Visa wants to pay Apple approximately $100 million to be the new payment network for the Apple Card, reports The Wall Street Journal. As of right now, the ‌Apple Card‌ is on the Mastercard payment network, but that is set to change because Apple is ending its partnership with Goldman Sachs.


Both American Express and Visa are vying to replace Mastercard as Apple's card services provider, while Mastercard is aiming to retain its position. Apple apparently plans to choose a new ‌Apple Card‌ network before it selects a partner to replace Goldman Sachs as the ‌Apple Card‌'s issuing bank, and competition is intense. Visa is offering Apple a $100 million upfront payment, while American Express is "in the mix" and Mastercard is "fiercely trying" to retain its role.

Apple and Goldman Sachs have been working to dissolve their partnership since 2023, with Goldman Sachs planning to exit the consumer banking market. JPMorgan Chase and Synchrony Financial are in talks with Apple to take over for Goldman Sachs, but American Express has also been aiming to become the issuer and network of the ‌Apple Card‌. Apple needs both an issuing bank for the ‌Apple Card‌ and a payment network that facilitates transactions.

Goldman Sachs and Apple have worked together on the ‌Apple Card‌ since its 2019 launch, and have also teamed up for the high-yield Apple Savings account. Apple has not been happy with Goldman Sachs because of customer service issues caused by long wait times for disputed ‌Apple Card‌ transactions and savings account withdrawals.

The U.S. Consumer Financial Protection Bureau even launched an investigation into Goldman Sachs due to the customer complaints, which led to tension, so both companies are eager to end their relationship.

The ‌Apple Card‌ has over 12 million users in the United States, with approximately $20 billion in balances.
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Apple today released watchOS 11.4, the fourth major update to the operating system that runs on the Apple Watch. watchOS 11.4 is compatible with the Apple Watch Series 6 and later, all Apple Watch Ultra models, and the Apple Watch SE 2.


watchOS 11.4 can be downloaded on a connected iPhone by opening up the Apple Watch app and going to General > Software Update. To install the new software, the Apple Watch needs to have at least 50 percent battery and it needs to be placed on a charger.

With watchOS 11.4, Apple has added an option for a Sleep Wake Up alarm to break through Silent Mode, so you can have your Apple Watch make a sound in addition to haptic tapping when a morning alarm goes off. There's also support for Matter-compatible robot vacuum cleaners in the Home app.

This update includes new features, improvements, and bug fixes, including:
- Matter-compatible robot vacuum cleaners can be added to the Home app as well as used in scenes, automations, or simply say "Siri, clean the living room."
- An option to allow Sleep Wake Up alarm to break through Silent Mode
- An issue where face selection may become unresponsive when switching faces
For information on the security content of Apple software updates, please visit this website: https://support.apple.com/100100

More of the features available in watchOS 11 can be found in our watchOS 11 roundup.
This article, "Apple Releases watchOS 11.4 With Sleep Alarm Update" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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Amazon today has all-time low prices on the new M4 MacBook Air, with up to $60 off the 13-inch and 15-inch versions of the computer. Right now these discounts are only available on Amazon, and most of them have estimated delivery windows of early April.

Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with Amazon and Best Buy. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment, which helps us keep the site running.

This time around, there is one 13-inch configuration on sale and one 15-inch configuration on sale, reaching up to $60 off the original price. You can get the 256GB 13-inch M4 MacBook Air for $949.00, down from $999.00, and the 256GB 15-inch M4 MacBook Air for $1,139.00, down from $1,199.00. Both of these deals are available in two colors on Amazon.




We aren't currently tracking any notable deals on the 512GB models of the M4 MacBook Air. If you're on the hunt for more discounts, be sure to visit our Apple Deals roundup where we recap the best Apple-related bargains of the past week.

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Apple has now refreshed the Mac Studio twice since its introduction in 2022, so should you upgrade your unit and is an older model still worth buying?


The new ‌Mac Studio‌'s main upgrade is its chip, moving from the M2 Max and ‌M2‌ Ultra to the M4 Max and M3 Ultra. Compared to its predecessor, the new ‌Mac Studio‌ is up to 75% faster with 2x faster graphics. It also now features up to 512GB of memory of 16GB of storage, as well as Thunderbolt 5 connectivity.

See the breakdown below for each new feature, change, and improvement that was added with the latest ‌Mac Studio‌ compared to its predecessors:

‌Mac Studio‌ (2022)	‌Mac Studio‌ (2023)	‌Mac Studio‌ (2025)
Apple M1 Max or M1 Ultra chip	Apple ‌M2‌ Max or ‌M2‌ Ultra chip	Apple M4 Max or M3 Ultra chip
M1 Max: 10-core CPU (8 performance cores, 2 efficiency cores) M1 Ultra: 20-core CPU (16 performance cores, 4 efficiency cores)	M2 Max: 12-core CPU (8 performance cores, 4 efficiency cores) M2 Ultra: 24-core CPU (16 performance cores, 8 efficiency cores)	M4 Max: Up to 16-core CPU (12 performance cores, 4 efficiency cores) M3 Ultra: Up to 32-core CPU (24 performance cores, 8 efficiency cores)
M1 Max: Up to 32-core GPU M1 Ultra: Up to 64-core GPU	M2 Max: Up to 38-core GPU M2 Ultra: Up to 76-core GPU	M4 Max: Up to 40-core GPU M3 Ultra: Up to 80-core GPU
		Hardware-accelerated ray tracing
		AV1 decode
M1 Max: 16-core Neural Engine (11 TOPS) M1 Ultra: 32-core Neural Engine (22 TOPS)	M2 Max: 16-core Neural Engine (15.8 TOPS) M2 Ultra: 32-core Neural Engine (31.6 TOPS)	M4 Max: 16-core Neural Engine (38 TOPS) M3 Ultra: 32-core Neural Engine (76 TOPS)
M1 Max: Video decode engine M1 Ultra: Two video decode engines	M2 Max: Video decode engine M2 Ultra: Two video decode engines	M4 Max: Video decode engine M3 Ultra: Two video decode engines
M1 Max: Two video encode engines M1 Ultra: Four video encode engines	M2 Max: Two video encode engines M2 Ultra: Four video encode engines	M4 Max: Two video encode engines M3 Ultra: Four video encode engines
M1 Max: Two ProRes encode and decode engines M1 Ultra: Four ProRes encode and decode engines	M2 Max: Two ProRes encode and decode engines M2 Ultra: Four ProRes encode and decode engines	M4 Max: Two ProRes encode and decode engines M3 Ultra: Four ProRes encode and decode engines
M1 Max: 32GB or 64GB memory M1 Ultra: 64GB or 128GB memory	M2 Max: 32GB, 64GB, or 96GB memory M2 Ultra: 64GB, 128GB, or 192GB memory	M4 Max: 36GB, 48GB, 64GB, 128GB memory M3 Ultra: 96GB, 256GB, or 512GB memory
M1 Max: 400GB/s memory bandwidth M1 Ultra: 800GB/s memory bandwidth	M2 Max: 400GB/s memory bandwidth M2 Ultra: 800GB/s memory bandwidth	M4 Max: Up to 546GB/s memory bandwidth M3 Ultra: 819GB/s memory bandwidth
512GB, 1TB, 2TB, 4TB, or 8TB SSD storage	M2 Max: 512GB, 1TB, 2TB, 4TB, or 8TB SSD storage M2 Ultra: 1TB, 2TB, 4TB, or 8TB SSD storage	M4 Max: 512GB, 1TB, 2TB, 4TB, or 8TB SSD storage M3 Ultra: 1TB, 2TB, 4TB, 8TB, or 16TB SSD storage
M1 Max: Four Thunderbolt 4 ports and two USB-C ports M1 Ultra: Six Thunderbolt 4 ports	M2 Max: Four Thunderbolt 4 ports and two USB-C ports M2 Ultra: Six Thunderbolt 4 ports	M4 Max: Four Thunderbolt 5 ports and two USB-C ports M3 Ultra: Six Thunderbolt 5 ports
HDMI 2.0 port	HDMI 2.1 port	HDMI 2.1 port
Support for up to four Pro Display XDRs and one 4K display	Support for up to eight 4K displays, six 6K displays, or three 8K displays	Support for up to eight 4K displays, eight 6K displays or four 8K displays
3.5mm headphone jack	3.5mm headphone jack with advanced support for high-impedance headphones	3.5mm headphone jack with advanced support for high-impedance headphones
802.11ax Wi‑Fi 6	802.11ax Wi‑Fi 6E	802.11ax Wi‑Fi 6E
Bluetooth 5.0	Bluetooth 5.3	Bluetooth 5.3
Released March 2022	Released June 2023	Released March 2025

Only those 2022 ‌Mac Studio‌ users who consistently push their machines to the limit with tasks like 3D rendering, video editing in high resolutions, machine learning workflows, or large-scale software development should consider upgrading to the 2025 model. The 2025 ‌Mac Studio‌ introduces a considerable leap in performance, particularly with the M4 Max and M3 Ultra chips, offering substantially better GPU performance, more powerful GPUs with hardware-accelerated ray tracing, a significantly faster Neural Engine, and support for up to 512GB of memory and Thunderbolt 5. These improvements dramatically improve workflows that demand extreme parallel processing, faster memory access, or broader external display setups. If your current 2022 ‌Mac Studio‌ ever feels like a bottleneck, or if you are preparing to work with increasingly complex projects over the next few years, the upgrade is likely to be worth it. However, for users whose workloads remain well within the capabilities of the ‌M1 Max‌ or ‌M1 Ultra‌, especially those focused on less GPU-intensive tasks, the gains may not justify the cost at this time.

Upgrading from the 2023 ‌Mac Studio‌ to the 2025 model is likely to be worth it for far fewer users, simply because the performance gains, while significant on paper, will make less of a real-world difference for most professionals already using the ‌M2‌ Max or ‌M2‌ Ultra chip because the 2023 model is still exceptionally capable. However, there are a few edge cases where the upgrade may be justified—particularly for users working with local large language models or intensive AI workloads, where the vastly improved Neural Engine in the M4 Max or M3 Ultra can offer major benefits. Similarly, users who rely on extremely high memory capacity or bandwidth, or those building systems around Thunderbolt 5 and AV1 decode support, might see tangible improvements that justify the cost. Still, for the vast majority of users, especially those in video production, app development, or general pro workflows, the 2023 ‌Mac Studio‌ remains more than sufficient for the foreseeable future, making the 2025 upgrade more of a luxury than a necessity.

The 2022 and 2023 ‌Mac Studio‌ models are still very much worth buying, especially if found refurbished or second-hand at a good price. Both models offer excellent performance that remains highly competitive even in 2025, with the ‌M1 Ultra‌ and ‌M2‌ Ultra still delivering substantial CPU and GPU power, high memory bandwidth, and dedicated media engines that easily handle demanding tasks like video editing, music production, 3D rendering, and software development. While they lack newer features like Thunderbolt 5, hardware-accelerated ray tracing, or the enhanced Neural Engine performance found in the 2025 models, those are largely beneficial only to users with very specific, future-facing workloads. For most professionals and power users, especially those upgrading from Intel Macs or base M1 systems, the 2022 and 2023 models remain an outstanding value—and often represent the best balance between performance and cost when purchased refurbished or pre-owned.
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The popular iOS game emulator Delta has received a major update that adds online multiplayer functionality for Nintendo DS games. Version 1.7 of the app now allows players to compete against each other in classic DS titles like Mario Kart DS, Bomberman, and Animal Crossing.


Nintendo officially shut down the original DS online services back in 2014, so Delta relies on alternative Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection servers maintained by the community. The way it works is very straightforward – simply select your preferred server within the emulator settings. No complex DNS or network configuration is required. A list of supported games can be found on Wikipedia.

Beyond online multiplayer, version 1.7 also introduces several other notable improvements. Nintendo 64 emulation has been enhanced, with new options to upscale resolution and use custom texture packs for improved visuals. A quick screenshot feature has also been added, alongside various bug fixes and performance optimizations.

Delta is regarded as one of the most polished game emulators available on iOS, supporting multiple Nintendo platforms including NES, SNES, N64, Game Boy, Game Boy Advance, and Nintendo DS. The app offers robust controller support, save states, cheats, game backups, and cloud syncing.

For players looking to try these new features, Delta 1.7 is currently available through AltStore PAL for users in the European Union, with a global App Store release expected soon. The emulator remains free to download.
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In iOS 18.2, Apple introduced a major change to iPhone's Mail app with a new Categories feature, which has now been rolled out to iPad and Mac with iPadOS 18.4 and macOS Sequoia 15.4. Categories automatically sorts your emails into four distinct sections: Primary, Transactions, Updates, and Promotions. However, while this organizational system aims to help manage email overload, not everyone will prefer the new layout.


Mail Categories attempts to intelligently organize your incoming emails into different sections. Important emails are shown in a "Primary" category, with orders, newsletters, social notifications, and deals organized into three other sections.

The "Transactions" section includes receipts, orders, and deliveries, and aims to make it easy to find orders that you've placed and shipping information for those orders. Meanwhile, the "Updates" section includes newsletters, alerts for things like doctor's appointments and correspondence, and other subscription emails. Lastly, Apple's "Promotions" category includes special offers and deal emails.

Note that even if an email would normally fall into Transactions, Updates, or Promotions, it will also appear in your Primary inbox if it contains time-critical information. On devices that support Apple Intelligence, the system goes a step further by highlighting priority emails that require action or have deadlines.

Mail Categories: Why You Might Want to Revert

The new Categories view, while helpful for some, might not suit your email management style. Perhaps you prefer seeing all emails in chronological order, or have your own organization system. Or maybe you just want fast access to all your emails without switching between categories. On iPhone and iPad, you can swipe left across the categories to switch to an "All Mail" view (the same option can be found on Mac to the right of the category buttons) but what if you want to remove the categories completely?

How to Return to List View in Apple Mail

Categories is the default view after updating to the new software. Fortunately, Apple makes it simple to switch back to the traditional list view. Here's how it's done:

1. Open the Mail app on your iPhone, iPad, or Mac.


2. On iPhone/iPad, tap the More button (three dots) in the upper right corner of your inbox. On Mac, you can find the More button at the top of the inbox view.
   
   
3. On iPhone/iPad, select List View from the pop-up menu. On Mac, click Show Mail Categories to uncheck it.

Once you switch to List View, your inbox will return to showing all emails in chronological order, just as it did before. The change takes effect immediately. While categorization is not perfect, it's likely something that Apple will improve over time. You can always switch back to Categories view using the same menu if you want to try it again later.

Note: If you're using an iPhone/iPad that supports Apple Intelligence, you'll see an additional option in the More menu for priority messages. This option won't appear on devices without Apple Intelligence support. The More menu also has an "About Categories" section where you can see how your messages have been categorized over the course of the last week, but there is no option to tell the Mail app if you believe an email has been put into the wrong category.
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Apple today announced 'Find My' network availability in South Korea. The launch brings the full range of Apple's location-based ‌Find My‌ services to South Korean customers for the first time, enabling them to keep track of devices, belongings, and loved ones.


With the ‌Find My‌ network enabled, users will be able to to locate their iPhones, iPads, Macs, and other Apple devices, as well as AirTag-connected personal items and third-party ‌Find My‌ compatible trackers, while maintaining strong privacy protections.

One of the main features of the ‌Find My‌ network is its ability to pinpoint lost devices on a map, providing users with step-by-step directions to retrieve their misplaced items. The app also allows users to trigger a sound on their lost Apple devices, making it easier to locate them when in close proximity.

‌Find My‌ also lets users stay connected with friends and family by opting to share their location with specific contacts. This can be useful when meeting up in crowded areas, particularly for owners of iPhone 15 and later models who can take advantage of the Precision Finding capability to navigate directly to their friends' exact locations.

The original "‌Find My‌ iPhone" app was launched in 2009 alongside ‌iPhone‌ OS 3. "‌Find My‌ Mac" was added to OS X 10.7 Lion in 2011, while "‌Find My‌ Friends" was released in October 2011. With the release of iOS 13 and macOS 10.15 Catalina, the functionality of ‌Find My‌ ‌iPhone‌, ‌Find My‌ Mac, and ‌Find My‌ Friends was unified into the app we know today as ‌Find My‌.
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iOS 19 will not be available on the iPhone XR, ‌iPhone‌ XS, or the ‌iPhone‌ XS Max, according a private account on social media site X that has accurately provided information on device compatibility in the past.


The ‌iPhone‌ XR, ‌iPhone‌ XS, and ‌iPhone‌ XS Max all have an A12 Bionic chip, so it looks like ‌iOS 19‌ will discontinue support for that chip. All other iPhones that run iOS 18 are expected to support ‌iOS 19‌, with a full compatibility list below.

• iPhone 16e


• iPhone 16


• ‌iPhone 16‌ Plus


• iPhone 16 Pro


• ‌iPhone 16 Pro‌ Max


• iPhone 15


• ‌iPhone 15‌ Plus


• ‌iPhone 15‌ Pro


• ‌iPhone 15‌ Pro Max


• ‌iPhone‌ 14


• ‌iPhone‌ 14 Plus


• ‌iPhone‌ 14 Pro


• ‌iPhone‌ 14 Pro Max


• ‌iPhone‌ 13


• ‌iPhone‌ 13 mini


• ‌iPhone‌ 13 Pro


• ‌iPhone‌ 13 Pro Max


• ‌iPhone‌ 12


• iPhone 12 mini


• ‌iPhone‌ 12 Pro


• iPhone 12 Pro Max


• ‌iPhone‌ 11


• ‌iPhone‌ 11 Pro


• iPhone 11 Pro Max


• ‌iPhone‌ SE (2nd generation or later)

While these iPhones will support ‌iOS 19‌, advanced features may be limited to newer iPhones with faster processors. Apple Intelligence in ‌iOS 18‌, for example, only runs on the ‌iPhone 15‌ Pro and the ‌iPhone 16‌ models.

As for iPadOS 19, it is expected to drop support for the seventh-generation low-cost iPad with A10 Fusion chip. It sounds like iPads that are equipped with the A12 Bionic such as the iPad mini 5 will be compatible with iPadOS 19.

The source that shared the information also provided details on the devices that would be compatible with ‌iOS 18‌ ahead of when ‌iOS 18‌ was unveiled.

Apple is planning to introduce ‌iOS 19‌ and iPadOS 19 at the Worldwide Developers Conference that is set to begin on Monday, June 9.
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Apple today released a new firmware update for the USB-C version of the AirPods Max headphones. The new firmware is version 7E99, up from the prior 7A291 firmware the device was previously running.


When paired with the iOS 18.4 update, the new ‌AirPods Max‌ firmware brings lossless audio and ultra-low latency audio to the USB-C version of the headphones. The USB-C ‌AirPods Max‌ support 24-bit 48 kHz lossless audio, which is designed to allow listeners to experience music the way the artist created it in the studio. Apple says lossless audio and Personalized Spatial Audio offer a “more sonically accurate, uncompressed, and immersive experience.”

With lossless audio and ultra-low latency audio support, music creators are able to use the ‌AirPods Max‌ to create and mix in Personalized Spatial Audio with head tracking, with just a USB-C cable and a Mac with Logic Pro or other music creation software.

Lossless audio and ultra-low latency is only available for the USB-C ‌AirPods Max‌. The headphones need to be running the latest firmware and need to be paired with a device running iOS 18.4, iPadOS 18.4, or macOS Sequoia 15.4.

Firmware can be installed by putting the ‌AirPods Max‌ in Bluetooth range of an iPhone, iPad, or Mac that’s connected to Wi-Fi, and then plugging them in to charge. It can take up to 30 minutes for firmware to update.

You can check your firmware version by going to Settings > Bluetooth and selecting the Info button next to the ‌AirPods Max‌ when they are connected to an ‌iPhone‌, ‌iPad‌, or Mac.
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iOS 18.4 is the fourth major update to the iOS 18 operating system that first came out last September, and it adds a long list of new features. Some features are limited to Apple's newer and more powerful iPhone models, while others are available to all ‌iOS 18‌ users.


This guide covers everything new in iOS 18.4.

Priority Notifications - Apple Intelligence

iOS 18.4 adds an Apple Intelligence Priority Notifications feature that shows you your most important notifications first. Priority Notifications is disabled by default, but it can be turned on by going to Settings > Notifications > Prioritize Notifications and tapping the toggle.


Priority Notifications can also be set up on a per-app basis, with toggles available in the same sections of the Settings app.


With the feature enabled, ‌Apple Intelligence‌ will show notifications that may be important in a dedicated section at the top of the Lock Screen's notification center.

Visual Intelligence for iPhone 15 Pro Models

Visual Intelligence is now available on the iPhone 15 Pro and ‌iPhone 15‌ Pro Max, and it's no longer an option limited to the iPhone 16 models.



Since the ‌iPhone 15‌ Pro and Pro Max do not have a Camera Control button, ‌Visual Intelligence‌ can be activated via the Control Center or with the Action Button.

Visual Intelligence Action Button

Apple added an Action Button option that activates ‌Visual Intelligence‌, and it can be used as an alternative to the Camera Control button for ‌Visual Intelligence‌ on the ‌iPhone 16‌ models.

Control Center Apple Intelligence Section

In the Control Center, there's an Apple Intelligence section. It includes the Type to Siri option that was in the now-removed ‌Siri‌ section, along with new options for activating ‌Siri‌ and using ‌Visual Intelligence‌.

Image Playground Sketch Style

Image Playground includes a Sketch style that joins the Animation and Illustration styles. Sketch was previously available for Image Wand, but now it is a third style that can be used in ‌Image Playground‌.


Swap styles by tapping on the "+" button in the ‌Image Playground‌ app. Apple also replaced the previous "Winter Holidays" theme with a new "Spring" theme.

New Apple Intelligence Languages

French, German, Italian, Portuguese (Brazil), Spanish, Japanese, Korean, and Chinese (simplified), along with localized English for Singapore and India.

New Emoji

There are new emoji characters in iOS 18.4, including bags under eyes, fingerprint, leafless tree, root vegetable, harp, shovel, and splatter.

Vision Pro App

If you have a Vision Pro headset, you'll see a Vision Pro app on your ‌iPhone‌ after installing iOS 18.4 if you have a Vision Pro headset. The Vision Pro app helps you discover and download content on the Vision Pro.


There are dedicated sections for Immersive Video, 3D movies, and more, with options to download apps directly to the Vision Pro without having to use the headset. Apple also added a dedicated My Vision Pro section with a user guide and tips for using the device.

Guest setup can now be managed on an ‌iPhone‌ or iPad linked to a Vision Pro, making it easier for Vision Pro owners to let others test their headset. There are controls for limiting what apps a guest is able to use, and an AirPlay mode for guiding the guest through Vision Pro experiences. When a guest user puts on the Vision Pro, a prompt to enable Guest Mode will appear on the headset owner's device.

Apple News+ Food

For Apple News+ subscribers, there's now an ‌Apple News‌ Food section. The Food section features tens of thousands of recipes, stories about restaurants, tips for healthy eating, kitchen essentials, and more.


Content will come from top food publishers such as Allrecipes, Bon Appétit, Food & Wine, Good Food, and Serious Eats. ‌Apple News‌ editors will curate food-related stories, and there will be a dedicated Recipe Catalog section where new recipes are added regularly. An included cook mode provides step-by-step instructions, and users can save favorite recipes for offline access.

Ambient Music

iOS 18.4 includes an Ambient Music option that can be added to Control Center. There are four different sound categories, including Sleep, Chill, Productivity, and Wellbeing.


Each category can be added to Control Center separately, and tapping one plays a random selection of sounds or music from that particular category. If you tap on the Ambient Music button that you added while in edit mode, you can select different options within each category.

• Sleep: Sleep Sounds, Bedtime Beats, Sound Bath, and Piano Sleep.


• Chill: Piano Chill, Ambient Chill, Lo-Fi Jazz, and Pure Chill.


• Productivity: BEATstrumentals, Binaural Frequencies, Pure Focus, and Classical Concentration.


• Wellbeing: Pure Meditation, Spa, Beats & Breath, and Pure Calm.

If you play Ambient Music and then tap into the Dynamic Island at the top or access the Now Playing widget, you can skip songs and see the name of what's currently playing.

Privacy Indication Dots

The small dots that show up on the ‌iPhone‌'s menu bar when the camera or microphone is in use have been moved to the left and are now more apparent thanks to a black background.

Siri Voices

There are two new Australian voices for ‌Siri‌.

Genmoji

The Genmoji icon for the Emoji keyboard now says "‌Genmoji‌" instead of just featuring a multi-colored smiley face. The change should make it more obvious where users go to create a ‌Genmoji‌ character.

Photos

In the Photos app, there are new options to filter your library by images that were shared with you by others or by those that are not included in an album, which is useful for separating out content that you've organized into albums.


Apple also added an option to view your album list by key photo.

The Recently Deleted section of the ‌Photos‌ app now has one-tap options to delete all photos and to recover all photos.


In the ‌Photos‌ Settings, there is a Show Recently Viewed & Shared toggle that will show or hide the Recently Viewed and Recently Shared albums from the Utilities list.

Type to Siri

When you use Type to ‌Siri‌ to ask ‌Siri‌ a question, the keyboard is now collapsed down when ‌Siri‌ answers. To type another request, you need to tap on the ‌Siri‌ bar to bring it back up. There is also a toggle to activate Type to ‌Siri‌ with the side button, which would normally cause ‌Siri‌ to listen for a voice command.

Back Tap

If you have the Back Tap Accessibility option turned on, there is now a notification when a double tap or triple tap action is performed.

App Store Review Summaries

Apple now provides summaries of an app's customer reviews to get a quicker overview of what people think of it.

Pause App Store Downloads

When you download an app from the App Store, you can pause the download right from the update list in the ‌App Store‌ rather than having to do it from the Home Screen icon for the app. Before now, you could only stop and restart an installation entirely from the ‌App Store‌, with no option for stopping it entirely.


Pausing and resuming works for both new downloads and app updates.

Apple Maps

In the Apple Maps Settings, there is a new option to set a Preferred Language.

Passwords

In the Passwords app, verification codes for two-factor authentication have a countdown circle so you can tell when a new code is going to be generated.

Podcasts Widget

There are Library and Shows widgets that can be added to the ‌Home Screen‌ on an ‌iPhone‌ or ‌iPad‌. The Library widget features saved content, while the Shows option displays shows that you are subscribed to.


In the Podcasts app, if you tap on your profile picture, there are new options for Podcasts Settings and Notification Settings.

Mac Setup

There is a new feature that allows a nearby ‌iPhone‌ or ‌iPad‌ to be used to sign into a Mac with an Apple Account for setting up a new Mac. macOS Sequoia 15.4 is also required.

Control Center Toggles

The Cellular toggle and the Wi-Fi toggle in the Control Center now show your cellular or Wi-Fi signal strength represented in bars.


The Brightness and Sound toggles in Control Center have been tweaked slightly and will now change color when the sliders are lowered below the position of the icons.


The Focus option in Control Center now has two small arrows that serve as a visual indicator that there are more options that can be accessed.

Shortcuts Actions

There are multiple new actions for Apple apps in the Shortcuts app, most of which are for changing app settings.


In Maps, for example, there are actions for things like avoid busy roads, avoid tolls, volume level, directions on radio, and more. In Safari, you can use AutoFill information, toggle on pop-up blocking, close tabs, change search engine, and change the tab bar configuration, among other options.

There are Settings actions for Maps, Safari, Reminders, Calendar, Apple TV, Books, Notes, Voice Memos, and Weather.

Apple also added a new Shortcuts action to open a specific conversation in the Messages app.

Safari

When you long press on an ‌App Store‌ link in Safari, there is an updated design for ‌App Store‌ link previews.



When you open up a new Safari tab and then tap the address bar, Safari shows a list of your recent searches. There is an option to disable recent searches by opening the Settings app, going to Safari, and toggling off Show Recent Searches.

CarPlay

Some CarPlay users will have access to a third row of ‌CarPlay‌ icons on the ‌Home Screen‌ rather than just two rows.

Default Apps

There is an option to set a different Translation app as the default in the Default Apps section of the Settings app. In the EU, there is also an option to choose a different Navigation app.

Notification Center

The animation when swiping out of the Notification Center is now smoother.

Camera Control

Additional camera apps that can be selected for the Camera Control feature on ‌iPhone 16‌ models are now listed in a Camera App section rather than directly in the main Camera Control menu.

Safari Connection Security

In Safari, you can tap into the details on a website to see the certificate through a new Connection Security Details interface to ensure the site is secure.

Robot Vacuum HomeKit Support

In iOS 18.4, HomeKit supports robot vacuums. Adding a vacuum to the Home app requires a vacuum with Matter support, and that requires robot vacuum manufacturers to implement Matter. Not all Matter-enabled robot vacuums will be able to be added to ‌HomeKit‌ right away.

Wallet

In the Wallet app, there is an updated menu that includes Orders, Settings, and Subscriptions and Payments. It can be accessed by tapping on the three dots in the upper right corner, which used to be just for package tracking.

Find My

Find My support has been added in South Korea.

Mail Categorization for iPadOS 18.4

With iPadOS 18.4, an updated Mail app is available with categorization. The new Mail app organizes incoming emails into different sections. Important emails are displayed in the Primary category, with other emails organized into sections highlighting product orders, newsletters, deals, and social notifications.

Mail categorization was previously introduced for the ‌iPhone‌ in iOS 18.2.
This article, "iOS 18.4 Features: Everything New in iOS 18.4" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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With the launch of iOS 18.4, iPadOS 18.4, and macOS Sequoia 15.4, Apple rolled out a new Apple News+ Food feature that is available for all ‌Apple News‌+ subscribers.


‌Apple News‌+ Food offers tens of thousands of recipes, that users can browse through. There are built-in filter and search tools for finding specific recipes, and new content is added daily. Favorite recipes can be saved for access later, and Apple has designed a special format for recipes.

Recipes are displayed with a list of ingredients that can be checked off while cooking, and users can tap any ingredient to see the amount needed for the current step. Timers can be set by tapping on a highlighted duration in the recipe, and there is a "cook" mode that provides step-by-step cooking instructions in a full-screen view.

Along with an extensive recipe catalog, ‌Apple News‌+ Food includes stories about local restaurants, information on kitchen essentials, tips on healthy eating, and more. Content is sourced from major food publishers like Allrecipes, Bon Appétit, Food & Wine, Good Food, and Serious Eats.

While ‌Apple News‌+ Food is a feature that is designed for ‌Apple News‌+ subscribers, Apple does make select stories and recipes available for non-subscribers as well.

‌Apple News‌+ is priced at $12.99 per month, and it is also included in the Apple One Premier plan for $37.95 per month. Along with the new ‌Apple News‌+ Food feature, ‌Apple News‌+ includes access to over 400 magazines, and news from newspapers like The Wall Street Journal and the Los Angeles Times.
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The iOS 18.4, iPadOS 18.4, and macOS Sequoia 15.4 updates that Apple released today include a long list of fixes for security vulnerabilities, though none of the issues addressed were known to have been actively exploited.


iOS 18.4 and iPadOS 18.4 fix 60 vulnerabilities, including an issue that could allow sensitive keychain data to be accessible from an iOS backup, a problem where password autofill filled a password even after a failed authentication, and a bug that could allow hidden photos to be viewed without authentication.

Apple has a full list of iOS 18.4 and iPadOS 18.4 fixes in its security support document. There's a separate security support document for macOS Sequoia 15.4, and the ‌macOS Sequoia‌ 15.4 update addresses over 120 vulnerabilities with everything from AirDrop and the App Store to the Dock and Kernel.

Because iOS 18.4, iPadOS 18.4, and ‌macOS Sequoia‌ 15.4 fix so many vulnerabilities, it is a good idea to update as soon as possible even if there were no known instances of these security holes being used in the wild.
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The account @StellaFudge today shared photos of an alleged Apple Watch Series 10 prototype with a unique health sensor design.


The health sensor on the prototype has a smaller array of LEDs compared to actual Apple Watch Series 10 models that launched last year. There is also an extra ring of lights around the sensor's perimeter, but it is unclear what it is for.

The prototype was running an internal build of watchOS 11.1 that was never released to the public, according to @StellaFudge.


The health sensor on the back of the Apple Watch is used to measure the wearer's heart rate, as well as blood oxygen on models sold outside of the United States only due to a patent dispute. It is unclear why the sensor looks different on this prototype, but the changes likely related to Apple testing future health features for the Apple Watch.

For example, Apple has reportedly been testing a feature that could alert you to signs of high blood pressure. This feature was first rumored a few years before the Apple Watch Series 10 launched, but Apple continues to face development challenges. It is unclear if the feature will be ready in time for the Apple Watch Series 11.
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Apple today released new firmware updates for all AirPods 4 and AirPods Pro 2 models. The new firmware is version 7E93, up from the 7B21 firmware that was installed on the ‌AirPods Pro‌ 2 and the 7B20 firmware available on the ‌AirPods 4‌ and ‌AirPods 4‌ with ANC.


It is not immediately clear what new features or changes are included in the new firmware, but we'll update this article should we find out. Apple has been beta testing the updated firmware since late January.

Firmware updates can be installed by putting the AirPods in Bluetooth range of an iPhone, iPad, or Mac that's connected to Wi-Fi, and then plugging them in to charge. It can take up to 30 minutes for firmware to update.

You can check your firmware version by going to Settings > Bluetooth and selecting the Info button next to the ‌AirPods Pro‌ when they are connected to an ‌iPhone‌, ‌iPad‌, or Mac.
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Apple this week began testing iOS 18.6, according to our website's visitor logs, which have been a reliable indicator of upcoming iOS versions. The update is currently limited to Apple's software engineers, with no developer or public beta available yet.


The first iOS 18.6 beta will likely be made available in May or June, and the update should be released to the general public before the end of July.

It is still too early to know what new features and changes will be introduced in iOS 18.6, if any. iOS 17.6 and iOS 16.6 had only bug fixes and security patches, but earlier updates like iOS 13.6, iOS 14.6, and iOS 15.6 included some new features.

Apple recently delayed personalized Siri features until some point "in the coming year," but the current consensus is that those upgrades will not launch until the iOS 19 cycle.

The chart below recaps "point-six" updates over the past five years.

iOS Version	First Developer Beta	Public Release	Inclusions
iOS 13.6	June 1, 2020	July 15, 2020	- Digital car keys in Wallet app - Apple News+ audio stories - Symptoms category in Health app - Bug fixes and small enhancements
iOS 14.6	April 22, 2021	May 24, 2021	- Apple Podcasts subscriptions - Family Sharing for Apple Card - AirTag and Find My enhancements - Bug fixes
iOS 15.6	May 18, 2022	July 20, 2022	- Restart live sports in TV app - Bug fixes
iOS 16.6	May 19, 2023	July 24, 2023	- Bug fixes and security patches
iOS 17.6	June 17, 2024	July 29, 2024	- Bug fixes and security patches

Apple has also been testing iOS 18.5 for a few months now. The first iOS 18.5 beta will likely be released either this week or next week.

iOS 18.4 was released earlier today, following more than a month of beta testing.
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Apple today released macOS Sequoia 15.4, the fourth major update to the ‌macOS Sequoia‌ operating system that launched in September. ‌macOS Sequoia‌ 15.4 comes two months after the launch of macOS Sequoia 15.3.


Mac users can download the ‌‌‌macOS Sequoia‌‌‌ update through the Software Update section of System Settings. It is available for free on all Macs able to run macOS 15.

With macOS 15.4, Apple is bringing Mail Categorization to the Mac. The Mail app features dedicated categories like transactions, updates, and promotions, with important emails organized into a primary section.

Apple News+ subscribers now have access to an ‌Apple News‌ Food section with recipes, food articles, and more. There's a new Sketch style for Image Playground, Memory Movie support in the Photos app for custom slideshows, and new emoji characters.

More information on what's new in ‌macOS Sequoia‌ can be found in our macOS Sequoia roundup.
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Apple today released iOS 18.4 and iPadOS 18.4, the fourth major updates to the iOS 18 and iPadOS 18 operating system updates that came out last year. iOS 18.4 and iPadOS 18.4 come two months after Apple released iOS 18.3 and iPadOS 18.3.


The new software can be downloaded on eligible iPhones and iPads over-the-air by going to Settings > General > Software Update. Apple has also released iOS and iPadOS 16.7.11 and iOS and iPadOS 15.8.4 for devices that aren't able to run ‌iOS 18‌.

iOS 18.4 adds Priority notifications for Apple Intelligence-capable devices, showing you your most notification first. There's a dedicated Apple Vision Pro app for Vision Pro owners, and a new Apple News Food feature for ‌Apple News‌+ subscribers.

Apple Intelligence (All iPhone 16 models, iPhone 15 Pro, iPhone 15 Pro Max)
- Priority notifications appear at the top of your notifications, highlighting important notifications that may require your immediate attention
- Sketch is now available as an additional style option in Image Playground, allowing you to create gorgeous sketch drawings
- Apple Intelligence features support 8 additional languages and 2 additional English locales, including English (India, Singapore), French (France, Canada), German (Germany), Italian (Italy), Japanese (Japan), Korean (South Korea), Portuguese (Brazil), Simplified Chinese, and Spanish (Spain, Latin America, US)

Apple Vision Pro App
- The new Apple Vision Pro app, automatically installed for users with Apple Vision Pro, helps you discover new content, spatial experiences, and quickly access information about your device

Apple News+
- Recipes from some of the world's best recipe publishers are now available on Apple News+
- Recipe Catalog allows you to browse or search to find the perfect dish and save it to your Saved Recipes
- Cooking mode lets you easily follow step-by-step directions
- The Food section also includes stories about restaurants, kitchen tips, healthy eating, and more

Photos
- New filters to show or hide items that are not contained in an album, or synced from a Mac or PC, in the Library view in Photos
- Reorder items in the Media Types and Utilities collections in Photos
- Consistent filtering options in all collections, including the ability to sort by oldest or newest first in Photos
- Option to sort albums by Date Modified in Photos
- Ability to disable "Recently Viewed" and "Recently Shared" collections in Photos Settings
- Hidden photos are no longer included for import to Mac or a PC if Use Face ID is enabled in Photos settings

This update also includes the following enhancements and bug fixes:
- Safari recent search suggestions help you quickly get back to previous search topics when starting a new query
- Setup Assistant streamlines steps parents need to take to create a Child Account for a kid in their family, and enables child-appropriate default settings if parents prefer to complete setting up a Child Account later
- Screen Time App Limits persist even after a child uninstalls and reinstalls an app
- App Store includes summaries for user reviews so you can get helpful insights from other users at a glance
- Pause and resume of an app download or update on App Store without losing progress
- New widgets for Podcasts including a Followed Shows widget to track your favorite shows and a Library widget to get to your most used sections, such as Latest Episodes, Saved, and Downloaded
- Ambient Music offers the ability to instantly play music from Control Center, giving access to a set of hand-curated playlists that offer soundtracks for daily life
- Apple Fitness+ Collections can now be added to Library
- Matter-compatible robot vacuum cleaners can be controlled in the Home app as well as be added to scenes and automations
- Support for 10 new system languages including Bangla, Gujarati, Kannada, Malayalam, Marathi, Odia, Punjabi, Tamil, Telugu, and Urdu

Some features may not be available for all regions or on all Apple devices. For information on the security content of Apple software updates, please visit:
https://support.apple.com/100100

Apple will soon begin work on iOS 19, with the update set to be introduced at WWDC in June. Before that time, we may also get an iOS 18.5 update with additional features and performance improvements.
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Apple today released visionOS 2.4, the fourth update to the visionOS 2 operating system that came out in September. visionOS 2.4 comes two months after the launch of visionOS 2.3.


visionOS 2.4 can be downloaded on all Vision Pro headsets by navigating to the Settings app, selecting the General section, and choosing the Software Update option.

The visionOS 2.4 update brings Apple Intelligence to the Vision Pro for the first time, putting it on par with the iPhone, iPad, and Mac. The Vision Pro has an M2 Apple silicon chip inside, and is capable of running the full suite of ‌Apple Intelligence‌ features.

‌Apple Intelligence‌ features available on the Vision Pro include Writing Tools for generating, proofreading, and summarizing text, Genmoji for creating custom emoji characters, a dedicated Image Playground app for generating images, Memory Movie for creating custom slideshows, smart reply for generating quick responses to texts and emails, Priority Notifications and Notification Summaries, ChatGPT Siri integration and new ‌Siri‌ features, and more.


Along with ‌Apple Intelligence‌, Apple added a Spatial Gallery app for the Vision Pro. The Spatial Gallery app offers a curated assortment of spatial videos, spatial photos, and panorama images from artists, filmmakers, and photographers. Apple plans to offer a range of content featuring sports, culture, arts, lifestyle, nature, travel, entertainment, and more.

Content at launch includes images and experiences from Cirque du Soleil, Red Bull, Porsche, Samba Diop, and Jonpaul Douglass, along with behind the scenes content from Apple TV+ shows like Severance. Apple's release notes for the update are below.

Apple Intelligence
- Use Writing Tools to rewrite, proofread, and summarize text right in the app you’re working in, and compose text from scratch using ChatGPT
- Quickly respond to messages with Smart Reply in Mail and Messages with suggested responses
- Create unique images in multiple styles using concepts, descriptions, and people from your photo library with Image Playground
- Create custom emoji right from the keyboard and use your Genmoji across the system in your sticker drawer
- Use Image Wand to turn sketches into images in Notes
- Find photos and videos simply by describing what you’re looking for in Photos
- Create a Memory Movie by describing the story you want to see in Photos
- Use priority messages in Mail which understand the content of your messages and prioritize those that require your attention, displaying them at the top of your inbox
- Catch up on your notifications with Priority Notification to make it easy to see a glanceable summary of the most important information

Guest User
- Start a Guest User session with your nearby iPhone or iPad and guide the guest using View Mirroring

Spatial Gallery app
- Discover a curated collection of spatial photos, spatial videos and panoramas, updated regularly

Apple Vision Pro app
- Discover new content, spatial experiences, and quickly access information about your device using Apple Vision Pro app for iPhone when you upgrade to iOS 18.4

This release also includes other features and improvements.
- Use dictation to edit text like replacing or deleting a word
- Activate Travel Mode using the Digital Crown when you see a “tracking fail” notification.

Some features may not be available for all regions. For more information, please visit this website:
https://www.apple.com/visionos/visionos-2

In iOS 18.4, there is a new Vision Pro app that works in conjunction with visionOS 2.4. With the Vision Pro app, Vision Pro owners can download apps to the Vision Pro, find content to watch and add it to a watch list, and get device info like serial number. There is a dedicated discover page that offers curated recommendations for new and noteworthy experiences, including popular apps and games.

An ‌iPhone‌ can also be used to set up and manage Guest Mode on the Vision Pro, and guests can now save their eye and hand setups for up to 30 days after their last use, making multi-person use more feasible. With an ‌iPhone‌, Vision Pro owners can block or allow certain apps and guide a user through the Vision Pro interface using AirPlay.
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Apple today released tvOS 18.4, the latest version of the tvOS 18 operating system that came out last September. tvOS 18.4 comes two months after Apple released tvOS 18.3, and it is available for the Apple TV 4K and the ‌Apple TV‌ HD models.


tvOS 18.4 can be downloaded using the Settings app on the ‌‌Apple TV‌‌. Open up Settings and go to System > Software Update to get the new software. ‌‌Apple TV‌‌ owners who have automatic software updates activated will be upgraded to tvOS 18.4 automatically.

Apple shares full release notes for tvOS in its tvOS support document, which is updated after each new version of tvOS comes out.

Apple has also released a new version of the HomePod Software 18.4 for the ‌HomePod‌ and HomePod mini. ‌HomePod‌ software is based on tvOS.
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Amazon has a few new discounts on Apple's 11th generation iPad this week, including $50 off the 512GB Wi-Fi model of the tablet. Prices start at $327.00 for the 128GB Wi-Fi iPad, down from $349.00.

Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with Amazon. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment, which helps us keep the site running.

This sale is available in Blue, while all of the other colors are just a few dollars higher. Although this is just a $22 discount, it remains the lowest price we've ever tracked for the new iPad, and right now only Amazon has these record low prices.





You can also get the 256GB Wi-Fi iPad for $419.80, down from $449.00, and the 512GB Wi-Fi iPad for $599.00, down from $649.00.

The 11th generation iPad is mainly a spec bump for the tablet line, now featuring the A16 chip and more storage, with the same design as the 10th generation iPad. The new ‌iPad‌ starts with 128GB of storage, and is also available in 256GB and a new 512GB configuration. The previous model was only available in 64GB and 256GB configurations.

If you're on the hunt for more discounts, be sure to visit our Apple Deals roundup where we recap the best Apple-related bargains of the past week.

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It has been rumored that a new Apple TV will launch later this year, and it might support the faster Wi-Fi 7 standard.


All four iPhone 17 models coming later this year will be equipped with an Apple-designed Wi-Fi 7 chip, according to Apple supply chain analysts Ming-Chi Kuo and Jeff Pu. A new Apple TV is also expected to be released this year, and it will also have an Apple-designed Wi-Fi chip, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman.

This means the next Apple TV should support Wi-Fi 7, unless Apple chooses to artificially limit the device's specifications.

The current Apple TV 4K model from 2022 supports Wi-Fi 6, and the higher-end model also has an Ethernet port for wired internet.

It is worth noting that Gurman said the Wi-Fi chip that he reported on would support Wi-Fi 6E at a minimum, but it seems unlikely that Apple is developing separate Wi-Fi 6E and Wi-Fi 7 chips, especially considering that all iPhone 17 models already support Wi-Fi 7 with some limitations. All in all, Wi-Fi 7 seems more likely.

Wi-Fi 7 allows for data transmission over the 2.4GHz, 5GHz, and 6GHz bands simultaneously, with a compatible router, resulting in faster Wi-Fi speeds, lower latency, and more reliable connectivity. Wi-Fi 7 can provide peak speeds of over 40 Gbps, a 4× increase over Wi-Fi 6E, provided a device supports the maximum specifications.

The new Apple TV is expected to launch towards the end of the year.
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The iPad Air is now available in two size options, just like the iPad Pro. Yet after a significant update to the ‌iPad Pro‌ that introduced a thinner design and OLED displays and a minor ‌iPad Air‌ refresh that added the M3 chip, how different are the two product lines and which should you buy?


Apple recently refreshed the ‌iPad Air‌ with the M3 chip—a minor update over the previous model from 2024 which added the M2 chip and Apple Pencil hover. The latest ‌iPad Pro‌ models introduced a large number of significant new changes, such as the M4 chip, OLED displays, and a higher price point, and it means that the high-end iPad models are now further differentiated from the ‌iPad Air‌ than before.

Should you consider purchasing the ‌iPad Air‌ to save money, or do you need the high-end features of the ‌iPad Pro‌? Our guide answers the question of how to decide which of these two iPads is best for you.

‌iPad Air‌ (M3, 2025)	‌iPad Pro‌ (M4, 2024)
Liquid Retina display (LED backlit display with IPS technology)	Ultra Retina XDR display (Tandem OLED)
	ProMotion technology for refresh rates up to 120Hz
11-inch model SDR brightness: 500 nits max 13-inch model SDR brightness: 600 nits max	SDR brightness: 1,000 nits max XDR brightness: 1,000 nits max full screen, 1,600 nits peak (HDR content only)
	Nano-texture display glass option on 1TB and 2TB models
‌M3‌ chip (3nm, N3B)	M4 chip (‌3nm‌ enhanced, N3E)
8-core CPU	Up to 10-core CPU
9-core GPU	10-core GPU
100GB/s memory bandwidth	120GB/s memory bandwidth
8GB of memory	8GB or 16GB of memory
	Improved thermal design with graphite sheets and copper
Touch ID in top button	TrueDepth camera system for Face ID
	Portrait mode with advanced bokeh and Depth Control
	Portrait Lighting with six effects (Natural, Studio, Contour, Stage, Stage Mono, High-Key Mono)
	Animoji and Memoji
	LiDAR scanner
	Adaptive True Tone flash
	Rear ambient light sensor
	ProRes video recording up to 4K at 30 fps (1080p at 30 fps for 256GB capacity)
	ProRes video recording up to 4K at 60 fps with external recording
Two microphones	Four studio-quality microphones
	Audio zoom
	Stereo recording
Landscape stereo speakers	Four speaker audio
Weight: 462 grams or 617 grams	Weight 444 grams or 579 grams
Depth: 6.1 mm	Depth: 5.3 mm or 5.1 mm
USB‑C connector	USB‑C connector with support for Thunderbolt/USB 4
Supports Magic Keyboard for ‌iPad Air‌	Supports Magic Keyboard for ‌iPad Pro‌ (M4)
128GB, 256GB, 512GB, or 1TB storage	256GB, 512GB, 1TB, or 2TB storage
Available in Space Gray, Starlight, Purple, and Blue	Available in Space Black and Silver
Price starting at $599	Price starting at $999

Overall, the ‌iPad Air‌ is the better option for the majority of users, simply on the basis of value for money. For most people, the additional $400+ needed to buy the ‌iPad Pro‌ is not justified to get the likes of ‌Face ID‌, four-speaker audio, and a ProMotion OLED display with refresh rates up to 120Hz.

Some ‌iPad Pro‌ features, such as LiDAR, up to 16GB of memory, and Thunderbolt connectivity are only practically useful to a small niche of users and most will never use some of these high-end capabilities. Many features such as Audio zoom and stereo audio recording may not be meaningfully utilized by many users.

Professionals who have a clear use case for needing larger amounts of RAM and storage, a matte display, Thunderbolt connectivity, and OLED for HDR content will clearly benefit from buying the ‌iPad Pro‌. That being said, "prosumer"-style customers who simply want the best ‌iPad‌ will enjoy features such as 120Hz ProMotion for smoother scrolling and gaming, deeper blacks and more vivid colors with the OLED display, and the Adaptive True Tone flash for document scanning, even if they are not necessary.

Beyond these individual circumstances, the ‌iPad Air‌ is the best value for money and will be more than ample for most users' needs. With the ‌iPad Air‌, users can get a modern all-screen design, the M3 chip, practical features like USB-C and 5G connectivity, and compatibility with the core Apple accessories for a price well below that of the ‌iPad Pro‌.
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Apple and SpaceX subsidiary Starlink have been rolling out competing satellite features that allow smartphone users to send text messages while they are outside of cellular and Wi-Fi coverage. The Wall Street Journal on Sunday detailed the relationship between the two companies, and the report also revealed some other notable details.


First, the report said that SpaceX has attempted to delay Apple's satellite expansion efforts.

Last year, Apple committed $1.5 billion to its satellite partner Globalstar, to fund the expansion of infrastructure for the iPhone's built-in satellite features. Earlier this month, SpaceX urged the FCC to dismiss Globalstar's application for this expansion, calling it "premature." SpaceX said Globalstar's satellites would make exclusive use of the 1.6GHz and 2.4GHz bands, before the FCC decides on rules that could permit other satellite operators to use those bands. SpaceX wants shared access to the bands, but Globalstar believes this could result in interference, and potentially degrade the iPhone's built-in satellite features.

Despite this conflict, Globalstar is paying SpaceX to launch its additional satellites.

Second, the report said that Apple and SpaceX had "tense" discussions about seamlessly integrating Starlink's satellite texting feature on newer iPhone models, although the two companies eventually reached an agreement.

In a support document, Apple says iPhones display "SAT" in the status bar when using a carrier-provided satellite feature, such as Starlink via T-Mobile.

Starlink via T-Mobile is currently available in beta for free, and it is set to launch as a paid service in July for both iPhone and Android users.

Finally, the report said that Apple held talks over the years with additional satellite companies, including Boeing, EchoStar, and even SpaceX. However, as of today, the iPhone's built-in satellite features remain exclusively powered by Globalstar.

In a statement responding to the report, Apple said its satellite features are "designed to complement carrier offerings, giving users even more ways to stay connected." Most importantly, Apple said the features have "already helped save lives."

Apple's built-in satellite feature was initially limited to communication with emergency services, but iOS 18 added the ability to send and receive iMessages and SMS messages to anyone via satellite. iPhone users can also update their location in the Find My app via satellite, and arrange roadside assistance via satellite. All of these features are available in the U.S., but availability varies in other countries. The features are free to use for now. Both the Apple-provided and carrier-provided satellite features are supported on all iPhone 14, iPhone 15, and iPhone 16 models, with an up-to-date iOS version.
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Apple has been fined €150 million ($162 million) by France's Competition Authority over the implementation of its App Tracking Transparency (ATT) framework (via Bloomberg).


The French regulator concluded that the way Apple deployed its ATT feature constitutes an abuse of market dominance, finding that the system unnecessarily complicated the process for users to opt out of tracking and unfairly disadvantaged third-party developers and advertising providers. Introduced in 2021 with iOS 14.5, the ATT framework requires apps to request user consent via a pop-up before tracking activity across other apps and websites. If users decline, the app is denied access to the Identifier for Advertisers (IDFA), which is typically used for delivering personalized ads.

The regulator emphasized that while the ATT framework itself is not inherently anticompetitive, its implementation by Apple resulted in a lack of neutrality. In its published decision, the authority said that the system was "neither necessary nor proportionate to the company's stated goal to protect user data" and added that the method Apple used to prompt consent introduced unnecessary friction for third-party developers. Apple's own advertising services are integrated directly into iOS and were not subject to the same user journey, raising concerns that Apple had leveraged its platform control to favor its own interests.

The decision also cited the economic consequences for app publishers and advertising providers. Since many developers of free, ad-supported apps depend on targeted advertising for revenue, the enforcement of ATT in its current form was determined to have caused financial harm, particularly to smaller publishers with limited access to first-party data.

The investigation was launched in 2021 following a complaint lodged by a coalition of French advertising trade associations, including Alliance Digitale and the Internet Advertising Syndicate. Though the Competition Authority initially declined to impose emergency interim measures that year, it proceeded with a full probe into ATT's competitive effects. The final ruling compels Apple to pay the €150 million fine and to publicly publish the decision on its website for a duration of seven days.

In a statement, Apple defended its actions and reiterated its commitment to user privacy:

App Tracking Transparency gives users more control of their privacy through a required, clear, and easy-to-understand prompt about one thing: tracking. That prompt is consistent for all developers, including Apple, and we have received strong support for this feature from consumers, privacy advocates, and data protection authorities around the world.

Apple also noted that the French authority has not mandated any specific changes to the ATT system, instead placing the onus on the company to ensure its compliance with competition law. Apple expressed disappointment with the decision but did not indicate whether it would appeal the fine.

The ruling adds to a growing list of investigations into Apple's ATT framework across Europe. Authorities in Germany, Italy, Romania, and Poland have opened similar probes to examine whether the privacy feature violates competition rules by impeding access to essential data for advertising while reinforcing Apple's own position in the digital ad market.
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Apple's attempts to develop a non-invasive glucose monitoring feature for Apple Watch remains "many years away" from debuting, despite over 15 years of work to make the capability a reality in a consumer device, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman.


The idea of a non-invasive glucose monitor originated in Apple's Steve Jobs era, with the aim to include an Apple Watch sensor that can inform users if they are pre-diabetic so that they can take proactive steps and potentially reverse the condition. Prediabetes is a warning sign that blood sugar levels are higher than normal, but not yet high enough to be diagnosed as diabetes. An early diagnosis allows for early intervention through lifestyle changes to prevent or delay the progression to full-blown type 2 diabetes.

Bloomberg previously reported that Apple has tested a health-focused app aimed at diabetes prevention. Last October, Gurman said that the app could help inform some of Apple's future products related to blood sugar management, but that it wouldn't necessarily become a consumer-facing product.

Most blood sugar tests that people currently use require a skin prick, but Apple has been trying to develop a method that uses optical absorption spectroscopy and lasers to determine the concentration of glucose in the body without puncturing the skin. Apple has reportedly been developing a silicon photonics chip that uses optical absorption spectroscopy to shine light from a laser under the skin to determine the concentration of glucose in the body.

In 2023, Apple's blood glucose monitoring development reportedly reached a proof-of-concept stage culminating in a functional prototype device, but it was still way too large to incorporate into a device the size of the Apple Watch. Apple is said to have hundreds of engineers in its Exploratory Design Group (XDG) working on the project.

Over the weekend, Gurman also said that Apple is considering offering a new AI-powered health coaching feature that offers personalized health recommendations and lifestyle improvements via a "coaching feature." The feature could eventually be part of a future Apple Health+ service, according to the report.
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Amazon's Big Spring Sale is winding down, and is set to end later today. There are still plenty of notable discounts available before the sale ends, including low prices on AirPods 4, AirPods Pro 2, AirTag, iPad Air, and more.

Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with some of these vendors. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment, which helps us keep the site running.

In this article we've collected a list of the best Apple and Apple-related products still available in the Big Spring Sale. Besides Apple products, it also includes popular accessories from brands like Anker, Jackery, and Satechi.

AirPods

M3 iPad Air

11-inch M3 iPad Air

• 128GB Wi-Fi - $549.00, down from $599.00


• 256GB Wi-Fi - $649.00, down from $699.00


• 512GB Wi-Fi - $849.00, down from $899.00


• 1TB Wi-Fi - $1,049.00, down from $1,099.00

13-inch M3 iPad Air

• 128GB Wi-Fi - $738.08, down from $799.00


• 256GB Wi-Fi - $849.00, down from $899.00


• 512GB Wi-Fi - $1,049.00, down from $1,099.00


• 1TB Wi-Fi - $1,229.00, down from $1,299.00

Apple Pencil Pro

AirTag

Satechi

Jackery

• Explorer 100 Plus - $169.00, down from $229.00


• Explorer 500 - $479.00, down from $799.00


• Explorer 3000 Pro - $1,799.00, down from $2,799.00


• Explorer 2000 Plus - $2,999.00, down from $4,999.00

Anker

• 10,000 mAh Power Bank with USB-C Cable - $12.94, down from $25.99


• MagGo Ultra Slim 10,000 mAh Power Bank - $62.99, down from $74.99


• MagGo Qi2 10,000 mAh Power Bank - $64.99, down from $89.99


• MagGO UFO 3-in-1 Travel Charger - $71.99, down from $89.99


• MagGo 3-in-1 Charging Station - $82.49, down from $109.99


• 25,000 mAh Power Bank - $87.99, down from $109.99


• SOLIX Portable Power Station - $99.99, down from $169.99

Beats

• Beats Solo Buds - $59.95, down from $79.99


• Beats Studio Buds - $99.95, down from $149.95


• Beats Pill - $99.95, down from $149.95


• Beats Solo 4 - $129.95, down from $199.95


• Beats Fit Pro - $169.00, down from $199.95


• Beats Studio Pro - $179.95, down from $349.99

If you're on the hunt for more discounts, be sure to visit our Apple Deals roundup where we recap the best Apple-related bargains of the past week.

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This article, "Shop Low Prices on AirPods, AirTag, and More Before Amazon's Big Spring Sale Ends" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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Apple CEO Tim Cook today said Apple will be donating an undisclosed amount towards earthquake relief efforts in Myanmar and Thailand.


"Our hearts go out to all those in Myanmar and Thailand affected by the devastating earthquake," said Cook, in a social media post.

Apple typically donates to the Red Cross following major natural disasters around the world.
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Bloomberg's Mark Gurman today shared some details about future devices.


In his Power On newsletter, Gurman said that Apple is already in the early stages of developing iPad Pro models with an M6 chip and an Apple-designed 5G modem, an entry-level iPad 12 with a newer chip, and MacBook Air models with an M5 chip.

Apple is currently aiming to release the iPad Pro models with its own 5G modem in 2027, according to Gurman. This will likely be Apple's C2 modem. The current cellular iPad Pro models are equipped with Qualcomm modems.

Apple's first C1 modem debuted in the iPhone 16e last month.

A new iPad Pro generation typically launches every 18 months or so. The current models were released in May 2024, and the next models with the M5 chip will likely launch in October this year. If this trend continues, the iPad Pro models with the M6 chip and an Apple-designed 5G modem would likely be released in the first half of 2027.

Gurman did not say when the new entry-level iPad and MacBook Air models will launch, but 2026 is a safe bet.

At this point, no other major changes have been rumored for these devices.
This article, "iPad Pro With Apple's 5G Modem, iPad 12, and More Already Rumored" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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Apple plans to introduce a revamped Health app on the iPhone as early as iOS 19.4 next year, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman.


In his Power On newsletter today, Gurman said Apple plans to offer a new AI-powered health coaching feature that offers personalized health recommendations.

The information provided by the coaching feature would be accompanied by videos from health experts that inform users about various health conditions and ways to make lifestyle improvements. For example, Gurman said if the Apple Watch tracks poor heart-rate trends, a video could explain the risks of heart disease.

It is possible that the feature could eventually be part of an Apple Health+ service.

Food tracking will be another big part of the revamped Health app, which could compete with the MyFitnessPal app, according to Gurman.

Apple is also aiming for the AI-powered coaching feature to provide users with fitness-related tips, such as how to improve their technique during workouts. This feature could eventually be built into the Apple Fitness+ service.

Apple is expected to release iOS 19 to the general public in September this year, and iOS 19.4 should follow in March or April next year.
This article, "iOS 19.4 Rumored to Revamp Health App With New Coaching Feature" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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Multiple sources have claimed that iOS 19 will introduce a new design with more translucent buttons, menus, notification banners, and more, and there is now another clue that points towards this glass-like appearance.


Bloomberg's Mark Gurman today said the new design project is codenamed "Solarium" internally. A solarium is a room with glass walls that allow in plenty of sunlight, so this codename further hints at iOS 19 having a "glass-like" appearance with translucent interfaces. The new design is expected to look similar to visionOS for the Apple Vision Pro.

Jon Prosser has shared alleged renders of iOS 19's Camera and Messages apps on his YouTube channel Front Page Tech, and both apps have more translucent designs. However, there is some debate over the extent of the design changes.

Gurman previously claimed that iOS 19 could have the biggest design changes since iOS 7 introduced a much flatter appearance in 2013.

Apple's annual developers conference WWDC returns on Monday, June 9 this year. The first iOS 19 beta should be made available to developers for testing immediately following the opening keynote that day, and the software update should be released to the general public in September. Even the WWDC 2025 logo might hint at iOS 19's new design.
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Apple's next-generation iPad Pro models with the M5 chip will "launch this year," according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman.


In his Power On newsletter today, Gurman said the new iPad Pro models have progressed to an "advanced testing" stage, and he expects mass production of the devices to begin in the second half of this year. If that timeframe is met, the new iPad Pro models could launch around October, which is when the 2018 and 2022 models debuted.

Apple last released new iPad Pro models in May 2024. It was a big year for the iPad Pro, which received its first-ever OLED display, a thinner and lighter design, the M4 chip, support for the new Apple Pencil Pro, and more. This year, the iPad Pro will likely receive a much smaller update, with no major upgrades rumored beyond the M5 chip.

Similarly, Gurman expects new MacBook Pro models with M5 chips to launch later this year, but no other major changes are expected. Previous rumors have claimed that the MacBook Pro will receive a major redesign next year, with an OLED display and a thinner design, so we recommend waiting until late 2026 to buy a new MacBook Pro if possible.
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Apple is reportedly working on a new Magic Mouse. Below, we recap what to expect.


The two key rumors for the Magic Mouse 3 so far include a relocated charging port, along with a more ergonomic design.

It was briefly rumored that the Magic Mouse 3 would also feature voice control, but that was misinterpreted information.

Relocated Charging Port

While the Magic Mouse switched from Lightning to USB-C last year, the charging port is still located on the bottom of the mouse, which prevents it from being used while charging. This is only a minor inconvenience, as charging the mouse is a quick and infrequent process, but it sounds like Apple will finally relocate the port.

In December, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said Apple was working on a redesigned Magic Mouse with a relocated charging port.

More Ergonomic Design

In addition to having a relocated charging port, the next Magic Mouse will be more ergonomic and comfortable to use, according to Gurman.

While no specific design details about the next Magic Mouse were shared, perhaps Apple will take some inspiration from popular alternatives for the Mac, like Logitech's excellent MX Master 3S. That mouse features an ergonomic design with a thumb rest, a front-facing USB-C charging port, precision tracking, two scroll wheels, and more.

The overall look of the Magic Mouse has not changed much since 2009, so a redesign has been a long time coming. Notable changes over the years include the mouse switching from AA batteries to a built-in rechargeable battery in 2015, new color-matching options with the iMac in 2021, and the switch from Lightning to USB-C last year. Overall, the Magic Mouse has not received much attention from Apple over the past decade.

Release Timing and Pricing

The new Magic Mouse will be released in 2026 at the earliest, according to Gurman.

The current Magic Mouse is priced at $79 in the U.S. on a standalone basis, and it is included at no additional cost with the purchase of an iMac or a Mac Pro.

There is no word yet on how much the Magic Mouse 3 will cost.
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Woot today has introduced a pair of solid discounts on the Apple Pencil Pro and USB-C Apple Pencil in New (Open Box) condition, providing new all-time low discounts on each model.

Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with Woot. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment, which helps us keep the site running.

You can get the Apple Pencil Pro for $79.99, down from $129.00, and the USB-C Apple Pencil for $49.99, down from $79.00. Both of these beat Amazon's current discount prices by about $20, and they represent new record low prices on each model.




Both accessories come in New (Open Box) condition, meaning they are expected to be in excellent condition, but are not guaranteed to come in the traditional retail packaging from Apple. They also include at least 120 days remaining of the original Apple warranty.

You can find out which iPad is compatible with each Apple Pencil by visiting Apple's website. The Apple Pencil Pro is compatible with the 11-inch M4 iPad Pro, 13-inch M4 iPad Pro, 11-inch M2/M3 iPad Air, 13-inch M2/M3 iPad Air, and iPad mini 7.

If you're on the hunt for more discounts, be sure to visit our Apple Deals roundup where we recap the best Apple-related bargains of the past week.

Update: The Apple Pencil Pro is out of stock, but the USB-C model remains available.

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Apple's big developer event is a little over two months away, and rumors about what we can expect to see in Apple's next major operating system updates are becoming increasingly frequent.


A public release of iOS 18.4 is also imminent with a number of updates and improvements, although we won't be getting the major Apple Intelligence Siri upgrades that had reportedly been planned for this update. This week also saw updated rumors about the iPhone 17 Pro models coming later this year and the first foldable iPhone likely coming as soon as next year, so read on below for all the details!

Apple Announces WWDC 2025 Event for June 9 to 13

Apple this week announced that its 36th annual Worldwide Developers Conference will begin on Monday, June 9, and run through on Friday, June 13. As with WWDC events since 2020, WWDC 2025 will primarily be an online event that is open to all developers at no cost.


WWDC 2025 will kick off with the traditional keynote on June 9, where Apple will unveil iOS 19, iPadOS 19, macOS 16, tvOS 19, watchOS 12, and visionOS 3.

iPhone 17 Pro Launching Later This Year With These 10 New Features

While the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are not expected to launch until September, there are already plenty of rumors about the devices.


The most immediately obvious design change will be a large rectangular camera bump across the top of the device's rear, and it looks like the rear shell will be a combination of aluminum and glass. Other rumored features include camera improvements, an A19 Pro chip, a larger battery, and more.

Top 5 New Features Coming in iOS 18.4

Apple this week seeded release candidate versions of iOS 18.4 and related updates, signaling that a public release is likely to happen sometime next week.


While some of the Apple Intelligence updates we were expecting for iOS 18.4 have been delayed, there are still a number of improvements coming with the release, including Priority Notifications, expanded device support for visual intelligence, new emoji, and more.

Here's What Apple's iOS 19 Messages App Might Look Like

Leaker Jon Prosser has teased a glimpse of what the Messages app might look like in iOS 19 when it arrives later this year, and he's followed it up with a full video outlining what he says he has seen with some additional design changes for the update.


Bloomberg's Mark Gurman has warned, however, that at least some of the images "aren't representative" of what's actually coming in iOS 19, with Prosser's information perhaps based on "very old builds" or "vague descriptions."

Rumors suggest that design changes in iOS 19 may include adoption of some of the "glassy" elements found in visionOS and Apple's recent app releases such as Apple Sports and Apple Invites, an idea that has been reinforced by the official WWDC 2025 logo unveiled this week.

AirPods Max to Gain Lossless Audio and Low-Latency Audio in iOS 18.4

iOS 18.4 and a related firmware update will bring some new capabilities to Apple's AirPods Max headphones with USB-C, including support for lossless audio and ultra-low latency audio. As part of the update, wired connectivity for AirPods Max that was dropped with the launch of the USB-C models will return, and Apple is now selling a USB-C to 3.5mm audio cable to help enable that feature.


While the addition of lossless audio may not mean much to many users given Apple's previous claims about compressed AAC audio from Apple Music being "virtually indistinguishable" from lossless audio, some demanding users like musicians and sound mixers will be able to benefit from the upgrades.

Foldable iPhone Expected to Launch Next Year, Costing Around $2,000

Rumors about Apple's foldable iPhone are continuing to mount, and they're lining up behind a launch as soon as late next year with a price tag of around $2,000 if not more.


Bloomberg's Mark Gurman notes that Apple will leverage many of the advancements coming in this year's "iPhone 17 Air," including display, chip, battery, and modem updates that will all help Apple fit everything into a super-slim chassis for the foldable model.

MacRumors Newsletter

Each week, we publish an email newsletter like this highlighting the top Apple stories, making it a great way to get a bite-sized recap of the week hitting all of the major topics we've covered and tying together related stories for a big-picture view.

So if you want to have top stories like the above recap delivered to your email inbox each week, subscribe to our newsletter!
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We've been hearing rumors about a foldable iPhone for almost a decade now, but it looks like we might finally see the device come to fruition in 2026. We're going to be waiting many more months for the foldable ‌iPhone‌, but so far we're hearing good things.

1. Apple wants to make it creaseless. It's taken Apple multiple years to design a foldable ‌iPhone‌ that it's satisfied with because Apple wants to get away from the pesky crease that impacts most foldable smartphones on the market. Apple is aiming for an entirely creaseless look so you won't be distracted by a visible line going through the middle of the display.


2. It'll open like a book. Based on the myriad rumors we've heard, Apple experimented with multiple designs. There was talk last year that Apple would go with a clamshell design that opens top to bottom, like the Galaxy Z Flip. That's possibly something we'll see in the future, but now it's sounding like Apple's first foldable ‌iPhone‌ will have the book-like design we've seen in foldables like the Galaxy Z Fold. iOS isn't designed for a horizontal orientation, so this is going to require some major software updates. Apple is rumored to be working to redesign iOS 19, iPadOS 19, and macOS 16 to be more consistent cross-platform, and that kind of design would work well when you need an operating system that works seamlessly in both vertical and horizontal orientations.


3. For size, imagine the iPad mini. When it's closed, Apple's foldable ‌iPhone‌ is rumored to have a 5.5-inch outer display, which is smaller than current ‌iPhone‌ models that start at 6.1 inches. When opened, though, it will be 7.8 inches, which isn't too far off from the old 7.9-inch iPad mini. Picture the ‌iPad mini‌ in horizontal orientation, or put two 6.1-inch iPhones side by side to get an idea of how big the display might be.


4. It's going to be thick and thin. Apple is going to use some iPhone 17 Air tech for the foldable ‌iPhone‌, and it could be as thin as 4.8mm when it's opened up. That's even thinner than the 5.1-inch 12.9-inch iPad Pro, which is Apple's thinnest device to date. When closed, though, it'll be somewhere around 9mm to 9.5mm, which is chunky.


5. It might have Touch ID. This is a weird one, but Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo says Apple might use a Touch ID power button instead of Face ID. If Apple can't slim down that front-facing TrueDepth camera module enough to get the screen to an acceptable thinness, ‌Touch ID‌ could work instead.


6. It's going to cost you. Foldable smartphones are far from cheap, even from Android manufacturers. Apple's version is going to be expensive, with rumors suggesting it will be priced somewhere around $2,000 to $2,500.

These are just the current rumors, and in the years before a device actually launches, information can be all over the place due to Apple's experimentation. The details we're hearing are starting to firm up, but there could be changes before it comes out. And given Apple's track record lately, it might never be released.

Right now, it looks like we could get the first foldable ‌iPhone‌ right around late 2026, so we might be hearing more in the coming months as we get into the 2026 ‌iPhone‌ rumor cycle.
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With the second release candidate of iOS 18.4 that Apple seeded out today, the company finally provided us with release notes that give a full rundown on what to expect.


There's an Apple Vision Pro app, new Apple Intelligence features for notifications and additional language support, plus an Apple News Food feature for ‌Apple News‌+ subscribers, and several updates that should improve the functionality of the Photos app. Apple's release notes are below.

Apple Intelligence (All iPhone 16 models, iPhone 15 Pro, iPhone 15 Pro Max)
- Priority notifications appear at the top of your notifications, highlighting important notifications that may require your immediate attention
- Sketch is now available as an additional style option in Image Playground, allowing you to create gorgeous sketch drawings
- Apple Intelligence features support 8 additional languages and 2 additional English locales, including English (India, Singapore), French (France, Canada), German (Germany), Italian (Italy), Japanese (Japan), Korean (South Korea), Portuguese (Brazil), Simplified Chinese, and Spanish (Spain, Latin America, US)

Apple Vision Pro App
- The new Apple Vision Pro app, automatically installed for users with Apple Vision Pro, helps you discover new content, spatial experiences, and quickly access information about your device

Apple News+
- Recipes from some of the world's best recipe publishers are now available on Apple News+
- Recipe Catalog allows you to browse or search to find the perfect dish and save it to your Saved Recipes
- Cooking mode lets you easily follow step-by-step directions
- The Food section also includes stories about restaurants, kitchen tips, healthy eating, and more

Photos
- New filters to show or hide items that are not contained in an album, or synced from a Mac or PC, in the Library view in Photos
- Reorder items in the Media Types and Utilities collections in Photos
- Consistent filtering options in all collections, including the ability to sort by oldest or newest first in Photos
- Option to sort albums by Date Modified in Photos
- Ability to disable "Recently Viewed" and "Recently Shared" collections in Photos Settings
- Hidden photos are no longer included for import to Mac or a PC if Use Face ID is enabled in Photos settings

This update also includes the following enhancements and bug fixes:
- Safari recent search suggestions help you quickly get back to previous search topics when starting a new query
- Setup Assistant streamlines steps parents need to take to create a Child Account for a kid in their family, and enables child-appropriate default settings if parents prefer to complete setting up a Child Account later
- Screen Time App Limits persist even after a child uninstalls and reinstalls an app
- App Store includes summaries for user reviews so you can get helpful insights from other users at a glance
- Pause and resume of an app download or update on App Store without losing progress
- New widgets for Podcasts including a Followed Shows widget to track your favorite shows and a Library widget to get to your most used sections, such as Latest Episodes, Saved, and Downloaded
- Ambient Music offers the ability to instantly play music from Control Center, giving access to a set of hand-curated playlists that offer soundtracks for daily life
- Apple Fitness+ Collections can now be added to Library
- Matter-compatible robot vacuum cleaners can be controlled in the Home app as well as be added to scenes and automations
- Support for 10 new system languages including Bangla, Gujarati, Kannada, Malayalam, Marathi, Odia, Punjabi, Tamil, Telugu, and Urdu

Some features may not be available for all regions or on all Apple devices. For information on the security content of Apple software updates, please visit:
https://support.apple.com/100100

Apple's release notes don't actually include all of the new features that were found in the update during the beta testing period, including some new Control Center options and a handful of new emoji characters.

iOS 18.4 is expected in early April, which is actually next week. It's looking like Apple could release the update on Tuesday, April 1, given that we got two release candidates this week.
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Apple today seeded the second release candidate versions of upcoming iOS 18.4 and iPadOS 18.4 updates to developers for testing purposes, with the software coming a week a few days after Apple released the first RC.


iOS 18.4 and iPadOS 18.4 can be downloaded from the Settings app on a compatible device by going to General > Software Update.

With iOS 18.4, Apple is adding the Priority Notifications Apple Intelligence feature, which is designed to determine which of your notifications are the most important, highlighting them in an easy-to-see dedicated section on the Lock Screen.

The update includes a new Apple News+ Food section for ‌Apple News‌+ subscribers, plus it adds the Sketch style to Image Playground so you can generate images that look hand drawn. ‌Apple Intelligence‌ is also available in more languages, including French, German, Italian, Portuguese (Brazil), Spanish, Japanese, Korean, and Chinese (simplified), along with localized English for Singapore and India.

There are new emoji characters, and a dedicated Vision Pro app that allows Vision Pro owners to find and download content, manage the headset, control guest experiences, and more, right from the iPhone.

Mail Categorization has expanded to the iPad, and there's a new Ambient Music feature for playing relaxing music from Control Center. There are a number of other smaller features too, with details available in our iOS 18.4 features guide.

Apple plans to release iOS 18.4 and iPadOS 18.4 in early April, potentially as soon as next week.
This article, "Apple Seeds Second iOS 18.4 and iPadOS 18.4 Release Candidate With Priority Notifications, Ambient Music and More" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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Resizing images in macOS is easily done in the Preview app, but if your daily workflow requires you to scale images to a specific size – for uploading to a blog, for example – then using an image resize Quick Action is a much faster way of getting the job done.


In this article, we'll show you how to use the Automator app to create a simple Quick Action that, once saved, will have you resizing images in just a couple of clicks, without even going near an image editing app. Keep reading to learn how it's done.

Create a Resize Image Quick Action

1. Launch Automator from the Applications folder.
   
   
2. Click New Document, then choose Quick Action as the type of your document.
   
   
3. Select Files and Folders in the Actions sidebar, then drag Get Specified Finder Items to the workflow area.


4. Click the Workflow received current dropdown at the top and select image files from the menu.
   
   
5. Select Photos in the Actions sidebar, then drag Scale Images to the workflow area.
   
   
6. Automator will prompt you to add a Copy Finder Items Action to save the original files in a separate folder. We're sticking to a simple workflow of resizing images here, so we click Don't Add.
   
   
7. In the Scale Images action panel, type the width that you want to resize your images to. We're going to use 1200 pixels.
   
   
8. In the Automator menu bar, select File ➝ Save..., call your new Quick Action "Resize Image", then click Save.

Use Your New Quick Action

Next time you want to resize an image, simply right-click (or Ctrl-click) the item in Finder and select Quick Actions ➝ Resize Image from the contextual dropdown menu. You can also drag a selection box over several images and resize them all in one go using the Quick Action.

Add a Keyboard Shortcut

Why not assign a key shortcut to your image resize Quick Action to speed up the process? To do so, launch System Settings, select Keyboard in the sidebar, then click the Keyboard Shortcuts... button.


Select Services from the sidebar, expand the "Pictures" checklist, and you should find Resize Image near the bottom of the list. Double-click the line item where it says "none", then enter your custom key combination. Click Done when you're finished.


By integrating this Quick Action into your macOS workflow, you should be able to efficiently resize images with just a few clicks, saving you time and enhancing your productivity.
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Most of the best Apple deals of this week can be found in Amazon's ongoing Big Spring Sale, including record low prices on AirPods, iPad Air, Apple Pencil, AirTag, and more. You can find more details about the Big Spring Sale in our dedicated posts on Apple product deals and Accessory discounts.

Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with some of these vendors. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment, which helps us keep the site running.

OtterBox MagSafe Charging Stand

• What's the deal? Take 85% off OtterBox 15W MagSafe Charging Stand


• Where can I get it? Woot

Woot today introduced a huge discount on OtterBox's 15W MagSafe Charging Stand for iPhone, available for $14.95, down from $99.95. This accessory is in new condition and comes with a 90 day Woot limited warranty, 20W wall charger, and a 2m USB-C cable in the box.

AirPods

• What's the deal? Take up to $79 off AirPods


• Where can I get it? Amazon


• Where can I find the original deal? Right here

AirPods 4 dropped to $99.99 this week on Amazon, and they are still available at this all-time low price. If you want the model with ANC, they're on sale for $148.99, down from $179.00. There are also solid discounts on AirPods Pro 2 and AirPods Max.

Samsung

• What's the deal? Take $50 off pre-orders for Samsung's new monitors


• Where can I get it? Samsung


• Where can I find the original deal? Right here

Samsung this week announced the launch of a few next-generation Odyssey gaming monitors, and you can get a $50 discount right now if you make a reservation for pre-orders. The new lineup includes the Odyssey 3D, Odyssey OLED G8, Ultrawide Odyssey G9, and the new ViewFinity S8.

We're also still tracking a few deals on Samsung's connected health products like the Galaxy Watch and Galaxy Ring, as well as savings on Samsung TVs, smartphones, and home appliances.

Apple Watch Series 10

• What's the deal? Take $100 off Apple Watch Series 10


• Where can I get it? Amazon


• Where can I find the original deal? Right here

Amazon this week has numerous all-time low prices on Apple Watch Series 10, including both GPS and cellular models. You'll find $100 off both 42mm and 46mm GPS Series 10 models in multiple case colors and band styles, and this time the deals do not require any coupon codes.

M3 iPad Air

• What's the deal? Take up to $70 off new iPad Air


• Where can I get it? Amazon


• Where can I find the original deal? Right here

Last week Apple launched the new M3 iPad Air, and Amazon has been providing solid launch window discounts on numerous models this week. You can find up to $70 off these tablets on Amazon, with prices starting at $549.00 for the 128GB Wi-Fi 11-inch model.

M4 MacBook Air

• What's the deal? Take $50 off M4 MacBook Air


• Where can I get it? Amazon


• Where can I find the original deal? Right here

Amazon introduced multiple discounts on the M4 MacBook Air this week, offering up to $100 off numerous models of the computer. For some of these, you'll need to clip an on-page coupon in order to see the final deal price at checkout.

Apple Pencil Pro

• What's the deal? Take $30 off Apple Pencil Pro


• Where can I get it? Amazon


• Where can I find the original deal? Right here

Another all-time low price available on Amazon this week was on the Apple Pencil Pro, and it's still available for $99.00 today, down from $129.00.

AirTag

• What's the deal? Take $29 off AirTag 4-pack


• Where can I get it? Amazon


• Where can I find the original deal? Right here

Amazon has the AirTag 4-Pack on sale for $69.99, down from $99.00. This is a solid second-best price, and you can find the 1-Pack on sale as well on Amazon, available for $24.00, down from $29.00.

If you're on the hunt for more discounts, be sure to visit our Apple Deals roundup where we recap the best Apple-related bargains of the past week.

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Apple's "Friday Night Baseball" weekly doubleheader returns to Apple TV+ on Friday evening, and the company's streaming service is marking the occasion by premiering a new "Fight for Glory: 2024 World Series" docuseries.


The three-episode run follows the Dodgers and the Yankees through the postseason, providing viewers with behind-the-scenes access to superstar players, managers, and their families, as they attempt to claim Major League Baseball's throne in the playoffs. All three one-hour episodes are available today.

"Friday Night Baseball" comes bundled with an Apple TV+ subscription at no extra charge. In the U.S., Apple TV+ is priced at $9.99 per month or $99 annually, and it's also part of every Apple One bundle alongside other Apple services.

A schedule of games for the first half of the season is available in Apple's press release from earlier this month.

Next month, Apple is also releasing a new, free immersive video called "VIP: Yankee Stadium" for Apple Vision Pro users that will feature "an all-access pass to one of the world's most iconic sports venues." The video covers the June 2024 match between the New York Yankees and Los Angeles Dodgers, and will not require an Apple TV+ subscription to watch.
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