MacRumors

In macOS Tahoe, Apple introduces the concept of Themes, with new appearance settings that go beyond the traditional Light and Dark modes, allowing you to customize the look of your Mac desktop more than ever. Here's what's changed.

In System Settings ➝ Appearance, there are still the standard Auto, Light, and Dark modes, but Apple has added several options that allow you to really mix things up and create your own stylized desktop environment.

"Accent color" has become "Color," and there's a new "Text highlight color" option, so you can now make highlighted text appear in a different shade to buttons, pop‑up menus, radio buttons, checkboxes, and focused outlines.

The default setting maintains the classic macOS look with app icons displaying their original colors. But you can now customize folder colors independently through a dedicated new "Folder Color" setting. When set to Automatic, folders retain their traditional blue appearance, but switching to other colors like purple will change all folder colors system-wide.

Meanwhile, a new "Icon & widget style" section offers three distinct modes alongside the Default. Like iOS 18, the new Dark option applies black backgrounds to icons throughout the system interface, including System Settings sidebar icons (this works in both Light and Dark modes). You can set this to Always or Automatic, which switches to dark icons at night while maintaining the default appearance during daylight hours.

The new Clear setting emphasizes the Liquid Glass redesign and adds a new transparency by picking up background colors, creating a more translucent interface effect. Clear also includes Light and Dark variants, or it can be set to Auto for automatic day-night switching.

Most notably, the Tinted option allows comprehensive color customization of both icons and folders. With "Tinted" selected, the Folder color setting becomes "Icon, widget & folder color," allowing you to select from preset colors or choose custom tints using the Other option (which includes a color picker and a theme color). Tinted mode can also be configured as Light or Dark for a more subdued appearance or set to Auto for time-based switching.

Overall, the new Theme enhancements ensure "personalization parity" between macOS and iOS. Apple is offering unprecedented control over your desktop's visual appearance, but you still get system-wide consistency across interface elements. For added visual customization, you can even add a symbol or emoji to folders for a unique flair. What do you think of the new Theme options in macOS 26? Let us know in the comments.

Apple today added the iPhone XS to the vintage products list on its website.

Apple considers a device to be "vintage" once five years have passed since the company stopped distributing it for sale. Apple Stores and Apple Authorized Service Providers may still offer repairs for vintage devices, subject to parts availability.

Apple released the iPhone XS in September 2018, and it was discontinued a year later. However, the device remained available through select resellers for longer, so it has only recently reached the five-year mark for vintage status.

In two more years from now, the iPhone XS will be classified as fully obsolete, at which point Apple will no longer service the device.

Apple already classified the larger iPhone XS Max as vintage in November 2024.

Overall, the iPhone XS was a relatively minor upgrade over the iPhone X. The device's key new features included a faster A12 Bionic chip, improved cameras, and dual SIM support, while the iPhone XS Max offered a larger 6.5-inch display.

Apple also moved the iPad 5 from the vintage list to the obsolete list today.

Last, Apple added fine print to the page that says 2018 Mac mini owners should check with an Apple Authorized Service Provider to determine the service status of that computer, which was added to the vintage list a few months ago. It seemed a bit early for this model to be considered vintage, but the situation is not clear to us.

On this week's special episode of The MacRumors Show from Apple Park, we recap Apple's major announcements from WWDC 2025.

Apple introduced a uniform naming scheme across its platforms—iOS, iPadOS, watchOS, tvOS, visionOS, and macOS are now versioned by the calendar year. This includes macOS 26, titled "Tahoe." The update marks the final macOS release to support Intel-based Macs.

Liquid Glass is a new translucent design language inspired by visionOS. It dynamically refracts and reflects its surroundings across icons, menus, widgets, and controls, introducing a clear, immersive home screen experience. This is Apple's most sweeping visual refresh since iOS 7.

Nearly all of the new features in iOS 26 carry over to Apple's other platforms. Messages gains chat backgrounds, polls, and typing indicators in group threads. A new Games app aggregates event feeds, community tabs, and "Play Together" social features. The Photos app returns to a Library/Collections tabbed interface and introduces spatialized photo effects. Battery settings now include recharge‑time estimates and adaptive power mode. The Phone app is redesigned (and extended to iPad and Mac) with unified design, call screening, and Hold Assist. Apple Music offers animated album art full-screen, Music pins, AutoMix DJ transitions, and lyric translation. Finally, Maps introduces a "Visited Places" feature leveraging on‑device intelligence.

watchOS 26 debuts a refreshed Workout app layout and introduces Workout Buddy, an AI fitness coach that uses voice guidance to mark milestones, deliver stats, and celebrate records. The Apple Watch can now suggest workout music, and the Smart Stack UI adapts more intelligently. A wrist‑flick gesture dismisses notifications, and notification volume auto‑adjusts. Plus, the Notes app makes its debut on watchOS.

In visionOS 26, users can place widgets in physical space, and the system retains their position. A "Look to scroll" gesture enables more intuitive navigation, and users can now unlock iPhones via Vision Pro. The update introduces new customizable Personas and enhanced guest‑mode collaboration. New accessories such as the Logitech Muse (a 6‑DoF pen) and PlayStation VR2 Sense controllers are now supported.

iPadOS 26 embraces macOS‑style windowing—full‑screen with resizable grab handles, traffic‑light controls, flick‑to‑tile window placement, and Exposé. A persistent menu bar and revamped pointer introduce desktop-like navigation. The Files app features customizable columns, default‑app settings per file type, folder personalization, and drag‑to‑Dock support. Apple adds a standalone Preview app and the Journal app (also now on macOS). Developers gain local audio‑input APIs, video‑call recording tools, and background‑task support.

macOS 26 Tahoe adopts Liquid Glass throughout, introduces color‑and‑emoji folder customization, and brings support for Shortcut automations. Spotlight becomes a full‑featured launcher—complete with intelligent suggestions, inline app actions, Quick‑Key shortcuts, clipboard history, and developer App Intents integration. A new Applications experience replaces Launchpad.

Apple Intelligence expands with developer access to its foundation model via a new API, supporting private, offline AI integration. Visual Intelligence extends across screens, allowing direct in‑screenshot actions, while Image Playground gains support for ChatGPT image‑creation. Live Translation is built in for Messages, calls, and FaceTime captions, and these tools are now accessible through developer APIs.

YouTuber Kevin Nether, also known as "Kevin the Tech Ninja," joins us on this week's episode. See more of his work over on his YouTube channel. The MacRumors Show has its own YouTube channel, so make sure you're subscribed to keep up with new episodes and clips.

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Subscribe to ‌The MacRumors Show‌ for new episodes every week, where we discuss some of the topical news breaking here on MacRumors, often joined by interesting guests such as John Gruber, Mark Gurman, Kevin Nether, Jon Prosser, Luke Miani, Matthew Cassinelli, Brian Tong, Quinn Nelson, Jared Nelson, Eli Hodapp, Mike Bell, Sara Dietschy, iJustine, Jon Rettinger, Andru Edwards, Arnold Kim, Ben Sullins, Marcus Kane, Christopher Lawley, Frank McShan, David Lewis, Tyler Stalman, Sam Kohl, Federico Viticci, Thomas Frank, Jonathan Morrison, Ross Young, Ian Zelbo, and Rene Ritchie.

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If you installed iOS 26 Beta or iPadOS 26 Beta through Apple's Developer Program or Software Beta Program, you may decide you want to downgrade because of usability or stability issues. Keep reading to learn how it's done.

Apple's beta versions of its major software updates can be notoriously buggy, especially the early releases. You may find apps not working properly, poor battery life, device crashes, and features that don't do what they're supposed to. Fortunately, you can restore your iPhone or iPad to the previous version of iOS.

If you made an archived backup before you installed the iOS 26 beta, you can remove the ‌beta and restore the backup. If you didn't make a backup, you can still downgrade, but you won't be able to restore your device to its original state before you upgraded.

Also, bear in mind that if you've installed watchOS 26 on your Apple Watch, you won't be able to use it with your ‌iPhone‌ once you've gone back to iOS 18. And downgrading an Apple Watch to a previous version of watchOS can't be done manually either – if you want to remove ‌watchOS 26, you'll have to send your watch in to Apple.

How to Downgrade From iOS 26 Beta or iPadOS 26 Beta

1. Launch Finder on your Mac (or iTunes on Windows PCs.)
2. Connect your iPhone or iPad to your computer using a Lightning or USB-C cable.
3. Put your device into recovery mode. The method of doing this depends on your device, so check the list below these steps to find your model. Apple also provides more information on Recovery mode in this support article.
   
   

4. A dialog will pop up asking if you want to restore your device. Click Restore to wipe your device and install the latest public release of iOS or iPadOS.
5. Wait while the restore process completes.

How to Enter Recovery Mode on Your iOS Device

• iPad models with Face ID: Press and quickly release the Volume Up button. Press and quickly release the Volume Down button. Press and hold the Top button until your device begins to restart. Continue holding the Top button until your device goes into recovery mode.
  

• iPhone XS or later: Press and quickly release the Volume Up button. Press and quickly release the Volume Down button. Then, press and hold the Side button until you see the recovery mode screen.

One you've followed the above steps, you can restore a backup of your device from iOS 18 or iPadOS 18 using your Mac or iCloud.

Valve has quietly released a Steam Client Beta that runs natively on Apple Silicon, finally ending its reliance on the Rosetta 2 translation layer.

The updated Steam client eliminates the performance overhead that plagued Mac gamers since Apple's transition to its own chips. Steam's Chromium-based interface, which could slow to a crawl on occasion, now runs directly on Apple Silicon rather than through Intel emulation.

Early testers report dramatically faster launch times and smoother navigation through the Store and Library. The difference should be immediately apparent, with basic actions like switching tabs feeling fluid rather than laggy.

Apple announced this week at WWDC that macOS Tahoe will be the last version supporting Intel Macs, with Rosetta 2 set for deprecation. Starting with macOS 28, Apple said that only a limited version of Rosetta 2 will remain available for older games that rely on Intel-based frameworks

Mac users can access the beta through Steam's settings. Navigate to Interface, select "Steam Beta Update" from the Client Beta Participation dropdown, then restart to download the roughly 230MB update.

You can verify the native version is running by checking Activity Monitor – Steam should appear with "Kind: Apple" rather than "Kind: Intel."

Apple's Passwords app is getting a handy new feature in iOS 26 and macOS Tahoe that should eliminate a particularly frustrating password management scenario.

The Passwords app now saves complete version history for stored logins that have been changed, which could be a lifesaver if you find yourself in a situation where a password gets accidentally overwritten.

Users will find a new "View History" button when opening any login that has multiple saved versions. The history display shows each different password iteration, creation timestamps, and an option to clear the stored versions.

Apple launched the standalone Passwords app in iOS 18, iPadOS 18, and macOS Sequoia after years of burying password management tools within the Settings app, and the version history addition is a nice refinement in iOS 26, iPadOS 26, and MacOS Tahoe.

The update should prove particularly valuable for users managing frequently-changing credentials or situations where you update a password on a website and something causes the new credentials to not register properly.

Apple TV devices will support Thread 1.4 when tvOS 26 launches this fall, according to network analysis by Matter Alpha. The update was discovered in the tvOS 26 beta announced at WWDC, suggesting the upcoming HomePod Software 26 will also support the latest version of the protocol.

Thread 1.4 addresses a particular issue in the form of competing Thread networks. Previously, border routers from different manufacturers would create separate networks, which fragments your smart home setup. The new standard ensures all Thread 1.4 devices join a single mesh network instead.

The protocol update also gives Thread devices direct internet access, enabling features like smart shades that adjust based on weather conditions or lights that change color with sports scores.

Since HomePod uses a fork of tvOS, the upcoming HomePod Software 26 will likely include Thread 1.4 support as well. Both Apple TV 4K and HomePod models work as home hubs in Apple's smart home ecosystem, and they also serve as Thread border routers.

Thread 1.4 was officially released in September 2024 and includes improved testing tools for manufacturers plus better network visibility for troubleshooting. The Thread Group reports major device and platform vendors are gradually adopting the standard, though Google and Amazon's adoption of Thread 1.4 is expected to come next year at the earliest.

Apple users will gain access to the new Thread 1.4 capabilities when tvOS 26 is released in September.

iOS 26 adds a new Smart Display Zoom setting to CarPlay.

When the setting is enabled, CarPlay will be automatically resized to better fit the shape and size of your vehicle's dashboard screen, if possible.

The images below show what CarPlay looks like before and after the Smart Display Zoom setting is enabled. With the setting turned on, all of the user interface elements become smaller, allowing for an extra row of app icons to fit on the screen.

Apple highlighted the setting in a WWDC 2025 video for developers this week.

"Vehicle screens come in many shapes and sizes," said Olivia Hess, a CarPlay software engineer. "In iOS 26, some screen configurations allow drivers to adjust their display scale with Smart Display Zoom configurable within Settings in CarPlay. When Smart Display Zoom is enabled, your CarPlay app will be automatically resized to the new display scale."

To see this new CarPlay setting, you will need to be using an iPhone running iOS 26, which is currently in developer beta. A public beta will be available next month, and the update should be released in September for the iPhone 11 and newer.

CarPlay is gaining many other new features with iOS 26, including a Liquid Glass design, Live Activities on the Dashboard screen, a new widgets screen, Tapbacks and pinned conversations in the Messages app, multi-touch support in mapping apps, the ability to play videos from an iPhone via AirPlay while the vehicle is parked, and more.

iOS 26 improves the Apple Music Replay viewing experience.

As spotted by Hidde Collee and others, Apple Music Replay is now a completely native feature on iOS 26. This means that you can see your monthly and yearly listening statistics directly in the Apple Music app, rather than in a popover web view.

This change is minor in the grand scheme of things, but for many Apple Music enthusiasts, it is a long-awaited improvement.

Apple Music Replay is similar to Spotify Wrapped, showcasing the top songs and artists that you listen to each year, complete with a year-end highlight reel.

Apple Music Replay is available for most of the year, though.

A corresponding Apple Music Replay playlist is available in the Apple Music app, at the bottom of the Home tab. The playlist lists the 100 songs that you have listened to the most as the year progresses, and it is updated on a weekly basis until the end of the year. At that point, the playlist for that particular year becomes final.

iOS 26 is currently in beta, and the update should be released in September.

Apple Music is one of the apps that got a noticeable Liquid Glass design overhaul in iOS 26, but Apple also added a useful new feature that streamlines song transitions.

AutoMix is designed to transition from one song to another as the song that's playing ends, using time stretching and beat matching for a seamless shift. Apple says that it's meant to work "like a DJ."

Songs are designed to transition at the "perfect moment," based on an analysis of the key and tempo of the music. AutoMix replaces Crossfade, and can be enabled when opening up ‌Apple Music‌ after updating to ‌iOS 26‌.

AutoMix is live in the developer beta, and so far testers have been impressed with the feature, and there are multiple threads on Reddit and other social media networks praising it as one of the best features in the new update. Though Apple describes AutoMix as using "intelligence" for beat matching, it is not an Apple Intelligence feature, and is not limited to newer iPhones. It is, however, designed for ‌Apple Music‌ subscribers, so you need an ‌Apple Music‌ subscription to use it.

There are other new features in ‌Apple Music‌ too. For songs that are in a different language, Apple has a Lyrics Translation feature, plus a Lyrics Pronunciation option so you can accurately sing those lyrics. There's also an option to pin favorite playlists to the top of the Music app, and access those through a new pinned music widget on the Home and Lock Screens.

‌iOS 26‌ is available for developers at the current time, but a public beta will be coming in July. The update will see a launch this fall alongside new iPhone models.

Apple improved the Math Notes feature in iOS 26 and iPadOS 26, allowing users to input equations to create graphs in three dimensions.

Math Notes was added in iOS 18 and iPadOS 18. It works in the Notes app, or through a Math Notes option that's accessible through the Calculator app. The feature is designed to solve math problems or equations when an equals sign is entered. On the iPhone, Math Notes works with typed equations, but on the iPad, you can write out equations by hand with the Apple Pencil and get in-line results.

With ‌iOS 26‌ and ‌iPadOS 26‌, when you write an equation with three variables, Math Notes is able to create a graph with three dimensions. So, for example, if you write an equation like z=sin(x^2 + y^2), you'll get a ripple graph.

To use the feature, write or type an equation and then tap on one of the variables and choose the Insert 3D graph option. 3D graphs can be enlarged, resized, and moved using tap and drag gestures. While it is available on both ‌iPhone‌ and ‌iPad‌, the feature works better on the ‌iPad‌ due to the larger display area. If you're handwriting Math Notes on the ‌iPad‌, write an equation and then circle it to get to the graphing options.

The new 3D graphic functionality could be useful for linear algebra and multivariable calculus visualizations, and the graphs that are output can be copied and pasted into other apps.

‌iOS 26‌ and ‌iPadOS 26‌ are in the early stages of testing and are only available to developers at the current time. Apple plans to release a public beta in July, and a launch will follow in September.

Apple is aiming to debut its delayed personalized Siri features in the spring of 2026, reports Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. Gurman claims that Apple set an "internal release target" of 2026, which is in line with comments from Apple executives this week.

Craig Federighi and Greg Joswiak did multiple post-WWDC interviews acknowledging Apple's issues with ‌Siri‌, and confirmed that Apple is now planning for a 2026 release. According to Apple's narrative, there were ongoing quality issues with its testing of the new ‌Siri‌ features, so it held them back and swapped to a more powerful underlying architecture to address the problems.

Apple initially planned to launch the personalized ‌Siri‌ features in iOS 18.4, so after the year-long delay to fix the architecture, we could see the functionality introduced in an iOS 26.4 update sometime in March or April 2026.

Gurman claims that if the next few weeks of development "proves promising," Apple could preview the features when it launches the new iPhone 17 models in the fall. It is unclear if Apple will do so, because it faced significant criticism and multiple class-action lawsuits for delaying the ‌Siri‌ features in the first place.

Apple first showed off the Apple Intelligence ‌Siri‌ updates at WWDC 2024 last June, and advertised the iPhone 16 models using demonstrations of the functionality. Customers who bought an ‌iPhone 16‌ in anticipation of the ‌Siri‌ features were not happy with the news of Apple's delay this March.

For WWDC 2025, Apple did not highlight any features that are coming in the future, and almost everything that the company introduced during the keynote event is present in the first developer beta.

The ‌Apple Intelligence‌ ‌Siri‌ features that we are waiting on include personal context, on-screen awareness, and deeper integration with apps.

Apple today quietly updated the list of security fixes that were introduced in iOS 18.3.1, noting a previously undisclosed fix for a zero-day vulnerability affecting the Messages app.

Apple acknowledged the fix after security researchers from The Citizen Lab shared details on the flaw, which had been used to target two European journalists. The Messages vulnerability was exploited with the "Graphite" mercenary spyware created by Paragon. Paragon's spyware has been used in targeted attacks against journalists and human rights activists across multiple platforms.

According to Apple, a maliciously crafted photo or video shared through an iCloud link led to a logic issue that allowed for the infiltration of targeted devices. Apple's release notes say that it "is aware of a report that this issue may have been exploited in an extremely sophisticated attack against specific targeted individuals."

Apple confirmed to The Citizen Lab that it fixed the vulnerability back when iOS 18.3.1 was released in February, but it is not clear why Apple did not disclose it before today.

Note: Due to the political or social nature of the discussion regarding this topic, the discussion thread is located in our Political News forum. All forum members and site visitors are welcome to read and follow the thread, but posting is limited to forum members with at least 100 posts.

It is day four of WWDC 2025 week, and the dust is finally beginning to settle. Whether you are an Apple fan who has been keeping up with the avalanche of news, or a developer who has been scrolling through all of Apple's latest documentation, it has been a whirlwind of a week. If you need a breather, Apple has a chill new playlist to help out.

WWDC25 Coffee Shop is the latest playlist in Apple's series, joining WWDC25 Hello, WWDC25 Power Up, WWDC25 Sunshine, and WWDC25 Jazz.

"Today's Coffee Shop mix is all about cozy sounds for quiet focus," said Apple.

The playlist is available on Apple Music below.

Alongside the Mac Studio with M4 Max and M3 Ultra chips, the Apple Watch Ultra 2 with a Black Titanium case was also added to Apple's online refurbished store in the U.S. today, for the first time since it was released in September 2024.

The refurbished model costs $679, down from $799 new. It comes with a Black Ocean Band.

Beyond the different case color, the Black Titanium model is the same as the other Apple Watch Ultra 2 models, which first launched in September 2023. Due to Apple's legal battle with medical technology company Masimo, the Blood Oxygen app remains deactivated in the U.S. on all new and refurbished Apple Watch Ultra 2 models.

Apple says it puts refurbished products through "full functionality testing" and a "thorough cleaning process and inspection," and they are covered by Apple's one-year limited warranty and eligible for extended AppleCare+ coverage. In our view, Apple's refurbished products are virtually indistinguishable from brand new ones.

The refurbished Apple Watch Ultra 2 models come in a plainer box, with a fast-charging puck.

Apple today added Mac Studio models with M4 Max and M3 Ultra chips to its online certified refurbished store in the United States, Canada, Japan, Singapore, and many European countries, for the first time since they were released in March.

As usual for refurbished Macs, prices are discounted by approximately 15% compared to the equivalent new models on Apple's online store. Note that Apple's refurbished inventory fluctuates often, so check back often for certain configurations.

In the U.S., refurbished M4 Max configurations starts at $1,699, down from $1,999. The refurbished M3 Ultra configurations start at $3,399, down from $3,999.

Apple has yet to make refurbished MacBook Air models with the M4 chip available anywhere.

The refurbished Mac Studio models ship in a plainer box. Beyond that difference, we consider Apple's refurbished Macs to be virtually indistinguishable from brand new ones, providing a good opportunity for savings directly from Apple. However, you can often find better deals on Macs through resellers like Amazon.

Apple says it puts refurbished Macs through "full functionality testing" and a "thorough cleaning process and inspection," and they are covered by Apple's one-year limited warranty and eligible for extended AppleCare+ coverage.

Apple CEO Tim Cook has reminded us that today marks the 20th anniversary of Steve Jobs giving an iconic commencement address at Stanford University.

"It's hard to believe it's been 20 years since Steve told Stanford graduates to stay hungry and stay foolish," said Cook, in a social media post reflecting on the impactful speech. "His powerful advice still rings true, and I hope it helps guide this year's new grads as they begin their journey to become tomorrow's leaders."

To honor the 20th anniversary of the speech, The Steve Jobs Archive has uploaded a higher-quality video of the speech on its website and YouTube.

The Steve Jobs Archive has also provided more backstory about Jobs' commencement address and how he prepared for it leading up to June 12, 2005. In the weeks leading up to the commencement, he emailed himself speech ideas.

Jobs' speech was full of iconic quotes and moments:

• "Stay hungry, stay foolish."
• "You can't connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backwards."
• "Your time is limited, so don't waste it living someone else's life."
• "For the past 33 years, I have looked in the mirror every morning and asked myself: 'If today were the last day of my life, would I want to do what I am about to do today?' And whenever the answer has been 'No' for too many days in a row, I know I need to change something."
• "If I had never dropped in on that single calligraphy course in college, the Mac would have never had multiple typefaces or proportionally spaced fonts. And since Windows just copied the Mac, it's likely that no personal computer would have them."

Hilariously, Jobs also told the crowd of graduates that dropping out of college was one of the best decisions that he ever made in his life.

Watch the full speech below, now in enhanced quality.

Apple is expanding its AutoFill feature for one-time verification codes on iOS 26 and macOS Tahoe.

Software engineer Jane Manchun Wong discovered that iOS 26 can automatically fill in one-time verification codes from third-party apps, like Google Voice. The feature previously only worked with codes from Apple's Messages app on the iPhone.

As noted by MacRumors contributor Aaron Perris, macOS Tahoe can automatically fill in one-time verification codes from the Messages app in Google Chrome and other third-party web browsers. The feature was previously limited to Safari on the Mac.

These are two great quality-of-life improvements to this crowd-pleasing AutoFill feature.

iOS 26 and macOS Tahoe are currently available in developer beta, with public betas to follow next month. The software updates will be released to the general public later this year, bringing these AutoFill improvements to all users.