like an iPhone 16 Pro. And now for the first time, you can buy tools to repair the recent M4 Mac mini, MacBook Pro, and iMac.

Contrary to what you may have heard on TikTok, Apple did not just “install” Elon Musk’s Starlink on every iPhone.

The short explanation is that the iPhone is capable of using Starlink, just like any mobile service provider. More specifically, though, Starlink support on iPhone is limited to a single carrier for customers in the United States for now.

It’s not a direct partnership between Apple and Starlink. Instead, T-Mobile is using its 1900MHz (band 25) spectrum to provide additional coverage using Starlink, and the iPhone supports band 25. There’s nothing special in iOS 18.3 beyond supporting the latest version of T-Mobile’s network. Apple itself has not partnered with Starlink in any capacity.

However, if T-Mobile customers want to opt out of using Starlink on iPhone, there’s a way to disable using the functionality.

Your fresh batch of Apple deals has arrived. Firstly, AirPods Pro 2 in brand new condition have dropped a touch lower to $169, while open-box listings from Best Buy with a full warranty are now at a wild $116 shipped (if you’re fast). Those deals join ongoing all-time low pricing on AirPods 4, but we are also now tracking Jet Black Apple Watch Series 10 units at up to $110 off as well as the unlocked Amazon premium renewed 1TB iPhone 15 Pro in black at $630 off the original price and the return of all-time low pricing on Apple’s official Navy Alpine Loop. All of that and more awaits below in today’s 9to5Toys Lunch Break.

Apple Invites is a brand new iPhone app that just launched yesterday. After a day of testing it out, here are five features in the Invites app that you might have missed.

Disney has long been planning to launch a new flagship ESPN streaming service—separate from the existing ESPN+ streamer—and its fall launch is fast approaching. Today during Disney’s quarterly earnings report, CEO Bob Iger teased what to expect from the new ESPN service and confirmed its launch timing.

Update: SuperDuper developer Dave Nanian reports that Apple has fixed the issue in macOS 15.3.

One or more backup bugs in macOS 15.2 Sequoia is affecting Apple’s own Time Machine utility, as well as third-party apps SuperDuper and CarbonCopyCloner. Initially the problem appeared to affect bootable backups only, but it now appears that it is either more general than this, or there is more than one bug affecting Mac backups …

So-called macOS Stealers – malware that seeks to extract personal data like passwords and credit card numbers from your machine – is expected to be significantly more prevalent this year.

A new annual report on the state of malware says that Mac owners could be at almost as much risk as Windows PC users this year …

We’re expecting to see an M5 chip powering this year’s MacBook Pro, iPad Pro, and Vision Pro. That chip has now entered mass production, according to a new supply-chain report.

Not much is known about it for sure, though it is expected to have enhanced AI performance, and it’s also been suggested that it may have a somewhat different design to previous M-series chips …

Most Apple products sold in the US could see price raises, after Trump imposed 10% import tariffs on all imports from China. While Apple has been working on diversifying its supply chain, the majority of its products are still assembled in China.

Trump did a similar thing in his first term, applying tariffs to thousands of products. That time, Apple was successful in lobbying for exceptions, but the new policy appears to be a blanket 10% across all products arriving from China …

China is considering opening an antitrust investigation into Apple’s App Store commissions, mirroring those already carried out in the US, EU, and elsewhere.

However, it’s likely that the Chinese government is simply raising the possibility as a form of leverage in the latest trade war instigated by the Trump administration …

CardioBot is a health companion app for iPhone and Apple Watch that shows users how they can live a healthier life. The app has now been updated with new features, including “Activity Coaching” and fully interactive graphics. Read on as we detail everything that’s new with the update.

Meta last year introduced significant enhancements to the Threads timeline, as users gained the option to create custom feeds and choose which feed they want to see by default. Now Meta is announcing another new feature for Threads: the ability to share custom feeds with others.

Last week, Mark Gurman reported that Apple had canceled development of its AR glasses project following some unimpressive demos for executives. With Vision Pro struggling to build its own sales momentum, on the surface AR glasses seemed like the the best path forward for Vision products. But here’s why that may not be the case—at least not yet.

You may be familiar with Opera, a well-known cross-platform web browser. The company is now introducing Opera Air, a new version of the web browser with multiple mindfulness features aimed at helping users relax while they browse the web.

You’re not alone, Discord is down globally.

Apple just launched a new app today: Apple Invites. It’s available now on the App Store, and one of its best features is deep integration with Apple’s iOS app ecosystem. Here’s what that means.

Hot Ones, the popular YouTube series, just released a new episode where two Apple TV+ stars from Severance compete in a test of heat. Here are the details.

Sonos has had a very bad past year. But under a new interim CEO, the company is reportedly planning to launch a major new hardware product soon: an Apple TV 4K competitor that could cost between $200 and $400. Its codename: ‘Pinewood.’

Listen to a recap of the top stories of the day from 9to5Mac. 9to5Mac Daily is available on iTunes and Apple’s Podcasts app, Stitcher, TuneIn, Google Play, or through our dedicated RSS feed for Overcast and other podcast players.

Sponsored by CardPointers: The best way to maximize your credit card rewards. 9to5Mac Daily listeners can exclusively save 30% and get a $100 Savings Card. 

The next Apple Watch Activity Challenge is just around the corner. Customers will soon be notified about the upcoming Heart Month Challenge set for February 14.

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In this episode of Apple @ Work, I talk with with John Bennett, CEO, and Fred Rivain, Chief Technology Officer from Dashlane about what they think is going to be impactful for IT admins in 2025.

Apple just launched its latest app, Apple Invites, which allows for a quick and easy way to send out invitations to an event. But, how does that work for an Android user? We’ve tested out how Apple Invites will work for Android users, and it’s surprisingly well done.

Apple may be hitting home runs with new iPhone apps lately, but it’s striking out completely when it comes to iPad support.

Apple is in the midst of squeezing more money out of AppleCare+ warranties. In addition to discontinuing most paid upfront plans, Apple is also increasing the cost of AppleCare+ subscriptions for all iPhones.

Apple has just made some changes to its AppleCare+ program. As hinted over the weekend by Mark Gurman, Apple is discontinuing upfront payment options for AppleCare+ in stores and on devices, offering monthly or annual subscriptions only unless you buy online.

In today’s Apple accessory landscape, it seems to be getting harder and harder to make a product that has not been made before. There are so many brands, so much competition and only so many types of accessories that are needed. But all that competition ends up being great for the consumer because it forces brands to think outside of the box. That is exactly what Nomad did with their new Universal Cable for Apple Watch. Again, I have never seen a cable look like this or do what it does.

While we are still tracking a new all-time low price on AirPods 4 at $100, as well as a solid drop on AirPods Pro 2 at $170, today we are turning back to the MacBooks, iPads, and Ultra 2. First up, we spotted a sweet refurbished offer on the Natural Titanium Ultra 2 at $269 off the regular new price courtesy of a trusted Best Buy listing. Next we move over to the most affordable M4 Pro MacBook Pro at up to $250 off the going rate before sliding over to the M2 iPad Air lineup – 11-inch models are starting from $499 and the 13-inchers are now up to $110 off. All of that, as well as a $149 price drop on the M4 iMac, and more awaits down below. 

Netflix has long championed the binge model of TV releases, dropping full seasons all at once. Recently though, split-seasons have become more common. Now, Netflix’s content head has explained why.

Update: Officially announced and now available on the App Store.

The stage is set for “Apple Invites” to arrive at any point now. The new feature first revealed by 9to5Mac has now been named on Apple’s iCloud website. 9to5Mac has also learned much more about how the new app and service will work. Read on for details…

After I commented on the ASUS Zenbook A14 not only emulating the look of the MacBook Air, but exceeding its specs in several respects, I got the chance to spend some time using the machine.

While I’m certainly not going to be making the switch from macOS to Windows, there are a few things I’d love to see Apple replicate in future MacBooks …

The Iconfactory, makers of the now-discontinued Twitterrific app, have today launched the spiritual successor to their Twitter client. Tapestry pulls together feeds from Bluesky, Mastodon, RSS, YouTube, and more into a single timeline.

Adobe’s Acrobat AI assistant has long had the ability to summarize documents for you, but it now claims to be able to help you make sense of contracts – and catch discrepancies between them …

A Grubhub security breach has exposed personal data for both customers and drivers, says the company, after an “incident” involving a third-party contractor.

The company has not revealed the exact scale of the security fail, but has admitted that the personal data includes names, email addresses, phone numbers, and partial credit card numbers …

Spotify achieved its first full year of profitability since launching in 2008. The company has previously had occasional profitable quarters, but consistently lost money each year.

Apple may have played a role in the company’s turnaround, thanks to a change introduced last year …

A Meta policy document describes the company’s fears that it could accidentally develop an AI model which would lead to “catastrophic outcomes.” It describes its plans to prevent the release of such models, but admits that it may not be able to do so.

Among the capabilities the company most fears are an AI system that could break through the security of even the best-protected corporate or government computer network without human assistance …

An upcoming book Apple in China promises to tell the story of how a seemingly smart idea back in 1996 now leaves the company hostage to the whims of an authoritarian regime.

Subtitled “the capture of the world’s greatest company,” the book features interviews with more than 200 former Apple execs and engineers, and says it acts as both a historical account and a cautionary tale …

WhatsApp currently offers a feature that helps users plan events from group chats. Soon, this feature will be expanded to private chats as well, giving WhatsApp users more flexibility to create and manage their appointments.

A week after releasing iOS 18.3 to the public, Apple has now stopped signing iOS 18.2.1. For users, this means that they can no longer downgrade to this version of the operating system if their iPhone or iPad is already running a newer version.

Ever wish your MacBook wouldn’t boot up every time you open the lid or connect it to power? Apple has published an official support document detailing how to disable the feature.