To alleviate a severe blood shortage, the American Red Cross has teamed up with Apple to offer a 4-month Apple Music trial to those who donate blood, platelets, or plasma during the month of August.
Blood donors will need to donate blood from August 1 to August 31 to get the free 4-month Apple Music special, which will be delivered by email. The trial is limited to new Apple Music subscribers who have not tried the service yet.
Those who donate before August 15 will also be entered to win a VIP journey to the Bonnaroo music festival in Tennessee.
Appointments to donate blood can be made through the Red Cross website.
Tuesday November 11, 2025 9:48 am PST by Joe Rossignol
Apple released the first iOS 26.2 beta last week. The upcoming update includes a handful of new features and changes on the iPhone, including a new Liquid Glass slider for the Lock Screen's clock, offline lyrics in Apple Music, and more.
In a recent press release, Apple confirmed that iOS 26.2 will be released to all users in December, but it did not provide a specific release date....
Monday November 10, 2025 1:08 pm PST by Juli Clover
Today marks the fifth anniversary of the Apple silicon chip that replaced Intel chips in Apple's Mac lineup. The first Apple silicon chip, the M1, was unveiled on November 10, 2020. The M1 debuted in the MacBook Air, Mac mini, and 13-inch MacBook Pro.
The M1 chip was impressive when it launched, featuring the "world's fastest CPU core" and industry-leading performance per watt, and it's only ...
Tuesday November 11, 2025 1:23 am PST by Tim Hardwick
Apple has teamed up with Japanese fashion house ISSEY MIYAKE to launch iPhone Pocket, a 3D-knitted limited edition accessory designed to carry an iPhone, AirPods, and other everyday items.
The accessory is like a stretchy pocket, not unlike an iPod Sock, but elongated to form a strap made of a ribbed, elastic textile that fully encloses an iPhone yet allows you to glimpse the display...
Thursday November 13, 2025 11:35 am PST by Juli Clover
Apple today released new firmware designed for the AirPods Pro 3, the AirPods 4, and the prior-generation AirPods Pro 2. The AirPods Pro 3 firmware is 8B25, while the AirPods Pro 2 and AirPods 4 firmware is 8B21, all up from the prior 8A358 firmware released in October.
There's no word on what's include in the updated firmware, but the AirPods Pro 2, AirPods 4 with ANC, and AirPods Pro 3...
Apple is expected to announce a new HomePod mini imminently, headlining with new chips. Here are all of the new features we're expecting.
The second-generation HomePod mini is highly likely to contain a more up-to-date chip for more advanced computational audio and improved responsiveness. The current HomePod mini is equipped with the Apple Watch Series 5's S5 chip from 2019. Apple is likely ...
Wednesday November 12, 2025 9:15 am PST by Joe Rossignol
Apple today announced that iPhone users can now create a Digital ID in the Apple Wallet app based on information from their U.S. passport.
To create and present a Digital ID based on a U.S. passport, you need:
An iPhone 11 or later running iOS 26.1 or later, or an Apple Watch Series 6 or later running watchOS 26.1 or later
Face ID or Touch ID and Bluetooth turned on
An Apple Account ...
Wednesday November 12, 2025 11:42 am PST by Joe Rossignol
While it was rumored that Apple planned to release new versions of the HomePod mini, Apple TV, and AirTag this year, it is no longer clear if that will still happen.
Back in January, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said Apple planned to release new HomePod mini and Apple TV models "toward the end of the year," while he at one point expected a new AirTag to launch "around the middle of 2025." Yet,...
Tesla is working to add support for Apple CarPlay in its vehicles, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman reports.
Tesla vehicles rely on its own infotainment software system, which integrates vehicle functions, navigation, music, web browsing, and more. The automaker has been an outlier in foregoing support for Apple CarPlay, which has otherwise become an industry standard feature, allowing users to...
Monday November 10, 2025 11:41 am PST by Juli Clover
The thin, light iPhone Air sold so poorly that Apple has decided to delay the launch of the next-generation iPhone Air that was scheduled to come out alongside the iPhone 18 Pro, reports The Information.
Apple initially planned to release a new iPhone Air in fall 2026, but now that's not going to happen.
Since the iPhone Air launched in September, there have been reports of poor sales...
Thursday November 13, 2025 6:48 am PST by Joe Rossignol
iOS 26 extended pinned conversations in the Messages app to CarPlay, for quick access to your most frequent chats. However, some drivers may prefer the classic view with a list of individual conversations only, and Apple now lets users choose.
Apple released the second beta of iOS 26.2 this week, and it introduces a new CarPlay setting for turning off pinned conversations in the Messages...
Then I noticed it’s only for people who haven’t had a trial.
So actually it means absolutely nothing since Apple is already offering these 4 months to anyone. I got an advert yesterday but it was no use since I’ve used a previous trial.
I used to donate all the time when they’d come to our high school and college and everything. But sadly, they won’t accept my blood even though im Married and in a monogamous marriage. It just happens to be to another man.
oh well, maybe someday. If they’d open it up, I’d donate each chance I could.
I was coming here to make this very point. The discrimination against gay men is still going and frankly, offensive. All blood is tested. HIV isn’t a gay disease and their continued rhetoric defending this discriminatory policy is ridiculous. Apple should use their power to put an end to this practice.
I used to donate all the time when they’d come to our high school and college and everything. But sadly, they won’t accept my blood even though im Married and in a monogamous marriage. It just happens to be to another man.
oh well, maybe someday. If they’d open it up, I’d donate each chance I could.
Do you have a link? Here is a link describing the 3-month offer for new users which can be extended to a 4-month offer for any US military with an ID.me number. ('https://9to5mac.com/2021/07/13/apple-music-offering-up-to-four-months-free-for-us-military-and-veterans/') I believe the 4-month offer to all Red Cross blood donors is a new thing.
Donating now is a great idea -- even if no incentives are available to you personally. ? Supplies are at critical levels in many parts of the country. A friend recently noted that SoCal is giving only half-transfusions to people who need transfusions. We can address this shortage. Besides getting vaccinated and practicing distancing/masking protocols, this is a specific thing we can do to assist in this health crisis.
Even if you have burned out your free offers, your non-technical Apple users may still have them available. Please let them know that the Red Cross is hurting. Thanks!
Really? I just signed up for AM yesterday and Apple offered only a 3 month trial.
Yeah I was excited for a moment. It’s only at the last stage that Apple says oh you’ve had a trial before so we’ll start charging your card immediately.
So this campaign is just Apple exploiting a problem for free advertising and karma.
