MacRumors

Samsung is hosting a new back to school sale, which includes notable savings on multiple product lines sitewide. The popular ViewFinity S9 5K Smart Monitor and new Smart Monitor M80D are both discounted during this sale, but you'll also find sales on storage, audio, TVs, smartphones, and wearable tech.

Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with Samsung. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment, which helps us keep the site running.

The best monitor deal during this event is on the 27-inch ViewFinity S9 5K Smart Monitor, available for $899.99, down from $1,599.99. At $700 off this is a match of the all-time low price on the 2023 display, which has a matte display, modular 4K SlimFit camera, and support for Thunderbolt 4.

Samsung also has its new Smart Monitor M80D on sale today for $549.99, down from $699.99, which is a second-best price on the monitor. The display retains key features of the previous model, like USB-C charging connectivity, AirPlay 2 support, an integrated webcam, and several smart TV features that enable it to be used when not connected to a PC.

In terms of new features, the M80D includes a Multi Control feature that allows images and text to be moved between the display and a Galaxy Book, Tablet, or Phone. You can also pair Galaxy Buds to the monitor for a spatial audio experience with head tracking, as well as guided workouts when paired with a Galaxy Watch.

Monitors

• 34-inch ViewFinity HDR10 Curved Monitor - $599.99, down from $699.99
• 49-inch Odyssey G9 Curved Gaming Monitor - $899.99, down from $1,299.99
• 34-inch OLED Curved Smart Gaming Monitor - $799.99, down from $1,199.99
• 49-inch Odyssey OLED G9 Curved Gaming Monitor - $1,199.99, down from $1,799.99
• 55-inch Odyssey Ark 2nd Gen Curved Gaming Monitor - $1,799.99, down from $2,999.99

TVs

• The Frame TV - Save up to $1,700
• 70-inch QLED 4K QE1C TV - $989.99, down from $1,799.99
• 55-inch Neo QLED 4K Smart TV - $1,099.99, down from $1,499.99
• 55-inch Samsung Neo QLED 4K TV - $1,099.99, down from $1,999.99
• 65-inch OLED S90C TV - $1,599.99, down from $2,599.99
• 85-inch Samsung Neo QLED 4K Smart TV - $2,599.99, down from $4,799.99

Galaxy Products

• Galaxy Z Fold6 - Save up to $1,500 with trade-in credit
• Galaxy Z Flip6 - Save up to $800 with trade-in credit
• Galaxy Watch Ultra - Save up to $350
• Galaxy Buds3 Pro - Save up to $130

Be sure to visit our full Deals Roundup to shop for even more Apple-related products and accessories.

Apple today shared a new ad titled "The Relay" focused on athletic accessibility with the tagline "designed for every body."

Shared ahead of the 2024 Paralympic Games in Paris, the ad shows some of the routines, training, and competitions undertaken by disabled athletes across a wide range of sports, assisted by Apple devices. It emphasizes inclusivity and the universality of competitive sport, regardless of one's physical disabilities.

Apple products are designed for every body. Whether you're a sprinter, wheelchair racer, track cyclist, or swimmer, features like the Workout app on Apple Watch, sleep metrics, and daily exercise goals — along with the ability to record and analyze your performance on iPad and Mac — ensure that all athletes have what they need to train and compete at their best.

And innovative accessibility features like Point and Speak on iPhone, for users with low vision, or AssistiveTouch (which helps those with upper-limb difference use Apple Watch one-handed) further equip adaptive athletes with the ability to excel equally.

More information can be found on Apple's accessibility website.

Spotify says it has received approval from Apple to display pricing information in its iOS app for users in the European Union, following its years-long legal struggle with the company.

Spotify says that from Wednesday, iPhone users in the EU will be informed of pricing information in the app and the fact that they can go to the company's website to purchase items directly.

"EU iPhone consumers will now benefit from seeing our end of summer promotional pricing," said Spotify in an updated blog post. "They'll also finally be able to see how much a Premium plan of their choosing costs once the promotion ends."

The music streamer is not opting into Apple's complicated new business rules under the Digital Markets Act, but is instead taking advantage of Apple's "entitlement" for music streaming services – a result of the European Commission's decision on March 4 which found that Apple violated the EU's antitrust laws and fined them over €1.8 billion.

Spotify is still not giving users a link to click to make purchases from outside of the App Store, which it could have done under the entitlement terms, but it presumably does not want to give Apple a cut of any off-platform sales, which Apple would likely argue is a reflection of the value the App Store provides.

"Unfortunately, Spotify and all music streaming services in the EU are still not able to freely give consumers a simple opportunity to click a link to purchase in app because of the illegal and predatory taxes Apple continues to demand, despite the Commission's ruling.

"The fight continues. iPhone consumers everywhere deserve basic information about how much things cost, when they can take advantage of great deals and promotions, and where to go to buy those things online. If the European Commission properly enforces its decision, iPhone consumers could see even more wins, like lower cost payment options and better product experiences in the app."

Spotify has been in a legal spat with Apple in the EU since 2019, when it filed an antitrust complaint over App Store rules. As recently as March Spotify complained to the Commission that Apple was failing to approve a Spotify update that adds information on subscription pricing and links its website.

Apple is still working on a larger iMac with over a 30-inch display, but the development stage and potential release schedule for the all-in-one computer still remains largely unknown.

Following the launch of the Mac Studio and 27-inch Studio Display in March 2022, Apple discontinued the Intel-based 27-inch iMac. The company had already consigned the iMac Pro to its discontinued products list the previous March. Then in November 2023, Apple dashed hopes of a future 27-inch iMac when it confirmed to several publications that it had no plans to release such a machine.

Despite Apple's product reshuffle and its continued attempt to push customers to buy its 24-inch iMac or opt instead for a Mac Studio / Studio Display combo, there have been persistent rumors of a larger-screened iMac in the works that has a display that's over 30 inches in size. The machine was said to be in the early stages of development in mid-2023, but until recently the rumor mill had gone all but quiet about its progress.

Now, Bloomberg reporter Mark Gurman has offered a ray of hope for fans of a larger model. "A larger iMac remains something Apple is exploring," he wrote in his latest weekly report. However, Gurman still says it is unclear if the device will use Apple's latest M4 processor. Apple plans to update its 24-inch iMac to an M4 processor later this year, but Gurman's comments suggest that this could be too early for the larger model, given its current development phase.

• M4 MacBook Pro, iMac, and Redesigned Mac Mini Coming This Year

Gurman in June 2023 reported that Apple was in the early stages of developing a new iMac with over a 30-inch display, and that it was "further out," suggesting that it might be at least a year or two away from launching. Then in October 2023, Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo said he expected a 32-inch iMac with a mini-LED display to come out in 2025. Kuo did not specify, but such a machine could be positioned as an "‌iMac‌ Pro" to replace the 2017 model that Apple discontinued in 2021.

So it seems Apple could still release a larger M4 iMac in 2025, alongside planned processor upgrades the MacBook Air, Mac Pro, and Mac Studio next year. Another possibility is that Apple will hold out for its M5 chip, which could see the bigger iMac arrive in 2026 or later.

• When to Expect New M4 MacBook Air, Mac Studio, and Mac Pro Models

As the rumors indicate, the actual size of the bigger iMac that Apple is working on is still unclear, but the display is surely going to be over 30 inches. At 32 inches, it would offer the same dimensions as the 6K Pro Display XDR, which Apple sells for $5,000. As for the design, we could perhaps see slimmer bezels and a machine that is ultimately modeled after the Studio Display, with Apple eliminating the chin, but rumors are not clear on this point.

Multiple rumors have suggested that the iPhone 16 models are going to have an all-new button that's designed to make it easier to capture photos when the devices are held in landscape mode.

Apple calls the button the Capture Button internally, and it is going to be one of the most advanced buttons that's been introduced to date with support for multiple gestures and the ability to respond to pressure. Here's everything the button will be able to do, according to rumors:

• Lightly press on the button to autofocus while capturing an image or video.
• Press harder on the button to take a photo.
• Swipe left and right on the button to zoom in and out.
• There may also be a gesture for switching between photo mode and video mode, similar to how you can capture a video with a press and swipe in the iPhone camera app.

The ability to autofocus with a light press on the button will be a gesture that DSLR camera owners are used to, as this is often how you autofocus when using a high-end camera.

Apple plans to put the button on the right side of the iPhone, in the space where the mmWave antenna is on iPhones that are sold in the United States. The mmWave antenna will be moving to the left side of the device to make space.

The Capture Button has been depicted in CAD renders and dummy models of all four iPhone devices, but Bloomberg's Mark Gurman this week suggested that there is a possibility that it will only be available on the Pro models.

With the Capture Button, Apple will be able to encourage users to take images and videos captured in landscape orientation, which are better viewed on the Vision Pro headset.

Along with a Capture Button, the ‌iPhone 16‌ models will feature slightly bigger displays, a new A18 chip that supports Apple Intelligence, and 8GB RAM for all models, which is necessary to power Apple's AI models. For more on what's expected, make sure to check out our iPhone 16 roundup.

When introducing the new Pixel 9 models today, Google didn't miss an opportunity to denigrate Apple Intelligence. All of the new Pixel 9 devices are integrated with Google's AI technology, Gemini, and there are a host of new AI features that Google introduced.

Like ‌Apple Intelligence‌, Gemini works using on-device processing power, but Google made sure to point out that Gemini is capable enough to answer complex queries without handing a task off to another AI service. The comment was a dig at Apple's plan to add ChatGPT integration to Siri, as ChatGPT will be able to do things that ‌Siri‌ can't. From Google:

Gemini is deeply integrated with Google apps and Android and can handle complex queries without hand-off to third-party AI providers you may not know or trust.

Apple will use ChatGPT for things like generating text from scratch, something that ‌Apple Intelligence‌ doesn't do. Apple did add Writing Tools, but it is limited to rewriting content that you've already written to change the tone or style. ChatGPT will also be able to generate images that Image Playground cannot, such as photorealistic content, and it will handle requests like generating meal recipes.

When a user asks ‌Siri‌ something that ‌Siri‌ cannot handle, the personal assistant will ask for permission to hand it over to ChatGPT. ChatGPT integration is entirely optional, and OpenAI is partnering with Apple to bring it to iPhone users for free.

Rumors suggest that Apple also plans to add Gemini integration to the iPhone, allowing iPhone users to choose their preferred AI service. It's not quite clear if ‌Apple Intelligence‌ is incapable of handling full text generation and photorealistic image creation, or if these are capabilities that Apple feels are a little too questionable to touch given the sentiment about AI-created content.

Google's new Pixel devices have several interesting AI features, including Pixel Studio, a new image generator that uses an on-device diffusion model. It will generate stickers and images using text prompts, similar to ‌Image Playground‌.

AI will be able to edit photos to add objects that weren't originally in the image, plus Google plans to use it for custom weather reports. The camera app has an option to merge two photos together so that the person taking a group photo can be in the picture, and it can catalog and remember information from screenshots. There's also a feature called Call Notes, which mimics Apple's call recording feature by recording and summarizing phone calls.

Google has also added Gemini Live to the Pixel 9 devices and accompanying earbuds, with Gemini Live allowing users to have full free-flowing conversations with Gemini.

With the latest betas of iOS 18 and macOS Sequoia, Apple added new functionality to iPhone Mirroring, the feature that lets you control your iPhone from your Mac. When iPhone Mirroring first debuted in the betas, there was no support for managing the Home Screen, but that's now changed.

Apple added an option to get into jiggle mode, as noted by 9to5Mac. After activating the iPhone Mirroring app, you can click and hold on the iPhone's ‌Home Screen‌ to activate jiggle mode. In this mode, you can do everything you can in jiggle mode on the iPhone itself, from deleting and rearranging apps to managing widgets.

You can add widgets, change widget sizes, activate app long press functionality, turn on dark mode icons, or opt into icon tinting. There is no option to get to the Lock Screen or Control Center, though, and notifications can only be viewed through the Mac notification center.

Apple added the new jiggle functionality in the iOS 18, iOS 18.1, macOS 15, and macOS 15.1 betas, so if you have any of the developer or public betas, you should be able to use the new iPhone Mirroring functionality as of now.

Apple will host its annual National Parks Apple Watch activity challenge on Sunday, August 25. The event is designed to celebrate national parks across the United States.

Apple Watch owners can earn an Apple Watch activity award by doing a workout that lasts for 20 minutes or more on August 25, 2024.

As with all of the activity challenges, the award will come with animated stickers that can be used in the Messages app.

Apple often offers other national parks-themed content in August, including an Apple Pay donation program, Apple TV+ content, Apple Music songs, books, podcasts, and more.

Google today announced the launch of several new smartphones in its Pixel lineup, including the Pixel 9 Pro Fold, the Pixel 9, the Pixel 9 Pro, and the Pixel 9 Pro XL, all of which have new Gemini-powered AI capabilities. There's also a new Pixel Watch 3 and Pixel Buds Pro 2 earbuds.

Google is offering two sizes of its Pro model for the first time, with the Pixel 9 Pro and 9 Pro XL available in 6.3-inch and 6.8-inch sizes, respectively. The standard Pixel 9 has a 6.3-inch display, while the Pixel 9 Pro Fold has a 6.3-inch cover display that unfolds into an 8-inch display.

The Pixel 9 models have a redesigned rear camera bar that's centered at the back of the device. Other design details include a matte glass back and polished metal sides, and Google says the new devices are twice as durable as the Pixel 8 smartphones. The Fold has a thinner chassis, a fluid-friction hinge, and a rectangular camera setup on one half of the device.

Google is using new OLED displays that it calls "Super Actua" for the Pro, Pro XL, and Fold, and all three are brighter than prior-generation models. The Pixel 9 Pro Fold is 80 percent brighter than the Pixel Fold. Google is also using Corning Gorilla Glass Victus 2.

The new Pixel smartphones are equipped with the Google Tensor G4, which Google says was custom built for AI like Gemini. It is faster and more power efficient than Google's prior processor, with Google also adding more RAM (12GB for the Pixel, 16GB for the Pixel Pro models). There are also improvements to battery life and camera technology across the board, with the Pixel 9 Pro models adopting a 5x telephoto lens with 20x Super Res Zoom.

Gemini is the AI assistant on the Pixel smartphones, and it is "deeply integrated" into Google apps with support for Gemini Live on the Pro models. Gemini Live requires a Gemini Advanced subscription and offers a "mobile conversational experience" for "free-flowing conversations" with the AI. Pixel users can communicate with Gemini using text, images, or voice. Pixel Studio is a new app that features an on-device image generator that creates stickers and images using text-based prompts.

There are several photographic capabilities available, such as Add Me, a feature that uses augmented reality and AI to add the photographer into the shot by combining multiple images together. Auto frame allows images to be reframed for better composition, Zoom Enhance fills in missing pixels so you can zoom in further after taking a shot, and the Magic Editor supports editing photos with text prompts. Google says you can do things like adding wildflowers to an open field.

Google is using AI to supplement the weather app for custom weather reports, create lists in Google Keep, summarize emails and messages, and save, recall, and organize information from screenshots. Call Notes is an option that saves a private summary of a conversation after a phone call. Satellite SOS, a feature that has been available on the iPhone since 2022, is now available on the Pixel 9 smartphones.

The Pixel Buds Pro 2 are lighter and smaller than the Pixel Buds Pro, and Google is using AI and a faster Tensor A1 chip to improve Active Noise Cancellation. Gemini integration is built in, including the Gemini Live feature for conversing with Gemini AI. Other features include Find My Device integration, Clear Calling for cutting down on ambient noise, and Conversation Detection for disabling ANC when someone speaks.

The Pixel Watch 3 with circular design comes in two sizes, including 41mm and a new larger 45mm option, with smaller bezels for larger display sizes. Both are more power efficient thanks to new display technology that's also brighter than before.

The watch has a new health feature that is able to detect if a person loses pulse, placing a call to emergency services for assistance. It is also able to automatically detect sleep and enter Bedtime mode to conserve battery, and it can last for up to 36 hours. Other features include Daily Readiness, Cardio Load, and Target Load, which are similar to capabilities Apple is introducing with watchOS 11.

All of Google's new devices can be pre-ordered today. The Pixel 9 starts at $799, the Pixel 9 Pro starts at $999, the Pixel 9 Pro XL starts at $1,099, and the Pixel 9 Pro Fold starts at $1,799. The Pixel Buds Pro 2 are priced at $229, and the new Pixel Watch 3 is priced starting at $349.99.

Apple today released the fourth beta of watchOS 11 to public beta testers, allowing non-developers to give the new features a try ahead of when the software launches this fall. The fourth beta comes two weeks after the third beta.

watchOS 11 can be downloaded after signing up on Apple's beta software website and upgrading your iPhone to the public beta version of iOS 18. You'll need to open up the Watch app on iPhone, go to General, select Software Update, and choose the watchOS 11 Public Beta option under Beta Updates.

With watchOS 11, Apple added a new Vitals app that can be used to give you a daily overview of your health metrics, letting you know if anything is out of the ordinary. It compares information collected at night like heart rate, sleep, respiratory rate, and oxygen level to your levels over the previous weeks.

Smart Stack has new widgets like Translate and Shazam, plus it's smarter because it is able to suggest widgets based on time, date, location, and daily routine. Interactive widgets let you access app features from the Smart Stack, and it also supports Live Activities.

Training Load is a new way of measuring how the intensity and duration of workouts impact the body over time, with Apple providing an effort level for cardio-based workouts to help you know when to rest and when to push harder.

You can now customize your Activity Ring requirements for different days of the week, and Apple added support for rest days. Taking a break from activity will no longer ruin a streak because you can pause for a day, a week, a month, or more.

Other new features include more workout types, Check In for Messages, a revamped Photos watch face, improvements to Double Tap, and more, with additional information available in our watchOS 11 roundup.

India's Competition Commission has recalled two investigative reports accusing Apple of antitrust violations after the company raised concerns about the disclosure of confidential commercial information (via Reuters).

The Competition Commission of India (CCI) has withdrawn two key reports that alleged Apple breached local competition laws. The recall, which is highly unusual, comes after the company filed a complaint claiming that the reports contained sensitive commercial data that was improperly disclosed to its competitors, including Tinder-owner Match Group. The commission has not publicly detailed the exact nature of the confidential information in question, but it is believed to primarily concern financial data related to Apple's operations in India.

The reports were part of a prolonged investigation into Apple's practices in the Indian market, focusing on allegations that the company abused its dominant position in the app store market to force developers to use its proprietary in-app purchase system. The system, which charges commissions of up to 30%, has been a subject of scrutiny around the world, with regulators in Europe, Japan, South Korea, and the United States raising similar concerns about its impact on competition and market fairness.

Apple's defense in the case centers on its argument that it is a minor presence in India, where only 3.5% of the country's 690 million smartphones are iPhones, according to data from Counterpoint Research. Despite this relatively small market share, the CCI's initial findings suggested that Apple had exploited its position to the detriment of app developers, users, and other payment processors.

The recall is expected to delay the investigation by several months as the CCI undertakes the process of redacting the sensitive information and potentially reissuing revised reports.

Today we're tracking a big selection of discounts on Anker's and Jackery's best portable power stations on Amazon, with as much as $1,750 in savings on these devices. These accessories are high-capacity portable batteries that can provide backup power to a wide variety of devices, from laptops to RVs.

Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with Amazon. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment, which helps us keep the site running.

For the Anker deals, you'll need to have a Prime membership in order to see some of these discounted prices, while others require an on-page coupon to be clipped before you see the final deal price. In regards to the Jackery discounts, only one requires an on-page coupon and all of the others have been automatically applied.

Jackery

• Explorer 100 Plus Power Station with Solar Panel - $179.99, down from $229.00
• Solar Generator 240 with Mini Solar Panel - $269.00, down from $349.00
• Solar Generator 300 Plus with Solar Panel - $419.00, down from $499.00
• Explorer 1000 Plus Expansion Battery Pack - $509.00 with on-page coupon, down from $599.00
• Explorer 1000 Power Station (version 2) - $599.00, down from $799.00
• Explorer 2000 Pro Power Station - $999.00, down from $1,899.00
• Explorer 3000 Pro Power Station - $2,149.00, down from $2,799.00

Anker

• SOLIX C800 Power Station with Camping Lights - $449.00 with on-page coupon, down from $649.00
• SOLIX C1000 Power Station - $549.00 with on-page coupon, down from $999.00
• SOLIX C1000 Power Station with Solar Panel - $899.00 for Prime members, down from $1,549.00
• SOLIX F2000 Power Station - $1,199.00 for Prime members, down from $1,999.00
• SOLIX F2000 Power Station with 400W Solar Panel - $1,599.00 for Prime members, down from $2,899.00
• SOLIX F2000 Power Station with 200W Solar Panel - $2,399.00, down from $2,549.00
• SOLIX F3800 Power Station - $2,699.00 with on-page coupon, down from $3,999.00
• SOLIX F3800 Power Station with 400W Solar Panel - $3,149.00 for Prime members, down from $4,899.00

Head to our full Deals Roundup to get caught up with all of the latest deals and discounts that we've been tracking over the past week.

Apple Music with spatial audio is now available in Rivian electric vehicles as part of the company's Connect+ subscription.

Rivian's latest software update brings a unique, built-in ‌Apple Music‌ app to the company's electric vehicles, such as the R1T truck and R1S SUV. The ‌Apple Music‌ app allows users to access a library of over 100 million songs, 30,000 curated playlists, and global live-streaming radio stations as part of a fully-integrated experience in Rivian's infotainment system.

Rivian's Connect+ subscription is required to access streaming services like ‌Apple Music‌ and Spotify. The subscription is priced at $14.99 per month or $149.99 annually and enables other features such as Wi-Fi hotspot capabilities, satellite imagery, and enhanced voice commands via Alexa.

Vehicles equipped with Rivian's Premium Audio system, which includes an 18-speaker, 960-watt surround sound setup, can also play Dolby Atmos ‌Apple Music‌ songs with spatial audio, enabling music to be experienced in a more three-dimensional space in the vehicle. Rivian is offering a two-month free trial of Connect+ starting today.

Rivian CEO RJ Scaringe recently explained that the company has no plans to introduce support for Apple CarPlay in its vehicles, remarking that "we just believe that it is such an important piece of real estate, the digital ecosystem, that it was something we want to retain" and "we have taken the view of the digital experience in the vehicle wants to feel consistent and holistically harmonious across every touchpoint."

Next year's iPhone SE 4 will almost certainly come with 8GB of RAM, up from 4GB in the 2022 model, due to the hardware requirements of Apple Intelligence.

Currently in Apple's smartphone lineup, only the iPhone 15 Pro models support Apple Intelligence, Apple's suite of AI features coming in iOS 18.1, because the features require a minimum of 8GB of RAM. There is only 6GB RAM in the iPhone 15 and 15 Plus, so they will miss out.

Following the release of the iPhone 16 lineup in September, Apple will release the fourth-generation iPhone SE as early as the beginning of 2025, according to Bloomberg reporter Mark Gurman, and he says "you can bet that it will have Apple Intelligence."

• Apple Explains iPhone 15 Pro Requirement for Apple Intelligence

So unless Apple discontinues the iPhone 15 models this year when the iPhone 16 series debuts, this will leave Apple's smartphone lineup in an unusual position, with a sub-$500 device in the iPhone SE 4 able to run Apple's latest AI features while the standard iPhone 15 models cannot.

The fourth-generation ‌iPhone SE‌ is rumored to feature an iPhone 14-like design, Face ID instead of Touch ID, a USB-C port, an Action button, an Apple-designed 5G modem, an A18 processor, and an all-screen look that does away with the Home Button. The device's display is expected to grow in size from 4.7 inches to 6.06 inches and use OLED for the first time.

• iPhone 16 Launch Is Just One Month Out – Here's Everything We Know

Apple suppliers are expected to begin ramping up mass production of the device in October of this year. The device could be released ahead of the Lunar New Year in January 2025. However, all three existing iPhone SE models were announced in March over the years, so a March 2025 release seems quite possible too.

With the release of iOS 18.1 beta 2, Apple has apparently opened up access to Apple Intelligence for English speakers located in the European Union, something that was not possible in previous versions.

One of the reasons Apple limited region access to Apple Intelligence was that it only supports US English. Another reason Apple Intelligence was previously not available in the EU was because Apple geo-locked access within the bloc, likely due to regulatory issues related to the Digital Markets Act. On the face of it, those issues still remain, and it's still not clear whether they will be resolved by the time iOS 18.1 is released in October. But at least for now, there doesn't seem to be anything stopping users in the EU who have a US App Store ID from testing out Apple Intelligence in the beta if their device supports it.

Supported Devices

Apple Intelligence encompasses a range of capabilities, including composing text and emails, automating actions across various apps, generating images, summarizing documents and texts, and more. However, these features require a lot of on-device computing power, so before you do anything, it's worth checking if your device is compatible. iPhone users need either an iPhone 15 Pro or iPhone 15 Pro Max to run Apple Intelligence, while only iPads powered by M1 or later Apple silicon processors are compatible.

Install Beta Software

If your device is supported, the first thing you need to do is install the iOS 18.1 developer beta for your device. Once you've followed the instructions provided in the linked article and your device is up and running with the latest beta, follow these steps on your iPhone or iPad.

1. Open Settings, then tap through to General ➝ Language & Region.
2. Tap Add Language.. and choose English (US).
3. Tap Region and choose United States. (Note that this won't affect your App Store regions or purchases.)
   
   

4. Return to the main Settings menu and tap Apple Intelligence & Siri.
5. Tap Language and choose English (United States).
6. You will now be able to join the Apple Intelligence waitlist, which in most cases gets accepted in just a few minutes. Under the Apple Intelligence header text, tap Join Waitlist.
   
   

7. After what should hopefully be a short wait, the message will change to Turn On Apple Intelligence. Tap it, and a welcome message should appear, indicating you have sucessfully enabled the AI features on your device.

You can learn more here about all of the Apple Intelligence features available in the second iOS 18.1 developer beta. Note that some of the Apple Intelligence additions won't be coming until later next year.

Article revised to add that this method appears to require that the device is signed in with a US App Store ID, according to some user reports.

TikTok is rolling out new direct messaging features for its app, including "highly requested" group chats with support for up to 32 people, the company has announced.

Group chats allow users aged 16 and over to share and comment on TikTok videos with friends and family members without having to open a separate messaging app like WhatsApp or Messenger.

Starting a group chat can be done in a couple of ways. Users can tap a Chat button at the top of the TikTok inbox and select the names of people they want to include, or they can tap Start Group Chat when sharing a post with several people.

TikTok says it has built safety into the design of group chats for teens, and taken steps to block communication with strangers. Like regular direct messages, group chats are not available to users aged between 13 and 15.

Additionally, users in the next 16-17 age bracket can only join a group chat if they have at least one mutual friend included. If they create a group chat, they have to review and manually approve anyone new who joins.

Owner ByteDance notes that the new group chat feature "isn't currently available everywhere," but its support page does not provide further details on when that may change.

Lastly, TikTok is also bringing stickers to direct messages, allowing users to communicate with each other more visually. Users can now create and upload custom stickers to the platform for anyone to use.

Opera has released its artificial intelligence-powered Opera One browser for iOS, following several weeks in beta testing.

The iPhone app mimics the minimalist aesthetic of the company's desktop browser, and "intelligently hides unnecessary elements" to make the browsing experience free from distractions. When scrolling on a page, for example, the browser hides the bottom and the top bar for a full-screen view.

The search bar sits at the bottom of the interface for easier access, provides quick search suggestions while typing, and includes Aria AI assistant integration. There's also a new swipe-to-search gesture that lets users activate the search bar with a simple swipe down, similar to when users search for apps from the iPhone's Home Screen via Spotlight. The placed search bar is the default option, but users can alternatively choose Standard Navigation or Fast Action Button style.

Aria can assist with a wide range of tasks, from web searches to generating text and images, according to Opera. With Voice Input, Aria allows users to speak queries instead of typing them, making it convenient when on the move or in need of hands-free operation. Aria can also create images using Google's Imagen2 model, enabling users to generate visuals simply by providing a prompt.

Additionally, there's a new start page carousel that is designed to keep users informed without cluttering up the interface, integrating news, live scores, and product tips into the wallpaper background. Opera also includes a built-in ad blocker, a free VPN service, and several theme customization options.

Opera One for iOS comes just over a year after its debut on desktop, and can be downloaded from the App Store for free [Direct Link].

It will likely be years before Apple Intelligence has a compelling enough feature set that people will pay for, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said in this week's Power On newsletter. ‌Apple Intelligence‌ is still so new that Gurman expects it will "take three years" for Apple to create a product that's worth charging for, and even that "may be the best-case scenario."

Gurman suggested last month that Apple's long-term plan is to develop something like ‌Apple Intelligence‌+, with add-on features that users would pay a monthly fee to access. Apple already has a tiered subscription setup for iCloud, so ‌Apple Intelligence‌ could work similar to that.

‌iCloud‌ provides 5GB of free storage to all users, but for a fee, ‌iCloud‌+ subscription plans include more storage and also access to features like ‌iCloud‌ Private Relay. In the future, basic ‌Apple Intelligence‌ access could continue to be free, with more advanced features requiring a subscription. OpenAI and other companies charge for AI queries and image generation after a set free limit due to the computing power and costs associated with AI.

As of right now, the first ‌Apple Intelligence‌ features are only partially available in the iOS 18.1, iPadOS 18.1, and macOS Sequoia 15.1 betas. Apple has added Writing Tools, some basic Siri improvements, smart replies in Messages and Mail, and a few other features like a Memory Maker option in Photos, but Image Playground, Genmoji, and the bulk of the ‌Siri‌ upgrades won't be coming until later in 2024 and 2025.

In addition to fully rolling out the first ‌Apple Intelligence‌ features that were announced at WWDC 2024, Apple still needs to work to expand the functionality to more countries, including China and the European Union. The features that Apple showed off in June likely won't all be available until 2025, and there's no word yet on when it might expand to more countries (including other languages), so it's not hard to see how it could take until 2027 or beyond to have a robust product.

As another reference point, Apple introduced Emergency SOS via satellite alongside the iPhone 14 in 2022, a feature that the company plans to eventually charge a fee to use, but it will be at least 2025 before the first iPhone owners have to pay for it. Apple's fee for Emergency SOS has not yet been announced.

When Apple does start charging for ‌Apple Intelligence‌, it could be baked into existing ‌iCloud‌+ plans or included as part of Apple One, Apple's subscription bundle. Counterpoint Research analyst Neil Shah recently speculated that Apple could charge between $10 and $20 for ‌Apple Intelligence‌, with the fee rolled into an ‌Apple One‌ plan. The basic ‌Apple One‌ plan is priced at $19.95 per month right now, and it includes 50GB ‌iCloud‌+ storage, Apple TV+, Apple Music, and Apple Arcade.