This is Rumor Replay, a weekly column at 9to5Mac offering a quick rundown of the most recent Apple product rumors, with analysis and commentary. Today: iPhone 17e design changes, Intel producing M-class chips, and ChatGPT integrating with Apple Health. Here are this week’s Apple rumors.

Rivian’s Chief Software Officer Wassym Bensaid confirmed today that the .46 OTA update will bring Digital Key support to the second-generation R1S and R1T. Here’s what that means.

With Alan Dye departing for Meta and leaving a hollowed-out design division behind him, his replacement, Stephen Lemay, will have a rare opportunity to rebuild the company’s design culture from the inside out.

Apple Podcasts has announced its 2025 Show of the Year, the UK-based The Rest Is History. Here are the details.

Benjamin and Chance react to the departure of not one, but two, key Apple executives this week with the news that John Giannandrea is retiring as SVP of AI, and design VP Alan Dye is leaving for a new job at Meta. Also, Apple finally agrees a deal with Tencent over commission for mini apps in WeChat, India tries to pre-install a state security app on iPhones, and the new Apple Music Replay launches. 

And in Happy Hour Plus, an analytics report claims baseball games drive more subscribers to Apple TV than its original series. Subscribe at 9to5mac.com/join. 

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A new report from Reuters says Russia has blocked FaceTime access in the country, with users unable to connect via Apple’s platform as of today. Here are the details.

Today’s 9to5Toys Lunch Break is loaded with some notable accessory deals alongside the ongoing AirPods 4 all-time low at 45% off – but you can also now land that same deal with a discounted 2-year of AppleCare+ as well. The entire slate of Apple’s iPhone 17 Silicone cases are down at $25 right now (49% off) and we also spotted the first chance to save on the 2025 edition black Alpine Loop. Ongoing lows on Apple Watch Series 11, the Find My SmartLock, and more are also waiting for you below. 

The recent hit season of Severance has been landing on lots of ‘Best TV of 2025’ lists, and today a big update has arrived for release timing of Apple’s upcoming season 3.

When Apple introduced true windowing multitasking and extended display support with iPadOS 26, pairing my iPad Pro with a portable monitor suddenly became a lot more interesting. I’ve used numerous portable displays over the years, primarily with my MacBook Air, and they’ve ranged from inexpensive plastic options to higher-end models that focus on the screen itself. Some were decent, but the Sotsu FlipAction lineup just hits different. It looks like someone took a 16-inch iPad and attached it to a modular, magnetic Studio Display stand. I’ve been using this monitor for well over a year now, and I wanted to share my in-depth thoughts on whether or not it is worth the price. Let’s break it down.

One of my favorite recent accessory launches is Elevation Lab’s TimeCapsule for AirTag, which promises to extend AirTag battery life to 10 years. And today, the company has debuted its follow-up, which offers 5 years of AirTag battery in a much more compact form factor.

Tehran is one of Apple TV’s longest running thriller series, but you may have never heard of it because for years, the new season’s release has been delayed. Today though, Apple announced that Tehran season 3 is finally premiering next month, and there’s even a season 4 on the way.

After announcing the finalists last month, Apple today officially announced the winners of the 2025 App Store Awards. This year, the App Store Awards recognize 17 apps and games for their “technical ingenuity and lasting cultural impact.”

The winners were selected by App Store Editors for “demonstrating exceptional innovation, user experience, and design.”

Yesterday, Bloomberg broke the surprise news that Alan Dye, Apple’s vice president of Human Interface Design since 2015, is departing the company to lead a new design studio at Meta. Apple confirmed the departure in a statement attributed to Tim Cook, adding that 26-year Apple design veteran Steve Lemay will take over Dye’s role.

In a new post on Daring Fireball, John Gruber has some inside info on the reaction inside Apple to this news.

At The New York Times’ DealBook Summit today, California Governor Gavin Newsom addressed the tech sector’s deference to the Trump administration, and discussed Tim Cook’s overtures to the president. Here’s what he said.

When Apple rolled out Vehicle Motion Cues, it made my kinetosis much more manageable, but didn’t fully fix it. With iOS 26, a new adjustment finally did the trick.

Apple has a lot of new iPhone features coming soon in iOS 26.2, the next major software update that’s right around the corner. Here’s the expected release date for iOS 26.2.

The iPhone 17 lineup includes a new Ceramic Shield 2 with anti-reflective technology, but it turns out standard screen protectors aren’t the best match for the new displays.

Alongside a new Mac version, the latest ExpressVPN update also features a welcome connectivity option on iOS. Here are the details.

Apple Watch hypertension notifications and sleep apnea alerts, as well as AirPods Hearing Test and Hearing Aid, are now available in these new countries.

Alan Dye, Apple’s vice president of Human Interface Design since 2015, is departing the company. Bloomberg reports that Meta has poached Dye as part of its push “into AI-equipped consumer devices.”

Stephen Lemay, a 26-year Apple design veteran, will take over the role from Dye, who officially joins Meta on December 31.

watchOS 26.2 is almost here, and thanks to Apple’s official release notes, we know exactly what’s changing. Here’s everything new coming to Apple Watch in watchOS 26.2.

Apple has just debuted the RC (release candidate) versions of its various 26.2 software updates, including iPadOS 26.2 and more. Here’s what to expect.

macOS Tahoe 26.2 Release Candidate is now available for developers, as well as for the public beta, ahead of the official upcoming release. Here’s what to expect.

Apple has released the release candidate of iOS 26.2 for iPhone. The RC version is available as an over-the-air update starting today.