Today’s 9to5Toys Lunch Break is now ready to roll starting with the most affordable33% off. Everything else awaits below. 

9to5Mac Security Bite is exclusively brought to you by Mosyle, the only Apple Unified Platform. Making Apple devices work-ready and enterprise-safe is all we do. Our unique integrated approach to management and security combines state-of-the-art Apple-specific security solutions for fully automated Hardening & Compliance, Next Generation EDR, AI-powered Zero Trust, and exclusive Privilege Management with the most powerful and modern Apple MDM on the market. The result is a totally automated Apple Unified Platform currently trusted by over 45,000 organizations to make millions of Apple devices work-ready with no effort and at an affordable cost. Request your EXTENDED TRIAL today and understand why Mosyle is everything you need to work with Apple.

Talk of the largest grocer in the world not supporting Apple Pay or any Tap to Pay solution for that matter is making the rounds on social media again. It is worth mentioning that there are real security benefits behind this technology. While the vast majority of users choose tapping for payment because it is quick and easy, there is a lot happening behind the scenes to keep your information private.

2026 may turn out to be the year of OpenAI’s first hardware product, according to the company’s policy chief. Meanwhile, Jony Ive’s ‘io’ team at OpenAI has made a notable Apple veteran hire.

Apple released the new M5 MacBook Pro last October, but we’re still waiting on the more powerful M5 Pro and M5 Max variants of that machine. Here’s when to expect that update to be released …

In an annual tradition, Apple is celebrating Martin Luther King Jr Day on its homepage, with quotes from the civil rights champion.

This year’s featured quote is “Life’s most persistent and urgent question is, ‘What are you doing for others?’” …

One of the biggest visual changes we’re expecting with this year’s iPhone 18 Pro is a punch-hole selfie camera, with the Face ID module invisibly embedded into the display.

Until recently, we’d been expecting this to be centered in the same way as the current camera and Face ID module. However, one report has suggested that the punch-hole selfie camera would instead be relocated to the top-left corner, where the clock currently lives. If so, logically the Dynamic Island would move with it, and this is shown in a new video render …

We’re likely less than two weeks away from the launch of the M5 Pro and M5 Max MacBook Pro models. Performance estimates based on extrapolating from the difference between the base M4 and the more powerful variants suggests that the M5 Max MacBook Pro could deliver “astounding” Geekbench scores.

The analysis suggests that the M5 Max chip may be the first Apple GPU ever to break 250,000 on the Geekbench 6 compute test …

A new market intelligence report suggests that Threads is now more popular than X on iPhone and Android, although X still has a strong overall lead when web usage is taken into account.

Separately, the controversy over Grok generating non-consensual explicit images – including CSAM – has intensified, as xAI is now being sued by the mother of one of Elon Musk’s children …

With iPhone Air, Apple reintroduced the MagSafe battery pack. It’s $99, and optimized specifically for iPhone Air. It’s rather slim, though it’s rather weak in capacity – making Qi2 alternatives all the more interesting. We’ll be delving into the top options on the market, just in case you want a MagSafe battery for your iPhone without spending $99, or aren’t buying the iPhone Air.

At WWDC25, Apple introduced a few new capabilities to the Photos app for iOS 26. Most notably, it reintroduces a tab bar layout after last year’s controversial single-page redesign. It also allows you to create spatial scenes from existing photos.

On top of those headlining features, there’s another underlying feature in the Photos app for iOS 26 that a lot of users might appreciate, and thats event details. Let’s explain.

The year is 2026 and Walmart still doesn’t accept Apple Pay at any of its stores in the United States. This makes it one of the last remaining major retailers to not support Apple’s contactless payment platform. It’s a limitation that’s once again going viral on social media.

Here are a few reasons why Walmart doesn’t support Apple Pay …

Apple Intelligence-powered Siri is very late, to say the least. That’s largely been because Apple has struggled to keep up with developing their own AI models. I’d say its largely played out this way because Apple has been hesitant to wanting to spend a lot of money, not to mention that Apple’s stance on privacy makes it hard to train a model – Apple just doesn’t have much data.

Nonetheless though, this delay actually comes with a bit of upside.

If you’re looking to kick off the new year with a new MacBook, now’s a fantastic time to buy. In recent years, Macs have become more and more affordable – largely in part because of Apple’s transition to Apple Silicon. These MacBooks are also more capable than ever.

Apple’s latest macOS Tahoe update also dropped support for practically all Intel Macs (with some small exceptions). If you’d like to stay on the latest and greatest Apple software, nows a fitting time to upgrade.

Keep up with all of the latest MacBook deals on 9to5Toys.

At MacBook and iPad Pro users.

Welcome to Indie App Spotlight. This is a weekly 9to5Mac series where we showcase the latest apps in the indie app world. If you’re a developer and would like your app featured, get in contact.

If you’re looking for a fresh set of wallpapers for your iPhone or iPad, Radiance is a great app to check out. It has a nice feeling interface, and it’s completely free of ads.

Anker is back at it again with a new 20,100mAh power bank, under its Anker Prime brand. This power bank has three ports, offers up to 220W of output, and comes in a pretty compact package. It’s available for purchase on Amazon for $149.

Water leaks and water damage are one of my biggest fears as a homeowner. With hardwood floors throughout my house, even a small water leak could turn into a massive repair bill and a huge inconvenience to get them repaired. A slow drip from a sink can quickly cause thousands of dollars (or tens of thousands) in damage to your floors and cabinets. If I had to choose one smart home category that actually gives me peace of mind, it would be the ones that prevent disasters. In 2026, the water leak sensor is still the most critical piece of hardware in my HomeKit setup.

Apple surprised us all on Tuesday with an all new subscription offering for creative professionals, with the launch of Apple Creator Studio. In all honesty, it seems like a great value. After reading through all of the details though, I can already think of some easy improvements Apple could make.

I have been an Apple Watch Ultra user since its release in September 2022. Over the years, I have owned the regular Ultra and currently own the Ultra 2 in Black Titanium, and I have worn it nearly every single day. I wanted the Ultra for the little things: a better battery, a larger display, and better build materials. I just wanted to see what Apple could do with its “best” Apple Watch. After using it for nearly four years, I can confidently say that this is the best Apple Watch Apple has ever made, but it’s also an Apple Watch that I just don’t need. Let me explain.

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If you have managed Macs with remote work for any length of time, you know the specific sense of issue that comes with having to restart. You have a long wait for the screen-sharing part to come back online. The problem isn’t the network. The problem boils down to FileVault. When a modern Mac reboots, it shows a pre-boot macOS login screen that is not yet fully connected to the network or has not yet loaded the full OS. It is encrypted, secure, and completely unreachable until someone physically types a password. For IT folks managing a fleet of devices in various locations, this is a nightmare. Twocanoes Software has a tool called Password Utility that finally fixes this annoyance, and for $10 a year, it belongs on every Apple Silicon Mac you manage remotely. I found this tool because I recently had this issue with a Mac I manage so I went searching for a solution.

Welcome to 9to5Mac’s top stories of the week, where we recap the biggest news in the Apple world every Saturday. This week, we have Apple’s new Creator Studio subscription, Apple’s deal with Google for Gemini, and iPhone Fold specs. Plus, our usual slate of new podcast episodes, opinion pieces, and much more. Read on for all of this week’s top stories.

With a new tool called Mobile Apps by Replit, users can describe their idea, let Replit do its thing, and then scan a QR code to test the app on their iPhones. Here are the details.

Apple celebrated today the reopening of its Sainte-Catherine store, where it more than doubled its footprint after being relocated to a revived historic building in downtown Montreal. Here’s a closer look.

Apple is gearing up for one of the most anticipated halftime performances in a while, for a wide variety of reasons. Watch the trailer below.