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.
Thursday February 5, 2026 12:54 pm PST by Joe Rossignol
Apple turns 50 this year, and its CEO Tim Cook has promised to celebrate the milestone. The big day falls on April 1, 2026.
"I've been unusually reflective lately about Apple because we have been working on what do we do to mark this moment," Cook told employees today, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. "When you really stop and pause and think about the last 50 years, it makes your heart ...
Tuesday February 3, 2026 7:47 am PST by Joe Rossignol
While the iOS 26.3 Release Candidate is now available ahead of a public release, the first iOS 26.4 beta is likely still at least a week away. Following beta testing, iOS 26.4 will likely be released to the general public in March or April.
Below, we have recapped known or rumored iOS 26.3 and iOS 26.4 features so far.
iOS 26.3
iPhone to Android Transfer Tool
iOS 26.3 makes it easier...
Tuesday February 3, 2026 12:45 pm PST by Joe Rossignol
Apple recently acquired Israeli startup Q.ai for close to $2 billion, according to Financial Times sources. That would make this Apple's second-biggest acquisition ever, after it paid $3 billion for the popular headphone maker Beats in 2014.
This is also the largest known Apple acquisition since the company purchased Intel's smartphone modem business and patents for $1 billion in 2019....
Thursday February 5, 2026 12:22 pm PST by Joe Rossignol
Apple plans to announce the iPhone 17e on Thursday, February 19, according to Macwelt, the German equivalent of Macworld.
The report, citing industry sources, is available in English on Macworld.
Apple announced the iPhone 16e on Wednesday, February 19 last year, so the iPhone 17e would be unveiled exactly one year later if this rumor is accurate. It is quite uncommon for Apple to unveil...
Friday February 6, 2026 3:06 pm PST by Juli Clover
In the iOS 26.4 update that's coming this spring, Apple will introduce a new version of Siri that's going to overhaul how we interact with the personal assistant and what it's able to do.
The iOS 26.4 version of Siri won't work like ChatGPT or Claude, but it will rely on large language models (LLMs) and has been updated from the ground up.
Upgraded Architecture
The next-generation...
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.
