Apple today shared a new television ad on its YouTube channel, designed to introduce people to the new Screen Effects feature in iOS 10. In the minute-long spot, a sole red balloon drifts through mountains, over the sea, and through hilly terrain to reach the city, where it's joined by hundreds of additional balloons floating through the streets.
The shot pans to an iPhone user who receives a "Happy Birthday" message, where balloons fill up the screen to accompany the text. It ends with the tagline "Expressive messages on iPhone 7. Practically magic."
Introduced in iOS 10, Screen Effects are designed to make the messages experience more emotive, personal, and fun. Screen Effects temporarily alter the look of the Messages display with full screen animations that play alongside text messages. There are several animations, ranging from balloons and confetti to lasers and fireworks.
With certain keywords like "Congratulations!" or "Happy Birthday!" Screen Effects play automatically whenever the relevant text phrase is sent to an iPhone user who has iOS 10 installed.
Friday September 18, 2026 9:36 am PDT by Juli Clover
Apple is promoting the iPhone 18 Pro with a new Shot on iPhone ad featuring Blackpink member ROSÉ's latest music video. The video for the song "new trick" was filmed using the iPhone 18 Pro.
Apple's video shows some of the footage as well as a behind-the-scenes look at some of the filming equipment. Many of Apple's Shot on iPhone videos pair the iPhone with high-end filming rigs for...
DoorDash is inviting U.S. customers to join a waitlist for an AI assistant that can take food orders through Apple's Messages app (via Bloomberg).
The phone number used in the conversation connects the request to a customer's DoorDash account. The assistant can use previous purchases and preferences to help put together an order, then use a saved payment method at checkout. Customers can...
Tuesday October 6, 2026 12:59 pm PDT by Juli Clover
Since 2023, Apple's newer iPhones have had an 80 percent charge limit for those who want to extend battery lifespan. Charging to 80 percent instead of 100 percent is supposed to put less stress on the battery, improving longevity.
For the last three years, I've used that setting on my iPhone. I started with the iPhone 15 Pro Max, then did the iPhone 16 Pro Max, and most recently, the iPhone...
I find apples new ads to be stupid. Honestly, my favorite was the retina macbook pro ad they ran years ago for the 15 inch. short sweet and to the point.
Apple's first foldable iPhone, with a book-style design featuring a 5.4-inch outer display and a 7.6-inch inner display with a minimal crease down the middle.
