MacRumors

In iOS 26, Apple Intelligence makes the Wallet app's order tracking feature genuinely useful by scanning your email for shipping details.

The ability to track orders in Apple Wallet isn't new – it's actually been around since iOS 16. But if you've never noticed it before, don't worry. Most people haven't used it either.

The feature initially struggled because it relied on merchants to actively support it, but not many bothered. In fact, despite being available for years, order tracking in Apple's Wallet app remained largely unused. But there's a decent chance iOS 26 will change all that.

Order Tracking Meets Apple Intelligence

In iOS 26, Apple Intelligence now scans your emails to automatically extract order tracking information. This means virtually any online purchase that generates a confirmation email can now appear in the Wallet app.

The on-device AI identifies shipping details from emails sent by merchants or delivery carriers, then consolidates everything in the Wallet app's Order Tracking page.

Just note that you'll need an iPhone 15 Pro, iPhone 16, iPhone 17, or iPhone Air to access the improved order tracking, since Apple Intelligence isn't available on older devices.

Enabling Order Tracking in Settings

You can enable the AI-enhanced order tracking feature in the following way:

1. Open Settings on your iPhone.
2. Go to Apps ➝ Wallet.
3. Tap Order Tracking at the bottom of the menu.
4. Toggle on Apple Pay (this enables automatic order addition).
5. Toggle on Mail (Beta) to allow Apple Intelligence to scan your emails.

Finding Your Orders in Wallet

1. Open the Wallet app on your iPhone.
2. Tap the More icon (three dots) in the top-right corner.
3. Select Orders from the dropdown menu.
4. Browse your orders, organized by month and year.

Your orders appear with merchant details, order status, and tracking information when available. You can tap individual orders to see more detailed tracking information and shipping updates, as well as mark the order as complete, mute notifications, or delete the order.

The revamped order tracking finally delivers on Wallet's promise as a centralized hub for purchase information. Surprisingly, it just took Apple Intelligence to make it work properly.

On this episode of The MacRumors Show, we talk over first impressions of the iPhone Air and iPhone 17 Pro.

Apple's new iPhone lineup has been available for over a week, so we reflect on the devices now we've had some time to check them out. We discuss the radically thin and light design of the ‌iPhone Air‌, and what it really feels like to use the device. We look at its surprisingly impressive durability and battery life, as well as its drawbacks in terms of speakers and rear camera versatility.

We talk through the ‌iPhone 17 Pro‌'s controversial design and improved thermals, and examine the all-new 48-megapixel Fusion telephoto camera. We also look at the impressive scratch-resistance of Ceramic Shield 2, as well as the brighter display panel.

In addition, we weigh up recent debates around the durability of the ‌iPhone 17 Pro‌ models, which have come under fire for being highly susceptible to damage compared to previous generations due to the move to an aluminum unibody design. The MacRumors Show has its own YouTube channel, so make sure you're subscribed to keep up with new episodes and clips.

You can also listen to ‌The MacRumors Show‌ on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Overcast, or your preferred podcasts app. You can also copy our RSS feed directly into your podcast player.

If you haven't already listened to the previous episode of The MacRumors Show, catch up to hear our discussion about iOS 26 and Apple's other major software updates, which officially launched last week.

Subscribe to ‌The MacRumors Show‌ for new episodes every week, where we discuss some of the topical news breaking here on MacRumors, often joined by interesting guests such as Kayci Lacob, Kevin Nether, John Gruber, Mark Gurman, Jon Prosser, Luke Miani, Matthew Cassinelli, Brian Tong, Quinn Nelson, Jared Nelson, Eli Hodapp, Mike Bell, Sara Dietschy, iJustine, Jon Rettinger, Andru Edwards, Arnold Kim, Ben Sullins, Marcus Kane, Christopher Lawley, Frank McShan, David Lewis, Tyler Stalman, Sam Kohl, Federico Viticci, Thomas Frank, Jonathan Morrison, Ross Young, Ian Zelbo, and Rene Ritchie.

‌The MacRumors Show‌ is on X @MacRumorsShow, so be sure to give us a follow to keep up with the podcast. You can also head over to The MacRumors Show forum thread to engage with us directly. Remember to rate and review the podcast, and let us know what subjects and guests you would like to see in the future.

Apple TV+'s broadcast of the Boston Red Sox vs. Detroit Tigers game at Fenway Park tonight will incorporate live footage captured with the iPhone 17 Pro.

Apple says the iPhone 17 Pro will capture live gameplay, along with batting practice, player introductions, dugout angles, and the crowd. Apple says this is the first time an iPhone will be used in a live professional sports broadcast workflow.

Viewers will see an overlay on the screen when the broadcast is showing iPhone footage.

Apple TV+ subscribers can watch the Red Sox vs. Tigers game at no extra cost, as part of the streaming service's final "Friday Night Baseball" doubleheader of MLB's 2025 regular season. The game begins at 7:10 p.m. Eastern Time tonight. The other game in this week's doubleheader is the Tampa Bay Rays vs. the Toronto Blue Jays.

In iOS 26, Apple has extended Visual Intelligence to work with content that's on your iPhone, allowing you to ask questions about what you're seeing, look up products, and more.

Visual Intelligence started out in iOS 18.2 as a Camera Control button function that can describe what you are looking at, get details about a restaurant or business, translate text, and the like.

But in iOS 26, Visual Intelligence is no longer just for learning more about your physical surroundings. You can also use the feature to analyze content on your iPhone screen, simply by pressing the same buttons you use to take a screenshot.

You can search across apps, go straight to relevant websites, add an event to your calendar, and more. Keep reading to learn what you can do with it. Note that Visual Intelligence is an Apple Intelligence feature of iOS 26 that's exclusive to the iPhone 15 Pro, iPhone 16 series, and iPhone 17 series (including iPhone Air).

Use Visual Intelligence With Screen Content

Start by taking a screenshot: Quickly press and release the iPhone's Side button and the Volume Up button at the same time.

Once the screenshot interface appears, you'll see Visual Intelligence options along the bottom. The options offered up will depend on the content, but they let you interact with what you've just captured in several ways.

• Search for Similar Items: Tap Search to look up the selected item on the web. This is useful when you want to find matching products, related images, or more information about what's in the screenshot.
• Highlight and Search a Specific Item: If only part of the screenshot interests you, swipe your finger over that area to highlight it, then tap Search. The search will focus on the highlighted object rather than the whole image.
• Ask a Question About What's Onscreen: Tap Ask to open a text box where you can pose a question to ChatGPT about the screenshot's contents. For example, you can ask for an explanation of a term or details about an object.
• Add an Event to Your Calendar: If the screenshot includes a date or event information, tap Add to Calendar to create a new calendar entry without leaving the screenshot view.
• Open a Website: When the screenshot contains a web link, you'll see tappable links at the bottom that will take you straight to the relevant site.
• Summarize Text: Tap Summarize to generate a concise summary of the visible text.
• Listen to Text: Tap Read Aloud to have the text in the screenshot spoken to you.
• Identify Plants or Animals: If the screenshot contains a plant or animal, tapping its tag will reveal its name and further information about it.

When you're done with the screenshot, you can either tap ✖ to discard it or ✔ to keep it in your Photos library.

Apple just released the Apple Watch SE 3 and Apple Watch Ultra 3, and today Amazon introduced the first discounts on these wearables. All discounts have been applied automatically and do not require any coupon codes to see the final sale price.

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.

Starting with the Apple Watch SE 3, you can get the 40mm GPS model for $239.99 and the 44mm GPS model for $269.99, both of which are $9 discounts on the brand new device. You'll find both Starlight and Midnight cases on sale at these prices.

Moving to the Apple Watch Ultra 3, Amazon has a few models on sale for $779.99, down from $799.00. This discount is focused on Natural Titanium models and includes models with the Ocean Band and Trail Loop.

There is one Black Titanium model on sale for $879.99, down from $899.00. This is the model with the Black Titanium Milanese Loop, and it has a lengthy delivery delay of one to two months.

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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In March, Apple delayed the launch of its personalized Siri features, and soon after the company was hit with multiple class action lawsuits over the situation.

The plaintiffs said they never would have purchased an iPhone 16, or would have paid less, had they known Apple's marketing about the Siri features was false.

In the U.S., all of the complaints were consolidated into one class action lawsuit, and Apple has now responded. Specifically, Apple on Thursday filed a motion to dismiss the lawsuit, according to court documents reviewed by MacRumors.

Apple's lawyers said the delay of just two Siri features that will be part of the overall Apple Intelligence suite — awareness of personal context, and in-app controls — "cannot support" the "sweeping claims" made by the plaintiffs.

"Plaintiffs complain about the timing of release of two features, despite the near-two dozen Apple Intelligence features that have already been delivered," said Apple's lawyers.

Some of the Apple Intelligence features that were already released include Writing Tools, Image Playground, Genmoji, Priority Notifications, and others.

Apple's lawyers said there are numerous other issues with the complaint, as it is filed, and they said the delayed Siri features do not constitute a breach of warranty. They also said Apple was clear "from the outset" that additional Apple Intelligence features "would be delivered over time and continue to evolve."

By purchasing an iPhone 16, all of the plaintiffs have "benefitted from camera improvements, enhanced silicon and increased performance, upgraded displays, and numerous other hardware and software improvements," including more than 20 Apple Intelligence features that were already available prior to the lawsuit, the lawyers said.

In July, Apple CEO Tim Cook said his company was "making good progress" on the Siri features and aimed to release them "next year."

Apple first announced the personalized Siri features during its WWDC 2024 keynote, but in March it announced they were delayed. The promised capabilities will include better understanding of a user's personal context, on-screen awareness, and deeper per-app controls. For example, Apple showed an iPhone user asking Siri about their mother's flight and lunch reservation plans based on info from the Mail and Messages apps.

Apple advertised the Siri features in product presentations, on its website, in a TV commercial starring actor Bella Ramsey, and elsewhere.

Apple is reportedly aiming to release the features as part of iOS 26.4, in March or April next year.

The case is Landsheft v. Apple Inc., in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California.

iPhone users who reside in North Dakota will soon be able to add their driver's licenses and IDs to the Apple Wallet app on the ‌iPhone‌ and Apple Watch. The on-device Digital ID can be used instead of a physical ID at select U.S. airports and for age verification in retail stores, in apps, and on the web.

Apple added North Dakota to its list of states that support driver's licenses in the Wallet app, which means the feature should be launching imminently. Earlier in September, North Dakota's Department of Transportation (DOT) said that mobile IDs would be available to North Dakota drivers "within the next month."

When the feature goes live, North Dakota residents will be able to add a license or state ID to the Apple Wallet app by opening it, tapping on the "+" button, and following the onscreen instructions. Apple's website says that the North Dakota DOT requires residents to pay a $5 fee to obtain a mobile driver's license.

Mobile IDs will be accepted by the TSA at more than 250 airports across the United States. Digital IDs on the ‌‌iPhone‌‌ and Apple Watch are not accepted everywhere, and North Dakotans should continue to carry a physical license.

Apple announced digital IDs for the Wallet app back in 2022, and states have been slowly adopting the feature. Arizona, Colorado, Georgia, Maryland, New Mexico, Iowa, California, Hawaii, and Ohio have implemented support, as has Puerto Rico. Mississippi, Illinois, Connecticut, Kentucky, Oklahoma, Utah, and West Virginia are working on support, according to Apple.

U.S. President Donald Trump today signed an executive order approving a deal that would see TikTok's U.S. operations largely sold off, reports CNBC. The deal would allow TikTok to comply with U.S. law requiring the social media service to be sold to a non-Chinese company or be banned from operating in the country.

A joint-venture company that includes Oracle, Silver Lake, and Abu-Dhabi-based MGX investment fund will oversee TikTok's U.S. operations, with TikTok parent company ByteDance retaining less than 20 percent of the company. The joint-venture group will control a 45 percent stake in TikTok, while ByteDance investors and new stakeholders will hold 35 percent.

Oracle will oversee TikTok's security operations and will provide cloud computing services for the U.S. TikTok company. The deal suggests that ByteDance will lease a copy of its algorithm to the U.S. TikTok shareholders, with the algorithm to be "retrained and monitored" by Oracle.

"It's owned by Americans, and very sophisticated Americans," Trump said of the deal, which still needs to be officially approved by China.

TikTok's U.S. operations will be valued at $14 billion, according to U.S. Vice President JD Vance. The number is less than half of previous estimates of TikTok's U.S. value. According to CNBC, no ByteDance representatives were at the signing of the order, and there is no indication the Chinese government has changed its stance on approving a deal. China previously said that it would not approve the sale of TikTok, but Trump claims that Chinese President Xi Jinping verbally approved the deal during "a good talk."

TikTok has technically been banned in the United States since January 19 due to the passing of the Protecting Americans From Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act in 2024. Trump has repeatedly delayed enforcement of TikTok's ban, preventing the U.S. Department of Justice from going after companies that continue to distribute the TikTok app.

The act requires TikTok to be sold to a non-Chinese company or cease operating in the U.S., and with the executive order, Trump has declared that his deal complies with the law. It is unclear if Congress will agree.

ByteDance and the U.S. investors have 120 days to close the deal, so it will need to be completed by the end of January 2026.

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.

The European Commission has no plans to scrap the Digital Markets Act despite Apple's complaints that the law causes a worse experience for European iPhone owners. The Digital Markets Act (DMA) is an EU law that regulates how tech companies like Apple operate. It includes rules meant to prevent companies from unfairly favoring their own services, blocking competitors, and limiting user choice.

In a statement shared by France24, EU digital affairs spokesman Thomas Regnier said that the EC was "not surprised" by Apple's filing, and that it had "absolutely no intention" of getting rid of the DMA.

Earlier today, Apple urged EU regulators to repeal the DMA, and suggested that if the law is not repealed, the EC should use an independent European agency to evaluate how the law is affecting EU consumers.

In a statement on its website, Apple also pleaded its case to EU users. Apple said the DMA's rules put EU ‌iPhone‌ owners at risk of malware, fraud, and invasions of privacy. Apple said that the DMA has forced it to delay key features like Live Translation, ‌iPhone‌ Mirroring, and the Visited Places and Preferred Routes features in the Maps app.

"Apple has simply contested every little bit of the DMA since its entry into application," said Regnier. He said that it is up to the EC to choose how to enforce the DMA, and who will enforce it. There is "nothing in the DMA that requires companies to lower their privacy standards, their security standards," he added.

Apple has already received one 500 million euro fine for restricting app developers from informing users about purchase options available outside of the App Store. Apple appealed the fine in July, and in June, it also launched a challenge of the Digital Markets Act interoperability rules. The interoperability requirements prohibit Apple from releasing features on its platforms that are not accessible to third-party accessories like smartwatches and headphones.

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.

NCAA college football conference MAC today announced it has collaborated with Apple to provide its 13 teams with iPads for video replay during the 2025 season.

Coaches are receiving iPad Pro models with the M4 chip and iPad Air models with the M3 chip, with DVSport's 360 Rewind app installed for video replay. The app allows for coaches and players to make in-game adjustments on the fly.

"For today's student-athletes, iPad feels second nature, making it a perfect fit on college football gamedays," said Scott Brodrick, an iPad product marketing manager at Apple. "With its advanced display, powerful performance, fast connectivity, all-day battery, and the intuitiveness of iPadOS, it helps coaches and players make adjustments in real-time."

A trio of other college football conferences already started using iPads for video replay during the 2024 season, including the SEC, ACC, and Big Ten, following NCAA rule changes permitting the use of video replay technology on the sidelines.

There are over 200 changes and new features in iOS 26, including major additions like the Liquid Glass design overhaul. We've covered a lot of the more notable updates already, but there are also some smaller changes that you might have missed.

Copy Just Part of a Text Message

In ‌iOS 26‌, you can copy just part of a text message, rather than having to copy the whole thing. It's useful if someone sends you a web link, an address, or something else where you only need to copy part of what you're sent.

To use the selective copy, long press on a text message and then tap on Select. From there, you can drag to choose exactly what you want to copy.

Save Recipes and Instructions to Reminders

With the new Apple Intelligence Siri Suggestions feature in the Reminders app, you can save ingredients and instructions for cooking in an easy-to-access list. To use the feature, find a recipe, select the text that you're aiming for, and tap the Share Sheet.

From there, share it to the Reminders app and ‌Siri‌ Suggestions will parse what's included and add items to your shopping list or write out a list of instructions that you need to follow for preparation.

It doesn't work seamlessly with all recipes, but it can be used with recipes that you find on the web, in Apple News, and in other apps.

Choose a Default App for Files

You can change which app opens automatically for different file types like PDFs, documents, images, and more.

To set a default app for opening a file, launch the Files app and long press on a file. Tap on "Get Info" and then select the Always Open With option to choose an app.

If you just want to open a file in a different app one time, you can long press on it and choose the "Open With" option.

Easily Set a Custom Ringtone

Any MP3 or M4A that you have saved in the Files app can be set as a ringtone. Just open up the Files app, long press on the MP3, and then choose the Quick Look option.

From there, tap on the Share Sheet icon, tap More, and choose Use as Ringtone. The ringtone that you selected will be added to your list of Ringtones in the Sounds and Haptics menu.

You can use MP3 or M4A files, but the files have to be under 30 seconds in length. Prior to now, saving a ringtone required exporting it from GarageBand. You can find and save ringtones directly on the iPhone from a wide range of websites.

If you want to delete a ringtone that you added, open up Sound and Haptics in the Settings app, tap on Ringtones, swipe on the ringtone you want to remove, and then tap delete.

See Your Unsent Messages

In the Filters section of the Messages app, Apple added a new "Drafts" option that houses messages you've typed but haven't sent. If you've started to write something and then stopped, you'll see the unsent messages in the Drafts folder.

The Filter section in Messages can be accessed by tapping on the icon with three lines in the upper right corner of the app. You won't see a Drafts section if you don't have unsent messages.

Take Better Panoramas

There are under-the-hood improvements to panoramas in ‌iOS 26‌, so if you've ever struggled to take one, the experience should be better now. You can move quicker when taking a panorama without ending up with a blurry mess.

Find Specific Videos

When you search for something specific in the Photos app, you'll now see video results with a relevant video thumbnail that highlights the specific video frame with what you searched for. If you search for "cat jumping," for example, you'll see relevant video thumbnails that contain the specific frame where the cat jumps.

Tapping on the result will take you to that part of the video.

Search results with specific video frames make it easier to find the exact content that you're after.

Get an Alert When Your iPhone Camera is Dirty

When your rear camera is dirty or smudged, your ‌iPhone‌ can send you an alert letting you know so you can clean it off.

This feature works on the ‌iPhone‌ 15 and later.

Match Your Home Screen Icons to Your iPhone Case

When choosing a tint color for your Home Screen icons, there's now an option to match the icons to your case color. You'll need an Apple MagSafe case for this feature to work.

Changing icon tint can be done by long pressing on the ‌Home Screen‌, selecting Edit, and then tapping on Customize. Choose the Tinted option and then tap on the icon that looks like a phone case to select your case color.

You can also match your icons to your phone color by tapping on the phone icon below the color sliders.

See Event Details in the Photos App

You can see the details of events like concerts right in the ‌Photos‌ app. You'll be able to see top songs from the artists, browse upcoming events, and more.

To use the feature, find a relevant photo from a concert or sporting event, and then tap on Info. There is indexing that needs to happen first, and it doesn't work on all images.

Callback Reminders

If you miss a call, you can set a reminder to return it at a convenient time in the future. To do so, open up the Phone app, go to your recent calls, and swipe left across a missed call.

From there, tap on the blue clock icon and choose Remind Me in 1 Hour, Remind Me Tonight, Remind Me Tomorrow, or Remind Me Later. The Remind Me Later option lets you set a custom date and time.

Call reminders that you set up are available in the Reminders app.

Keep Audio in Headphones

‌iOS 26‌ has a setting that prevents audio from your AirPods from swapping over to connected devices like car speakers or Bluetooth speakers.

To turn the feature on, open up the Settings app, tap into the General section, tap on AirPlay and Continuity, and then toggle on Keep Audio in Headphones.

Swipe Back Gesture

In ‌iOS 26‌, Apple tweaked the swipe-to-go-back gesture that's available in most apps. You can now go back to the previous screen by swiping toward the right from anywhere on the display, instead of having to swipe from the edge of the display.

More Features

For more on what's new in ‌iOS 26‌, we have an iOS 26 roundup that walks through all of the features.

Apple's standard AirPods offer active noise cancellation for an additional $50, bringing them closer to the AirPods Pro than ever before. But after a substantial update to the AirPods Pro this fall, which should you choose?

The AirPods Pro 3 move slightly closer to the AirPods 4, adopting a hidden LED indicator and capacitive pairing button, but the device also adds new high-end features such as heart rate monitoring, along with significantly improved active noice cancellation and better earbud battery life.

Apple last year introduced a major update for its standard AirPods, with the earbuds gaining a more refined design for improved comfort, H2 chip, dust, sweat, and water resistance, 5GHz connectivity, a vent system for pressure equalization, Personalized Volume, Voice Isolation, a USB-C port, and "Siri" command support – just like the AirPods Pro 2 and ‌AirPods Pro 3‌. For an additional $50, the similarities with the AirPods Pro go even further with active noise cancellation, Transparency mode, Adaptive Audio, Conversation Awareness, support for Apple Watch chargers, and a speaker in the case for Find My.

Should you consider purchasing one of the ‌AirPods 4‌ models, or do you need the higher-end ‌AirPods Pro 3‌, which sell for $249? Our guide helps to answer the question of how to decide which of these sets of AirPods is best for you.

‌AirPods 4‌ (2024)	‌AirPods 4‌ With ANC (2024)	‌AirPods Pro 3‌ (2025)
Open-ear fit	Open-ear fit	In-ear fit with silicone/foam ear tips (five size options)
Optical in-ear sensors	Optical in-ear sensors	Skin-detect sensors
Force sensor controls	Force sensor controls	Force sensor and touch controls for volume adjustment
	Active noise cancellation	Up to 4x more effective active noise cancellation
	Transparency mode	Transparency mode
	Adaptive Audio	Adaptive Audio
	Conversation Awareness	Conversation Awareness
		Conversation Boost
		Loud Sound Reduction
		Hearing Protection
		Hearing Test
		Hearing Aid
	Live Translation	Live Translation
		Heart rate sensing during workouts
2.4GHz connectivity	2.4GHz connectivity	2.4GHz and 5GHz connectivity
		Lossless audio with Vision Pro
IP54 dust, sweat, and water resistance	IP54 dust, sweat, and water resistance	IP57 dust, sweat, and water resistance
Up to 5 hours of listening time with a single charge	Up to 5 hours of listening time with a single charge	Up to 8 hours of listening time on a single charge
30 hours of total listening time using charging case	30 hours of total listening time with ANC using charging case	24 hours of total listening time with ANC using charging case
Compact charging case	Compact charging case	Wider charging case
		Lanyard loop
	Speaker in charging case for ‌Find My‌	Speaker in charging case for ‌Find My‌
		U2 chip for Precision Finding
Charging Case compatible with USB-C only	Charging Case compatible with Apple Watch chargers, Qi wireless charging mats, and USB-C	Charging Case compatible with MagSafe chargers, Apple Watch chargers, Qi wireless charging mats, and USB-C
$129	$179	$249

The standard AirPods are now very similar to the AirPods Pro, offering almost all of the same key features at a lower price point. As a result, the ‌AirPods 4‌ should be the default choice for most prospective buyers. If you have AirPods Max, which already offer ANC, and are looking for an additional pair of headphones to use while working out or on the go, the ‌AirPods 4‌ are also a good complementary choice.

You should only buy the ‌AirPods Pro 3‌ if you are happy with its in-ear fit, which provides better sound quality and active noise cancellation, but can become somewhat uncomfortable and fatiguing during prolonged periods of use. While the ‌AirPods 4‌ now offer ANC, it is not as effective as that of the AirPods Pro due to the lack of an in-ear fit, so if noice cancellation is your main priority, the ‌AirPods Pro 3‌ are still the best choice – they deliver 4x better noise cancellation than the standard AirPods.li

In addition to better sound quality and ANC, the ‌AirPods Pro 3‌ also offer slightly longer earbud battery life, Conversation Boost, touch controls for volume, ‌MagSafe‌ charger compatibility, Precision Finding with the U2 chip, and a lanyard loop, as well as hearing protection, testing, and aid features. The most significant new feature with the latest generation is heart rate monitoring during workouts, which provides an excellent option when not wearing an Apple Watch. Many users will be able to justify the additional $70 to get the AirPods Pro as a result.

The ‌AirPods 4‌ are still a solid option for most average customers and will be better for those who do not like the AirPods Pro's in-ear silicone tips.

AirPods Pro frequently see hefty discounts on Amazon and other third-party retailers, so stepping up to the Pro version may be more worth it if you can take advantage of one of those deals. The standard AirPods also often see solid discounts, so it is always worth seeking the best price using our Deals roundup.

Apple today opened a new store in the United Arab Emirates, at the Al Jimi Mall in Al Ain.

Apple Al Jimi Mall is the company's fifth store opening this month around the world, alongside Apple Hebbal and Apple Koregaon Park in India, Apple Downtown Detroit in the United States, and the rebuilt Apple Ginza in Japan.

The store in Al Ain features an Apple Pickup station for customers to collect online orders, a Genius Bar with varied table and seating heights for accessibility, benches for Apple Vision Pro try-on demos, a baffle ceiling for improved acoustics, the Today at Apple program with free in-store creativity sessions, and more.

Apple has four other stores in the United Arab Emirates — two in Dubai, and two in Abu Dhabi. Next year, the company said it plans to open its first stores in Saudi Arabia, including at At-Turaif, a UNESCO World Heritage site near Riyadh.

In India, Apple Hebbal in Bengaluru and Apple Koregaon Park in Pune each feature a combined Genius Bar and Apple Pickup area.

Both of the new stores in India are located inside shopping malls. Apple now operates four stores in the country, with the others located in Mumbai and New Delhi.

Apple Downtown Detroit opened on the afternoon of iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Pro, and iPhone Air launch day, at 1430 Woodward Avenue.

Apple's CEO Tim Cook, retail chief Deirdre O'Brien, and marketing chief Greg Joswiak all attended the grand opening in Detroit.

"We're investing in communities across the US, including the revitalization of Downtown Detroit," said Cook. "Absolutely electric opening in the Motor City this evening as we celebrate our newest store and incredible product launch."

Apple Ginza reopens this Friday, September 26, at 10 a.m. local time, at its original corner in Tokyo's famous upscale shopping district.

Apple Ginza first opened in 2003, becoming Apple's first retail store outside of the United States. However, the location closed in 2022, due to plans for the Sayegusa Building to be demolished and rebuilt. That project is now complete, allowing for the store to reopen in its original home, with an updated design and amenities.

The new store features an updated design that spans four floors of the Sayegusa Building. It offers an Apple Pickup station for customers to collect online orders, a Genius Bar with varied table and seating heights for accessibility, a seating area for one-on-one Apple Vision Pro demos, free Today at Apple creativity sessions, and more.

"This reopening is another incredible milestone on our journey here in Japan," said Cook, who met a life-sized Pikachu during his visit to the country this week.

All in all, it has been a busy September for Apple retail, after an even busier August. Apple is in the process of remodeling at least half a dozen other stores, too, so there should be plenty more openings to come later this year.

Amazon today is hosting big discounts across the entire M4 MacBook Air lineup, with deals that represent all-time lows across every model of the computer. In total, you'll find $200 off the M4 MacBook Air notebook right now, with both 13-inch and 15-inch models on sale.

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.

Prices start at $799.00 for the 13-inch 256GB model, down from $999.00. If you're looking for the larger model, you can get the 15-inch 256GB computer for $999.00, down from $1,199.00.

Of course, you'll also find all of the 512GB models of the 13-inch and 15-inch M4 MacBook Air on sale this week. If you prefer shopping at Best Buy, the retailer is matching these deals as well, and you won't need any membership to see the final deal prices.

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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Proton has rolled out a major update to its Mail app for iOS and Android, introducing a completely rebuilt interface alongside a new offline mode that lets users read, write, and organize emails without an internet connection.

First up, the privacy-focused email service has moved the compose button from the top-right corner to the bottom of the screen for easier one-handed access. Proton also claims the updated app makes scrolling, archiving, and replying twice as fast compared to the previous version.

Meanwhile, the new offline functionality allows users to draft emails and manage their inbox while disconnected, with messages syncing automatically once connectivity returns.

The Swiss-based privacy startup says that both iOS and Android versions of Proton Mail now share 80% of their codebase, which should enable faster future updates and feature parity between platforms. Android users are also getting access to email snoozing and scheduling features, both of which were previously iOS-exclusive.

The update should appeal to existing users as well as anyone looking for an email service with end-to-end encryption and anti-tracking features that delivers an alternative experience to rival apps like Apple Mail and Gmail. A free account includes one email address and 1GB of mail storage, with paid plans offering a range of additional features. Proton Mail can be downloaded for free from the App Store. [Direct Link]

In iOS 26, Apple has introduced enhanced message filtering that gives you more control over unwanted texts, separating spam messages from unknown senders into distinct categories. Here's how to set up and use these new filtering options to keep your Messages app clutter-free.

Enable Message Filtering Settings

Before you can filter messages from unknown senders in iOS 26, you need to enable the filtering options in your Messages settings.

1. Open the Messages app on your iPhone.
2. Tap the filter menu icon (three horizontal lines) in the top-right corner.
3. Select Manage Filtering. This takes you directly to the Messages section in Settings.
4. Toggle on Screen Unknown Senders to enable filtering.

Once activated, "Unknown Senders" will appear as an option in the Messages app's filter menu.

Configure Additional Filtering Options

While you're in the message filtering settings, you'll find several other options worth configuring:

• Allow Notifications lets you choose whether to receive alerts for certain messages from unknown senders, such as verification codes.
• Text Message Filter provides additional screening options (this setting may not appear unless you have a third-party app with message filtering extensions installed, depending on your region and carrier).
• Filter Spam is enabled by default and automatically routes suspected spam to a separate folder.

If the Text Message Filter option appears, selecting it will add "Transactions" and "Promotions" to your filter menu, giving you even more granular control over business-related messages.

Review Messages From Unknown Senders

Once filtering is active, messages from contacts not saved in your address book automatically go to the Unknown Senders section. You'll see a number in brackets next to Unknown Senders in the filter menu indicating new messages, but you won't receive disruptive alerts.

To access these filtered messages, tap the filter menu icon and select Unknown Senders. From here, you can review messages and take action on legitimate senders.

Tap any message thread to view its contents. At the bottom of the conversation, you'll see a blue Mark as Known button. Tapping this ensures future messages from that number appear in your main Messages list.

Alternatively, tap the phone number at the top of the conversation to add the sender directly to your Contacts app. Both approaches prevent future messages from this sender being filtered to Unknown Senders.

Recover Spam Messages

By default, messages that iOS 26 classifies as spam are automatically moved to the Spam folder.

To recover a legitimate message that was incorrectly filtered, open the Spam section from the filter menu, tap the message you want to recover, then tap Not Spam. The message will move back to your main Messages list, and future messages from that sender won't be filtered as spam.

If spam filtering isn't working for you as intended, you can turn off the Filter Spam toggle in the Messages app's Settings menu.

Apple is urging European regulators to scrap the Digital Markets Act (DMA), claiming it has created security vulnerabilities and damaged the user experience, not to mention caused at least three of its product features to be postponed or delayed indefinitely.

In a statement posted to its website, Apple says EU users now face exposure to malware through mandatory third-party app stores, with pornography and gambling apps appearing on iPhones for the first time. This, Apple says, is because alternative marketplaces like AltStore have introduced content that the company has historically blocked from its App Store.

Feature development has also suffered under the new rules, says Apple. iPhone Mirroring remains unavailable in Europe because Apple cannot extend the Mac-to-iPhone connectivity to Windows PCs without exposing user data. Similarly, plans to bring its AI-powered Live Translation feature for AirPods to EU users have been put on ice over privacy-based engineering challenges.

Apple says it has also had to delay Visited Places and Preferred Routes in Maps, which store location data on device so it's only accessible to the user. "So far, our teams haven't found a way to share these capabilities with other developers without exposing our users' locations – something we are not willing to do," writes Apple.

Apple claims that these compliance efforts consume thousands of engineering hours while delivering inferior results for European customers.

The complaints read as the company's most aggressive pushback since the DMA took effect. Apple argues that rather than boosting competition, the law enables data harvesting by rival firms seeking access to sensitive iPhone information.

"Companies have submitted requests for some of the most sensitive data on a user's iPhone," Apple writes, including complete notification histories and Wi-Fi network logs that could reveal hospital visits or other private locations.

The EU in April hit Apple with a €500 million fine over App Store payment restrictions that prevent developers from steering users to make purchases outside of its App Store. Apple is still appealing the decision.

The DMA requires major tech platforms to open their ecosystems to competitors or face penalties of up to 10% of global revenue – or as much as 20% for repeat violations.

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.

With the iPhone 15 series, I did an experiment and kept my ‌iPhone‌'s Charge Limit set at 80 percent for an entire year. It provided an interesting look at the impact of charge limits on battery longevity, so I decided to repeat it for the iPhone 16 line.

Since September 2024, my ‌iPhone 16‌ Pro Max has been limited to an 80 percent charge, with no cheating. As of today, my battery's maximum capacity is at 94 percent with 299 charge cycles.

With last year's test, I spent a lot of time with my battery below 20 percent. I saw some comments suggesting that draining it so low could also affect battery capacity over time, so this year, I tried hard to keep my battery between 20 and 80 percent. I wasn't always successful, but my ‌iPhone 16‌ Pro Max was in that middle charge area most of the time.

You can compare your own battery health with mine, but my guess is that my 94 percent battery capacity is about average, regardless of whether charging limits are on or off. In fact, my ‌iPhone‌ 15 Pro Max was also at 94 percent capacity at the 12 month mark when I did this same test last year.

I did a mix of charging via MagSafe and charging with USB-C, and my ‌iPhone 16‌ Pro Max can get hot when charging over ‌MagSafe‌, especially with ‌MagSafe‌ battery packs. Since I was trying to keep above a 20 percent charge, I did more wireless charging when I was out. I can't help but wonder if heat was an issue this year.

It continued to be inconvenient limiting my ‌iPhone‌ battery to an 80 percent charge. It was fine when home, but if I was out and wanted to use the camera or needed GPS, it often wasn't enough battery. When you set an 80 percent charge limit, the ‌iPhone‌ will charge to full every so often to calibrate, and I appreciated surprise days with 20 percent extra battery.

If I had to guess, I probably had a 50/50 split between ‌MagSafe‌ charging and fast charging with USB-C. Most charging was indoors at around 72 degrees, but there were times when I was outdoors with a battery pack in warmer conditions.

I use my older iPhones for software tests, so my ‌iPhone‌ 15 Pro Max is still around. At the two year mark, its capacity is 88 percent, down from 94 percent in September 2024. It has 352 cycles, and I've kept it at the 80 percent limit.

During this year's testing, my ‌iPhone 16‌ Pro Max battery was still at around 98 percent just a couple of months ago, so I thought the limit was having more of an impact, but I saw a decent drop as we got closer to September. It was even at 95 percent about a week ago, but now I'm down to 94 percent.

I now have two years of data with my ‌iPhone‌ limited to an 80 percent charge, and I don't think it's been worth it. My coworker who also has a 16 Pro Max did not have an 80 percent charge limit set, and his battery capacity is 96 percent with 308 charge cycles.

Maybe setting an 80 percent limit improves battery health over a longer period of time, but over a one-year period, the results have been disappointing. Setting charging to a 90 or 95 percent might make more sense.

I have upgraded to the iPhone 17 Pro Max and did already limit it to an 80 percent charge for another 12-month test. I'm interested to see how the larger battery changes things, and whether the switch to aluminum will make a difference.

What's your ‌iPhone‌ battery capacity and cycle count? Let me know in the comments below, and weigh in on whether you think the 80 percent charge limit is a good idea.