To recognize Heart Month, Apple is launching a new February Apple Watch activity challenge. Apple Watch owners can earn a special award by completing a workout to fill their Exercise ring on Saturday, February 14, which is Valentine's Day.

Close your exercise ring on Valentine's Day, February 14, to earn this award. Your heart will love you for it.

Like all Apple Watch Activity Challenges, the Heart Month challenge will be accompanied by an award that can be viewed in the Fitness app as well as a series of animated stickers that can be used in the Messages app.








Apple often also debuts themed Heart Month content in the App Store, Apple TV app, Apple Podcasts, and Apple Books during the month of February.
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Apple is aiming for the upcoming iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max to have the same starting prices as the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max, according to Jeff Pu, an equity analyst with investment firm GF Securities.


In a research note today, obtained by MacRumors, Pu said his firm's recent "supply chain research" indicates that Apple is focused on "cost management," in an attempt to keep the starting prices of the iPhone 18 Pro models either "unchanged" or at a "similar level" compared to the iPhone 17 Pro models.

In the U.S., the iPhone 17 Pro starts at $1,099 and the iPhone 17 Pro Max starts at $1,199.

For example, Pu believes that Apple has been negotiating with Samsung and SK Hynix to achieve relatively "favorable" memory chip deals, amid skyrocketing prices for DRAM and NAND storage. He also expects Apple to find ways to lower the costs of some other core iPhone components, including the display and cameras.

Another analyst, Ming-Chi Kuo, also said that Apple's plan for the iPhone 18 Pro models was to "avoid raising prices as much as possible." He predicted that Apple would at least keep starting prices "flat" compared to the iPhone 17 Pro models.

Apple is expected to unveil the iPhone 18 Pro models in September.
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Thanks to Apple's Sound Recognition feature, the HomePod mini and second-generation HomePod can send you notifications when they recognize smoke or carbon monoxide alarm sounds. Keep reading to learn how it works.


With Sound Recognition, HomePod can detect the sound of a smoke or carbon monoxide alarm in your home, and alert you by sending a notification to your iPhone, iPad or Apple Watch.

It's a neat addition if you don't own a smart detector, although Apple warns that the feature should not be relied upon "in circumstances where users may be harmed or injured," or in "high-risk or emergency situations."

The Sound Recognition feature is accessible in the Home app. If your Home system is connected to a smart camera, it will also display live video of your home, so you can see what's happening in real time.

Here's how to enable the feature. Note that Sound Recognition on HomePods requires Apple's updated Home app architecture that was introduced in 2022 as part of iOS 16.4 and iPadOS 16.4.

1. In the Home app, tap the ellipsis button (three dots) in the top-right corner of the screen.


2. Tap Home Settings.
   
   
3. Tap Safety & Security ➝ Sound Recognition.


4. Under "Sounds," make sure the Smoke & CO Alarm toggle is in the green ON position.


5. Toggle on the switches next to the HomePod devices that you want to enable Sound Recognition for.
   

That's all there is to it. Note that you can also access the Sound Recognition menu via the Home app's menu cards for individual HomePods.

Sound Recognition was first introduced on the iPhone in 2020 and can detect a wide variety of sounds on that device, including a doorbell, running water, a baby crying, a car horn, a door knock, a cat meowing or dog barking, and more.
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It has been a slow start to 2026 for Apple product launches, with only a new AirTag and a special Apple Watch band released so far. We are still waiting for MacBook Pro models with M5 Pro and M5 Max chips, the iPhone 17e, a lower-cost MacBook with an iPhone chip, long-rumored updates to the Apple TV and HomePod mini, and much more.


Apple is expected to release/update the following products in the first half of 2026:

• iPhone 17e: A spec-bumped successor to the iPhone 16e, with rumored upgrades including an A19 chip, MagSafe, and Apple's C1X and N1 wireless chips. The device will apparently have a notch despite earlier rumors mentioning a Dynamic Island, and pricing will continue to start at $599 in the United States.


• iPad Air: M3 chip → M4 chip.


• iPad: A16 chip → A18 chip or A19 chip.


• MacBook Pro: M4 Pro and M4 Max chips → M5 Pro and M5 Max chips, and PCIe 5.0 support for faster SSD speeds.


• MacBook Air: M4 chip → M5 chip.


• Lower-Cost MacBook: A18 Pro chip, 12.9-inch display, and fun color options.


• Mac Studio: M4 Max and M3 Ultra chips → M5 Max and M5 Ultra chips.


• Studio Display: 27-inch screen with mini-LED backlighting, up to 90Hz or 120Hz refresh rate, HDR support, and either an A19 chip or A19 Pro chip.


• Home Hub: An all-new smart home hub featuring the more personalized version of Siri, a 6-inch to 7-inch square display, an A18 chip for Apple Intelligence, FaceTime, and more. Place it on a table or mount it on a wall.


• Security Camera: Apple-designed, HomeKit-enabled security camera accessory to be sold alongside the new smart home hub.

Both the Apple TV and the HomePod mini were rumored to be updated in 2025, but neither were, so hopefully they will finally arrive in the first half of 2026.

Here is what is rumored for those devices:

• Apple TV: A17 Pro chip with support for the more personalized Siri, and Apple's N1 chip with Wi-Fi 7 support. A built-in FaceTime camera has been rumored for a future Apple TV, but it is unclear if that will arrive with the next model.


• HomePod mini: S9 chip or newer with support for the more personalized Siri, Apple's N1 chip with Wi-Fi 7 support, improved sound quality, a second-generation Ultra Wideband chip, and potentially a new red color option.

Some of the products listed above should be unveiled fairly soon. Apple reportedly plans to unveil the iPhone 17e next week, and MacBook Pro models with M5 Pro and M5 Max chips will reportedly follow as early as the first week of March.
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Apple today announced four new games coming to Apple Arcade in March, along with three major updates to existing titles on the service.



The four new games heading to ‌Apple Arcade‌ next month are as follows:

• Oceanhorn 3: Legend of the Shadow Sea: A new 3D action-adventure RPG set nearly 1,000 years after Oceanhorn 2, featuring island exploration, titan battles, puzzles, and cross-platform play on the iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple TV, and Apple Vision Pro.


• Pocket Love!+: A wholesome life simulator where players decorate a home and build a cozy life with their partner and pet.


• Flow Free+: A puzzle game centered on connecting matching colors with pipes to complete increasingly complex grids.


• Doraemon Dorayaki Shop Story+: A shop management game starring manga character Doraemon where players run and grow a sweetshop.

All of the new games will be available on March 5, 2026. Three games are also set to receive updates this month:

• Disney SpellStruck: A Star Wars crossover arriving February 19 adds levels inspired by Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope and introduces Luke Skywalker, Princess Leia, Han Solo, and Chewbacca as playable characters.


• Crayola Create and Play+: A limited-time Snowy Day event featuring Paddington is available on ‌Apple Arcade‌ until February 18.


• NFL Retro Bowl 26: A new challenge lets players relive Super Bowl LX by competing as the Seattle Seahawks or New England Patriots and comparing leaderboard scores with friends.

‌Apple Arcade‌ is a subscription service that provides access to hundreds of games across the ‌iPhone‌, ‌iPad‌, Mac, ‌Apple TV‌, and ‌Apple Vision Pro‌. All of the games are free of ads and in-app purchases. In the U.S., ‌Apple Arcade‌ costs $6.99 per month, and it is also bundled with other Apple services in all Apple One plans. ‌Apple Arcade‌ can be accessed through the App Store and the Apple Games app.
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Electric automaker Rivian is preparing to launch a dedicated Apple Watch app that will allow owners to access and control their vehicles directly from their wrist.


Rivian is planning to release a companion Apple Watch app as part of its upcoming 2026.03 software update, according to release notes posted by RivianTrackr. The update is tied to version 3.9 of the Rivian mobile app, which has not yet been released on the App Store.

The release notes say that the update will allow owners to remotely access and control their vehicles from the Apple Watch, including locking and unlocking doors, venting windows, and sounding the alarm. Users can use the Digital Crown to set a target state of charge or adjust the cabin temperature. The app's customizable design allows users to choose up to four quick controls for instant access to their most-used features.

The addition of the Apple Watch app effectively extends wrist-based vehicle access to older Rivian vehicles that cannot use Apple's built-in Wallet-based digital key independently. Rivian began supporting Apple Wallet-based digital Car Keys in December, allowing owners of newer vehicles to use iPhone or Apple Watch to unlock and start their vehicles without a physical key, but support is limited to second-generation Rivian models beginning with the 2025 model year.

Rivian's first-generation vehicles, produced from 2021 to 2024, will gain Apple Watch digital key functionality through the new app for the first time. The app will need to be open for functionality to work on these older vehicles. For those newer vehicles, the digital key can function without requiring the Apple Watch app to be launched via a Car Key in the wallet.


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Amazon this week is taking $30 off the Apple Watch SE 3, starting at $219.00 for the 40mm GPS model. These are second-best prices on the SE 3, but it's been over a month since we last tracked record low prices, so this is a good opportunity for anyone who's been waiting for a deal.

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.

You can also get the 44mm GPS Apple Watch SE 3 on sale for $249.00, down from $279.00. Both the 40mm and 44mm GPS models are available in Midnight and Starlight Aluminum at these prices.




In addition to the Apple Watch SE 3 discounts, Amazon has $100 off the Apple Watch Series 11 right now, which are record low prices on the wearables. 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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In 2022, Apple introduced a new Apple Home architecture that is "more reliable and efficient," and the deadline to upgrade and avoid issues is today.


In an email last week, Apple gave customers a final reminder to upgrade their Home app by February 10, 2026. Apple says users who do not upgrade may experience issues with accessories and automations, or lose access to their smart home in the app entirely. In addition, users who do not upgrade will miss out on newer features like robot vacuum cleaner support, and they will not receive important security fixes and performance improvements.

Apple explains how to upgrade the Home app on the iPhone, iPad, or Mac:

• Open the Home app


• Tap or click on the three dots in the upper-right and navigate to Home Settings


• Tap or click on Software Update


• Tap or click Update Now, then follow the prompts. All of the homes that you own are updated at the same time.

If you see "This home and all accessories are up to date," then you are on the current version of the app and no further action is required.

Notably, the new version of Apple Home requires a minimum of iOS 16.2, iPadOS 16.2, macOS 13.1, tvOS 16.2, and watchOS 9.2.
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DuckDuckGo has announced new voice chat capabilities for Duck.ai, the private AI chatbot platform it launched last March.


The new feature lets users have real-time voice conversations with large language models (LLMs) through an encrypted relay connection. OpenAI provides the LLMs that power voice chats, but DuckDuckGo says that neither it nor OpenAI stores any audio after conversations end.

"Voice chats in Duck.ai are private, anonymized by us, and never used to train the underlying AI," the company said in its announcement. OpenAI is also contractually limited in how it can use voice chat data. Here's how DuckDuckGo describes the service:

DuckDuckGo protects your audio stream and voice data in several ways, to ensure it can only be accessed by OpenAI, (the model provider for voice chats) and only for the purpose of responding to your prompts:

• Ephemeral processing: Your live audio is streamed only while you're speaking. Once the session ends, neither DuckDuckGo nor OpenAI keeps recordings of your voice.


• No training: Your audio and the model's responses are not used to train AI models.


• Secure connection: Audio streams are encrypted in transit through WebRTC and our relay server.


• Zero data retention: Neither DuckDuckGo nor OpenAI retains any conversation data after you end a voice chat.

The feature works in most browsers except for Firefox, for which support is still in the works, according to the company. Voice chat is free within daily limits and doesn't require an account, while subscribers ($10/month) get higher daily limits in addition to DuckDuckGo VPN access, Personal Information Removal, and Identity Theft Restoration.

Users can disable voice chat at any time through Duck.ai's settings if they change their mind about using the feature. Duck.ai also offers access to non-voice models from OpenAI, Meta, Anthropic, and Mistral.
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Apple and Google have agreed to a series of changes aimed at making their app stores fairer for developers, the UK's Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) announced today.


The concrete commitments come after the CMA found the two companies had a duopoly and designated them as having "strategic market status" in mobile platforms last October. The designation is not a finding of wrongdoing, but gives UK regulators new powers to demand specific changes to boost competition in the mobile market.

Under the agreed terms published by the CMA, both companies will ensure apps are reviewed and ranked on their app stores in a "fair, objective and transparent way," without discrimination against apps that compete with their own services. They also commit to safeguarding developer data collected during the app review process.

There are also requirements of Apple around the issue of interoperability. Apple must allow developers to more easily request access to iOS features and functionality, which could clear the way for third-party apps to better compete with Apple's own services.

"The commitments announced today allow Apple to continue advancing important privacy and security innovations for users and great opportunities for developers," Apple said in a statement given to Bloomberg.

The changes are set to take effect on April 1, pending a public consultation period that runs through March 3.

The CMA says it will closely monitor implementation and won't hesitate to impose formal requirements if the companies fail to follow through. Further measures are expected in the coming months that could include potential changes to how Apple's digital Wallet app operates.
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OpenAI's first Jony Ive-designed hardware device won't ship to customers until next year, new court filings show (via Wired).


The motion stems from a trademark infringement lawsuit filed last year by audio device startup iyO. The company sued OpenAI after the latter acquired io, a startup founded by Apple's former design chief.

OpenAI's original stated goal was to ship the ChatGPT-powered device before the end of 2026. But in the latest filing, the company said its first hardware device won't ship to customers before the end of February 2027. OpenAI has not created any packaging or marketing materials for its first hardware device either, according to the documents.

The filing also said that OpenAI had reviewed its product-naming strategy and "decided not to use the name 'io' (or 'IYO,' or any capitalization of either) in connection with the naming, advertising, marketing, or sale of any artificial intelligence-enabled hardware products."

Few details are known about the first AI consumer product that OpenAI is working on. The gadget – pitched as a "third core device" that would sit in your pocket, or on your desk alongside a MacBook Pro and iPhone – apparently won't be an in-ear device or a wearable, based on previous filings related to this lawsuit.

Previous leaks have revealed that the gadget will be pocket-sized, contextually aware of your surroundings and life, and completely screen-free. OpenAI CEO Sam Altman apparently told OpenAI staff it's "the coolest piece of technology that the world will have ever seen" after testing Ive's prototype at home.

The development comes as now-debunked rumors circulated on Reddit over the weekend claiming that OpenAI had pulled a Super Bowl ad unveiling its upcoming device. The now-deleted post shared an alleged ad featuring actor Alexander Skarsgård in silver headphones, tapping a reflective puck. The video was widely circulated on social media, including by Reddit cofounder Alexis Ohanian.
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Apple's iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max have been runaway hits in China, but their success has little to do with new AI or camera features – it's largely down to the color. Or at least, that's according to a new report.


The Cosmic Orange finish made available exclusively on Apple's high-end Pro models has been widely dubbed "Hermès orange" by Chinese consumers who associate the vivid hue with the French luxury brand's signature color.

The Financial Times reports that videos showcasing the orange iPhones have gone viral on Chinese social media since the devices launched in September.

"It sounds simple, but it's the external obvious changes to design, which includes the introduction of a shout-out orange colour, that pulled out early upgraders," IDC senior research director Nabila Popal told the publication.

It's not just visual appeal that's driving sales either. In Mandarin, the word for orange sounds similar to the word for success, adding another psychological association that has apparently resonated with buyers. Many social media posts about Apple's premium iPhones include well-wishes playing on the linguistic connection.

Apple reported $26 billion in Chinese revenue during its fiscal first quarter, a 38 percent year-over-year increase and the company's best-ever performance in the region. China now accounts for roughly one-fifth of Apple's total global sales.

The results are a major turnaround after nearly three years of declining sales in the country, where Apple has faced stiff competition from domestic rivals like Huawei, Xiaomi, and Vivo.

For the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max, expected to launch this September alongside the company's first foldable device, Apple will almost certainly introduce a new signature color. Rumors suggest that Apple is considering a brown coffee-like shade, purple, and burgundy.
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YouTube is splitting YouTube TV into a selection of tailored YouTube TV Plans, allowing subscribers to pay less for a smaller selection of channels. "TV should be easy," reads the blog post announcing the change.


There are 10+ new plans across Sports, News, Entertainment, and Family, at prices that are $11 to $28 below the $82.99 per month cost for a full YouTube TV subscription. New subscribers will have access to lower prices for the first three months to a year, and a 10-day trial is available. Existing subscribers can downgrade to one of the more affordable plans.

• Sports Plan - $64.99 per month, or $54.99 per month for new subscribers (1-year discount). Includes all major broadcasters (ABC, CBS, NBC, and Fox) plus sports networks like FS1, NBC Sports Network, all ESPN networks, and ESPN Unlimited.


• Sports + News Plan - $71.99 per month, or $56.99 per month for new subscribers (3-month discount). Includes everything in the Sports Plan, plus networks like CNBC, Fox News, MSNBC, CNN, CSPAN, Bloomberg, and Fox Business.


• Entertainment Plan - $54.99 per month, or $44.99 per month for new subscribers (3-month discount). Includes all major broadcasters and content, from FX dramas to Hallmark classics. Comedy Central, Bravo, Paramount, Food Network, HGTV, and more are available.


• News + Entertainment + Family Plan - $69.99 per month, or $59.99 per month for new subscribers (3-month discount). Includes news and entertainment channels along with family content like the Disney Channel, Nickelodeon, National Geographic, Cartoon Network, and PBS Kids.

The new YouTube TV plans will have the perks of YouTube TV, such as unlimited DVR, and the option to share content with six members on one account. Add-ons like NFL Sunday Ticket, HBO Max, and 4K Plus can also be purchased. Plans are rolling out starting this week.

YouTube TV first launched in April 2017, and it was initially priced at $35 per month. It has more than doubled in price over the course of the last nine years. The last price increase came in December 2024, when YouTube raised the price from $72.99 per month to $82.99 per month.

YouTube TV is available across a wide range of devices, including the Apple TV, iPhone, and iPad.
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Apple has announced that its flagship Regent Street store in London, England reopens on Saturday, February 14, at 10 a.m. local time.


The store has been temporarily closed for "refurbishment" since Monday, January 12. The extent of the changes remains to be seen.

It is not yet clear if Apple made any changes that will be visible to customers. In some cases, Apple only updates a store's fixtures or back-of-house area, resulting in no visible differences to customers when business resumes.

Apple first opened up shop on London's world-famous Regent Street in 2004. The store was already remodeled in 2016.
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U.S. ChatGPT users who have a free account or a low-cost Go subscription will start seeing ads starting today, according to OpenAI.


Ads will be limited to the Free and Go subscription tiers, and will be shown to logged-in adult users. OpenAI does not plan to show ads to minors, and the company claims that ads will not influence the answers that ChatGPT provides. OpenAI also says it will not provide advertisers with content from ChatGPT conversations.

OpenAI is not profitable, and the free and Go tier options require "significant infrastructure and ongoing investment." OpenAI is funding that work through ads, and it says that customers who do not want to see ads can upgrade to a Plus or Pro plan. There's also an option to opt out of ads in exchange for fewer daily free messages.

Ads in ChatGPT will be clearly labeled as sponsored and the information will be presented separately from answers that ChatGPT provides. By default, OpenAI will show ads based on conversation topic, past chats, and past interactions with ads. A conversation about recipes, for example, may surface ads for meal kits or grocery delivery.

Advertisers will receive aggregate information like number of views or clicks, but won't have access to chat history, memories, or personal user information. Ads will not be shown for sensitive topics like health, mental health, or politics.

OpenAI is allowing users to dismiss ads, share feedback, and get information on why a particular ad is displayed. Ad data is also able to be deleted, and personalization can be disabled.

ChatGPT subscribers with Plus, Pro, Business, Enterprise, and Education plans will not see ads. OpenAI says the current rollout is a test to learn, listen, and get the ad experience right, and the company claims that it believes ads in ChatGPT can be "uniquely valuable for people."

Last week, OpenAI competitor Anthropic promised to keep the Claude chatbot ad-free in response to OpenAI's plan to introduce ads. Anthropic shared an anti-ad commercial during the Super Bowl calling out OpenAI for its ad plans, and said that a "conversation with Claude" is not the right place for ads.
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OWC recently kicked off a new sale offering big discounts on a variety of USB-C docks, external drives and enclosures, and Mac accessories. This includes $40 off OWC's new Thunderbolt 5 Hub, available for $149.99, down from $189.99.

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

This new hub adds more Thunderbolt 5 ports to your Mac, PC, or iPad Pro setup, with support for Thunderbolt 5, Thunderbolt 4, Thunderbolt 3, USB4, and USB-C devices. There's also a deal on OWC's 11-Port Thunderbolt 5 Dock, which is available for $299.99, down from $329.99 and has ports for memory cards, USB-A devices, networking cables, headphones, and more.




OWC's sale has a few other discounts this week, including savings on Thunderbolt cables, charging cables, and more. The popular 14-Port Thunderbolt Dock for Mac is available for $179.99, down from $279.99. If you purchase a qualifying new or used Mac at the same time as this dock, you can get an additional $20 off the accessory at checkout.

Docks and Hubs

• USB-C Travel Dock - $34.99, down from $49.99


• USB-C Travel Dock E - $49.99, down from $59.99


• Thunderbolt 5 Hub - $149.99, down from $189.99


• 14-Port Thunderbolt Dock - $179.99, down from $279.99


• Thunderbolt Go Dock - $179.99, down from $299.99


• 11-Port Thunderbolt 5 Dock - $299.99, down from $329.99

Cables

• Thunderbolt 4 Cable - $11.49, down from $24.99


• Thunderbolt 5 Cable (11.8 in) - $14.99, down from $19.99


• Thunderbolt 5 Cable (31.5 in) - $19.99, down from $27.99

Drives and Enclosures

• 1TB OWC Express 1M2 + SanDisk WD_BLACK SN850X NVMe M.2 2280 SSD - $299.99, down from $417.98


• 2TB OWC Express 1M2 + SanDisk WD_BLACK SN850X NVMe M.2 2280 SSD - $469.99, down from $907.98

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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Sometimes when you share a webpage link with someone, you just want to bring their attention to a specific passage or sentence to make your point, rather than have them read through the entire article.


In 2020, Google added a function to its Chrome browser called Scroll to Text Fragment (STTF) that helps you achieve this. It allows URLs to link directly to any visible text on a page. You may have seen it work in Google Search, where clicking on a link in your returned results takes you to a highlighted passage of text further down the page.

Google later added the feature to the Chromium codebase, so most other popular Chromium browsers like Edge, Opera, Brave, and Vivaldi also support it. Here's how it works.

Copy Link With Highlight in Safari

Apple added full support for text fragment links in Safari 18, and the feature is available in Safari on macOS Sequoia and later. To use the feature, visit a web page and simply highlight the text you want to create a link to, then right-click (Ctrl-click) and choose Copy Link with Highlight from the dropdown menu.


This will generate a special URL that includes a hash (#) symbol and "text" element, followed by a few words that bookend the selected text. All you need to do is share the link with someone, and when they click it they will be sent directly to that part of the webpage with the specific passage highlighted, as shown below.



That's all there is to it. The Copy Link to Highlight option is also available in Safari on iPhone and iPad, though we have found it to be buggy and inconsistent in iOS 26.3. Hopefully Apple can fix it soon. At least on Mac, it makes it easier for you to direct the recipient of the link to the content you actually want them to focus on.

Bear in mind that the look of highlighted text can differ depending on whether the page author has styled it to look a certain way. Also, text fragment linking does not work in PDFs. Since July 2025, Copy Link to Highlight has also been introduced in Firefox.
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Amazon this week has introduced a few notable discounts across the M3 iPad Air lineup, with as much as $140 off select tablets. These are among the first big discounts we've tracked on the iPad Air in 2026, with prices starting at $489.99 for the 128GB Wi-Fi 11-inch iPad Air, down from $599.00.

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.

These deals are all solid second-best prices on the M3 iPad Air, but it's been well over a month since we last tracked record low discounts, so if you've been waiting for a sale now is a great time to purchase the tablet. All of the deals in this sale have been automatically applied and do not require any coupon codes.

11-inch M3 iPad Air

• 128GB Wi-Fi - $489.99, down from $599.00


• 256GB Wi-Fi - $589.00, down from $699.00


• 512GB Wi-Fi - $779.00, down from $899.00

13-inch M3 iPad Air

• 128GB Wi-Fi - $679.99, down from $799.00


• 256GB Wi-Fi - $779.99, down from $899.00


• 512GB Wi-Fi - $979.00, down from $1,099.00


• 1TB Wi-Fi - $1,159.00, down from $1,299.00

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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Samsung is planning to follow Apple in adding a variable aperture to its smartphone cameras, Korea's ET News reports.


A variable aperture allows the camera to adjust the amount of light that reaches the sensor. This means that in dark environments, the aperture can be opened to receive more light, while in light environments, it can be closed to prevent over-exposure. It also should provide users with greater control over depth of field, which refers to how sharp a subject appears in the foreground compared to the background.

The iPhone 18 Pro and ‌iPhone 18‌ Pro Max are now widely expected to feature an upgraded main camera with a variable aperture. In December 2024, Apple supply chain analyst Ming-Chi Kuo was first to say that that the main rear camera on both ‌iPhone 18‌ Pro models will offer variable aperture. A more recent report from October 2025 said Apple was moving ahead with plans to bring the technology to next-generation iPhones and was discussing components with suppliers.

Apple has never used a variable aperture on an iPhone camera before. The main cameras on all of the ‌iPhone‌ 14 Pro through iPhone 17 Pro models have a fixed aperture of ƒ/1.78, and the lens is always fully open and shooting with this aperture. Samsung Electronics previously brought a variable aperture camera to its Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S10 models in 2018 and 2019, but due to increased thickness and high price, it dropped the feature in 2020.

In light of Apple's plans, Samsung has reportedly asked multiple camera module partners to develop variable apertures and provide samples. The feature is in early development and final installation has not yet been confirmed, but there is said to be a "strong will" to introduce it.

Samsung apparently sees adding a variable aperture as "necessary to increase camera competitiveness," replacing software correction with physical hardware. The company hopes that in investing in variable aperture camera technology, thickness can be reduced and costs will reduce over time. Apple's first variable aperture camera is expected to arrive in the ‌iPhone 18‌ Pro models in the fall.
This article, "Samsung Planning to Follow iPhone 18 Pro's Variable Aperture Camera" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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Apple reportedly plans to release a new Studio Display in the first half of 2026, and there have been plenty of rumors about the monitor lately.


Below, we recap the latest Studio Display 2 rumors:

• In his Power On newsletter on Sunday, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said he was told the new Studio Display "looks quite similar to the current one," so that seemingly rules out any major design changes.


• It has twice been rumored that the Studio Display 2's maximum refresh rate will be 90Hz, instead of 120Hz. The current model is 60Hz.


• Last month, an unreleased Apple monitor (model A3350) surfaced in a Chinese regulatory database, and it is likely the Studio Display 2.


• Previously rumored features include a 27-inch screen with mini-LED backlighting, HDR support, and an A19 chip or an A19 Pro chip.

The current Studio Display launched in March 2022, alongside the first Mac Studio. It has a 27-inch LCD screen with 5K resolution, a 60Hz refresh rate, up to 600 nits brightness, a built-in camera and speakers, one Thunderbolt 3 port, and a trio of USB-C ports. In the U.S., pricing starts at $1,599.

If the next Studio Display receives mini-LED backlighting and HDR support, its maximum brightness and contrast ratio would be higher than the current model. And a newer A19 or A19 Pro chip — up from the A13 Bionic currently — should contribute to performance improvements, camera-related enhancements, and more.

Based on the rumored first half of 2026 timeframe, Apple should unveil the Studio Display 2 at any point between now and the end of June.
This article, "Studio Display 2: The Latest Rumors About Apple's Next Monitor" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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In select U.S. states, residents can add their driver's license or state ID to the Apple Wallet app on the iPhone and Apple Watch, and then use it to display proof of identity or age at select airports and businesses, and in select apps.


The feature is currently available in 13 U.S. states and Puerto Rico, and it is expected to launch in at least seven more in the future.

To set up the feature, open the Wallet app and tap on the plus sign in the top-right corner. Next, select Driver's License and ID Cards and follow the steps.

Supported States

The following 13 states offer driver's licenses in the Wallet app:

• Arizona (since March 2022)


• Maryland (since May 2022)


• Colorado (since November 2022)


• Georgia (since May 2023)


• Ohio (since July 2024)


• Hawaii (since August 2024)


• California (since September 2024)


• Iowa (since October 2024)


• New Mexico (since December 2024)
• Montana (since August 2025)


• North Dakota (since September 2025)


• West Virginia (since October 2025)


• Illinois (since November 2025)

The feature is also available in Puerto Rico.

Future States

Apple and local DMV offices have announced that the following U.S. states have signed on to adopt the feature, but no timeframes were disclosed:

• Connecticut


• Kentucky


• Mississippi


• Oklahoma


• Utah


• Arkansas


• Virginia

Participating Airports

Apple Wallet IDs are accepted at TSA checkpoints in more than 250 airports in the U.S., for domestic travel. Given that Apple Wallet IDs are not accepted by law enforcement, and lack many other use cases, carrying a physical ID is still necessary.

Here are just some of the airports that offer the feature — there are hundreds of others:

• Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport (BWI)


• Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA)


• Washington Dulles International Airport (IAD)


• Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport (PHX)


• Denver International Airport (DEN)


• Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL)


• Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky Airport (CVG)


• John Glenn Columbus International Airport (CMH)


• San Francisco International Airport (SFO)


• San Jose Mineta International Airport (SJC)


• Los Angeles International (LAX)


• Daniel K. Inouye International Airport (HNL)


• Des Moines International Airport (DSM)


• Eastern Iowa Airport (CID)


• Albuquerque International Sunport (ABQ)


• Lea County Regional Airport (HOB)


• Luis Munoz Marin International Airport (SJU)


• Billings Logan International Airport (BIL)


• Bozeman Yellowstone International Airport (BZN)


• Great Falls International Airport (GTF)


• Missoula International Airport (MSO)


• Chicago O'Hare International Airport (ORD)


• Chicago Midway International Airport (MDW)


• St. Louis Lambert International Airport (STL)


• Richmond International Airport (RIC)


• Norfolk International Airport (ORF)


• Roanoke-Blacksburg Regional Airport (ROA)


• Newport News-Williamsburg International Airport (PHF)

Travelers should refer to TSA signage to confirm availability of the feature.

Digital Passport

If you live in a state that does not yet offer Apple Wallet IDs, you can now create a Digital ID based on your U.S. passport, and present it at the same participating TSA checkpoints, for age and identity verification purposes during domestic travel. It is not a replacement for a physical passport, and it cannot be used for international travel.

This feature requires iOS 26.1 or watchOS 26.1 and later.
This article, "Apple Says These 7 U.S. States Plan to Offer iPhone Driver's Licenses" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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Apple's next-generation AirPods Pro will feature cameras to see around a user, according to the leaker and prototype collector known as "Kosutami."


In a new post on X, Kosutami said that the next AirPods Pro will be able to see around the wearer, presumably via cameras in each earbud. Supply chain analyst Ming-Chi Kuo said that the 2026 AirPods Pro will feature a "more significant" hardware upgrade in the form at least one tiny infrared camera. He previously said AirPods with infrared cameras could recognize hand gestures and provide an enhanced spatial audio experience with Apple's Vision Pro headset.

Kosutami added that the new AirPods Pro will be available at the same $249 price as the current model. This contrasts with previous rumors suggesting that the next AirPods Pro would be a secondary version of AirPods Pro 3 this year, sitting in the lineup alongside the current model.

The Chinese leaker known as "Instant Digital" corroborated the rumors about new AirPods Pro featuring infrared cameras for gesture controls, with some additional details and clarifications. Rather than being a new generation, the 2026 AirPods Pro will apparently be a pricier, high-end variant of the ‌AirPods Pro 3‌ introduced in 2025, suggesting that both models will ultimately be on sale alongside each other. It is worth noting that Apple offers two version of the AirPods 4 at $129 and $179 price points, so this is a highly plausible move.

The current AirPods lineup has offerings priced at $129, $179, $249, and $549. An additional product between the $249 ‌AirPods Pro 3‌ and $549 AirPods Max seems possible, especially given the rise of higher end Bluetooth earbuds from the likes of Bang Olufsen, Bowers & Wilkins, and Bose.

Regardless, back in September 2025, Kuo reported that Apple is planning to introduce a successor to the ‌AirPods Pro 3‌ in 2026. This would be somewhat unusual since Apple normally waits around three years to make major changes to the AirPods' hardware. AirPods Pro 2 debuted at the iPhone 14 event in September 2022, and they were updated with a USB-C charging case and a few other tweaks in September 2023. Otherwise, Apple has waited about three years to update all of its AirPods models.

Whether they are a new, high-end version of the ‌AirPods Pro 3‌ or full-fledged AirPods Pro 4, launch timing is currently unclear, but Apple typically announces new AirPods in the second half of the year. The original AirPods, AirPods Pro 2 and their subsequent USB-C revision, ‌AirPods 4‌, and ‌AirPods Pro 3‌ were all announced at Apple's annual ‌iPhone‌ event in September.
This article, "AirPods Pro 4 Could Feature Cameras to 'See Around You'" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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In 2021, Ferrari and its parent company Exor announced a multi-year creative partnership with LoveFrom, the design firm co-founded by Apple's former design chief Jony Ive and fellow designer Marc Newson. Now, in an event held at the Transamerica Pyramid, not far from LoveFrom's studio in San Francisco, Ferrari has shared the first results of that collab by unveiling the interior and interface of its first fully electric car, named "Luce" (Italian for "light").


In a writeup over at PRNDL, automotive journalist and MacRumors alum Jordan Golson describes how the Luce is designed around the premise that a car's interface should be operable largely by feel, with minimal visual distraction. Ive argues that touchscreens made sense for the iPhone because it solved a general-purpose problem, but it's not for driving: "To use touch in a car is something I would never dream of doing, because it requires that you look at what you're doing."

Following from that premise, the steering wheel and binnacle form a clear driving zone, where physical inputs are separated from visual outputs. Core functions such as climate, seat heating, and drive modes use dedicated mechanical switches and dials.

Physical controls trigger contextual responses on the displays, and the instrument binnacle combines layered OLED screens with physical depth and a real mechanical needle moving between them. The steering wheel itself is an exposed aluminum structure, where the glass-and-metal buttons are differentiated by touch, and the paddle shifters control EV functions like regenerative braking and torque delivery.

One of the standout features of the Luce is its glass key with an E Ink display. In your pocket it appears Ferrari yellow, and because E Ink is bistable, it consumes no power when static. When the driver enters the car, a magnet in the center console guides the key into a dedicated dock. Press it down, and the yellow fades to black as the key integrates with the glass surface of the console. Ive calls this "theater," re-imagining the ritual of starting up an electric car.

Head over to Golson's website for his full coverage, and watch his exclusive video above.

Ferrari has been unveiling its first fully electric car in three stages. The first reveal, held in Maranello last October, focused on the underlying technology, including the battery, motors, and platform. This second phase centers on the interior and interface. The exterior will be revealed in Italy in May.
This article, "Here's Jony Ive's Ferrari Luce EV Interior and Interface Design" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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YouTube Music is making users pay for lyrics. Originally introduced in 2020 as a free feature, song lyrics now sit behind a paywall – as part of a YouTube Premium or Music Premium subscription.


As spotted by 9to5Google, in the latest update currently rolling out, the Lyrics tab on the Now Playing screen displays the warning message, "You have [x] views remaining. Unlock lyrics with Premium."

Users get five free lyrics before a subscription is required. After that, users only see the first few lines, while the rest are blurred.

Google has been testing the change with a small subset of users for a few months already, and now it appears to be rolling out globally. Google has yet to confirm the change.

YouTube Music Premium costs $10.99 per month, and includes ad-free playback, offline downloads, and background listening. YouTube Premium, priced at $13.99, brings those benefits to the YouTube app.

It's possible that Google is trying to claw back costs paid to third-party services like LyricFind and MusixMatch, which the app seems to be using to retrieve lyrics. Whether the strategy outlives previous attempts by streamers to make users pay extra for the feature remains to be seen.

Last year, Spotify briefly put lyrics behind a paywall, but it rolled back the move after a user backlash.
This article, "YouTube Music Rolling Out Premium Paywall for Song Lyrics" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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