MacRumors

Apple has today been ordered to pay more than $700 million to the Texas-based cellular technology company Optis in a landmark UK patent ruling (via ipfray).

In London, the England and Wales Court of Appeal today ruled that Apple must pay a lump sum of $502 million to Optis Cellular Technology LLC for the use of standard-essential 4G patents in iPhones and iPads over a 14-year period spanning from 2013 to 2027. The decision marks a dramatic increase from the $56.43 million originally awarded by the High Court in 2023. In addition to the revised damages figure, the new judgment also includes interest, which could exceed $200 million, bringing Apple's total liability in the case to more than $700 million.

The dispute centers on whether Apple breached its obligations to license the patents on FRAND (fair, reasonable, and non-discriminatory) terms, which are required under international standards for the use of essential wireless technology. Optis is a Texas-based entity that does not manufacture products but holds and licenses intellectual property. It first raised the case in London in 2019.

Apple had previously argued that the royalty rates proposed by Optis were excessive and not compliant with FRAND principles. In a statement provided to Reuters, Apple said "We are disappointed by this decision and plan to appeal."

Optis makes no products and their sole business is to sue companies using patents they buy. We will continue to defend against their attempts to extract unreasonable payments.

The ruling is believed to be one of the largest patent damages awards in UK history. According to legal filings, Apple had previously expressed concern that an unfavorable royalty ruling could constitute grounds for exiting the UK market. While the company later walked back that position, the $700 million judgment moves the case significantly closer to that earlier worst-case scenario than had been anticipated following the High Court's original determination.

Apple can still petition the UK Supreme Court to review the case, but such appeals are usually granted only in limited circumstances, such as significant points of law or matters of public interest.

Update: Optis has issued a statement to MacRumors regarding the ruling:

We're pleased the UK Court of Appeals has recognized and corrected a clearly flawed prior ruling and has made meaningful progress toward affirming the true value of our patents to Apple devices. In addition to ordering payment that exceeds $700 million with interest and fees, the Court has judged that "Apple's significant negotiating strength leads some parties to agree lower rates than would be agreed between a willing licensor/willing licensee" thereby gaining an unfair advantage. We will continue to ensure fair compensation for the Optis intellectual property that enables high-speed connectivity for millions of devices around the world."

In the late 2000s, Facebook was a booming desktop web platform with a growing selection of third-party games and apps, including the viral sensation FarmVille. However, once the iPhone and other mobile devices became more popular, this started to change. In particular, Apple's closed-off App Store rules impacted the social network.

In a recent interview with Stratechery's Ben Thompson, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg briefly reflected on how the App Store's rules limited Facebook.

Specifically, he said that Apple not allowing Facebook to function as "a platform within a platform" on iOS contributed to the end of the FarmVille era:

Well look, the original Facebook platform was something that really just made sense for web, and it was sort of a pre-mobile thing. As the usage transitioned from desktop web to mobile, Apple basically just said, 'You can't have a platform within a platform and you can't have apps that use your stuff.' So that whole thing, which had grown to be a meaningful part of our business — I think by the time that we had our IPO in 2012, I think games and apps were about 20% of our business — but that basically just didn't have much of a future.

However, Apple is not entirely to blame for this particular situation. In the early 2010s, Facebook itself decided to lock down access to some APIs and made other policy changes that affected the ecosystem of games and apps on its platform, as a result of growing privacy, security, and customer experience considerations.

Zuckerberg went on to reflect on his company's "deep bitterness" over Apple's policies:

[…] it was one of these things that I think it's really just an artifact of Apple's policies that I think has led to this deep bitterness around not just this, but a number of things where they've just said, 'Okay, you can't do these things that we think would be valuable,' which I think to some degree contributes to some of that dynamic between our company and theirs. I think that's unfortunate.

In more recent years, Facebook was impacted by Apple's introduction of App Tracking Transparency, which limited targeted advertising on iOS.

Zuckerberg believes that mobile platforms like iOS should be more open, as desktop operating systems like macOS and Windows are.

With mounting litigation against Apple around the world, Zuckerberg might get his wish.

Apple's closed-off App Store rules have come under fire in recent years. Just yesterday, Epic Games landed a major victory against Apple, as a U.S. judge ruled that Apple violated a 2021 injunction that required it to allow app developers to direct customers to third-party purchase options on the web using in-app links. Effective immediately, Apple must stop impeding developers' ability to communicate with users, and it also must stop charging a 27% commission on purchases made via these in-app links.

Last year, the U.S. Department of Justice filed an antitrust lawsuit against Apple. The ongoing lawsuit alleges that Apple illegally maintains a monopoly in the smartphone market with the iPhone and the device's locked-down ecosystem.

Bit by bit, the walls surrounding Apple's infamous walled garden are beginning to come down.

Amazon this week has a few models of the Apple Watch Ultra 2 available for $729.99, down from $799.00. Free shipping options provide an estimated May 6 delivery date, but Prime members can get it as soon as May 2 depending on your location.

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.

Overall, this is a solid second-best price on the Apple Watch Ultra 2. Deals on this version of the Apple Watch have been fairly rare in 2025, and we haven't seen a return of the all-time low price since the holidays.

There are five models of the Apple Watch Ultra 2 on sale for $729.99 right now on Amazon, including four Black models and one Natural model. These deals don't require any coupon codes and have been applied automatically on Amazon.

• Black with Black Ocean Band
• Black with Black Trail Loop (M/L)
• Black with Black Trail Loop (S/M)
• Black with Dark Green Alpine Loop (Large)
• Natural with Navy Ocean Band

If you're on the hunt for more discounts, be sure to visit our Apple Deals roundup where we recap the best Apple-related bargains of the past week.

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MacRumors is pleased to announce our Sixteenth Annual MacRumors Blood Drive, throughout the month of May 2025. Let's save lives together by encouraging donations of blood, platelets, and plasma, and signing up as bone marrow and organ donors. While most blood drives are specific to a geographic location, our blood drive is online and worldwide. Anyone can participate.

Over the past 15 years, MacRumors Blood Drives have recorded donations of 1,565 units of blood, platelets, and plasma, cheered for donors, and celebrated new signups for the bone marrow and organ donor registries. We've heard from hundreds of forum members who donate or whose lives were saved by the donations of strangers.

This year's featured donor is user Linda+, who donates platelets every 2 or 3 weeks. Whether you're a regular donor like Linda+ or someone overcoming apprehension to donate for the very first time, we congratulate you.

How to participate in the MacRumors Blood Drive

1. If you are an eligible donor, schedule a blood, platelet, or plasma donation (FAQ) at any donation center near you. Post in the MacRumors 2025 Blood Drive! thread (not our news thread) to tell us about it. Also post if you sign up for the bone marrow registry (FAQ) or register as an organ donor. We'll add all registrants to our Honor Roll.
2. If you aren't eligible to donate blood, such as for medical reasons, please encourage a friend or relative to make a donation, and let us know. If they donate, you'll both be added to our Honor Roll. Note that monogamous donors of any sexual orientation are now permitted to donate blood in the U.S., U.K., and Canada.
3. Share our #MacRumorsBloodDrive message with friends, relatives, and followers. Help us thank the forum members who post in the MacRumors 2025 Blood Drive! thread.

After the MacRumors Blood Drive ends on May 31, continue recording your blood, platelet, and plasma donations, from June 2025 through next April 2026, on our Team MacRumors 2025-2026 page (instructions). We'll tally your donations and count them for the MacRumors 2026 Blood Drive next May.

Google is rolling out AI-powered image editing capabilities to its Gemini app on iPhone, allowing users to modify both uploaded and AI-generated images directly within the app.

The new functionality enables background changes, object replacements, and element additions to existing photos. Users can upload personal images and prompt Gemini to generate variations, such as visualizing different hair colors or styles.

All images created or edited through Gemini will include invisible SynthID digital watermarking. Google says it is also testing visible watermarks for AI-generated content. The rollout is happening now and will expand to over 45 languages in the coming weeks, according to the company.

In another app improvement, Google told MacRumors that it is introducing Home Screen widgets for Gemini on iOS devices. The widgets provide immediate access to camera functions, file sharing, Gemini Live conversations, and microphone activation without opening the app. The widgets require iOS 17 or later and will be available to all eligible users by next week.

The standalone Gemini app launched for iPhone in November 2024, offering Dynamic Island integration and Gemini Live support as part of Google's effort to achieve feature parity with the Android version.

Apple achieved impressive 13% year-over-year growth in Q1 2025, shipping 55 million iPhones worldwide and increasing its global market share to 19%, up from 16% a year ago, according to the latest Canalys research.

Apple's performance is in stark contrast to the broader smartphone market, which recorded just 0.2% growth with 296.9 million units shipped globally.

Samsung maintained its lead with 60.5 million units and 20% market share, but it grew only 1% compared to last year. Xiaomi secured third place with 41.8 million units, followed by vivo and OPPO with about 8% market share each.

The U.S. smartphone market was a bright spot, growing 12% year-on-year, mainly driven by iPhone sales. According to Le Xuan Chiew of Canalys, "Apple proactively built up inventory ahead of anticipated tariff policies," which helped it lead the pack.

Apple has been diversifying production recently by ramping up iPhone manufacturing in India for both standard iPhone 15 and 16 models, as well as iPhone 16 Pro models. Ongoing fluctuations in reciprocal tariff policies are making Apple further shift U.S.-bound production to India to reduce exposure to future risks.

There was a lot of variation in regional demand in Q1. The U.S. market grew substantially and China benefited from government subsidies, but previously strong markets like India, Latin America, and the Middle East had notable declines.

Canalys expects the U.S. smartphone market to experience significant volatility over the next two to three quarters, due to inventory corrections and weakening consumer confidence in the face of fluctuating import tariffs.

In a scorching ruling against Apple, Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers on Wednesday accused an Apple finance executive of providing false testimony under oath during the company's ongoing legal battle with Epic Games.

The judge stated that Alex Roman, Apple's vice president of finance, gave testimony that was "replete with misdirection and outright lies" regarding when Apple decided on its controversial 27 percent commission fee for purchases made outside the App Store.

"Contemporaneous business documents reveal that on the contrary, the main components of Apple's plan, including the 27 percent commission, were determined in July 2023," wrote Gonzalez Rogers in her ruling. "Neither Apple, nor its counsel, corrected the, now obvious, lies."

The ruling is significant enough that Gonzalez Rogers is referring the case to a U.S. attorney for possible criminal contempt proceedings against both Apple and Roman.

The reduced 27 percent fee (down from Apple's standard 30%) was established after the 2021 Epic Games lawsuit ruling. Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers rejected claims that Apple operated a monopoly. However, she ruled that Apple's anti-steering conduct was anti-competitive, and ordered the company to allow developers to link to alternative payment methods outside the App Store.

Apple complied by creating a system where developers can apply for a "StoreKit External Purchase Link Entitlement" to direct users to external payment options. However, Apple still demands a 27% commission on these transactions made within seven days of clicking the link.

That's set to change though after Wednesday's ruling. The court now says Apple cannot collect any fee or commission for purchases that consumers make outside of an app, nor can it track, audit, or monitor consumer activity.

The judge didn't mince words in her assessment of Apple's behavior, writing that "Apple willfully chose not to comply with this Court's Injunction" and did so "with the express intent to create new anticompetitive barriers" to maintain its revenue stream.

"That it thought this Court would tolerate such insubordination was a gross miscalculation," she added. "As always, the cover-up made it worse. For this Court, there is no second bite at the apple."

The false testimony appears to have particularly aggravated the judge, who said in her ruling that the alleged deception compounded Apple's original violation of the anti-steering injunction.

In a brief statement, Apple said: "We strongly disagree with the decision. We will comply with the court's order and we will appeal."

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.

Apple plans to change its U.S. App Store rules in accordance with a ruling from the U.S Northern District of California, Apple said in a statement to MacRumors. The company does plan to appeal the decision, though.

"We strongly disagree with the decision. We will comply with the court's order and we will appeal," reads Apple's statement.

Apple was found to be in violation of a 2021 injunction that targeted its anti-steering ‌App Store‌ rules, and the company has been ordered to comply with that injunction immediately. The court has provided instructions on the changes that Apple needs to make.

• Apple cannot prevent developers from adding links or buttons that direct customers to make purchases outside of the ‌App Store‌.
• Apple cannot collect any fee or commission for purchases that consumers make outside of an app, nor can it track, audit, or monitor consumer activity.
• Apple cannot control the language, formatting, placement, or style that developers use to direct customers to purchases outside of an app.
• Apple cannot interfere with consumers' choice to leave an app with anything other than a neutral message about visiting a third-party site, so no "scare screens."
• Apple is prohibited from excluding certain categories of apps and developers from obtaining link access.
• Apple cannot prevent developers from using dynamic links that bring consumers to a specific product page in a logged-in state, nor can it prevent apps from providing product details, user details, or other information that refers to the user intending to make a purchase.

In the order, the court said that it "will not tolerate further delays" and that the ruling is effective immediately, so Apple will need to make these changes imminently.

Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney today said that Fortnite will return to the U.S. App Store next week, and he offered a "peace proposal" with a pledge to bring Fortnite back to iOS worldwide if Apple follows certain steps.

"Epic puts forth a peace proposal: If Apple extends the court's friction-free, Apple-tax-free framework worldwide, we'll return Fortnite to the ‌App Store‌ worldwide and drop current and future litigation on the topic," Sweeney wrote.

Earlier today, Apple was found to be willfully violating a 2021 anti-steering injunction that was put in place as part of its legal battle with ‌Epic Games‌. In a strongly worded ruling, the judge overseeing the case ordered Apple to immediately change its ‌App Store‌ rules.

Apple must drop all of its anti-steering policies. The company is no longer allowed to prevent developers from letting customers know about options to purchase subscriptions and content outside of the ‌App Store‌. Apple cannot control link placement, the language that developers use to direct customers to make purchases outside of an app, or the style that developers use for communicating non in-app purchase options.

Further, Apple is not able to charge fees or collect commission for any purchases made outside of an app.

The ruling is a significant blow to Apple. After the injunction was put into place in 2021, Apple had a three year reprieve as it appealed, but ultimately the company was required to make changes in 2024. Apple ultimately allowed developers a single link to direct customers outside of the ‌App Store‌, and collected between 12 and 27 percent in fees for purchases made from those links.

‌Epic Games‌ accused Apple of violating the anti-steering injunction after the new rules were put in place, and requested that the court find Apple in contempt. The judge sided with ‌Epic Games‌, and decided that Apple's solution did not go far enough to address its anticompetitive behavior.

Apple will not be able to delay making rule changes to the U.S. ‌App Store‌ based on the wording of the ruling, and ‌Epic Games‌ is proposing that Apple extend those changes worldwide. If Apple does so, ‌Epic Games‌ will drop all litigation.

In a victory for Epic Games, Apple was today found to be in violation of a 2021 injunction that required it to allow developers to direct customers to third-party purchase options on the web using in-app links.

Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers, who has been handling the Apple vs. ‌Epic Games‌ dispute for the last five years, said that Apple is in "willful violation" of the injunction she issued to prohibit anticompetitive conduct and pricing. "Apple's continued attempts to interfere with competition will not be tolerated," reads the ruling.

For background, ‌Epic Games‌ in 2024 accused Apple of violating the 2021 anti-steering injunction. Apple did allow developers to put a single link in their apps that leads to a website where customers can make a purchase without using the in-app purchase system, but Apple continued to charge a commission, requiring developers to pay between 12 and 27 percent for purchases made using these in-app links.

‌Epic Games‌ asked that Apple be held in contempt of court for failing to comply with the order due to the fee and other strict rules surrounding the single link option available to developers. Apple, meanwhile, claimed that it was fully in compliance with the injunction, but the judge sided with ‌Epic Games‌. In fact, the ruling is not at all favorable to Apple, highlighting in stark language how the Cupertino company failed to comply with the order.

To summarize: One, after trial, the Court found that Apple's 30 percent commission "allowed it to reap supracompetitive operating margins" and was not tied to the value of its intellectual property, and thus, was anticompetitive. Apple's response: charge a 27 percent commission (again tied to nothing) on off-app purchases, where it had previously charged nothing, and extend the commission for a period of seven days after the consumer linked-out of the app. Apple's goal: maintain its anticompetitive revenue stream.

Two, the Court had prohibited Apple from denying developers the ability to communicate with, and direct consumers to, otherpurchasing mechanisms. Apple's response: impose new barriers and new requirements to increase friction and increase breakage rates with full page "scare" screens, static URLs, and generic statements. Apple's goal: to dissuade customer usage of alternative purchase opportunities and maintain its anticompetitive revenue stream.

In the end, Apple sought to maintain a revenue stream worth billions in direct defiance of this Court's Injunction.

Judge Rogers said that the court "will not tolerate further delays," and "Apple will not impede competition." Apple must not impede developers' ability to communicate with users or levy a new commission on off-app purchases. The ruling is effective immediately. Here are the terms that Apple must adhere to:

1. Imposing any commission or any fee on purchases that consumers make outside an app, and as a consequence thereof, no reason exists to audit, monitor, track or require developers to report purchases or any other activity that consumers make outside an app;
2. Restricting or conditioning developers' style, language, formatting, quantity, flow or placement of links for purchases outside an app;
3. Prohibiting or limiting the use of buttons or other calls to action, or otherwise conditioning the content, style, language, formatting, flow or placement of these devices for purchases outside an app;
4. Excluding certain categories of apps and developers from obtaining link access;
5. Interfering with consumers' choice to proceed in or out of an app by using anything other than a neutral message apprising users that they are going to a third-party site;
6. Restricting a developer's use of dynamic links that bring consumers to a specific product page in a logged-in state rather than to a statically defined page, including restricting apps from passing on product details, user details or other information that refers to the user intending to make a purchase

The court is referring the case to the United States Attorney for the Northern District of California to "investigate whether criminal contempt proceedings are appropriate." Apple has also been sanctioned in the amount of the full cost of Epic's attorney fees through May 15, 2025.

Update: In a statement to MacRumors, Apple said the following: "We strongly disagree with the decision. We will comply with the court's order and we will appeal."

Meta this week sent out an email (via The Verge) to Meta Ray-Ban customers informing them about upcoming privacy changes to the smart glasses, which will increase the amount of data that Meta is collecting by default.

Meta says that voice recordings are stored by default when using Meta AI, and used to improve Meta products. Meta has eliminated the option to disable voice recording storage, and recordings need to be manually deleted in settings. Further, the "camera use" setting for Meta AI is now enabled by default.

From Meta's email:

• Meta AI with camera use is always enabled on your glasses unless you turn off "Hey Meta."
• Recordings of your voice are stored by default when using Meta AI and may be used to improve AI at Meta and other Meta products. The option to disable voice recordings storage is no longer available, but you can delete recordings anytime in Settings.
• You're still in control. You can turn off "Hey Meta" or delete Meta AI interactions anytime.

Photos and videos taken with the built-in camera are stored on a connected smartphone and are not used by Meta for training, unless those photos are used by a Meta product. If a photo or video is used with Meta AI, or if cloud processing is turned on and media is sent to Meta's servers, it can be used to improving Meta's services. Of course, uploading images and video to Instagram and other Meta apps also gives Meta the exact same access.

So if you say "Hey Meta, record a video," by default Meta records the voice command and stores the recording and an audio transcript of it, a feature that is now turned on by default and can't be turned off. If cloud processing is also on, or if you ask Meta AI a question about the video, Meta can access and use the video for AI training purposes.

Turning off Meta AI entirely on the Ray-Ban glasses and using manual controls for snapping photos and videos is the best method to ensure that Meta isn't collecting excessive data. More information is available in Meta's privacy policy.

Apple this week sent out notices to people who may have been targeted with government-sponsored spyware attacks, reports TechCrunch. An Italian journalist and a Dutch activist said that they received notifications from Apple via iMessage and email.

Apple detected that you are being targeted by a mercenary spyware attack that is trying to remotely compromise the iPhone associated with your Apple Account. This attack is likely targeting you specifically because of who you are or what you do. Although it's never possible to achieve absolute certainty when detecting such attacks, Apple has high confidence in this warning - please take it seriously.

Apple said in its message that the notification was being sent to targeted users in 100 countries, and the company advised that those receiving the alert enable Lockdown Mode and ensure that their iPhones are updated to iOS 18.4.1. Apple also warned against opening links or attachments from unexpected or unknown senders.

We are unable to provide more information about what caused us to send you this notification, as that may help mercenary spyware attacker adapt their behavior to evade detection in the future. Apple threat notifications like this one will never ask you to click any links, install an app or profile, or provide your Apple Account password or verification code by email or over the phone.

Apple has been sending out notices like this to those targeted in state-sponsored attacks since 2021. Many state-sponsored surveillance campaigns use the Pegasus spyware from NSO Group, and Apple launched a lawsuit against NSO Group in 2021.

According to a support document on Apple's threat notification policy, Apple sends out alerts multiple times per year when attacks are detected, and to date, users in over 150 countries have been notified about potential attacks.

Google and the United States Justice Department are back in court to fight over the remedies that will be implemented to address Google's search monopoly, and Google CEO Sundar Pichai today took the stand to defend Google.

The DoJ wants Google to divest its Chrome browser, refrain from making search engine agreements like the one Google has with Apple, and share "critical portions" of its search data with competitors at a "marginal cost," including how it ranks search results and query understanding information. According to Pichai, these remedies would essentially mean the end of Google search.

As outlined by The New York Times, Pichai said that if Google had to share data, the company wouldn't likely continue to invest in search. "The combination of all the remedies, I think, makes it unviable to invest in R&D the way we have for the past three decades, to continue to innovate and build Google search," he said. He suggested that Google would not be able to fund "all the innovation" that the company puts into search.

Pichai said that the data sharing requirement would be a "de facto divestiture" of Google's intellectual property. With that information, Pichai claimed that any company could "completely reverse engineer, end to end, every aspect of [Google's] technology stack." He said that the DoJ's proposal that Google share its data is "extraordinary" and "far reaching."

Google wants to be able to continue to make search engine deals like the one it has with Apple, according to Pichai, though he suggested those deals could be renegotiated on an annual basis and that those deals would not be exclusive. Google's upcoming deal to add Gemini to the iPhone along with OpenAI was cited as an example of Google's new deal making policy.

Judge Amit Mehta, who is overseeing the case, will consider testimony from both Google and the DoJ before he provides remedies. A decision is expected by August, and Google will undoubtedly appeal, so the case is likely to take many more years to play out.

Apple has reaffirmed its commitment to making chips in the United States as Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) begins construction on its third fabrication facility in Arizona.

The facility in Phoenix represents part of a $100 billion investment TSMC pledged in March to make over four years in the American semiconductor industry. The new plant follows the company's initial $65 billion commitment in Arizona and is being positioned as a key node in the effort to manufacture chips for Apple and other U.S.-based technology companies within domestic borders.

A new press release from the U.S. Department of Commerce quotes Apple CEO Tim Cook:

We're proud to support the high-skilled American jobs of tomorrow. As TSMC Arizona's first and largest customer, we're excited for the future of American innovation and the incredible opportunities it will create.

TSMC currently manufactures the majority of Apple's chips in Taiwan. Under current company policy and Taiwanese export restrictions, the most advanced fabrication technologies, including the 3-nanometer processes used to make the A18 and M4 chips, remain exclusive to facilities in Taiwan. The Arizona plants, by contrast, are limited to producing slightly older nodes. These fabs are expected to manufacture 4-nanometer chips such as the A16 Bionic and S9, used in the iPhone 15 and Apple Watch Ultra 2.

In an earnings call earlier this month, TSMC CEO Dr. C.C. Wei said that production yields at the company's first Arizona plant are now matching those in Taiwan. The second plant, announced in 2022, is currently ramping up operations and is expected to become fully operational by 2028. The third facility does not yet have a confirmed completion date.

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 CEO Sundar Pichai today said that he hopes to reach a deal with Apple regarding built-in Gemini integration on iPhones by the middle of this year, according to Bloomberg. The report said that Pichai shared this remark in court today, during the U.S. Department of Justice's ongoing antitrust trial against Google.

Pichai confirmed that he held a series of discussions with Apple CEO Tim Cook about Google Gemini integration on iPhones last year.

Apple is expected to announce iOS 19 during its annual developers conference WWDC, which kicks off Monday, June 9. That would align with the mid-2025 timeframe provided by Pichai, so it seems likely that iOS 19 will offer Google Gemini integration, should a deal be reached. iOS 19 should be released to the general public in September.

iPhone models with Apple Intelligence have already offered ChatGPT integration since iOS 18.2. With user permission, Siri can show ChatGPT answers directly in response to questions and other prompts. ChatGPT is also an option for Apple's system-wide Writing Tools feature, allowing users to generate text and images.

Google Gemini would have similar integration across Siri and Writing Tools on iPhone models that are compatible with Apple Intelligence, which includes the iPhone 15 Pro, iPhone 15 Pro Max, and all iPhone 16 models.

Google Gemini is already available as an iPhone app.

In Safari on iPhone, it's not unusual for the number of tabs you have open to quickly get out of hand. Here's how to temporarily clean things up without losing your tabs.

If you have no use for all your open tabs, you can simply select one, then press and hold on the tabs button in the bottom-right corner of the screen. This will bring up an option to "Close All [x] Tabs," X being the number open.

Using the close all tabs option is one solution for restoring order to your browser session, but that's no good if you're not finished looking at the open tabs, especially if you're busy researching a project or a vacation, let's say.

You could always bookmark the open web pages for later reference. But you don't have to bookmark each tab one by one – that could take a while depending on how many are open.

Fortunately, Safari lets you bookmark multiple tabs in a just couple of taps and save them all in a new or existing bookmark folder. Here's how it works.

Select one of your open tabs, and in the main browsing window, long press the Bookmark icon (it looks like an open book).

Once you've tapped this option, you'll be asked to save the tabs in a new bookmarks folder. You can also choose the location where you want the new folder to live.

To access your bookmarks in Safari at any time, simply tap the Bookmarks icon in the main browsing interface to reveal all of your saved favorites and folders.

This year, Mother's Day lands on Sunday, May 11, and we're tracking quite a few offers from some of the best Apple-related accessory companies, as well as steep discounts on Apple products at Amazon. If you're planning on purchasing a gift for someone, we recommend looking at the below deals as soon as possible, considering shipping estimates vary for every company.

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

Amazon Sale

Amazon this week kicked off one of its biggest sales of the year so far, introducing record low prices on a number of Apple products. You can find the highlights in the list below, and be sure to check out our original articles on each sale for even more models and configurations being discounted.

• AirPods 4 - $99.99 ($29 off) / original article
• AirPods Pro 2 - $169.00 ($80 off) / original article
• Apple Watch Series 10 (42mm GPS) - $299.00 ($100 off) / original article
• 11th Gen iPad (128GB Wi-Fi) - $299.00 ($50 off) / original article
• 11-inch M3 iPad Air (128GB Wi-Fi) - $499.00 ($100 off) / original article
• 13-inch M4 MacBook Air (256GB) - $849.00 ($150 off) / original article

Apple Watch Bands

Woot recently brought back its sale on Apple Watch Solo Loop and Braided Solo Loop bands, but with a twist. This time, when you buy any Solo Loop or Braided Solo Loop at a discount on Woot, you'll get up to two extra bands for free.

The way it works is when you purchase any Solo Loop band for the discounted price of $19.99 ($29 off), you will get two additional Solo Loop bands for free. When you purchase any Braided Solo Loop for the discounted price of $29.99 ($69 off), you will get one additional Braided Solo Loop band for free.

The catch here is that you won't be able to pick out the color of the bands. You start by selecting the size of the band and Apple Watch model, then Woot will randomly select three Solo Loop bands or two Braided Solo Loop bands to send to you.

Woot guarantees that each band will be a unique color and there will be no duplicate colors in each box. These are also in new condition and come individually packaged in their original Apple retail packaging, as well as with a one year Apple manufacturer limited warranty.

ZAGG

ZAGG is offering a straightforward 25 percent off sitewide for Mother's Day, including the usual array of Mophie chargers and protection accessories.

Specifically, you can get 25 percent off select products on ZAGG's website, excluding anything that has already been discounted. You don't need a coupon code and all sale prices will be reflected in your cart, and this sale will last through May 7.

Samsung

Samsung this week kicked off a new sale that includes savings on monitors, TVs, Galaxy products, and more. One of the best overall deals during this sale is on The Frame TVs, which are available for up to $1,600 off, depending on the size of the model you purchase. Every size is being discounted during this event, with the popular 65-inch The Frame TV available for $1,299.99, down from $1,999.99.

In terms of monitors, the best deal you'll find is on the 32-inch Smart Monitor M80D, which is available for $399.99, down from $699.99, an all-time low price.

This sale also covers the newest Galaxy S25 smartphones, The Frame TV, and Samsung's line of home appliances, including refrigerators and washer/dryers. We've accumulated some of these deals in the lists below, but be sure to check out Samsung's website for the full sale.

• The Frame - Save up to $1,600
• 65-inch QLED 4K TV - $999.99, down from $1,599.99
• 27-inch Odyssey G6 Gaming Monitor - $549.99, down from $799.99
• 43-inch Odyssey Neo G7 Smart Gaming Monitor - $699.99, down from $999.99
• 49-inch Odyssey OLED G9 (G93SD) Curved Gaming Monitor - $1,199.99, down from $1,699.99
• Large Capacity Side-by-Side Fridge - $1,099.00, down from $1,666.00
• 4-Door French Door Fridge - $1,799.00, down from $2,899.00
• Galaxy S25 Smartphone - Save up to $630
• Galaxy S25+ Smartphone - Save up to $630

AT&T

AT&T is discounting a large collection of smartphones for Mother's Day this year, including up to $1,000 in savings on the iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max. You'll need to have an eligible trade-in, pick or upgrade to an eligible unlimited plan, and then you'll get up to $1,000 off in credits over 36 months.

AT&T also has the Apple Watch Series 10, Apple Watch SE, and Apple Watch Ultra 2 under a buy two, get $300 off deal. If you purchase any two Apple Watch models on an installment plan and add at least one new line, you can get up to $300 off in bill credits over 36 months.

More Sales

• Verizon - Save on iPhones and related accessories
• Belkin - Get a $10 power bank for free when spending $80 or more
• OtterBox - Get 20% off iPhone cases and accessories
• JBL - Save on JBL's best portable speakers and headphones
• Nomad - Get $10 off all Apple Watch accessories

If you're on the hunt for more discounts, be sure to visit our Apple Deals roundup where we recap the best Apple-related bargains of the past week.

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