MacRumors

If the audio playing through your Apple Watch Series 10's speaker becomes harder to hear after repeated use, you are not alone.

There are a growing number of complaints about a potential Apple Watch Series 10 speaker issue across the Apple Support Community and Reddit. Affected users say the speaker audio becomes quiet or muffled over time, even after using the Water Lock feature to eject water from the speaker following swimming or another water activity.

The low volume affects both phone calls and music, according to the complaints.

It is unclear how widespread this issue is, or if there is an underlying hardware or software problem. If a hardware issue affects enough customers, Apple sometimes opts to launch a service program offering free repairs. If a software issue is discovered, then Apple should be able to address it with a future watchOS update.

Apple Watch Series 10 models launched in September 2024. I was unable to replicate the issue on my Apple Watch Series 10, but I have only owned it for about six weeks and have not used the speaker much, as I tend to use AirPods Pro.

We have reached out to Apple for comment about this matter, and we will update this post in the unlikely event that the company responds.

Update: Apple has published a support document outlining steps to try if your Apple Watch's speaker or microphone are not working as expected.

Elon Musk on Monday led a consortium of investors in making a $97.4 billion unsolicited offer to acquire ChatGPT maker OpenAI's nonprofit arm – only to face immediate rejection from CEO Sam Altman.

The Wall Street Journal reports that the bid included backing from Musk's artificial intelligence company xAI and prominent investors like Valor Equity Partners and Baron Capital. Musk co-founded OpenAI as a charity with Altman in 2015.

"It's time for OpenAI to return to the open-source, safety-focused force for good it once was," Musk said in a statement through his lawyer Marc Toberoff. The consortium pledged to match or exceed any competing offers.

Altman quickly dismissed the proposal on X (formerly Twitter) with a pointed response: "No thank you but we will buy twitter for $9.74 billion if you want" – an apparent jab at Musk's $44 billion acquisition of Twitter in 2022.

Musk responded to the post with a one-word reply: "Swindler."

The attempted takeover comes amid OpenAI's ongoing transition from a nonprofit to a for-profit structure, with the company recently valued at $157 billion. The transformation has been contentious between Musk and his former colleagues. There have been multiple lawsuits where Musk has accused OpenAI of betraying its founding principles.

In a message to employees reported by WSJ, Altman reassured staff that OpenAI's structure prevents any individual from taking control of the company, describing Musk's offer as "tactics to try and weaken us because we are making great progress."

The bid's investor group included other backers such as Atreides Management, Vy Capital, and 8VC, a venture firm led by Palantir co-founder Joe Lonsdale, along with Hollywood executive Ari Emanuel's investment fund.

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.

Google has announced that NotebookLM Plus, its advanced AI-powered research and note-taking tool, is now included with Google One AI Premium subscriptions at no additional cost to consumers.

If you haven't come across it before, NotebookLM functions as an AI research companion that helps users analyze and interact with their documents, websites, and other content. The tool can generate summaries, create FAQ lists, produce timeline views, and even transform research materials into podcast-style audio discussions with AI-generated hosts. Google originally launched it in 2023, and then launched its NotebookLM Plus plan for businesses, schools, organizations, and enterprise customers in December.

The Plus version significantly expands on the free tier's capabilities, offering five times higher usage limits. The free version allows for 100 notebooks with 50 sources each, while Plus subscribers can create up to 500 notebooks containing 300 sources per notebook. Daily interaction limits are also increased from 50 to 500 chat queries, and audio generation capacity jumps from 3 to 20 per day.

In addition to the above, NotebookLM Plus introduces several premium features, including customizable response styles, advanced sharing options, and analytics that track notebook usage. Users can choose between predefined AI personalities like "Guide" or "Analyst," or create their own custom style for interactions.

A Google One AI Premium plan costs $19.99 per month and includes 2TB of storage along with access to Gemini Advanced and Gemini integration in Gmail and Google Docs. A one-month trial is available at no cost. Google is also offering U.S. students aged 18 and older a 50% discount, bringing the monthly cost down to $9.99 for the first year.

Some users are reporting that Apple's latest software updates are quietly re-enabling Apple Intelligence features, even after they had explicitly disabled them in the previous update.

If you're catching up, Apple on Monday pushed out new macOS Sequoia 15.3.1 and iOS/iPadOS 18.3.1 point releases that include important security fixes and are recommended for all users. Shortly after the rollout, software developer Jeff Johnson collated some early reports complaining about the apparent behavior, noting that devices displaying a Welcome screen after updating were particularly susceptible to having Apple Intelligence automatically re-enabled.

Indeed, MacRumors testing confirms this behavior on certain devices. In our tests using an M4 Pro Mac mini, iPhone 16 Pro, iPhone 15 Pro, and M4 iPad Pro – all with Apple Intelligence previously disabled in iOS/iPadOS 18.3 and macOS 15.3 – we found that while the iPhones and iPad maintained their disabled status after updating to iOS/iPadOS 18.3.1, the Mac mini automatically re-enabled the feature after updating.

The key trigger does seem to be the appearance of a Welcome screen announcing Apple Intelligence features. We saw it on the M4 Pro Mac mini after updating to macOS 15.3.1, but not on the iPhones or iPad Pro. Notably, unlike typical setup screens, this one lacks the usual "Set Up Later" option, effectively forcing you to proceed with enabling the feature.

This automatic re-enabling obviously raises concerns about user choice, particularly given that Apple Intelligence requires up to 7GB of storage space on each device where it's activated. The storage requirement stems from the need to download and maintain local AI models for Apple's privacy-focused processing. Apple in macOS Sequoia 15.3 and iOS/iPadOS 18.3 controversially made Apple Intelligence an opt-out feature, meaning it is turned on automatically on compatible devices.

• Save 7GB of iPhone Storage Just by Toggling This Switch

Users who prefer to keep Apple Intelligence disabled should verify their settings after updating. On iPhone and iPad, check that the Apple Intelligence toggle is off in Settings → Apple Intelligence & Siri. Mac users can find the toggle in System Settings → Apple Intelligence & Siri. Did you update to iOS/iPadOS 18.3.1 or macOS Sequoia 15.3.1 overnight? Let us know in the comments what your experience was.

Apple plans to release a MacBook Air with an improved LCD display in 2027, featuring Oxide TFT technology instead of the current amorphous silicon (a-Si) panels, according to a new report from The Elec.

The new display technology is said to be a significant upgrade over current MacBook Air screens. Oxide TFT LCD panels offer better power efficiency and improved performance compared to traditional a-Si displays, resulting in sharper images, smoother scrolling, and enhanced battery life.

The transition to Oxide TFT technology should also mean faster pixel response times and more consistent brightness across the screen. In practical terms, this should translate to reduced motion blur when watching videos or gaming, and more uniform lighting without the "clouding" effect sometimes visible on current LCD displays.

Samsung Display and BOE are developing manufacturing capabilities for the advanced panels, according to the Korean-language report. Samsung Display is installing new deposition machines at its A6 production line, while BOE is constructing its B16 line with similar capabilities. The companies are preparing to produce millions of units annually, but the exact production targets haven't been disclosed.

The LCD upgrade comes as Apple has reportedly delayed its OLED MacBook Air plans from 2027 to 2029 or later. Meanwhile, development of the OLED MacBook Pro with a thinner design reportedly continues as planned, with that model expected to launch in 2026 with an estimated production of 3 to 5 million units annually.

Apple's first OLED MacBook Pro remains on schedule for a 2026 release, featuring the new slimmer design Apple is rumored to be working on, based on a new report from The Elec.

Samsung Display is said to be currently producing test samples of the OLED panels on its first deposition machine, which was installed in November 2024. However, industry projections estimate just 3 to 5 million OLED panels to be shipped annually for the MacBook Pro. Given that the supplier's IT 8th-generation OLED line is designed to produce 10 million units annually (based on 14.3-inch OLED panels), the company will need to secure additional customers to maximize its production efficiency.

Previous rumors have similarly claimed the MacBook Pro will switch to OLED display technology as early as 2026. The upcoming MacBook Pro will utilize hybrid OLED technology, similar to that used in Apple's latest iPad Pro. This display technology combines a glass substrate with thin-film encapsulation, offering improved brightness, contrast, and power efficiency compared to current MacBook Pro models with mini-LED screens.

Samsung Display has reportedly invested approximately $3 billion in its IT 8th-generation OLED production line for the laptop-sized panels. Chinese display maker BOE is also developing manufacturing capabilities for hybrid OLED panels, though its production line will be more versatile, capable of producing both hybrid and flexible OLED displays.

Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo and display industry analyst Ross Young both recently predicted that the 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro will continue to have mini-LED displays in 2025. Bloomberg's Mark Gurman has said he expects only a small performance boost for the 2025 MacBook Pro models, with M5, M5 Pro, and M5 Max chips that are "already near completion."

• 5 Reasons to Wait for Next Year's MacBook Pro

Gurman has previously reported that Apple is working to make the OLED MacBook Pro significantly thinner, as part of the company's plan to create "the thinnest and lightest products in their categories across the whole tech industry." Indeed, the reporter has said there's a good chance that the 2026 MacBook Pro model will represent a "true overhaul" for the laptop, thanks to the combination of the OLED display and thinner design.

Fort Lauderdale resident Daniel Vallaire suffered a devastating stroke last year, and it ended up being Siri that provided life saving help.

Just days before his 70th birthday, Vallaire collapsed in his bathroom. He spent the next 48 hours crawling "inch by inch by inch" from the bathroom to the living room in an attempt to get help. He was confused, had no strength, and ended up severely dehydrated.

Vallaire wasn't able to get to the phone or place a call, so he yelled to ‌Siri‌ to call his daughter, Victoria. ‌Siri‌ placed the call and his daughter was able to then relay the emergency to 911, and emergency responders arrived within 10 minutes.

"I said, '‌Siri‌, call Victoria Vallaire,' and she did," Vallaire told a local news station. "If I had a landline, there's no way I would be able to get to it." He went on to say that if he didn't have ‌Siri‌, he "wouldn't be here."

After emergency crews rescued him, the hospital found that he had a stroke caused by an infection in two of his aortic valves. Vallaire was able to reunite with the medical team that saved his life earlier this month. He said that he was grateful that he skirted death, and suggested that others "be conscious" of heart health.

‌Siri‌ and other Apple safety features like Crash Detection, Fall Detection, and Emergency SOS have been responsible for saving many lives. ‌Siri‌ is available across all Apple devices, including the iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch, Vision Pro, HomePod, and Apple TV.

Apple CEO Tim Cook spent the weekend in New Orleans, Louisiana, which is where Super Bowl LIX was held on Sunday. Cook visited several locations in New Orleans, and chronicled the trip in a short social media video.

Cook started his trip off visiting Harry Connick Jr. at the Ellis Marsalis Center for Music (EMCM), known for youth music education. Apple funds EMCM with Apple technology and grants to sponsor young musicians.

He then visited Domilise's Po-Boy for a meal with NFL wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr., and met up with country singer Shaboozey. After that, Cook took a trip to the Apple Music Radio Studio that was hosting daily Super Bowl LIX broadcasts featuring New Orleans music, and he stopped by the Apple location at Lakeside Shopping Center to meet up with students learning to use GarageBand.

Ahead of the Super Bowl, Cook saw the NFL Host Committee Parade, which included an Apple Music-sponsored float that young artists from Arts New Orleans designed using an iPad and Apple Pencil.

Cook then attended the Super Bowl and watched the ‌Apple Music‌ Super Bowl LIX halftime show with Kendrick Lamar. Cook's short video on his trip ends with a thank you to the city of New Orleans for hosting him.

If you have been waiting for Apple's rumored smart home hub to launch, prepare to wait some more. In his Power On newsletter over the weekend, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said the device is still "months away" from shipping.

Based on that wording, the home hub will not ship until April at the earliest, but potentially not until much later in the year. Apple supply chain analyst Ming-Chi Kuo said the device would enter mass production in the second half of 2025, so it is quite possible the home hub will be announced in September or later.

Gurman previously said the home hub will be "Apple's most significant release of the year," as it represents the company's "first step toward a bigger role in the smart home." He said the device will be like a "smaller and cheaper iPad" that lets users "control appliances, conduct FaceTime chats, and handle other tasks."

The device is expected to be similar to a HomePod with a screen, with rumored features including a 6-inch or 7-inch display, an A18 chip, and Apple Intelligence support. Gurman said it can be attached to a tabletop base with a speaker, or mounted on a wall.

The home hub will run a new "homeOS" operating system with a customizable widget-focused home screen, and revolve around Siri, Apple Intelligence, and HomeKit, according to Gurman. The device could double as a home security system by displaying camera footage, and a built-in camera would allow for FaceTime video calls.

Apple's hub would compete with products like Google's Nest Hub and Amazon's Echo Show. It is unclear if Apple will use HomePod or HomePad branding for the device, or if it will opt for a fully unique name, such as the Apple Home.

Apple typically releases new iPhone color options every year as a mid-product cycle refresh, so when can we expect a new finish in 2025?

Apple has added new iPhone colors on six occasions in the past, consistently in either the March or April following an iPhone's launch:

• iPhone 7 and 7 Plus: (PRODUCT)RED (Tuesday, March 21, 2017)
• iPhone 8 and 8 Plus: (PRODUCT)RED (Monday, April 9, 2018)
• iPhone 12 and 12 mini: Purple (Tuesday, April 20, 2021)
• iPhone 13 and 13 mini: Green (Tuesday, March 8, 2022)
• iPhone 13 Pro and 13 Pro Max: Alpine Green (Tuesday, March 8, 2022)
• iPhone 14 and 14 Plus: Yellow (Tuesday, March 7, 2023)

There are currently no rumors about new color options for the iPhone 16, and it's possible Apple could skip this year like it did for the iPhone XR, iPhone 11, and iPhone 15 in 2019, 2020, and 2024. That being said, Apple has released new colors many more times than it has chosen not to do so since 2017, so a refresh is possible this year, but given Apple didn't do so last year, it's far from certain.

Apple has only ever added new "Pro" model color options once, in 2022, so while it's theoretically possible this year, it is perhaps more unlikely than likely.

The ‌iPhone 16‌ is available in Black, White, Teal, Pink, and Ultramarine. A new red, yellow, purple, or grey seem possible since these have all been offered on iPhone models in the past and are not too similar to any of the existing shades. There are usually rumors that point to which new color to expect, but it may still be a little too early for this based on previous years.

There continue to be signs of a new MacBook Air with an M4 chip, indicating that we could see the machine launch in the not too distant future. A private account on X today shared the identifiers that the ‌MacBook Air‌ will use, and those identifiers correspond to the M4 chip.

According to the source, both the 13-inch ‌MacBook Air‌ and the 15-inch ‌MacBook Air‌ will be equipped with Apple's "T8132" chip, which is the M4 SoC.

Apple inadvertently confirmed the upcoming M4 ‌MacBook Air‌ machines back in December when the macOS Sequoia 15.2 release included files for unreleased "Mac16,12" and "Mac16,13" machines. The files referenced the "‌‌MacBook Air‌‌ (13-inch, M4, 2025)" and the "‌‌MacBook Air‌‌ (15-inch, M4, 2025)."

Since then, we've just been waiting for the new ‌MacBook Air‌ models to launch. There's no word on when they're coming, but as Bloomberg's Mark Gurman pointed out over the weekend, existing stock of the M3 ‌MacBook Air‌ models is dwindling, suggesting a launch is coming soon.

Apple is expected to debut the iPhone SE 4 and the new Powerbeats Pro 2 as soon as tomorrow, and the ‌MacBook Air‌ could come sometime after that in the next few weeks.

The iOS 18.3.1 and iPadOS 18.3.1 updates that Apple released today include an important security fix, and it's important to install the new software as soon as possible because this bug was exploited in the wild.

According to Apple's security support document for iOS 18.3.1 and iPadOS 18.3.1, it addresses an accessibility vulnerability that could disable USB Restricted Mode on a locked device.

Exploiting this vulnerability requires physical access to a device, and Apple says that it was used against specific individuals.

Impact: A physical attack may disable USB Restricted Mode on a locked device. Apple is aware of a report that this issue may have been exploited in an extremely sophisticated attack against specific targeted individuals.

The vulnerability was fixed with improved state management, according to Apple. Note that Apple has also released iPadOS 17.7.5 with the same security fix for devices that are not able to run iPadOS 18.

You will want to install iOS 18.3.1 if you have an iPhone compatible with iOS 18 in order to ensure you are protected from vulnerabilities. The same goes for iPadOS 18.3.1 or iPadOS 17.7.5 depending on which iPad you have.

Apple today released macOS Sequoia 15.3.1, a minor update to the macOS Sequoia operating system that came out last September. macOS 15.3.1 comes a few weeks after the launch of macOS Sequoia 15.3.

Mac users can download the ‌‌‌macOS Sequoia‌‌‌ update through the Software Update section of System Settings. Apple has also released macOS 13.7.4 and macOS 14.7.4 for those who are running older versions of macOS.

According to Apple's release notes, macOS Sequoia 15.3.1 includes important security fixes, and it is recommended for all users.

Apple today released iOS 18.3.1 and iPadOS 18.3.1, minor updates for the iOS 18 and iPadOS 18 operating systems that came out last September. iOS 18.3.1 comes two weeks after Apple released iOS 18.3.

The new software can be downloaded on eligible iPhones and iPads over-the-air by going to Settings > General > Software Update. Apple has also released iPadOS 17.7.5 for those still running iPadOS 17.

According to Apple's release notes, iOS 18.3.1 includes bug fixes and security updates.

iOS 18.3.1 will be followed by iOS 18.4, an update that we are expecting to see released in April. The first iOS 18.4 beta is could come as soon as this week.

Apple today released visionOS 2.3.1, a minor update to the visionOS 2 operating system that came out in September. visionOS 2.3.1 comes two weeks after the launch of visionOS 2.3, and more than a year after the release of the Vision Pro headset.

visionOS 2.3 can be downloaded on all Vision Pro headsets by navigating to the Settings app, selecting the General section, and choosing the Software Update option.

To install an update, the Vision Pro headset needs to be removed, and there is a software progress bar available on the front EyeSight display.

According to Apple's release notes, visionOS 2.3 includes security updates, and the software is recommended for all users.

More information on the Vision Pro and visionOS 2 can be found in our roundup.

Apple today released watchOS 11.3.1, a minor update to the operating system that runs on the Apple Watch. watchOS 11.3.1 is compatible with the Apple Watch Series 6 and later, all Apple Watch Ultra models, and the Apple Watch SE 2.

watchOS 11.3.1 can be downloaded by opening up the Apple Watch app and going to General > Software Update. To install the new software, the Apple Watch needs to have at least 50 percent battery and it needs to be placed on a charger.

The watchOS 11.3.1 update includes important security updates, and it is recommended for all Apple Watch owners.

More of the features available in watchOS 11 can be found in our watchOS 11 roundup.

A report from The New York Times over the weekend highlighted the trend of people wearing an Apple Watch on their ankles, instead of the wrist.

The report highlighted reasons why some people prefer to wear the Apple Watch on the ankle:

• Some people with tiny wrists find the Apple Watch fits too loosely for heart rate sensing.
• Some people with wrist tattoos believe the ink may interfere with heart rate sensing, which is something that Apple acknowledges in a support document. Apple says some tattoos can "block light" from the heart rate sensor on the bottom of the Apple Watch, making it "difficult to get reliable readings."
• Some people believe the Apple Watch provides more accurate step counting when it is worn on the ankle, compared to the wrist.
• Some people with skin conditions prefer to wear the Apple Watch on the ankle.
• Some medical professionals cannot wear anything on their wrists.

Apple has not commented on the report, but its support documents and white papers for the Apple Watch mention that the device's heart rate and calorie measuring functions are validated for wear on the wrist, with no mention of the ankle anywhere. Apple has not publicly come out and advised people against wearing the Apple Watch on the ankle, but it is not something that its documentation acknowledges at this time.

Apple today updated its Sports app for the iPhone with NASCAR support, ahead of the annual Daytona 500 race on Sunday, February 16.

The release notes for version 2.5 of the Apple Sports app:

• Start your engines! NASCAR is now on Apple Sports. Get live race coverage and leaderboard updates, starting with the Daytona 500.
• Spring Training is here. Follow your favorite teams as they get ready for the MLB season.

Launched in February 2024, the Apple Sports app shows scores, stats, standings, upcoming games, and more for a variety of leagues, such as the NFL, MLB, MLS, NBA, NHL, Premier League, and others. The free iPhone app is available in the App Store.