What's On Your iOS 19 Wishlist?
Ahead of when new versions of iOS come out, MacRumors forum members and readers often create wishlists for features they're hoping to see, and this year is no exception. Over on our forums, there are a couple wishlists of features that users have been contributing to since last June. We've rounded up a few of the features that have been suggested. Feel free to add your own suggestions in the comments here or go visit the wishlist thread. Apps Custom password for locking Passwords app. Option to add attachments in the Passwords app. Option to snooze emails. Swipe gesture to delete iMessage attachments. Account balance and transaction history for all cards in Wallet app. Food logging in the Health app. Dark Mode icons for web apps. Toggle to force camera to use Ultrawide or Telephoto lens in low light. Home Screen/Lock Screen Weather wallpaper for Lock Screen, Dynamic Wallpaper for Home Screen. Option to pick an icon for an app. Support for split screen apps. Option to turn off or speed up Face ID animations. Universal notification center that syncs between multiple devices. Opacity setting for widgets. More rows of icons on larger phones. Other Separate volume toggles for music, system sounds, and phone calls. Custom Focus mode status options. Lock rotation options on a per-app basis. Battery status widget for all devices signed into an Apple Account. Sandboxed kids mode with apps for kids. One combined user interface for Spotlight and Type to Siri. Number row for stock keyboard. Read More Check out our full iOS 19 wishlist thread over on the forums for more suggestions that users have made. What's Rumored for iOS 19 iOS 19 is rumored to be getting a major design update with visuals inspired by visionOS. It could have a floating, glossy look with a focus on transparency, along with simplified navigation and a reimagining of icons, buttons, and menu bars. More Apple Intelligence features are in the works, including the updates to ‌Siri‌ that we were supposed to get in iOS 18. We have a list of all the ‌iOS 19‌ rumors so far in our iOS 19 roundup.Related Roundup: iOS 19This article, "" first appeared on MacRumors.comDiscuss this article in our forums

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Nanoleaf Launches Multi-Functional Desk Lights for Your Mac
Nanoleaf today announced the launch of the Pegboard Desk Dock, a desktop light that's also able to hold accessories and serve as a dock for peripherals like a keyboard and a mouse thanks to added USB-A and USB-C ports. The Pegboard Desk Dock works with the Nanoleaf Desktop app, so it is able to change the color of the light to match the content on your Mac's display, making it ideal for gaming, watching movies, and similar activities. Like other Nanoleaf products, the Pegboard Desk Dock supports millions of colors, and can be set to different scenes, including those that respond to music. Because the Pegboard Desk Dock is meant to work specifically with a Mac or PC using a physical connection, it does not connect to HomeKit like other Nanoleaf products, nor does it work with the Nanoleaf mobile app. Instead, it connects to a computer over USB-C. There's a built-in USB-C cable that needs to connect to a USB-C port on a Mac or a Mac's attached display, like the Studio Display. Once connected, the Pegboard Desk Dock can be paired to the Nanoleaf Desktop app. More than one Dock can be paired to a Mac at once, but both need to be plugged into separate USB-C ports, or, alternatively, one can plug into the other. To power two, the host Dock's PD port needs to be connected to a power adapter via a USB-C cable, neither of which are included. You'll also need to plug in for higher powered peripherals like webcams and keyboards with RGB lighting. The Nanoleaf Desktop app can be used to set colors and animated scenes where the lights will cycle through different colors using patterns. There is also the option to have the lights change based on what's on the display of your computer, which is a neat effect. Turning on this option requires Screen Mirroring to be enabled, and for that, the Nanoleaf app requires Screen and System Audio Recording capabilities. While the Nanoleaf Desktop app itself is slow and somewhat laggy, the Screen Mirroring feature that actually displays the colors on the Pegboard Desk Dock works well with no latency. The Screen Mirroring option matches the color of the main window that you have active, so it's best for full screen games and entertainment. It's similar to light strips that change color based on what's on a display, but it is more versatile. Because the lights aren't designed to illuminate behind a display, the Pegboard Desk Dock works for setups where your desk is not in front of a wall. An Orchestrator section of the app changes the light based on the audio of an app that's selected like Apple Music, and a Scenescapes feature plays sound and light for an immersive experience. There are scenes like aquarium, beach, at sea, fireplace, and rainfall. Orchestrator and Scenescapes are only available with one option without a Nanoleaf Desktop subscription. The Nanoleaf Desktop app costs $1.99 per month or $19.99 per year. It's not needed to play scenes, change colors, or use Screen Mirroring, but it is needed for full Orchestrator and Scenescape access. When Screen Mirroring isn't on, there are user-created scenes to choose from, and these scenes provide one-click access to tons of color and motion options. There's plenty to access without a subscription. The Pegboard Desk Dock is two-sided, so the light can be seen from either side. One side has the "pegboard" of the name, while the other is a plain, diffused LED. There are four hooks that can be attached to the pegboard side of the dock, and the size is ideal for game controllers or other similar objects. There are two USB-C ports at the back of the Pegboard Desk Dock, another USB-C port on the side, and a USB-A port on the opposite side, so multiple peripherals can be connected. Aside from the built-in cable, there's a cable extender if extra length is needed to reach a Mac. The light portion of the dock pops out of the base, which makes it easy to swap designs. Each light is 50 lumens, and the dock side is not too bright when it's next to a display, but the other side can be a little hard to look at if the colors aren't muted down somewhat. Given that these aren't super bright, they're best used for ambient lighting in a dim room. The Pegboard Desk Dock can be purchased from the Nanoleaf website for $60, with a two-pack available for $100.Tag: NanoleafThis article, "" first appeared on MacRumors.comDiscuss this article in our forums

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OpenAI Working on Social Network With Image Generation Features
OpenAI is developing a social network that's focused on ChatGPT's image generation features, reports The Verge. OpenAI is reportedly testing a prototype version of an image generator with a social feed, and OpenAI CEO Sam Altman has been asking people for feedback on the project. It's not clear if OpenAI will integrate its social network into ChatGPT or launch it as a standalone app, and there's also a chance that the app doesn't make it out of the prototyping phase. Facebook parent company Meta is also planning for a social feed for its standalone AI assistant app, which would pit OpenAI's social AI app against Meta's social AI app. OpenAI would also need to compete with X (formerly Twitter), as X already integrates with the Grok chatbot. Grok's integration with X apparently has "made everyone jealous," especially the way that "people create viral tweets by getting it to say something stupid." By developing a social network, OpenAI would have access to real-time data to further train its models. Meta and X both already have real-time social feeds to use for training purposes and for surfacing real-time information to answer queries.Tag: OpenAIThis article, "" first appeared on MacRumors.comDiscuss this article in our forums

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Review: Alogic's Roam Power Bank Charges Up All of Your Devices on the Go
Portable multi-device chargers are popular accessories for frequent travelers, offering the ability to keep your iPhone, Apple Watch, AirPods, and in some cases other devices charged up while away from home. Alogic's recently launched Roam 21,000mAh 6-in-1 Power Bank takes things a step further, pairing all of these chargers with an integrated battery to help charge your devices even while away from fixed power. I've been testing out the Roam for a few weeks, including on a week-long multi-stop trip around the U.S., and I've found it to be a handy travel companion that gets the job done with a few sacrifices. The Roam is essentially a fairly large 21,000 mAh (77 Wh) power bank equipped with a variety of charging surfaces, ports, and even an integrated USB-C cable to help charge whatever devices you're bringing with you on the road. The whole thing folds down to a relatively compact rectangular body, but when you're ready to use it, the Qi2 magnetic phone charging pad and the Apple Watch charging puck swing up for optimal positioning while also revealing a recessed Qi charging surface for charging your AirPods. If you need to charge more devices like an iPad and/or a Mac, there's a short integrated USB-C cable that tucks in along the side of the Roam, plus a pair of USB-C ports on the rear. The body of the Roam is primarily a matte black plastic that does pick up a few fingerprints over time, with a band of aluminum around the edges. As noted, the phone charger on the Roam is a MagSafe-compatible Qi2 charger, and it supports up to 15 watts of charging power for most of Apple's recent iPhones. That's not quite as fast as the 25-watt MagSafe support introduced on the iPhone 16 series, but it's plenty sufficient. In my testing, the Roam was able to boost an iPhone 16 Pro Max battery by 50% in under an hour, similar to what I've seen with other Qi2 chargers. The folding pad works at any angle from completely flat against the body of the Roam to up to almost 90 degrees, and it remains solidly in position thanks to hinge tension, making it convenient to set up your phone to charge in either vertical or horizontal orientation, with StandBy mode supported. The AirPods charging surface is revealed once the Qi2 pad is raised, and it's a simple 5-watt Qi charging pad without magnetic alignment, but it works fine for keeping wireless charging-capable AirPods cases charged up. The Apple Watch charging puck swings up at the rear of the Roam, and it's a matte black color that blends in nicely with the rest of the Roam's surface, a pleasant deviation from the typical white Apple Watch charging pucks that tend to stand out visually. The puck's design supports Nightstand mode for the Apple Watch, but its placement behind the Qi2 charger means you probably won't be able to see it while charging multiple devices. The ‌iPhone‌'s larger-screen StandBy functionality is better for nighttime use anyway. One potentially significant drawback for the Apple Watch charger is that it is NOT a fast charger and offers only 2-watt charging. As a result, my Apple Watch Ultra 2's battery only increased by around 25% in an hour on the charger, when a fast charger should be able to deliver around 80% charge in that amount of time. It's a non-issue if you want to leave your watch on the charger overnight, but if you're someone like me who likes to wear their watch overnight and usually tries to get a a quick charge in before bedtime, the Roam won't be able to deliver on that front. For charging other devices, the Roam features an integrated ~5-inch USB-C cable supporting up to 100 watts of charging power, as well as two USB-C ports on the rear, one of which supports up to 100 watts and the other supporting up to 18 watts. It's worth noting that the Roam can deliver a maximum of 100 watts of simultaneous output, so you'll only be able to max out those 100-watt USB-C options if you have nothing else connected to the power bank, but you can still get a decent amount of power out of them even with other devices charging. The Roam supports up to 65 watts of input charging through either the integrated cable or the 100-watt USB-C port, and it took about 90 minutes to recharge the Roam from 25% to 90% before things slowed a bit as it approached a full charge, reaching 97% after 120 minutes. Passthrough charging of other devices is supported if you are charging the Roam through the 100-watt USB-C port, but not if you're using the integrated cable. To help you keep tabs on charging state, the Roam features a small LCD on the side that shows the current level of the Roam's internal battery, as well as some small green icons to provide information about charging input and output. There is also a power button on the rear of the Roam to help you turn it on and off and activate passthrough charging, but the bank also turns off automatically after a period of non-use to help limit battery drain. With its 21,000 mAh battery that checks in at 77 Wh, the Roam is comfortably under the limit for carrying it on an airplane, though that internal battery does still bring some heft with it. The Roam checks in at 606 grams or around 1.3 pounds. That's a decent amount of weight, but not unreasonably so to toss in a bag, backpack, or carry-on suitcase. Alongside everything else I was carrying in my backpack on my trip, the Roam's weight wasn't noticeable, but if I'd been traveling lighter it certainly would have made a difference. It measures in at 158 mm (6.2 inches) x 82 mm (3.2 inches) x 35 mm (1.4 inches), so it's roughly the footprint of a Pro Max phone but substantially thicker and nearly three times as heavy. That bulk and weight is the price you pay to be able to have a fair amount of battery power with you, but just how much does that 21,000 mAh actually get you? Alogic says you should be able to charge an ‌iPhone 16‌ four times from the Roam, and that seems pretty much in line with my observation of around three times for an ‌iPhone 16 Pro‌ Max. The ‌iPhone 16 Pro‌ Max's battery is only 4,685 mAh, so in theory you should be able to charge it four times from the Roam, but due to inefficiencies in power storage and transfer you won't get quite that much out of it. An Apple Watch and AirPods obviously don't require much juice to recharge, but if you're looking to charge bigger items like an ‌iPad‌ or MacBook from the Roam, you're going to start running out of power pretty quickly. You might be able to get a full charge of a 13-inch MacBook Air out of it, but a 15-inch model would definitely be pushing it and any MacBook Pro would come up short, and that doesn't even account for charging your ‌iPhone‌ and any other devices from the Roam. So while the Roam would be plenty adequate for a weekend trip off the grid with your smaller devices, it's not going to be sufficient to keep an entire set of Apple portable products up and running for more than a single additional charge, if that. While it would be great to be able to keep an ‌iPhone‌, ‌iPad‌, MacBook, Apple Watch, and AirPods charged up for days' worth of use, the shortfall is simply the reality of how much power our devices need and the calculated tradeoffs of size and weight required to carry extra juice for them. As long as you're aware of the limitations and keep your expectations in line, the Roam can be a solid travel companion to keep your devices going when you don't have ready access to fixed power. The other consideration worth keeping in mind is that the handy features of the Roam do add bulk, weight, and cost to the overall package. If you want a barebones power bank in the same capacity range, you can certainly find options that are much cheaper, a bit smaller, and on the order of half the weight, but you will need cables for each of your devices and potentially not be able to charge as many devices simultaneously as you can with the Roam. The Roam is a premium product offering convenience and travel simplicity, but if you're willing to pay a bit more and carry some additional weight around, it may be worth the tradeoffs. The Roam 21,000mAh 6-in-1 Power Bank is available from Alogic's website and is normally priced at $197.99, but an Easter sale currently knocks 20% off, bringing it down to $158.39. Note: Alogic provided MacRumors with the Roam power bank for the purposes of this review. No other compensation was received. MacRumors is an affiliate partner with Alogic. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment, which helps us keep the site running.This article, "" first appeared on MacRumors.comDiscuss this article in our forums

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Apple Celebrating Earth Day With Apple Watch Activity Challenge
Apple will launch its next Apple Watch activity challenge on Tuesday, April 22 in celebration of Earth Day. To complete the challenge, Apple Watch owners will be required to complete a workout that lasts for 30 minutes or longer, with the activity recorded through the Workout app or an app that adds information to the Health app. On April 22, celebrate Earth Day and win this award with any workout of 30 minutes or more. Try to get outside for it! Apple Watch owners who earn the award will unlock an award in the Fitness app, plus they will get a series of animated stickers that can be used in the Messages and FaceTime apps. The April Earth Day challenge comes just before Apple's special Close Your Rings Day award on April 24, which is being offered to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the Apple Watch. Apple Watch users who close all three of their Activity rings on April 24 will earn 10 animated stickers and a digital award, plus Apple retail locations are offering a special physical pin while supplies last. The special Close Your Rings Day stickers are below. The pin will be available at Apple Stores on April 24 on a first come, first serve basis. Tag: Activity ChallengeThis article, "" first appeared on MacRumors.comDiscuss this article in our forums

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Apple Releases iOS 18.5 and macOS Sequoia 15.5 Public Betas
Apple today seeded the first public betas of upcoming iOS 18.5, iPadOS 18.5, and macOS Sequoia 15.5 updates, allowing the public to test the updates ahead of when they see an official launch. The public betas come a day after Apple provided the second betas to developers. Public beta testers can download the updates from the Settings app on each device after opting into the beta through Apple's public beta testing website. iOS 18.5 and ‌macOS Sequoia‌ 15.5 are relatively minor updates, and few new features have been discovered. The iOS Mail app has options for toggling off Contact Photos and Group by Sender for a look that's more like the iOS 17 Mail app, and there are some minor changes to how AppleCare info is displayed. Apple has also released public betas of watchOS 11.5 and tvOS 18.5. The software likely focuses on bug fixes and security improvements that are not outward facing. We're expecting Apple to release iOS 18.5, iPadOS 18.5, ‌macOS Sequoia‌ 15.5, and the other software updates sometime in May.Related Roundups: iOS 18, iPadOS 18, macOS SequoiaRelated Forums: iOS 18, iPadOS 18, macOS SequoiaThis article, "" first appeared on MacRumors.comDiscuss this article in our forums

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Apple Says These Products Are Now Vintage
Apple today updated its vintage products list to add the 2018 Mac mini and the iPhone 6s, devices that will get more limited service and repairs now that they are considered vintage. The ‌iPhone‌ 6s initially launched in 2015, but Apple kept it around as a low-cost device until 2018, which is why it is only now being added to the vintage list. The ‌iPhone‌ 6s had Apple's A9 chip, and it was equipped with a strengthened aluminum chassis to fix the ‌iPhone‌ 6 "bendgate" design flaw. It was also the first ‌iPhone‌ with 3D Touch, and the last flagship ‌iPhone‌ with a headphone jack. The 2018 ‌Mac mini‌ came out before Apple transitioned to Apple silicon, and it was actually the last ‌Mac mini‌ that had Intel chips inside. It was equipped with Intel's "Coffee Lake" chipset with 4-core and 6-core options, plus it had Intel UHD Graphics 630. A device is considered "vintage" five years after it was last distributed for sale. For vintage products, Apple's retail stores and Apple Authorized Service Providers (AASPs) are still able to offer repairs, but only if the required parts are available. At the seven year mark after a device's last date of sale, it is considered "obsolete." Apple Stores and AASPs generally do not repair products that are obsolete, and parts are no longer provided by Apple.Tag: Vintage and Obsolete Apple ProductsThis article, "" first appeared on MacRumors.comDiscuss this article in our forums

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Foldable iPhone to Cost ~$1,000 More Than Today's Pro Max
Apple's upcoming foldable iPhone will likely cost around 10% more than Samsung's rival device, according to a known Weibo leaker. According to a new post from the Weibo user known as "Instant Digital," Apple's first foldable ‌iPhone‌ will likely cost between $2,100 and $2,300—just a little more than Samsung's high-end foldable. The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold6 starts at $1,899.99, while the Galaxy Z Flip6 starts at $1,219.99. Apple's first foldable ‌iPhone‌ is expected to have a book-like design that folds horizontally, just like the Z Fold. The rumored pricing would make Apple's foldable around $200–$400 more expensive than Samsung's equivalent offering. For comparison, the iPhone 16 Pro Max starts at $1,199, but when configured with 1TB of storage that increases to $1,599. This means that Apple's first foldable will still be around $1,000 more expensive than the current flagship ‌iPhone‌. There are a growing number of insightful reports about Apple's long-rumored foldable iPhone; it is now expected to launch as soon as next year. Instant Digital has a mixed track record for Apple rumors, but has provided some strikingly accurate information, such as the imminent launch of 2023's Yellow iPhone 14, the frosted back glass of the iPhone 15 and ‌iPhone 15‌ Plus, the Apple Watch Series 9 as a minor refresh, spatial video capture on the ‌iPhone 15‌ Pro, the latest iPad Air and iPad Pro's landscape front-facing camera, the M4 ‌iPad Pro‌'s nano-texture display option, the ‌iPhone 16 Pro‌'s battery capacities, and continued Apple Watch band compatibility through the Apple Watch Series 10. As a result, their reports are worth taking seriously.Tags: Foldable iPhone, Instant DigitalThis article, "" first appeared on MacRumors.comDiscuss this article in our forums

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Apple Stores to Offer 10% Off Accessories When You Recycle Electronics
Ahead of Earth Day on April 22, Apple plans to launch an in-store promotion that offers customers 10% off select Apple accessories when they bring in old electronics for free recycling, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. Apple has long offered to recycle older devices, cables, cases, and accessories for free, as part of its environmental initiatives. Starting this Wednesday, customers who recycle electronics that are not eligible for trade-in credit at an Apple Store will temporarily qualify for up to $20 off select Apple accessories, including the AirTag, AirPods, Apple Pencil, Apple Watch bands, iPhone cases, and the Magic Mouse/Trackpad/Keyboard trio for Macs. Apple even accepts certain electronics from other brands for free recycling, so it will be interesting to see what qualifies for this promotion. The promotion will run for one month, according to Gurman. It is unclear if the offer will be available in the U.S. only, or in multiple countries. While a 10% discount is not significant, Apple rarely offers direct savings on its products beyond its annual Back to School and Black Friday events.Tags: Apple Store, Earth Day, Mark GurmanThis article, "" first appeared on MacRumors.comDiscuss this article in our forums

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Best Buy's Spring Sale Includes Big Discounts on iPad Pro, TVs, Headphones, and Much More
Best Buy this week kicked off a new Spring Sale, including major discounts on computers, TVs, headphones, smartphones, video games, LEGO sets, and much more. This also includes a collection of Apple product discounts on MacBook Air, MacBook Pro, and iPad Pro. Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with Best Buy. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment, which helps us keep the site running. In terms of Apple products, Best Buy is offering a huge collection of discounts on the 13-inch M4 iPad Pro. You'll find nearly every Wi-Fi and cellular model on sale at Best Buy during this event, with as much as $200 off these tablets. SITEWIDE DISCOUNTSBest Buy Spring Sale Most of the deals shared below are available to all shoppers, but some do require a My Best Buy Plus/Total membership. These start at $49.99/year for My Best Buy Plus, and grant access to exclusive discounts and more. Apple 13-inch M2 MacBook Air (256GB) - $799.00 ($200 off) 11-inch M4 iPad Pro (256GB Wi-Fi) - $899.00 ($100 off) 13-inch M4 iPad Pro (256GB Wi-Fi) - $1,099.00 ($200 off) 15-inch M3 MacBook Air (256GB) - $1,049.00 ($250 off) 14-inch M4 Pro MacBook Pro (24GB/512GB) - $1,749.00 for members ($250 off) TVs 65-inch LG LED 4K Smart TV - $349.99 ($250 off) 75-inch Insignia LED 4K Smart Fire TV - $399.99 ($200 off) 85-inch Samsung QLED 4K Smart TV - $999.99 ($700 off) 55-inch Samsung The Frame QLED 4K TV - $1,199.99 ($300 off) 75-inch Sony Bravia LED 4K Smart TV - $1,199.99 ($500 off) 65-inch LG OLED 4K UHD Smart TV - $1,399.99 ($300 off) 65-inch Sony Bravia OLED 4K Smart TV - $1,799.99 ($500 off) Headphones Skullcandy Crusher Over-the-Ear Noise Cancelling Headphones - $129.99 ($100 off) Sony WF1000XM5 Wireless Noise Cancelling Earbuds - $179.99 for members ($120 off) Samsung Galaxy Buds3 Pro Wireless Earbuds - $209.99 ($40 off) Bose Ultra Open-Ear Wireless Earbuds - $229.00 ($70 off) Sony WH1000XM4 Noise-Cancelling Headphones - $249.99 ($100 off) Sony WH1000XM5 Wireless Noise-Cancelling Headphones - $329.99 ($70 off) Laptops HP Touch Screen Laptop - $349.99 ($230 off) Lenovo IdeaPad Slim - $499.99 ($250 off) Alienware x16 Gaming Laptop - $1,799.99 ($900 off) LEGO Lotus Flowers - $10.49 ($4.50 off) Roses Botanical Collection - $11.99 ($3 off) Creator 3-in-1 Retro Camera - $15.99 ($4 off) Animal Crossing Bunnie's Outdoor Activities - $15.99 ($4 off) Creator 3-in-1 Flatbed Truck with Helicopter - $15.99 ($4 off) Creator 3-in-1 Flowers in Water Can - $23.99 ($6 off) Creator 3-in-1 Space Astronaut - $43.99 ($11 off) 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. Deals Newsletter Interested in hearing more about the best deals you can find in 2025? Sign up for our Deals Newsletter and we'll keep you updated so you don't miss the biggest deals of the season! Related Roundup: Apple DealsThis article, "" first appeared on MacRumors.comDiscuss this article in our forums

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iOS 19 Will Add These New Features to Your iPhone
The first iOS 19 beta is less than two months away, and there are already a handful of new features that are expected with the update. Apple should release the first iOS 19 beta to developers immediately following the WWDC 2025 keynote, which is scheduled for Monday, June 9. Following beta testing, the update should be released to the general public in September. Below, we recap the key iOS 19 rumors so far. New Design With Floating Tab Bar iOS 19 is expected to introduce a new design that looks more like the visionOS operating system on the Apple Vision Pro headset. According to Front Page Tech's Jon Prosser, iOS 19 will have a glass-like appearance, with added translucency for menus, buttons, and other user interface elements. He also expects rounder app icons, and a new floating tab bar in Apple apps. Bloomberg's Mark Gurman also expects iOS 19 to have a visionOS-like design, and he believes the design changes will be the biggest since iOS 7. End-to-End Encryption for RCS Last month, Apple said that it plans to add support for end-to-end encrypted RCS messages to the Messages app in future iOS, iPadOS, macOS, and watchOS software updates. That likely means iOS 19, macOS 16, and other corresponding updates. Apple promising end-to-end encryption for RCS messages indirectly confirms that it will be adopting the RCS Universal Profile 3.0 specification, which also includes several iMessage-like enhancements that were originally introduced in version 2.7 of the specification. iOS 18 supports RCS Universal Profile 2.4. Here are five new capabilities to expect for RCS conversations on iOS 19: End-to-end encryption, which will prevent Apple and any other third party from being able to read messages and attachments while they are being sent between devices In-line replies Edit messages Unsend messages Full-fledged Tapback support for RCS messages, ensuring they always workiMessage conversations with blue bubbles have supported end-to-end encryption by default since iOS 5. In addition, iMessage has supported in-line replies since iOS 14, while the options to edit and unsend iMessages were introduced with iOS 16. Apple has not indicated which iOS version will upgrade RCS, but iOS 19 or a follow-up update like iOS 19.1 or iOS 19.2 seems like a safe bet. Live Translate With AirPods At least some AirPods models will be getting a new live translation feature with iOS 19 and an accompanying firmware update, according to Gurman. Here is how that feature will work, according to his report last month:The capability will work like this: If an English speaker is hearing someone talk in Spanish, the iPhone will translate the speech and relay it to the user's AirPods in English. The English speaker's words, meanwhile, will be translated into Spanish and played back by the iPhone.Google already offers a similar Live Translate feature. He also said iOS 19 will have bolstered translation capabilities, which likely means improvements are coming to the Apple Translate app. Revamped Health App With Coaching Feature A revamped Health app is expected to debut as early as iOS 19.4 next year. Apple plans to offer a new AI-powered health coaching feature that offers personalized health recommendations, according to Gurman. 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, if the Apple Watch tracks poor heart-rate trends, a video could explain the risks of heart disease. Food tracking will be another big part of the revamped Health app, which could compete with the MyFitnessPal app, according to Gurman. Personalized Siri Apple recently delayed the more personalized version of Siri that it previewed at WWDC last year. The company said it anticipates rolling out the Siri upgrades at some point "in the coming year," so the features could launch as part of iOS 19 later this year, although they could also arrive as part of a later update, such as iOS 19.1 through iOS 19.4. Whenever they launch, the Siri upgrades will include understanding of a user's personal context, on-screen awareness, and deeper per-app controls. For example, during its WWDC 2024 keynote, Apple showed an iPhone user asking Siri about their mother's flight and lunch reservation plans based on info from the Mail and Messages apps. The more personalized Siri features will require an iPhone model that supports Apple Intelligence, so you will need an iPhone 15 Pro, iPhone 15 Pro Max, any iPhone 16 model, or any iPhone 17 model launching later this year. EU Changes The European Commission last month announced a long list of changes that Apple is legally required to implement in future iOS 19 and iOS 20 updates. The announcement clarifies interoperability requirements that Apple is required to adhere to in the EU, under the Digital Markets Act, which has been fully enforced since March 2024. The changes will further open up the iPhone and its technologies to competing companies and devices, and Apple is not happy about it. Here are some of the key requirements: Third-party smartwatches must be able to display and interact with iOS notifications by the end of 2025, which likely means iOS 19.2 or earlier. Apple must make its automatic audio switching feature available to third-party headphones by June 1, 2026, which likely means iOS 19.4 or earlier. This is the feature that allows most AirPods and select Beats to automatically switch connection between Apple devices, such as a Mac and an iPhone. Apple must make changes to iOS that allow for third parties to offer equivalent AirDrop alternatives by June 1, 2026. Apple must make changes to iOS that allow for third parties to offer equivalent AirPlay alternatives by iOS 20, or the end of 2026. iOS 20 is expected to be released to the general public in September 2026.The entire list of changes can be found on the European Commission's website. Compatibility According to a reliable source of iOS-related information, iOS 19 will be compatible with the iPhone 11 series and newer. More Read our iOS 19 roundup for more details about the upcoming software update.Related Roundup: iOS 19This article, "" first appeared on MacRumors.comDiscuss this article in our forums

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Beats Launches New Collection of Charging Cables
In line with reseller leaks from last month, Apple's Beats brand is launching its first-ever set of charging cables today. Available in up to four color options, the new cables include USB-C to USB-C, USB-A to USB-C, and USB-C to Lightning options. All three cable types are available in 1.5-meter (5-foot) and 20-centimeter (8-inch) lengths and both lengths are priced at $18.99 for a single cable. The 1.5-meter versions of USB-C to USB-C and USB-A to USB-C are also available in 2-packs for $34.99. The 1-pack versions of the 1.5-meter cables are available in Bolt Black, Surge Stone, and Rapid Red, though the Rapid Red versions of the USB-A to USB-C and USB-C to Lightning won't be available until summer. The USB-C to USB-C cable is also available in a Nitro Navy color. The 2-pack versions of the 1.5-meter USB-C to USB-C and USB-A to USB-C cables, as well as the three 20-centimeter cables, are available only in Bolt Black. The new Beats cables are made with a woven design for increased durability and to prevent tangles, with the USB-C to USB-C cables supporting charging at up to 60 watts while the USB-A to USB-C cables support charging at up to 15 watts. Data speeds on both are limited to USB 2.0 rates. The USB-C to Lightning cables support fast charging on select iPhone and iPad models, though Beats did not specify an exact wattage limit. To promote the launch, the Beats "Pill People" have returned in a brief ad spot voiced by comedians Ben Marshall, Desi Banks and Megan Stalter. The new cables are available to order starting today at apple.com in the United States, with on-shelf availability starting this Thursday, April 17. The debut of the new cables from Beats follows the launch of cases for the iPhone 16 series back in September and December as the brand has worked to expand its product portfolio into new accessory categories.Tag: BeatsThis article, "" first appeared on MacRumors.comDiscuss this article in our forums

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Apple's 20th Anniversary iPhone May Finally Go All Screen
Apple is preparing a "bold" new iPhone Pro model for the iPhone's 20th anniversary in 2027, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. As part of what's being described as a "major shake-up," Apple is said to be developing a design that makes more extensive use of glass – and this could point directly to the display itself. Here's the case for Apple releasing a truly all-screen iPhone with no display cutout for its premium 20th anniversary model. The Road to All-Screens Gurman recently reported that the Pro models are expected to gain a smaller Dynamic Island in 2026 or 2027, as Apple moves more of its front-facing components beneath the display. While it's not yet clear whether the selfie camera or the TrueDepth system behind Face ID will make the move first, display analyst Ross Young has said under-screen Face ID is currently slated to arrive in 2026. That would mean under-display Face ID could debut as early as next year, in the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max. In that scenario, the Dynamic Island would shrink but remain, housing a front-facing camera via a small cutout. The next logical step – for 2027's flagship – would be to move that camera under the display as well, finally achieving the full-screen design that has long been rumored. That progression aligns with Young's display roadmap, which has predicted this shift since 2023. Backing this up, Weibo-based leaker Digital Chat Station recently claimed the next two iPhone generations – iPhone 17 and iPhone 18 – will both retain the Dynamic Island. But for the 2027 model, Apple may be on track to complete its transition to a seamless display. Foldable Innovations Apple is reportedly already testing the technologies that could make this possible. The company is developing an 18.8-inch foldable device, and one prototype is said to feature a "metal superstructure lens" that integrates the transmitter and receiver components used for Face ID, enabling facial recognition under the display. Meanwhile, the long-rumored foldable iPhone, which could launch as soon as next year, reportedly uses an under-display front-facing camera and forgoes Face ID entirely, instead relying on Touch ID built into the side button. If accurate, that would signal Apple is actively experimenting with multiple under-display camera systems across its product lines – some with Face ID, some without. Together, these developments suggest Apple may already have the foundational technologies in place to hide both the TrueDepth system and selfie camera beneath the screen – key requirements for a truly all-screen iPhone. That would set the stage for a major design milestone in 2027, in line with what former design chief Jony Ive long envisioned. Engineering Advances Of course, this all depends on Apple overcoming some significant engineering hurdles. For Face ID to work under the display, its sensors – especially those that use infrared light – need to operate without interference from the display layers above them. That's difficult with current OLED and LCD technology, which tend to scatter or absorb infrared signals. There are, however, several emerging display solutions that might enable this. Transparent OLED panels can allow infrared light to pass through specific areas of the screen, though current implementations suffer from reduced brightness and clarity. LTPO displays with subpixels that can temporarily deactivate may also allow sensors to "see" through the panel during authentication. Another possibility involves integrating optical waveguide layers into the display to channel infrared signals to and from the sensors with minimal distortion. Apple could also incorporate advanced IR-pass materials to create invisible sensor zones that preserve display quality while enabling accurate facial recognition. It's likely that a future under-display Face ID system would require a combination of these technologies to meet Apple's high standards for privacy, performance, and visual consistency. As for the front camera, industry progress is further along. Several Android phones already feature under-display selfie cameras, and Apple has reportedly been working on its own solution for some time. According to an April 2024 report, LG Innotek – one of Apple's Korean suppliers – is developing under-display cameras that leave no visible hole when inactive. These systems use a "freeform optic" multiple lens array designed to reduce image distortion and improve brightness, compensating for the light loss that typically occurs when a camera sits behind a display. 20th Anniversary iPhone If Apple intends to mark the iPhone's 20th anniversary with a hardware leap on the scale of 2017's iPhone X – which removed the Home button and introduced Face ID in a top-screen notch – then a true all-screen design would certainly make a splash. As for naming, it's unclear whether Apple will stick with its annual numbering pattern, which would put us at iPhone 19 in 2027, or choose a commemorative name like "iPhone 20" to align with the milestone year – just as it introduced the iPhone 8 and the radically redesigned iPhone X side by side in 2017. Either way, a full-screen, all-glass iPhone would be a fitting way to celebrate two decades of Apple's most iconic product.This article, "" first appeared on MacRumors.comDiscuss this article in our forums

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iPhone Feature for Tracking Lost Baggage Expands to China Airlines
Taiwan's China Airlines now supports Apple's iPhone feature that makes it easier to share the location of AirTag-equipped baggage at airports, according to local media. With iOS 18.2, Apple introduced a new Find My feature that lets you temporarily share the location of an AirTag-equipped item – such as a bag – with others, including participating airline staff, to help track it if it's lost or delayed. Users running iOS 18.2, iPadOS 18.2, or macOS Sequoia 15.2 and later can generate a "Share Item Location" link in the Find My app. Recipients can view the item's location on a live-updating web map. Apple says it collaborated with airlines to enable private and secure access to these links. Only a small number of people can view each link, and airline staff must authenticate using an Apple ID or a verified partner email to gain access. China Airlines said that as soon as customers find their item, location sharing is disabled. The owner can also stop sharing their location at any time, and the sharing link automatically expires after 7 days to ensure the privacy of passengers. American Airlines rolled out support for the feature in February. Other airlines that also offer the feature include Delta, United, Air Canada, Virgin Atlantic, Lufthansa, and more. Tags: AirTag, Find My, TaiwanThis article, "" first appeared on MacRumors.comDiscuss this article in our forums

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Foldable iPhone Set to Use Exclusively Samsung OLED Panels
Apple's upcoming foldable iPhone (aka "iPhone Fold") will use OLED panels exclusively supplied by Samsung Display, reports Business Korea. Apple's decision to rely exclusively on Samsung Display is noteworthy, as it marks a departure from Apple's usual strategy of sourcing components from multiple suppliers to reduce costs and ensure consistent quality. Apple's decision to use Samsung as the sole supplier of the OLED panels, leaving out LG Display and China's BOE, was reportedly down to Samsung's "technological edge in minimizing screen creases." "For Apple, which prioritizes quality over price when selecting component suppliers, Samsung was the only viable choice," stated an industry insider quoted in the report. Based on previous reports, when the device is folded, users will interact with a 5.5-inch outer display that is similar to a typical iPhone screen, while unfolding it will reveal a larger 7.8-inch iPad-style screen with a punch-hole camera. The inner display is said to be virtually crease-free, and the screen dimensions have been corroborated by two reputable sources. Instead of Face ID, Apple is said to be using Touch ID integrated into the side button to save internal space. Foldable iPhone Expected Next Year: All the Rumored Features So Far According to Business Korea, the supply volume for Apple's foldable iPhone, expected to launch late next year, has not yet been finalised. However, industry expectations suggest it could exceed its initially projected annual level of 9 million units, and potentially reach over 15 million units.Tag: Foldable iPhoneThis article, "" first appeared on MacRumors.comDiscuss this article in our forums

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Foldable iPhone's Under-Screen Camera Likely Won't Include Face ID
Apple's rumored foldable iPhone currently in development features an under-screen camera integrated into the folding display, but the module is unlikely to include TrueDepth components that make up Face ID. That's according to Weibo-based leaker Digital Chat Station who has sources within the Chinese supply chain. On Monday, the leaker revealed the alleged screen resolutions for the 7.76-inch inner display and the 5.49-inch outer display of Apple's book-style foldable device, and they also claimed that the inner display uses "under-screen camera technology." However, it was not clear whether this meant the TrueDepth system that underlies Face ID would be integrated beneath the screen along with the selfie camera. The latest tidbit of information clears this up, and suggests that the display will have a single punch-hole camera. It also aligns with industry analyst Ming-Chi Kuo's claim that Apple's foldable iPhone will forgo Face ID authentication, instead using a Touch ID side button as a means to save precious internal space. Apple already integrates Touch ID into the side button on some iPads, so there's precedent for this. Integrating Face ID under the screen is difficult because the core components that make up the TrueDepth camera system – like the dot projector and infrared camera – need a clear, unobstructed view to accurately scan your face. Current display layers block or distort infrared light, which degrades the system's ability to create a secure 3D facial map. Fully under-display Face ID will remain a technical hurdle until displays can transmit infrared light cleanly. Apple will launch its long-rumored foldable iPhone late next year with a ~$2,000 premium price tag attached, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. Tags: Digital Chat Station, Foldable iPhoneThis article, "" first appeared on MacRumors.comDiscuss this article in our forums

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Apple TV+ Comedy 'Mythic Quest' Canceled
Apple is canceling popular comedy series Mythic Quest after a four season run, with the show to wrap up after a re-released season 4 finale that's coming later this week. Mythic Quest starred Rob McElhenney, Charlotte Nicdao, Danny Pudi, and David Hornsby, all of whom played characters that worked at the fictional Mythic Quest Studios creating, designing, and running a massively multiplayer online roleplaying game. The show provided a satirical and humorous look at the inner workings of video game development. Season four was not initially meant to be the show's final season, so the season four finale has been updated with a new ending that will provide Mythic Quest fans with closure. In a statement to Deadline, series producers Megan Ganz, David Hornsby and Rob McElhenney said they wanted to be able to say goodbye. Endings are hard. But after four incredible seasons, Mythic Quest is coming to a close. We're so proud of the show and the world we got to build -- and deeply grateful to every cast and crew member who poured their heart into it. To all our fans, thank you for playing with us. To our partners at Apple, thank you for believing in the vision from the very beginning. Because endings are hard, with Apple's blessing we made one final update to our last episode -- so we could say goodbye, instead of just game over. Mythic Quest was one of the first shows that launched on Apple TV+, debuting in February 2020. There have been four seasons and two special episodes, including one that was filmed remotely on iPhones during the COVID-19 pandemic. Apple's decision to cancel Mythic Quest follows reports of ‌Apple TV‌+ losses. ‌Apple TV‌+ is losing as much as $1 billion per year as Apple works to lure subscribers and add more content to the streaming service. Mythic Quest has spawned a spinoff show called Side Quest, a four episode miniseries that explores the lives of Mythic Quest employees and players. The final episode of season four aired on March 26 and ended with a cliffhanger. The re-edited final episode with a new ending will be available this week.Tag: Apple TV PlusThis article, "" first appeared on MacRumors.comDiscuss this article in our forums

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Trump Planning Semiconductor Tariffs That Will Impact Apple, No One 'Getting Off the Hook'
Apple will not be exempt from tariffs after all, with U.S. President Donald Trump working on new semiconductor levies that will likely impact Apple devices, chips from companies like Nvidia, and other electronics. Over the weekend, the U.S. Customers and Border Protection agency shared a long list of electronic devices excluded from the current tariffs, including iPhones, iPads, Macs, the Apple Watch, and more. Apple scored a reprieve from the 145 percent tariff impacting goods imported from China and the 10 percent tariff on goods imported from other countries, but it doesn't sound like it's going to last. On his Truth Social network, Trump said that no one is "getting off the hook" and there "was no tariff exception." Apple and other tech companies are "just moving to a different tariff bucket," with the 20 percent "Fentanyl Tariffs" still in place, and additional tariffs coming. Trump said that his administration will be "taking a look" at semiconductors and the electronics supply chain in the National Security Tariff Investigations. He also reiterated that "we need to make products in the United States." Trump is expected to announce some kind of semiconductor tariff in the coming days. Trump has suggested that Apple could manufacture the iPhone and other products in the United States, but even if such a move were not wildly expensive, Apple would not be able to find enough people with the necessary skillset to assemble devices in the quantities needed. U.S. manufacturing would also drive the cost of the ‌iPhone‌ up significantly.This article, "" first appeared on MacRumors.comDiscuss this article in our forums

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Chipolo Launches Colorful New 'Pop' Trackers Compatible With Find My
Chipolo today introduced a series of new Bluetooth-enabled item trackers that are compatible with Apple's Find My network. Called the Pop, these trackers come in a range of bright colors, including blue, yellow, red, and green, along with black and white. The Chipolo Pop item trackers work with Apple ‌Find My‌, so you can use them just like AirTags. The Pop can be added to your Items tab in the ‌Find My‌ app, and once added, it is trackable over Bluetooth and can be placed on an item like a bag or a suitcase for tracking purposes. When the item is out of range, the Pop is able to connect to the ‌Find My‌ network to leverage the iPhones of other people to locate your item and relay its location. Like an AirTag, the Chipolo Pop is equipped with a CR2032 battery that lasts for up to a year before it needs to be replaced. The Pop is 6.6mm thick (so a little thinner than an ‌AirTag‌) and it has a 300 ft range, plus it comes with a loop at the top for attaching a keyring or strap. Compared to prior-generation Chipolo trackers, the Pop has a louder sound when the Play Sound option is selected in ‌Find My‌, a longer range, and IP55 dust and water resistance. Chipolo is selling the Pop for $29, and it can be purchased from the Chipolo website. Four Pops are priced at $89, and six Pops are priced at $121, or a little over $20 per tracker.This article, "" first appeared on MacRumors.comDiscuss this article in our forums

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OpenAI Launches New Coding-Focused GPT-4.1 Models
OpenAI today announced the launch of three new GPT models that are available through the OpenAI API. Called GPT-4.1, GPT-4.1 mini, and GPT-4.1 nano, the models are not available for ChatGPT at the current time. GPT-4.1 includes major improvements in coding, instruction following, and long context, according to OpenAI. The models outperform GPT-4o and GPT-4o mini in all tasks, especially coding tasks. The new models support up to one million tokens of context, and can use that for better long-context comprehension. On SWE-bench Verified, GPT-4.1 showed a 21.4 percent improvement over GPT-4o for coding, and a 26.6 percent improvement over GPT-4.5. The slimmed down GPT-4.1 mini matches or exceeds GPT-4o with reduced latency and an 83 percent lower cost. GPT-4.1 nano is OpenAI's fastest and cheapest model, ideal for classification, autocompletion, and similar tasks. OpenAI says that many of the improvements in GPT-4.1 have already been incorporated into the ChatGPT version of GPT-4o, with more functionality to be added in the future. All GPT-4.1 models have a cutoff date of June 2024, which means they are up to date on events that took place before then. With the introduction of GPT-4.1, OpenAI is deprecating GPT-4.5 in the API, as GPT-4.1 offers much of the same functionality at a lower cost. GPT-4.1 costs $2 per million input tokens and $8 per million output tokens, while GPT-4.1 mini costs $0.40 per million input tokens and $1.60 per million output tokens. GPT-4.1 nano is just $0.10 per million input tokens and $0.40 per million output tokens. Customized models are available at a higher price. Tag: OpenAIThis article, "" first appeared on MacRumors.comDiscuss this article in our forums

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Review: Dio Node Aims to Bring Cost-Effective AirPlay Speakers to Your Entire Home
Dio is a small company focused on delivering a single product for the Apple ecosystem: a low-cost AirPlay speaker system known as Dio Node. Initially launched as a crowdfunded Indiegogo campaign back in 2022, the Dio Node began shipping to backers later that year before later opening up to all customers. The Dio Node is intended to be a low-cost option for users looking to develop a network of ‌AirPlay‌ speakers scattered throughout their homes, with a single speaker priced at $89.95 and 3-pack and 5-pack options bringing the per-speaker cost down to just under $80. That's just a bit cheaper than a HomePod mini, and I've spent some time with a 3-pack of the Dio Node to understand how the two small speakers compare and what the value proposition of the Dio Node is for users deep in the Apple ecosystem. From a design perspective, the Dio Node is a pretty simple unidirectional speaker made of dark gray plastic with a light gray or silver speaker grille covering the entire front of the device. It measures around 4 inches (102 mm) square by 1.5 inches (38 mm) deep with a slight taper from front to back, and it weighs just under half a pound (222 grams). The rear of the Node has some very large Dio branding in white, but fortunately this shouldn't be visible in most setups. A soft pad on the bottom edge of the Node helps protect surfaces from potential scratches. The top of the Node features three subtle rectangular buttons, with the left and right buttons serving to decrease and increase the volume respectively, while the middle one serves as a play/pause button for audio being AirPlayed to the speaker. Holding down multiple buttons in various combinations performs functions such as updating the speaker's firmware, resetting the Wi-Fi connection of the speaker, and conducting a full factory reset. The speaker is powered through a small 5V2A power adapter with a barrel connector that plugs into the back of the speaker. The integrated cord on the adapter measures about 1.5 meters (59 inches) long, so it does give you some flexibility in terms of placement with respect to an electrical outlet. Setup is dead simple, with the Node entering a pairing mode as soon as you plug it in for the first time. Once the small LED on the rear of the Node is flashing red, head to the Wi-Fi section of the Settings app on your iOS device, where the Node will appear in a "Set Up New ‌AirPlay‌ Speaker" section. Tap the Node, select the Wi-Fi network you want to add it to, and give it a useful name to help you identify it in your list of ‌AirPlay‌ destinations. All-in-all, it takes about a minute to get the Node up and running on your network and you can use it just like any other ‌AirPlay‌ destination including accessing it from Control Center or from within compatible apps, using it in combination with additional Dio Nodes or other ‌AirPlay‌ speakers for multi-room audio, and more. If you want to take your integration a bit further, you can also add your Dio Node to your Apple Home setup. That's also a simple process, requiring you to simply tap the "+" button in the Home app and select "Add an Accessory," choose the "more options" text to see the Node pop up as an available device on your network, tap it, and select which room in your home you want to add it to. The Home app will suggest an automation to automatically pause audio playing to the speaker when you leave your home, but the automation is turned off by default and you can quickly skip past that step to finalize setup. Once the speaker is set up in the Home app, you can use it as a speaker for the Intercom feature in Apple Home, include the speaker in various other automations and shortcuts, and use Siri to control playback on the Node via the device you're playing from. You can also set up speaker group presets that include the Node. There's no limit to the number of Dio Nodes that you can link together, which means you can easily scatter them all over your house for a whole-home audio experience, and once they're set up anyone on your network can stream audio to them. The Node offers mono sound rated to 85 dB, so it can get fairly loud for most room sizes, and I would describe its sound quality as adequate but not outstanding. Compared to the ‌HomePod mini‌, the Dio Node doesn't have as much bass punchiness, and overall I do prefer the ‌HomePod mini‌ sound. Stepping up to a full-size HomePod obviously offers even better sound, but that's a separate class of speaker. Dio says the equalization of the Node is tuned to accentuate voices, making it ideal for playing podcasts or audiobooks throughout your home as you move from room to room. It can also certainly handle a decent range of music, but it does lack some of the fullness of sound you get with a few other speaker options. The ‌AirPlay‌ protocol running over Wi-Fi delivers improved sound quality including support for Lossless compared to wireless speakers running over Bluetooth, but you won't be able to capture that full quality here due to the small size of the speaker. The buttons on the Node are simple but work relatively well, with the play/pause commands taking effect almost immediately across all speakers when the middle button on any of the Nodes is pressed. The buttons are on the clicky side, which makes it obvious when they've triggered but potentially a bit disruptive if being used in a quiet environment. Adjusting volume from iOS or within an app on your source device does incur a bit of lag before it changes on the speaker, more so than I see with a ‌HomePod mini‌ in the same setup. With its singular focus on ‌AirPlay‌ to keep things simple, the Dio Node lacks several features seen on the ‌HomePod mini‌ and a number of other lower-cost speakers, with the most obvious being a microphone. With no microphone on board the Dio Node, it's not able to directly support ‌Siri‌ requests, for example, and it can't support phone calls and other types of two-way communication. Apps that classify their sound output as audio calls won't be able to send their audio to the Node at all, but you shouldn't have any trouble with playback-focused audio sources. Dio unsurprisingly markets the lack of a microphone as a privacy feature, given concerns about voice-enabled devices potentially being able to listen in on conversations. While you can pair the Dio Node to an Apple TV, it's not intended to be used as a stereo or home theater system as it can't pair directly to a TV and doesn't support stereo pairing. There is limited support on Mac and iTunes for Windows, though you can expand its Mac capabilities by using something like Rogue Amoeba's Airfoil app. But even without that, I had no problem sending audio from the Music app on a Mac to multiple Dio Nodes, and I experienced no issues with audio sync. Range appeared to be solid in my testing, with no audio dropouts on any of the Nodes regardless of where in my 1,800-square-foot house my source devices were in relation to the speakers. Overall, the Dio Node is a reasonable option if you're looking to set up multi-room ‌AirPlay‌ audio across your home and aren't looking to spend a ton of money. It's hard to recommend a single Dio Node over the ‌HomePod mini‌ for a cost savings of only around $10 given the ‌HomePod mini‌'s better overall sound, larger feature set, and tighter ecosystem integration with things like audio handoff. But if you're looking deploy to something like five or even ten or more of these all around your house, the savings becomes more substantial, and if ‌AirPlay‌ to a set of Dio Nodes is sufficient for your needs, then it's a product worth considering. Dio offers free shipping anywhere in the U.S. and offers 60-day free returns, so you have ample opportunity to give them a try to see if they'll work for your situation. The Node has also been certified for use in Canada and Europe, and Dio is hoping to expand distribution to those regions in the near future. The Dio Node can be ordered from the Dio website or via Amazon (which still ships from direct from Dio), with a 1-pack priced at $89.95, a 3-pack priced at $239.00 ($79.66 per unit), or a 5-pack priced at $395.00 ($79.00 per unit). Note: Dio provided MacRumors with a 3-pack of Dio Nodes for the purposes of this review. No other compensation was received. 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.Tags: AirPlay, DioThis article, "" first appeared on MacRumors.comDiscuss this article in our forums

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Here's How Apple is Working to Improve Apple Intelligence
With its uncompromising focus on user privacy, Apple has faced challenges collecting enough data to train the large language models that power Apple Intelligence features and that will ultimately improve Siri. To improve ‌Apple Intelligence‌, Apple has to come up with privacy preserving options for AI training, and some of the methods the company is using have been outlined in a new Machine Learning Research blog post. Basically, Apple needs user data to improve summarization, writing tools, and other ‌Apple Intelligence‌ features, but it doesn't want to collect data from individual users. So instead, Apple has worked out a way to understand usage trends using differential privacy and data that's not linked to any one person. Apple is creating synthetic data that is representative of aggregate trends in real user data, and it is using on-device detection to make comparisons, providing the company with insight without the need to access sensitive information. It works like this: Apple generates multiple synthetic emails on topics that are common in user emails, such as an invitation to play a game of tennis at 3:00 p.m. Apple then creates an "embedding" from that email with specific language, topic, and length info. Apple might create several embeddings with varying email length and information. Those embeddings are sent to a small number of iPhone users who have Device Analytics turned on, and the iPhones that receive the embeddings select a sample of actual user emails and compute embeddings for those actual emails. The synthetic embeddings that Apple created are compared to the embedding for the real email, and the user's ‌iPhone‌ decides which of the synthetic embeddings is closest to the actual sample. Apple then uses differential privacy to determine which of the synthetic embeddings are most commonly selected across all devices, so it knows how emails are most commonly worded without ever seeing user emails and without knowing which specific devices selected which embeddings as the most similar. Apple says that the most frequently selected synthetic embeddings it collects can be used to generate training or testing data, or can be used as examples for further data refinement. The process provides Apple with a way to improve the topics and language of synthetic emails, which in turn trains models to create better text outputs for email summaries and other features, all without violating user privacy. Apple does something similar for Genmoji, using differential privacy to identify popular prompts and prompt patterns that can be used to improve the image generation feature. Apple uses a technique to ensure that it only receives ‌Genmoji‌ prompts that have been used by hundreds of people, and nothing specific or unique that could identify an individual person. Apple can't see ‌Genmoji‌ associated with a personal device, and all signals that are relayed are anonymized and include random noise to hide user identity. Apple also doesn't link any data with an IP address or ID that could be associated with an Apple Account. With both of these methods, only users that have opted-in to send Device Analytics to Apple participate in the testing, so if you don't want to have your data used in this way, you can turn that option off. Apple plans to expand its use of differential privacy techniques for improving Image Playground, Memories Creation, Writing Tools, and Visual Intelligence in iOS 18.5, iPadOS 18.5, and macOS Sequoia 15.5. Tag: Apple IntelligenceThis article, "" first appeared on MacRumors.comDiscuss this article in our forums

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Amazon Discounts USB-C AirPods Max to $479.99 ($69 Off)
Amazon today has the USB-C AirPods Max on sale for $479.99 in every color, down from $549.00. This beats the price we tracked last week by about $20, and it's an overall second-best price on the headphones. 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. Colors available on sale include Blue, Midnight, Orange, Starlight, and Purple. All colors are still available to be delivered in April, with most providing a delivery estimate around April 19 for free shipping options. Prime members in certain cities should be able to see same-day delivery options. $69 OFFAirPods Max (USB-C) for $479.99 It's also worth noting that Amazon has the AirPods Pro 2 on sale for $189.99, down from $249.00. This is another second-best price, but it's been a few weeks since we've seen the AirPods Pro 2 down to their all-time low price, and this is a solid discount for anyone looking to purchase the accessory this week. $59 OFFAirPods Pro 2 for $189.99 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. Deals Newsletter Interested in hearing more about the best deals you can find in 2025? Sign up for our Deals Newsletter and we'll keep you updated so you don't miss the biggest deals of the season! Related Roundup: Apple DealsThis article, "" first appeared on MacRumors.comDiscuss this article in our forums

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Apple Seeds Second Betas of visionOS 2.5, tvOS 18.5, and watchOS 11.5
Apple today provided developers with the second betas of upcoming visionOS 2.5, tvOS 18.5, and watchOS 11.5 updates for testing purposes. The software is available two weeks after Apple seeded the first betas. The betas are available to registered developers, and can be downloaded from the Settings app on each device. With the first betas, no notable new features were found in any of the software updates, suggesting Apple is focusing on under-the-hood performance improvements and bug fixes.This article, "" first appeared on MacRumors.comDiscuss this article in our forums

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Apple Seeds Second Beta of macOS Sequoia 15.5
Apple today seeded the second beta of an upcoming macOS Sequoia 15.5 update to developers for testing purposes, with the software coming two weeks after Apple released the first ‌macOS Sequoia‌ 15.5 beta. Registered developers can opt-in to the ‌macOS Sequoia‌ beta through the Software Update section of the System Settings app. An Apple ID associated with an Apple Developer account is required to get the beta. ‌macOS Sequoia‌ 15.5 appears to be a minor update so far, and no notable new features were found in the first beta. Work on new features for ‌macOS Sequoia‌ is winding down, as Apple will soon transition to macOS 16. The next-generation version of macOS is set to be unveiled at WWDC in June.Related Roundup: macOS SequoiaRelated Forum: macOS SequoiaThis article, "" first appeared on MacRumors.comDiscuss this article in our forums

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Introducing Researcher and Analyst in Microsoft 365 Copilot
Introducing two, first-of-their-kind reasoning agents in Microsoft 365 Copilot. The post appeared first on Microsoft 365 Blog.

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New live chat in Microsoft Teams: Connecting customers and businesses effortlessly 
Introducing Live chat in Teams, a new way for small businesses to connect with customers, vendors, and partners.  The post appeared first on Microsoft 365 Blog.

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The Reports of Our Death Have Been Mildly Exaggerated – The TouchArcade Show #612
Hark, a new podcast is afoot? ‘Tis true, and it has been A WHILE, friends. Ten weeks to be exact. … Continue reading ""

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Call Failures From Subscribers to Twilio Phone Numbers in Greece.
Apr 15, 17:32 PDTInvestigating - We are observing call failures to Twilio phone numbers in Greece. We are currently working with our carrier partner to resolve the issue. We expect to provide another update in 1 hour or as soon as more information becomes available.

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Bot Management Issues
Apr 16, 00:15 UTCInvestigating - Cloudflare is investigating issues with our Bot Management feature. Some customers may be unable to create new Bot Management rules.We are working to mitigate this problem. More updates to follow shortly.

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Increased Error Rates for Durable Objects in Osaka
Apr 15, 21:34 UTCInvestigating - Cloudflare is investigating an increase in errors for requests to Durable Objects located in our Osaka (KIX) facility.

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Incorrect Task Usage Warning Email Alerts
Apr 15, 14:10 PDTInvestigating - We are currently investigating an issue where users are receiving an error message indicating that they have surpassed their subscription's task limit, even though they have not. The specific error message being received is: "You've surpassed your subscription's task limit."The issue appears to be affecting the email notifications sent to users. Despite the error message, please note that the task number showing in your Zapier account remains accurate.At this time, we are not aware of any data loss related to this incident. We are currently working to resolve the issue and will update this status page as we have more information.If you experience any further issues, please do not hesitate to reach out to our support team: https://zapier.com/app/get-help

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Quickbooks Online Integration Triggers Failing
Apr 15, 12:47 PDTMonitoring - We’re currently monitoring for the recurrence of an issue that was previously resol resolved. Earlier, we observed delays in webhooks from QuickBooks, and those delays appear to have returned. Our team is actively monitoring the situation to ensure stability and will provide updates as needed.

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Issue in Trust Hub
Apr 15, 11:02 PDTResolved - We have detected an issue with Trust Hub that has been resolved. Between 10:33 AM PT and 11:09 AM PT, customers may have been unable unable to perform account upgrades or sign up for products that require regulatory compliance, such as Phone Numbers. This issue has been resolved.

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Cloudflare Website Unavailable (www.cloudflare.com)
Apr 15, 16:31 UTCResolved - This incident has been resolved.Apr 15, 16:24 UTCInvestigating - We are investigating issues loading and accessing www.cloudflare.com. There is no impact to the Cloudflare dashboard or API.

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Russia SMS Carrier Maintenance – MTS
THIS IS A SCHEDULED EVENT Apr 15, 14:00 - 22:25 PDTApr 15, 08:12 PDTScheduled - The MTS network in Russia is conducting an emergency maintenance from 15 April 2025 at 14:00 PDT until 15 April 2025 at 22:25 PDT. During the maintenance window, there could be intermittent delays delivering SMS to MTS Russia handsets.We are aware of the short notice and are working with our Carrier Partners to provide earlier notification where possible.

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Taskrouter 5xx from rest proxy
Apr 15, 08:17 PDTInvestigating - Taskrouter APIs briefly resulted in 5xx errors from rest proxy. Errors are no longer occurring and customers are not impacted at this time. Our engineering team has been alerted and is actively investigating. We will update as soon as we have more information.

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SMS Delivery Failures To Multiple Networks In Mexico Via A Subset Of Twilio Numbers
Apr 15, 08:00 PDTIdentified - The issue causing intermittent has been identified. We are actively working to resolve the issue. We expect to provide another update in 1 hour or as soon as more information becomes available.Apr 15, 07:56 PDTInvestigating - Our monitoring systems have detected a potential issue . Our engineering team has been alerted and is actively investigating. We will update as soon as we have more information.

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Voice Calls causing 5XX errors
Apr 15, 07:38 PDTInvestigating - Our monitoring systems have detected a potential issue with . Our engineering team has been alerted and is actively investigating. We will update as soon as we have more information.

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United Kingdom Account Security Carrier Partner Maintenance – Vodafone
THIS IS A SCHEDULED EVENT Apr 15, 16:00 - 20:05 PDTApr 15, 07:00 PDTScheduled - Our carrier partner Vodafone United Kingdom is conducting a planned maintenance from 15 April 2025 at 16:00 PDT until 15 April 2025 at 20:05 PDT. During the maintenance window, there could be intermittent API request failures for Vodafone United Kingdom customers.Impacted Products: Lookup Identity Match, Legacy Identity MatchAndAttributesWe are aware of the short notice and are working with our Carrier Partners to provide earlier notification where possible.

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Malaysia SMS Carrier Maintenance – U Mobile
THIS IS A SCHEDULED EVENT Apr 15, 13:00 - 17:00 PDTApr 15, 07:03 PDTScheduled - The U Mobile network in Malaysia is conducting an emergency maintenance from 15 April 2025 at 13:00 PDT until 15 April 2025 at 17:00 PDT. During the maintenance window, there could be intermittent delays delivering SMS to U Mobile Malaysia handsets when sending via long codes and short codes.We are aware of the short notice and are working with our Carrier Partners to provide earlier notification where possible.

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Webhooks by Zapier – Not a legal HTTP header value error
Apr 15, 07:19 PDTInvestigating - We are currently seeing a small percentage of Webhooks by Zapier steps failing with an error "Not a legal HTTP header value." We are currently investigating the root cause of this issue and will provide additional information as soon as possible.

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SMS Delivery Report Delays to Claro in Dominican Republic
Apr 15, 06:46 PDTInvestigating - Our monitoring systems have detected a potential issue with . Our engineering team has been alerted and is actively investigating. We will update as soon as we have more information.

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Network Performance Issues in Bogotá
Apr 15, 13:00 UTCResolved - Cloudflare identified and resolved issues with Network Performance in our Bogotá (BOG) facility between 13:00 and 14:43 UTC today, 2025-04-15.

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Elevated number of 502 errors and higher network latency in Mumbai Datacenter
Apr 15, 07:54 UTCResolved - Between 07:20-07:25 UTC customers in Mumbai would have experienced an elevated number of 502 errors and higher network latency due to congestion.

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SMS Delivery Delays to Verizon Wireless in United States of America Via Subset of Shortcode
Apr 15, 00:02 PDTInvestigating - We are experiencing SMS delivery delays when sending messages to Verizon Wireless in United States of America via subset of shortcode. Our engineers are working with our carrier partner to resolve the issue. We will provide another update in 1 hour or as soon as more information becomes available.

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SYD (Sydney) on 2025-04-15
THIS IS A SCHEDULED EVENT Apr 15, 22:00 UTC  -  Apr 23, 10:00 UTCApr 15, 06:24 UTCScheduled - We will be performing scheduled maintenance in SYD (Sydney) datacenter between 2025-04-15 22:00 and 2025-04-23 10:00 UTC.Traffic might be re-routed from this location, hence there is a possibility of a slight increase in latency during this maintenance window for end-users in the affected region. For PNI / CNI customers connecting with us in this location, please make sure you are expecting this traffic to fail over elsewhere during this maintenance window as network interfaces in this datacentre may become temporarily unavailable.You can now subscribe to these notifications via Cloudflare dashboard and receive these updates directly via email, PagerDuty and webhooks (based on your plan): https://developers.cloudflare.com/notifications/notification-available/#cloudflare-status.

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SLC (Salt Lake City) on 2025-04-15
THIS IS A SCHEDULED EVENT Apr 15, 09:00 - 20:00 UTCApr 15, 04:54 UTCScheduled - We will be performing scheduled maintenance in SLC (Salt Lake City) datacenter on 2025-04-15 between 09:00 and 20:00 UTC.Traffic might be re-routed from this location, hence there is a possibility of a slight increase in latency during this maintenance window for end-users in the affected region. For PNI / CNI customers connecting with us in this location, please make sure you are expecting this traffic to fail over elsewhere during this maintenance window as network interfaces in this datacentre may become temporarily unavailable.You can now subscribe to these notifications via Cloudflare dashboard and receive these updates directly via email, PagerDuty and webhooks (based on your plan): https://developers.cloudflare.com/notifications/notification-available/#cloudflare-status.

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