MacRumors

Apple unveiled its new TechWoven cases for iPhone 17 during yesterday's "Awe dropping" event, but the company hasn't completely abandoned FineWoven.

In fact, the material is still very much part of Apple's lineup, with a new collection of FineWoven MagSafe wallets and AirTag key rings designed to pair with the latest iPhone models and available in multiple colors, including Fox Orange, Midnight Purple, Navy, Moss, and Black.

The new wallets are available for $59, while the new AirTag key rings cost $35.

Apple discontinued its ill-received FineWoven cases for iPhones in 2024. FineWoven was heavily criticized for its poor performance in comparison to the former leather cases that Apple used to offer. Apple replaced leather in 2023 in order to be more environmentally friendly, but people quickly found that the FineWoven cases were quick to get dirty and began to fray.

Apple Watch Ultra 3 can last up to six more hours than the Ultra 2 on a single charge, giving it the longest ever life for an Apple Watch, according to the company.

Announced on Tuesday at Apple's "Awe dropping" event, the third-generation Apple Watch Ultra has up to 42 hours of battery life with regular use, and can last up to 72 hours in Low Power Mode. For comparison, Apple Watch Ultra 2 has 36-hour battery life with regular use and up to 72 hours in Low Power Mode.

Here's what Apple says about battery performance in its press release for the new model:

The power efficiency of the LTPO3-enhanced display, 5G modem, and larger battery deliver longer battery life. For daily use, Apple Watch Ultra 3 features up to 42 hours to support users while they are training, racing, or going about their day. In Low Power Mode, it continues to offer up to 72 hours of battery life. For continuous outdoor workout tracking, Apple Watch Ultra 3 now gets 20 hours of battery life in Low Power Mode with full GPS and heart rate readings.

In addition, Apple says that fast charging the device for 15 minutes provides up to 12 hours of battery life.

The new Apple Watch Ultra 3 starts at $799 and is available to pre-ordered today, with shipping beginning Friday, September 19.

Apple held its annual iPhone event on Tuesday, September 9, to unveil the iPhone 17, ultra-thin iPhone Air, iPhone 17 Pro, and iPhone 17 Pro Max.

All of the new iPhone models will be available to pre-order starting Friday, September 12 at 5 a.m. Pacific Time / 8 a.m. Eastern Time in the U.S. and dozens of other countries, according to Apple. The release date for the devices is one week later, on Friday, September 19, which is when deliveries to customers and in-store availability will begin.

To recap the dates:

• Event/Announcement: Tuesday, September 9
• Pre-Orders: Friday, September 12 at 5 a.m. Pacific Time / 8 a.m. Eastern Time
• Release Date: Friday, September 19

To learn more about the devices, read our coverage of Apple's announcements:

• Apple Announces iPhone 17 Featuring Larger 6.3-Inch Display With ProMotion Support
• Apple Announces iPhone Air With Ultra-Thin Design
• Apple Announces iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max With New Design, Larger Battery, and More

Also check out our recap of everything announced at Apple's event.

Following the debut of the iPhone 17, ‌iPhone Air, iPhone 17 Pro, and ‌iPhone 17 Pro‌ Max, Apple has started letting customers prepare for pre-orders, which are set to begin on Friday, September 12 at 5:00 a.m. Pacific Time or 8:00 a.m. Eastern Time.

If you plan to buy an ‌iPhone 17‌, you can use the Apple Store app or Apple's website to choose a preferred phone, confirm your status with your carrier, add accessories, choose an AppleCare+ plan, and add a preferred payment method ahead of when pre-orders go live. Payment in full and other payment options are supported.

iPhone Upgrade Program members are able to choose their preferred ‌iPhone 17‌ model and complete pre-approval steps that include checking upgrade eligibility, securing credit lines, and confirming shipping details.

Apple has offered a "Get Ready" feature for several years now, providing customers with a streamlined way to pre-order their iPhones with the tap of a button.

Pricing on the ‌iPhone 17‌ starts at $799, while the ‌iPhone Air is priced at $999. The ‌iPhone 17 Pro‌ is available starting at $1,099, and the ‌iPhone 17 Pro‌ Max is available starting at $1,199.

Following the September 12 pre-orders, the ‌iPhone 17‌ models will launch on Friday, September 19.

Apple on Tuesday held its "Awe Dropping" fall event to debut new iPhone 17 models, the super-thin iPhone Air, the Apple Watch Series 11, SE3, and Ultra 3, new AirPods Pro 3, and more. It took Apple more than an hour to introduce the new devices, but we've recapped everything in a quick 13-minute video for our readers who want a short but detailed overview of what's new.

We've also rounded up our full event coverage, so make sure to take a look at our articles to avoid missing any key details about Apple's updated devices.

iPhone Air

• Apple Announces iPhone Air With Ultra-Thin Design
• Apple Reintroduces MagSafe Battery, for iPhone Air Only
• iPhone Air Gets New Accessories: Clear Case, Bumpers, and Crossbody Strap
• Here's What Apple's New iPhone Lineup Looks Like
• Apple's iPhone Air Battery Pack Costs $99, Extends 27 Hour Battery to 40 Hours
• All New iPhone Models Feature 18MP Front-Facing Camera With Center Stage and Square Sensor
• iPhone Air Limited to 20W MagSafe Charging
• Apple's New 2025 iPhone Lineup: All Storage Options and Prices
• eSIM-Only iPhone Air Available in China Through China Unicom
• iPhone Air and iPhone 17 Limited to USB 2
• iPhone 17 Lineup Features Apple's Custom N1 Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 6 Chip
• iPhone Air Gets Faster and More Efficient C1X 5G Modem, But No mmWave
• iPhone Air Battery: What You're Trading for the Thinnest iPhone Ever
• A19 vs. A19 Pro: iPhone 17 Chip Differences
• iPhone Air Weight: How Apple's Thinnest iPhone Compares
• iPhone Air First Look: Apple's Thinnest iPhone Feels Premium

iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max

• Apple Announces iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max With New Design, Larger Battery, and More
• Apple Unveils New TechWoven Case and Crossbody Strap for iPhone 17 Pro
• iPhone 17 Pro Ditches Titanium, Here's Why
• iPhone 17 Lineup Starts at 256GB Storage, Pro Max Gets 2TB Option
• iPhone 17 Pro Only Comes in Three Colors, With No Black Option
• iPhone 17 Battery Life Comparison: 6+ Hour Improvement Over iPhone 16
• iPhone 17, Air, and iPhone 17 Pro: Here's How Much RAM in Each Model
• iPhone 17 Pro Has Toggle to Disable Screen Flickering (PWM)

iPhone 17

• Apple Announces iPhone 17 Featuring Larger 6.3-Inch Display With ProMotion Support
• iPhone 17, iPhone Air, and iPhone 17 Pro Pre-Orders Begin on September 12
• All New iPhone Models Now Feature ProMotion Displays
• Apple Launches New Line of Cases and Crossbody Straps for iPhone 17 Models
• iPhone 17 and iPhone 17 Pro Models Are eSIM-Only in These Countries
• iPhone 17 and iPhone 17 Pro Models Support 25W Qi2.2 Charging
• Apple's New MagSafe Battery Won't Work on iPhone 17 Models
• iPhone 17 Models Feature Faster USB-C Charging With Apple's New 'Dynamic' Power Adapter

AirPods 3

• Apple Announces AirPods Pro 3 With Better Active Noise Cancellation, Heart Rate Monitor, and More
• AirPods Pro 3 and New Apple Watch Models Now Available for Pre-Order

Apple Watch Series 11

• Apple Watch Series 11 Announced With Hypertension Detection, Sleep Score, and More
• No New Apple Watch Chip for the First Time Ever: All Models Stick to S10
• Here's What the New Apple Watch Lineup Looks Like
• Apple Watch Series 11 Gets First-Ever Battery Life Increase to 24-Hours

Apple Watch SE 3

• Apple Watch SE 3 Announced With Always-On Display, Fast Charging, and More

Apple Watch Ultra 3

• Apple Watch Ultra 3 Announced With Largest Ever Display, 5G, Satellite Connectivity, and More

Software

• Get Ready for Liquid Glass: You Can Download iOS 26, macOS Tahoe and More on September 15
• Apple Seeds iOS 26 and iPadOS 26 Release Candidates
• Apple Seeds macOS Tahoe Release Candidate
• Apple Seeds watchOS 26, tvOS 26, and visionOS 26 Release Candidates
• Here Are the Full iOS 26 Release Notes
• iOS 26 Will Let You Match Your Home Screen Icons to Your iPhone Case

Other News

• Apple Discontinues iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max
• Apple Discontinues iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus
• Hypertension Alerts Coming to Older Apple Watch Models
• New Live Translation Feature Coming to AirPods 4, AirPods Pro 2
• Beats Announces Three New iPhone Cases
• Apple Extends Free Access to Satellite Features Across iPhone 14 and iPhone 15 Models
• Apple Updates Trade-In Values Following iPhone 17 Event

The Apple Watch Series 11, Apple Watch Ultra 3, Apple Watch SE 3, and AirPods 3 can be pre-ordered today. The ‌iPhone Air‌, ‌iPhone 17‌, iPhone 17 Pro, and ‌iPhone 17 Pro‌ Max will be available for pre-order starting at 5:00 a.m. Pacific Time on Friday. All of the new devices will launch on Friday, September 19.

The iPhone 17 models have much longer battery life than the iPhone 16 models, with the exception of the iPhone Air because there's no comparable ‌iPhone 16‌ model. Battery life is up six hours for most devices, with the ‌iPhone 17‌ seeing the most significant increase.

Streaming video can be played for longer, and the ‌iPhone 17‌ models support longer video performance, according to year-over-year comparisons of ‌iPhone 16‌ battery life and ‌iPhone 17‌ battery life listings provided by Apple.

• iPhone 17 - 30 hours video playback, 27 hours streaming video playback.
• iPhone Air - 27 hours video playback, 22 hours streaming video playback.
• iPhone 17 Pro - 33 hours video playback, 30 hours streaming video playback.
• iPhone 17 Pro Max - 39 hours video playback, 35 hours streaming video playback.
• iPhone 16 - 22 hours video playback, 18 hours streaming video, 80 hours audio.
• iPhone 16 Plus - 27 hours video playback, 24 hours streaming video.
• iPhone 16 Pro - 27 hours video playback, 22 hours streaming video.
• iPhone 16 Pro Max - 33 hours video playback, 29 hours streaming video.

The ‌iPhone 17‌ lasts for an impressive eight hours longer than the ‌iPhone 16‌ for video playback, and nine hours longer for streaming video.

Battery life will vary depending on device usage, which is why Apple uses "up to" in all of its battery descriptions. You may see longer or shorter battery life based on how you use your iPhone, because most people aren't often watching video for 39 hours in a row.

The ‌iPhone 17‌ models support fast charging and can reach a 50 percent charge in 30 minutes, much like the ‌iPhone 16‌ models.

Apple introduced the super thin iPhone Air today, and MacRumors videographer Dan Barbera was able to test it out after Apple's event. He shared some initial thoughts, giving us a first look at the device in the real world.

Unsurprisingly, the ‌iPhone Air‌ is indeed "Awe Dropping" at first touch just because it's so lightweight and thin in the hand despite the 6.5-inch display. Even though it's light, it still feels like a premium device, which is expected at the $999 price point. The ‌iPhone Air‌ is 5.6mm thick, which makes it the thinnest iPhone to date, and it weighs 165 grams.

Apple added a new 18-megapixel front-facing camera that has a square sensor, so you can get more into the field of view. It's useful for group selfies and video calls.

There's a camera "plateau" at the back of the ‌iPhone Air‌ for the single-lens 48-megapixel rear camera. According to Apple, that area holds the front-facing camera, rear-facing camera, and some other hardware, enabling the thin design. The frame is titanium, and Apple says it won't bend. The OLED display offers 120Hz ProMotion refresh rates.

Other features include Face ID, Camera Control, and an Action button.

Apple added a custom N1 networking chip for Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, a new C1X modem, and the A19 Pro chip to optimize battery life. The ‌iPhone Air‌ battery lasts for up to 27 hours when watching videos, and you can extend that if you pay another $99 for a MagSafe battery pack. The other iPhone 17 models have longer battery life, but the ‌iPhone Air‌ does have a better battery than the prior-generation iPhone 16.

The ‌iPhone Air‌ will be available for pre-order this Friday, and it'll launch on the 19th.

The iPhone 17 models include an Accessibility setting to disable pulse width modulation (PWM), according to information found in the iOS 26 release candidate.

There will be a toggle located in the Display and Text Size section of the Accessibility settings on the ‌iPhone 17‌, labeled "Display Pulse Smoothing." Users will be able to turn PWM on, or turn it off. A description:

Disables pulse width modulation to provide a different way to dim the OLED display, which can create a smoother display output at low brightness levels. Disabling PWM may affect low brightness display performance under certain conditions.

We have confirmed that the PWM toggle is available on the ‌iPhone 17‌, iPhone 17 Pro, and ‌iPhone 17 Pro‌ Max. It's also likely available on the iPhone Air.

Pulse width modulation is used for adjusting the brightness of a display. PWM is designed to quickly switch LED or OLED pixels on or off to control the brightness that people perceive. Some users are bothered by PWM and can see a flickering at lower brightness levels.

Affected users often complain of eye strain, headaches, and other symptoms, but it is a technology that display makers use because it is energy efficient. The ‌iPhone 17‌ models could provide those who are bothered by PWM with a fix.

Update: This article has been updated to clarify that the setting to turn off PWM is available on all ‌iPhone 17‌ models.

The new iPhone Air is Apple's thinnest iPhone to date, which means it's also lighter than the standard ‌iPhone‌ models. Apple also switched from titanium to aluminum for the iPhone 17 Pro models, resulting in some weight differences. Given these changes, Here's how the iPhone 17 weights compare to the iPhone 16 weights.

• iPhone Air - 5.82 ounces (165 grams)
• iPhone 17 - 6.24 ounces (177 grams)
• iPhone 17 Pro - 7.27 ounces (206 grams)
• iPhone 17 Pro Max - 8.22 ounces (233 grams)
• iPhone 16 - 6 ounces (170 grams)
• iPhone 16 Plus - 7.03 ounces (199 grams)
• iPhone 16 Pro - 7.03 ounces (199 grams)
• iPhone 16 Pro Max - 7.99 ounces (227 grams)

The ‌iPhone Air‌ is seven percent lighter than the ‌iPhone 17‌, and 34 percent lighter than the ‌iPhone 17 Pro‌ Max. The thin design will make the device feel even lighter than its weight suggests, and it should be easier to hold for extended periods. While it is close in weight to the ‌iPhone 17‌, it has a larger display.

The ‌iPhone 17‌ and 17 Pro feature 6.3-inch displays, while the ‌iPhone Air‌ has a 6.5-inch display and the ‌iPhone 17 Pro‌ Max has a 6.9-inch display.

Apple introduced A19 and A19 Pro chips for the iPhone 17 lineup, with a total of three chip variants. The ‌iPhone 17‌ uses the regular A19 chip, while the iPhone Air and iPhone 17 Pro models have the A19 Pro. All of the chips are built on a more advanced 3-nanometer process.

The ‌iPhone 17 Pro‌ and Pro Max have a higher-end A19 Pro chip with a 6-core GPU, and the ‌iPhone Air‌ has an A19 Pro chip with one less GPU core. Here are all the differences, according to Apple:

• A19 - 6-core CPU, 5-core GPU
• A19 Pro (iPhone Air) - 6-core CPU, 5-core GPU
• A19 Pro (iPhone 17 Pro) - 6-core CPU, 6-core GPU

All of the A19 chips have "Neural Accelerators" for each GPU core that boost daily workflows and the performance of local AI models, such as on-device Siri. There's also an updated 16-core Neural Engine, an updated display engine, and an updated image signal processor.

Apple says that the A19 Pro chip has the fastest CPU in any smartphone and the most advanced GPU yet. The CPU includes 50 percent larger last-level cache size, improved front-end bandwidth and improved branch prediction. The GPU features increased math rates, unified image compression, and second-generation dynamic caching. The Neural Accelerators offer 4x the peak compute of the A18 Pro.

The ‌iPhone 17 Pro‌ models have an updated thermal architecture that uses vapor chamber cooling, further enhancing the performance of the A19 Pro chip. With the new chip and the updated thermal design, the CPU and GPU in the A19 Pro deliver 40 percent better sustained performance than the A18 Pro in the iPhone 16 models.

Apple also included 12GB RAM in the ‌iPhone Air‌ and the ‌iPhone 17 Pro‌ models, while the ‌iPhone 17‌ has 8GB.

Apple today introduced the iPhone Air, and it is the thinnest and lightest iPhone to date. With a 5.6mm thick chassis, the ‌iPhone Air‌ doesn't have as much internal space as other iPhones for a battery.

There have been rumors suggesting the ‌iPhone Air‌ would have worse battery life than the standard iPhone 17 and the iPhone 17 Pro models, but there were also rumors indicating that Apple had workarounds, like denser battery technology.

The ‌iPhone Air‌'s battery will last for up to 27 hours when watching videos and up to 22 hours when streaming videos.

It has the lowest battery life of the four ‌iPhone 17‌ models, but Apple is using high-density battery technology to improve battery life. Apple did not provide information on the watt-hours of the ‌iPhone Air‌ battery, but information published on Apple's European site indicates that it has a 3,149 mAh battery inside. 3,149 mAh is most comparable to the 3,227 mAh battery that was in the ‌iPhone‌ 13.

For comparison, the ‌iPhone 17‌ has a 3,692 mAh battery, the 17 Pro has a 4,252 mAh battery, and the 17 Pro Max has a 5,088 mAh battery.

Apple introduced a MagSafe battery pack to go along with the ‌iPhone Air‌, plus iOS 26 has an Adaptive Power mode that's meant to extend battery life when ‌iPhone‌ activity is above a normal day-to-day baseline.

The release candidate version of iOS 26 includes a new feature that lets you set an icon tint color that matches your iPhone case or your ‌iPhone‌.

When you long press on the Home Screen and then choose the customize option, there's a new ‌iPhone‌ case icon at the bottom of the "Tinted" menu. Tapping it will automatically change the color of ‌Home Screen‌ icons to the color of the case that you're using.

Of course, this requires a MagSafe case that the ‌iPhone‌ recognizes, so it is essentially a feature designed to work with Apple cases. If you don't see a colorful ‌MagSafe‌ ring that matches your case color when you put your case on your ‌iPhone‌, it's probably not going to work with icon tinting. You can also opt to change your icon colors to the color of your ‌iPhone‌ by tapping on the ‌iPhone‌ icon.

Tinted icons in ‌iOS 26‌ have a new Liquid Glass look with added translucency. Tints are applied to all icons and widgets on the ‌Home Screen‌.

You can still manually change the color of the tint, or choose a color from your wallpaper. ‌iOS 26‌ is set to come out on Monday, September 15.

Following the debut of the new iPhone 17 models, the iPhone Air, updated Apple Watch models, and the AirPods Pro 3, Apple updated trade-in values for older devices and assigned a value to the iPhone 16 models that people may be replacing.

Trade-in prices have been lowered for the iPhone 15 and older, while the ‌iPhone 16‌ models are worth up to $700 when trading them in.

‌iPhone‌ Model	New Values	Old Values
‌iPhone 16‌ Pro Max	Up to $700	N/A
‌iPhone 16‌ Pro	Up to $580	N/A
‌iPhone 16‌ Plus	Up to $470	N/A
‌iPhone 16‌	Up to $450	N/A
‌iPhone‌ 15 Pro Max	Up to $520	Up to $630
‌iPhone‌ 15 Pro	Up to $420	Up to $500
‌iPhone‌ 15 Plus	Up to $370	Up to $440
‌iPhone‌ 15	Up to $320	Up to $400
‌iPhone‌ 14 Pro Max	Up to $400	Up to $455
‌iPhone‌ 14 Pro	Up to $320	Up to $380
‌iPhone‌ 14 Plus	Up to $240	Up to $300
‌iPhone‌ 14	Up to $220	Up to $290
‌iPhone‌ SE (3rd generation)	Up to $90	Up to $100
‌iPhone‌ 13 Pro Max	Up to $320	Up to $370
‌iPhone‌ 13 Pro	Up to $250	Up to $300
‌iPhone‌ 13	Up to $200	Up to $250
‌iPhone‌ 13 mini	Up to $170	Up to $200
iPhone 12 Pro Max	Up to $230	Up to $280
‌iPhone‌ 12 Pro	Up to $170	Up to $220
‌iPhone‌ 12	Up to $140	Up to $170
iPhone 12 mini	Up to $100	Up to $120
‌iPhone‌ SE (2nd generation)	Up to $50	Up to $50
iPhone 11 Pro Max	Up to $160	Up to $180
‌iPhone‌ 11 Pro	Up to $130	Up to $150
‌iPhone‌ 11	Up to $100	Up to $130
‌iPhone‌ XS Max	Up to $100	Up to $120
‌iPhone‌ XS	Up to $70	Up to $90
‌iPhone‌ XR	Up to $80	Up to $100
‌iPhone‌ X	Up to $60	Up to $60
‌iPhone‌ 8 Plus	Up to $50	Up to $60
‌iPhone‌ 8	Up to $40	Up to $45

Trade-in prices have been lowered for all devices down to the ‌iPhone‌ 8, which is the oldest ‌iPhone‌ that Apple accepts.

Apple has also updated trade-in values for the Apple Watch models, MacBooks, iPads, and Android devices. The Apple Watch Series 10 is worth $175 if trading it in for a new model, and trade-in values have been lowered for all other Apple Watch models.

Apple is now offering up to $710 for the iPad Pro, $435 for the iPad Air, $190 for the iPad, and $190 for the iPad mini. Ypou can get up to $875 for the MacBook Pro, $550 for the MacBook Air, $490 for the iMac, and $2,520 for the Mac Pro, with a full list of prices available on Apple's trade-in website.

Android users can get up to $405 when trading in a Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra, with lower amounts available for other Samsung and Pixel devices.

‌iPhone‌ trade-ins can be initiated when purchasing a new ‌iPhone‌ model from Apple's website, or at an Apple Store.

iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Pro, and iPhone 17 Pro Max models can be charged up to 50% in around 20 minutes with a compatible USB-C power adapter, according to Apple's website.

That means iPhone 17 models offer faster USB-C charging compared to iPhone 16 models, which can be charged up to 50% in around 30 minutes with a compatible adapter.

The ultra-thin iPhone Air has similar USB-C charging speeds as the iPhone 16 series.

One power adapter that supports the iPhone 17's faster wired charging capabilities is Apple's new 40W Dynamic Power Adapter with 60W Max. It is available to order starting today in the U.S., Canada, China, Japan, Mexico, Taiwan, and the Philippines. In the U.S., pricing is set at $39.

As its Dynamic Power name implies, this charger can dynamically deliver up to 60W of power, despite having a smaller form factor. However, due to the thermal limitations of its compact design, the charger can only reach that 60W peak in short bursts. A larger 60W-or-higher charger does not face that limitation.

Know that you do not need to use this specific new Apple power adapter to unlock the iPhone 17's faster charging — most higher-wattage chargers should do the trick.

Also, remember that Apple sells USB-C charging cables separately.

iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Pro, and iPhone 17 Pro Max models can be pre-ordered starting this Friday at 5 a.m. Pacific Time, and the devices launch on Friday, September 19.

Apple today provided developers and public beta testers with the iOS 26 Release Candidate, and the update represents the final version of ‌iOS 26‌ that will be provided to the public if no additional bugs are found that need fixing.

Release Candidates include release notes, so we have Apple's full ‌iOS 26‌ release notes for the first time. There's nothing we didn't know about, but it's useful to see all of the features listed in one place.

Design

• Liquid Glass makes interactions across iOS more delightful, refracts and reflects content in real time, and brings even more focus to what you're viewing on your screen
• Adaptive time on the Lock Screen fluidly resizes to the available space on your Lock Screen, complementing the subjects of your photos and adapting as notifications and Live Activities appear
• Spatial scenes let you add a new 3D effect to your photo wallpapers, bringing them to life when you move your iPhone
• App icons get a fresh new look with Liquid Glass, and there are more ways to customize them with updated light or dark appearances, new color-tinted icons, and a new clear look
• Animated album art makes music playback more immersive, with full screen artist-designed animations on supported albums

Apple Intelligence
Visual Intelligence

• Learn more about the content in any app by pressing the same buttons you use to take a screenshot
• Highlight to search for something specific on your screen
• Jump into Google search results based on the content on your screen, find related items from your most-used third-party apps, or ask ChatGPT about what you're looking at

Live Translation

• In Messages, automatically translate incoming texts, including group messages, and send a response in your preferred language -- it'll be translated when it's delivered
• In FaceTime, live translated captions appear on screen during the call
• In Phone, audio is translated and spoken out loud in real time, and you can follow along with a transcription when the call is on speaker
• With AirPods, hear a translation hands-free when someone nearby speaks to you in a different language

Shortcuts

• Intelligent actions let you take advantage of Writing Tools, Image Playground, and other Apple Intelligence features within your shortcut
• "Use model" is a new action that lets you tap directly into ‌Apple Intelligence‌ models to get responses that feed into the rest of your shortcut, or use ChatGPT if you want to tap into its broad world knowledge and expertise

Genmoji & Image Playground

• Make Genmoji by mixing two emoji together, or by combining an emoji with a description to create what you have in mind
• Choose expressions for your ‌Genmoji‌ of people, making characters look happy, shocked, and more
• Personal attributes like hairstyle and facial hair can be modified for the ‌Genmoji‌ that are inspired by people from your Photos library
• More styles with ChatGPT lets you explore additional styles like Oil Painting and Anime, or you can tap Any Style to describe the image and style you want

Camera

• Streamlined design makes it even easier to access the Photo and Video capture modes, with other modes still just a swipe away
• Lens cleaning hints alert you when your lens is smudged so you can capture the clearest possible photo (‌iPhone‌ 15 and later)
• New AirPods gesture lets you take a photo or start recording video just by pressing the stem on AirPods 4 and AirPods Pro 2 and later

Photos

• Separate tabs for Library and Collections offers easier navigation, and you can access Search in every view
• Collections view can be customized with three different layout options, and it's easy to collapse and reorder the collections
• Recognition for events like concerts and sports lets you see the details of an event and access related content

Phone

• New unified layout option brings together your Favorites, Recents, and Voicemails
• Call Screening lets you screen incoming calls from unknown numbers, getting you the caller's name and reason for the call before the phone rings
• Screened calls from unknown numbers can be placed in a new area of your call list so they're out of your way
• Hold Assist keeps your spot in line while you wait to speak to a live agent, and rings you to return to the call when the live agent is there

Messages

• Screening for unknown senders helps you to stay in control of who can reach you, and puts screened messages in a new area of your conversation list so they're out of your way
• Backgrounds can be added to conversations to make them more personal, with the option to use built-in backgrounds, your own photos, or images made with ‌Image Playground‌
• Polls can help you find out everyone's availability for an upcoming dinner plan or decide on a group gift
• Typing indicators in groups make it easy to know exactly who is about to chime in

CarPlay

• A new design with Liquid Glass helps make each interaction area of the Dashboard distinct, and provides a new tab bar design for easy navigation in apps
• Compact design for incoming calls makes it easy to keep your eyes on the upcoming turn in your favorite navigation app
• Tapbacks in Messages gives you a simple way to react to messages while driving, like with a thumbs up or a heart
• Pinned conversations appear at the top of Messages, making it easy to get to your most frequent conversations
• Widgets stacks can be found to the left of the Dashboard, so you can stay on top of your favorite apps at a glance
• Live Activities appear automatically on the Dashboard, making it easy to keep track of real time events on the go

Maps

• Visited Places gives you the option to allow your ‌iPhone‌ to detect the places you visit, like a restaurant or shop, so you can easily find them again in the Maps library and share them easily
• Preferred routes improve your frequent drives by learning the routes you take between places you regularly visit, like your commute from home to work

Music

• Lyrics Translation and Pronunciation help you understand the meaning behind your favorite songs and makes it easy to sing along, even if you don't know the language
• AutoMix transitions one song into the next like a DJ does, time stretching and beatmatching to deliver a continuous playback experience
• Pin songs, albums, playlists, and more at the top of Library for quick, easy playback

Wallet

• Updated boarding passes give you more access to timely and relevant information about your flights and airports, as well as quick access to airline app features
• Order tracking (beta) uses ‌Apple Intelligence‌ to find emails sent by either merchants or delivery carriers and brings your full order details, progress notifications, and more into one place in the Wallet app
• Installment financing options from your bank or card provider for your credit and debit card purchases are accessible when you pay with Apple Pay in-store on ‌iPhone‌

Apple Games

• New app is the all-in-one destination for gaming on your ‌iPhone‌, helping you jump back into the games you love, discover new favorites, and play with friends in new ways
• Challenge friends, track scores in real time, and see what else your friends are playing
• Access your entire game library, including new and past downloads from the App Store and Apple Arcade, and launch when you are ready to play
• Recommendations for new games are based on the games you love to play

Protecting Kids Online

• Communication Requests give kids the ability to send requests to their parents when there are new phone numbers they want to be able to communicate with
• Convert existing accounts to Child Accounts easily to take full advantage of all available child safety protections
• Age-appropriate experiences in apps gives parents the option to enable kids to share their age range with third-party apps, so they can access content and features suited to their age group
• Communication Safety expands to intervene when nudity is detected on live ‌FaceTime‌ calls, and to blur out nudity in Shared Albums in ‌Photos‌

Accessibility

• Accessibility Nutrition Labels in ‌App Store‌ product pages tell you if accessibility features like VoiceOver, Voice Control, and Captions are available within apps and games before you download them
• Accessibility Reader makes text in any app easier to read by giving you new ways to customize text with extensive options for font, color, and spacing, as well as support for Spoken Content
• Braille Access helps you take notes, read documents, access Live Captions, launch apps, and perform various other tasks effortlessly with your connected braille display

Other

• Preview is a new app on ‌iPhone‌ dedicated to viewing and editing PDFs, with powerful features like AutoFill, a document scanner, and export options
• ‌FaceTime‌ has a reimagined landing page that features personalized Contact Posters for your recent callers and video messages that play as you scroll
• Reminder Suggestions use ‌Apple Intelligence‌ to identify relevant tasks when you share an email, website, note, or other text to the Reminders app
• Local capture records the high-quality audio and video from your ‌iPhone‌ while on any video conferencing call, letting you produce an interview or podcast with the clearest recordings
• Audio input picker in Control Center makes it easy to choose the right microphone for each app, including on the web
• Estimated time to charge lets you know how long it will take for your ‌iPhone‌ to charge
• Adaptive power learns your typical battery usage and, on higher usage days, makes automatic adjustments to help you extend your battery life throughout the day (‌iPhone‌ 15 Pro and later)
• Blood pressure logging experience in the Health app can send you reminders to measure your blood pressure using a third-party cuff and create a PDF report for your healthcare provider
• New Workout tab in the Fitness app brings workout tracking, so you can track metrics like pace and distance, and even more if you have a compatible heart rate monitor like AirPods Pro 3. If you have an Apple Watch, you can take advantage of the larger screen while using features like building a Custom Workout
• Adaptive Temperature automatically adjusts your thermostat to your preferred temperature when you're on your way home, and adjusts to save energy when you leave for the day or go on vacation
• Custom snooze options let you adjust how long you can snooze when your alarm goes off, with options between 1 and 15 minutes
• Password History provides a timeline of changes you've made to an account in Passwords, including a history of past passwords and generated strong passwords
• Notes lets you import and export Markdown formatted files

‌iOS 26‌ will be released on Monday, September 15.

Before the iPhone Air debuted, rumors suggested that it would adopt the C1 modem chip that Apple first introduced with the iPhone 16e. It turns out Apple had another idea in mind, and the ‌iPhone Air‌ is equipped with a new C1X chip.

Apple says the C1X modem is up to 2x faster than the C1, while using the same cellular technologies. It is apparently faster than the Qualcomm modem in the iPhone 16 Pro, while using 30 percent less energy. According to Apple, the C1X is the most power-efficient modem in an iPhone.

Apple seems to be referring to sub-6GHz 5G speeds when it says the C1X is faster than the modem in the ‌iPhone 16‌ Pro, because the chip still doesn't support mmWave 5G speeds.

The C1X is limited to sub-6GHz 5G bands, while the Qualcomm modem in the iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Pro, and ‌iPhone 17 Pro‌ Max supports both sub-6GHz and mmWave. Sub-6GHz is the more widespread version of 5G, while mmWave is more limited and is typically found in major cities and urban areas.

The ‌iPhone Air‌ has longer battery life than the ‌iPhone 16‌ despite its thin size, and it also offers better battery life than the ‌iPhone 16e‌ with C1 modem. The ‌iPhone Air‌ lasts for up to 27 hours when watching videos, while the ‌iPhone 16e‌ lasts for up to 26 hours.

Apple today announced it is providing existing iPhone 14 and iPhone 15 users with an additional year of free access to its suite of satellite features. The company revealed this extension in its press releases for the new iPhone 17 and iPhone Air models.

The free period will be extended for iPhone 14 and iPhone 15 users who activated their device in a country that supports Apple's satellite features prior to 12 a.m. Pacific Time today, according to Apple. That means the features will continue to work for free on devices that are already activated until at least mid-September of 2026.

Free access to the satellite features on iPhone 15 models was set to end this month, prior to this extension. For the iPhone 14 models, free access to the features should have initially ended in September 2024, but Apple has extended the trial period twice now for those devices. The implication is that Apple will eventually charge a fee for the features, but it has yet to confirm such a plan, and it is unclear what pricing would look like.

It is possible that Apple will eventually decide to keep the satellite features free forever, given the life-saving potential, but only time will tell.

Apple's satellite features include Emergency SOS via satellite, Messages via satellite, Find My via satellite, and Roadside Assistance via satellite, with availability varying by country. These features work when you are in a supported area without Wi-Fi or cellular connectivity. Apple's satellite partner is currently Globalstar.

The new iPhone Air, iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Pro, and ‌iPhone 17 Pro‌ Max have a new Apple-designed chip inside, the N1.

The N1 is a networking chip. It supports Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 6, and Thread. Because Apple was able to create the chip to integrate with other hardware and software in the iPhone, it's more efficient and it offers improved reliability.

According to Apple, the N1 chip improves the performance and reliability of features like Personal Hotspot and AirDrop. The N1 will replace networking chips that Apple previously sourced from suppliers like Broadcom.

The iPhone 16 models supported Wi-Fi 7 already so that's not new, but Bluetooth 6 is an upgrade over the previous Bluetooth 5.3 support. Bluetooth 6 brings less interference in crowded areas for improved reliability, lower latency, updated wake and sleep cycles for longer battery life, better multi-stream audio support for spatial audio and other features, and improved hearing aid support.

Thread was also a feature in the prior-generation ‌iPhone 16‌ models, but for those unfamiliar, a Thread radio allows the ‌iPhone 17‌ models to directly control Thread-enabled smart home products.

With the N1 and other optimizations, the ‌iPhone 17‌ models have some of the longest battery life in any ‌iPhone‌ to date. The ‌iPhone 17 Pro‌ lasts for up to 39 hours when watching videos, for example.