All of the iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Pro models feature a new battery health setting that prevents the devices from charging beyond 80% at all times when enabled, as confirmed by The Verge's Allison Johnson during a Q&A session today.
The new setting is separate from the pre-existing Optimized Battery Charging feature on iPhones, which intelligently delays charging past 80% until a more appropriate time by learning the device's daily charging routine. When the 80% hard limit is enabled, the iPhone will never charge past that point whatsoever.
On all iPhone 15 models, there are three options under Settings → Battery → Battery Health & Charging → Charging Optimization:
Optimized Battery Charging
80% Limit
None
As with Optimized Battery Charging, the 80% hard limit can improve an iPhone battery's lifespan by reducing the time that the battery is fully charged.
The new setting was previously discovered in iOS 17 code by software researcher Steve Moser.
Apple says all of the iPhone 15 models have the same battery life as iPhone 14 models. The devices launch this Friday.
As Apple was announcing new iPhone models last week, the Unicode Consortium was officially approving new emoji characters that are set to be added to smartphones starting in 2024.
Approved Unicode 15.1 emoji include phoenix, lime, an edible mushroom, shaking head vertically (as in a "yes" nod), shaking head horizontally (a "no" head shake), and broken chain.
There are four new family emoji combinations, along with updates to six people emoji that now have direction specifications such as facing right or facing left. The direction options can be used with person walking, person running, person kneeling, person with white cane, person in manual wheelchair, and person in motorized wheelchair.
Unicode updates often include quite a few emoji characters, so the 15.1 update is smaller in scale than a typical year. Unicode 15.1 does, however, add a number of new non-emoji characters for use in China.
Following the approval of new emoji characters, it takes smartphone makers like Apple several months to design artwork for the emoji and add them to iOS. We can expect to see the emoji updates in a future version of iOS 17.
Last year, Apple added new emoji to the iOS 16.4 update that was released in February 2023, so the company might follow a similar timeline in 2024. Last year's emoji additions included shaking face, pink heart, light blue heart, donkey, moose, goose, wing, jellyfish, hyacinth, pea pod, ginger, flute, maracas, and black bird.
Apple today updated its Final Cut Pro, Motion, Compressor, and iMovie apps for the Mac with support for log-encoded video shot on iPhone 15 Pro models.
On the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max, you can choose between HDR, SDR, or Log color encoding when recording ProRes video. Log footage typically has a higher dynamic range and more color grading flexibility than linear footage.
Apple also updated Final Cut Pro for the iPad with the same support.
Apple's 128GB Wi-Fi 12.9-inch iPad Pro from 2022 is available for $999.00 today at both Amazon and B&H Photo, down from $1,099.00. At $100 off, this is a match of the all-time low price on this version of the pro-level Apple tablet.
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 has a delivery estimate ranging between September 27 and September 30. B&H Photo has faster options with free two-day shipping and availability for around September 21. Both retailers only have the Space Gray color at this price.
The iPad Pro deal today follows in the footsteps of a few other iPad deals we tracked yesterday. This includes the 10th generation iPad for $399.00 and the 9th generation iPad for $269.99, both of which are still available.
Keep up with all of this week's best discounts on Apple products and related accessories in our dedicated Apple Deals roundup.
Apple today added the M2 Ultra Mac Pro models to its online store for refurbished products in the United States, offering the newest version of the desktop machine at a discounted price for the first time since its launch.
A refurbished version of the base M2 Ultra Mac Pro with 24-core CPU, 60-core GPU, 64GB RAM, and 1TB SSD is priced at $5,949, $1,050 off of the regular $6,999 price for a 16 percent discount.
Apple has multiple M2 Ultra Mac Pro configurations available for purchase at the current time, all with similar discounts and up to $1,500 off of the standard price. Supplies of the M2 Ultra Mac Pro models will shift over time as Apple adds new machines, so if you're after a specific configuration, you may need to check the refurbished site often.
Introduced in June 2023, the M2 Ultra Mac Pro models were the final Macs to transition to Apple silicon. Aside from the new Apple chip design, the Mac Pro models have the same design as the prior-generation Intel Mac Pro. Refurbished Mac Pro models ship with power cord, a mouse, and a Magic Keyboard with Touch ID.
All of Apple's refurbished Macs are close to identical to new products. They are subject to a refurbishment process that includes full functionality testing, with any defective modules replaced, as well as a thorough cleaning and inspection. Refurbished products are eligible for AppleCare+ and have the same 14-day return period as new Apple devices.
Repair website iFixit today announced that it has retroactively lowered its iPhone 14 repairability score from 7/10 to 4/10 due to Apple's post-repair parts pairing requirement, just over a year after the device launched.
When purchasing parts from Apple's Self Service Repair Store, a customer must enter a device's serial number or IMEI, and any parts ordered need to be paired with the same device after installation in order to function correctly. iFixit said lots of independent repair shops have business models that are threatened by this requirement.
iFixit initially praised the iPhone 14's internal redesign with a more repair-friendly mid-frame, which has since extended to the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max, but it decided to revise its score in light of feedback from the repair community.
"Although we enthusiastically awarded it a solid score at launch last year, thanks to its innovative repair-friendly architecture—of which we remain big fans—the reality for folks trying to fix these things has been very different," said iFixit CEO Kyle Wiens, in a blog post. "Most major repairs on modern iPhones require Apple approval. You have to buy parts through their system, then have the repair validated via a chat system. Otherwise, you'll run into limited or missing functionality, with a side of annoying warnings."
iFixit is referring to Apple's post-repair System Configuration software tool, which "authenticates genuine Apple parts, updates firmware, and calibrates parts to ensure maximum performance and quality," according to Apple. In June, Apple announced that customers completing their own repairs can now initiate System Configuration by placing their devices into Diagnostics mode and following the on-screen prompts.
iFixit's blog post provides an overview of the various functional issues and warnings that can arise when System Configuration is not completed.
All in all, while iFixit acknowledges that Apple has made some progress in the Right to Repair area, it has decided that it needs to hold the company to a higher standard, and it has adjusted its repairability scoring system accordingly.
Apple recently unveiled the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max as the successors to the iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max, featuring a new titanium design, an Action button, a USB-C port, the A17 Pro chip, and more. As Apple's premium flagship offerings, the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max are the most fully-featured iPhones available.
The iPhone 15 Pro starts at $999 and the iPhone 15 Pro Max starts at $1,199. For the Pro Max model, this is a $100 price increase over last year's model, but there is also no longer a 128GB storage configuration available for this device, meaning that it is effectively only a price hike if you normally buy this model.
Both phones have the same OLED Super Retina XDR always-on display with ProMotion and the Dynamic Island, the A17 Pro chip, 5G connectivity, a "Pro" rear camera setup, and are available in the same color options. Although the two phones share the vast majority of features, there are ten important differences between the devices. Our guide highlights the crucial differences between the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max, and helps to answer the question of how to decide which of these two iPhone models is best for you.
iPhone 15 Pro
iPhone 15 Pro Max
6.1-inch OLED Super Retina XDR display with 2532-by-1170-pixel resolution
6.7-inch OLED Super Retina XDR display with 2778-by-1284-pixel resolution
12-megapixel Telephoto camera with ƒ/2.8 aperture
12-megapixel Telephoto camera with ƒ/2.8 aperture and larger sensor
Telephoto camera with second-generation sensor-shift optical image stabilization
Telephoto camera with folded tetraprism design and autofocus 3D sensor-shift module
0.5x, 1x, 2x, 3x optical zoom
0.5x, 1x, 2x, and 5x optical zoom
23-hour battery life (during video playback)
29-hour battery life (during video playback)
5.77-inch (146.6mm) height
6.29-inch (159.9mm) height
2.78-inch (70.6mm) width
3.02-inch (76.7mm) width
6.60-ounce (187 grams) weight
7.81-ounce (221 grams) weight
128GB, 256GB, 512GB, or 1TB storage
256GB, 512GB, or 1TB storage
$999 (128GB), $1,099 (256GB), $1,299 (512GB), or $1,499 (1TB)
$1,199 (256GB), $1,399 (512GB), or $1,599 (1TB)
Just like some previous iPhone models offered in two sizes, such as the iPhone 12 Pro and iPhone 12 Pro Max, there is a major additional camera feature to be gained with the larger model. This year, that's 5x telephoto optical zoom, which is ideal for sports or wildlife photography since it can get even closer to a subject.
iPhone 15 Pro Max provides the longest optical zoom ever on iPhone: 5x at 120mm. Great for close-ups, wildlife photos, and catching the action from further distances, the new Telephoto camera on iPhone 15 Pro Max has an innovative tetraprism design with a combined optical image stabilization and autofocus 3D sensor-shift module, Apple's most advanced stabilization system yet.
The iPhone 15 Pro has a maximum optical zoom of 3x and lacks the hardware enhancements of the iPhone 15 Pro Max's telephoto camera. The Main and Ultra Wide cameras, are, however, identical between the two devices.
The iPhone 15 Pro Max represents the most you can get out of an iPhone with the best possible battery life, but that does not necessarily translate into a worthwhile purchase for all users. Some users may prefer a 3x optical zoom over a 5x optical zoom, in which case the iPhone 15 Pro is a better choice. Ultimately, the alternative photography capabilities of the devices come down to this single difference. If you are more likely to use your new iPhone to take portrait photos, the 3x telephoto of the iPhone 15 Pro is a better choice, while the iPhone 15 Pro Max is unrivalled for sports and wildlife photography where you are looking to shoot subjects that are much farther away.
Combined with longer battery life and a larger display, the iPhone 15 Pro Max differs from the iPhone 15 Pro relatively significantly. The added $200 in price for the iPhone 15 Pro Max seems fair for its additional display area, battery life, storage, and camera technology but it is important to weigh up these factors in your personal use case. This shrinks to a $100 price difference if you normally buy a 256GB model.
If you normally purchase a 128GB iPhone "Pro Max" model, it may be time to look at the smaller model this year, since getting the larger model will necessitate spending $100 more than usual and getting 256GB of storage, which you may not use up. On the other hand, if you always purchase an iPhone with 256GB of storage, you may be more inclined to buy the iPhone 15 Pro Max.
Likewise, a larger, heavier 6.7-inch iPhone is not for everyone. Some may find the iPhone 15 Pro Max's size excessive or uncomfortably large to hold, while others will love the larger display for consuming media. Screen size is ultimately a matter of personal preference, and since the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max share most of their other features, it comes down to individual taste.
The most important decision point when choosing between the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max is undoubtedly screen size, but comfort, pocketability, weight, battery life, and camera technology are also important considerations that will depend based on your personal needs and preferences. If you are hesitant about the size and weight of the iPhone 15 Pro Max, it may be better to stick with the iPhone 15 Pro, but it otherwise unlikely to disappoint, especially if price is not an issue.
Starting on iOS 17, iPadOS 17, and macOS Sonoma, Apple encrypts the titles of Voice Memos stored in iCloud, in addition to the recordings themselves.
As a result of this change, Apple says the titles of existing Voice Memos might only show the date and time of the recording on devices running older software versions.
Because of this additional encryption, when you update one of your Apple devices to iOS 17, iPadOS 17, or macOS Sonoma, your devices that you haven't yet updated—with older versions of Voice Memos—may display the date and time of the recording (for example, "2023-08-11T07:53:31Z") as the title, rather than the previous title of the recording.
Apple already encrypted Voice Memos recordings in transit and stores them in an encrypted format, according to the support document.
Anker has returned today with a large array of deals on Amazon and on its own website. One highlight of the sale is the return of all-time low prices on the Eufy brand of Bluetooth trackers. You can get the SmartTrack Link in various packs, including $26.99 for a 2-pack and $48.99 for a 4-pack. You will need to be a Prime member to get these discounts.
Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with Amazon and Anker. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment, which helps us keep the site running.
These trackers work with Apple's Find My app and are perfect for keeping track of luggage and other necessities while traveling. Compared to previous sales, these are some of the best prices we've tracked on the Bluetooth trackers, although this time we aren't seeing any deals on the SmartTrack Card.
Another highlight is the Eufy Security SmartDrop Package Box, which is down to $199.99 for Prime members on Amazon, from $399.99. We last tracked this deal in August and it's a match of the all-time low price on the product.
The Eufy package box provides a secure location for your packages to be delivered, and sends notifications to your smartphone when items arrive. Right now it has an estimated delivery date of September 26 from Amazon.
In addition to the SmartDrop Package Box there are a few other Anker accessories on sale today, both on Amazon and on Anker's website. On the Anker website, you'll find both individual deals on charging accessories as well as a few bundle offers.
Shoppers should note that for both websites, most of the deals below will require you to clip an on-page coupon. On Amazon, you can do this by simply clicking the box near the green text under the price of the accessory, and then you'll see the price at checkout. On Anker, you can hit the "copy code" button then proceed to "buy now" in order to get the discount.
Starting with the iOS 17 and tvOS 17 software updates released on Monday, any Apple TV HD or Apple TV 4K model experiencing problems can be restored with a nearby iPhone, according to a new Apple support document.
If a black screen with an iPhone appears on the TV, users can unlock their iPhone, hold it close to the Apple TV, and follow the on-screen recovery steps on the iPhone. When the recovery process is completed, the Apple TV will reboot.
On the Apple TV HD, there is a USB-C port that allows the device to be restored with a Mac over a wired connection. However, there is no USB-C port on any of the Apple TV 4K models, so Apple advised customers to contact Apple support to restore those models. With the new iPhone-based restore method, that is no longer necessary.
Read our tvOS 17 release post for an overview of other new Apple TV features, such as a FaceTime app and a redesigned Control Center.
Apple's new iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus begin arriving to customers and launch in stores on Friday, September 22. Ahead of time, the first reviews of the devices have been shared by select media outlets and YouTube channels.
Image via The Verge
The iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus offer a new design, the Dynamic Island, a USB-C port, the A16 Bionic chip, a 48-megapixel main camera, Smart HDR 5, Apple's second-generation Ultra Wideband chip for Precision Finding with Find My friends, and more.
Reviewers are generally in agreement that the iPhone 15 represents a significant update of Apple's standard iPhone models, sporting bigger and more useful upgrades than in many previous years. We've rounded up both written and video reviews of the iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus below.
Written Reviews
The iPhone 15 features a new design with contoured edges, frosted back glass, and the Dynamic Island. It is also available in a refreshed selection of color options, including Black, Blue, Green, Yellow, and Pink. Pocket-Lint's Britta O'Boyle on the iPhone 15's revamped design:
There's a matte glass back in place of the coloured glossy finish we've been accustomed to since the iPhone XR and its vibrant, colourful back. The iPhone 15 completely pivots on this design feature, opting for a much more subtle, pastel finish. The colours - of which there are six to choose from - have been infused into the glass and the result is a very, light shade of colour. And I mean very light, almost non-existent.
The aluminium frame - no titanium here like on the Pro models - does have a stronger colour presence however, matching the colour within the glass rear and complimenting it beautifully. It's not just the softness in colour that makes the iPhone 15 stand out though. Like the iPhone 15 Pro models, the rear of the iPhone 15 is almost soft-to-touch with a lovely smooth finish that makes this phone really rather delightful to hold - trust me on this. The edges are also slightly contoured, removing the sharpness where the rear met the frame on the iPhone 14.
[...]
Flip the iPhone 15 onto its silky soft matte back and you'll notice some big changes to the front. The bezels have reduced slightly - not as much as the iPhone 15 Pro, but enough to make a noticeable difference if you look close enough. You probably won't though, because it will be the lack of notch at the top of the display that will likely capture your attention first.
The Verge's Dan Seifert on the iPhone 15's USB-C port, which is limited to USB 2.0 speeds, just like the Lightning connector:
The other big hardware change this year is the swap from Lightning to USB-C for charging and data transfer. This change has been a long time coming, and I applaud it, even if Apple is literally years late to doing so. It does mean that the piles of Lightning cables and accessories you’ve accumulated are obsolete now (Apple gives you a new braided cable in the box with the phone), but it also means you don’t have to carry multiple charging cables for your iPhone, iPad, laptop, and other accessories. And hey, you can now use the same charging cable as your Android-toting friends and loved ones, which will certainly come in handy at some point.
The USB-C port supports wired charging up to 27W and can output to a display at 4K60 resolution. But it's limited to USB 2.0 data transfers: just 480Mbps, 20 times slower than the USB 3 data speeds available on an iPhone Pro or an iPad Air and 80 times slower than what comes on all Macs at this point. Most people will never plug their phone into a computer to transfer data off of it, but the limitation shows up in other areas, like when I plugged a USB-C ethernet adapter into the iPhone 15 and only got half of my gigabit internet speed. Or when switching to a new phone and using a cable to move your data over and having to wait as gigabytes of data are squeezed through the USB 2 connection. It just feels like a stingy limitation on an $800-plus phone considering faster USB speeds have been out for 15 years.
It’s important to note that the iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus feature the same A16 Bionic chip as the iPhone 14 line. It looks like this is Apple’s new cadence of release; the top-tier phone features the high-end chip, while the base-level device gets last year’s processor. Does this matter anymore when Apple’s chips are so far ahead of the competition? It doesn’t, and at this point, Apple knows it.
[...]
During my time with the iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus, I didn't encounter any slowdown, whether I was running high-end apps or being an internet power user in Firefox. Would I prefer Apple to stick with including its most powerful chip in all of its new smartphones? Definitely, especially as the promise of console-level gaming looms on with the iPhone 15 Pro and its A17 Pro chip, while the iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus are stuck with the A16. However, this likely won't matter to the iPhone 15's audience.
The entire camera system on the iPhone 15 does offer more granular control over your photos than the iPhone 14 does, even if some of the resulting images aren't stunningly better than the prior generation's. The biggest update is that the iPhone 15 has the ability to capture both 24-megapixel and 48-megapixel images, which can be preset under "Resolution Control" in your phone's camera settings. But this feature is optimized for shooting at 1X in decent light, whereas if you shoot at .5X, or ultrawide, the camera will default back to 12-megapixel captures.
The iPhone 15 now has an additional 2X optical zoom option, whereas the iPhone 14 only offered .5 and 1X zooms. Portrait mode on iPhone 15 can be activated automatically when the camera detects a portrait-worthy image, though in my experience, the iPhone 15 has yet to deem any of my subjects worthy of portraiture. Also, in Portrait mode, you can now control the depth of the image and zoom out to capture even more data from the scene. This is admittedly a nice feature add.
Apple's new iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max will begin arriving to customers and launch in stores this Friday, September 22. Ahead of time, the first reviews of the devices have been shared by select media outlets and YouTube channels.
Key new features of the iPhone 15 Pro models include a USB-C port, lightweight titanium frame, customizable Action button, faster A17 Pro chip, an increased 8GB of RAM, thinner bezels around the screen, and several camera improvements, including an upgraded Telephoto lens with up to 5x optical zoom on the Pro Max model.
I know we all have a lot of mixed feelings about USB-C, but let me tell you about a beautiful thing that happened: the 15 Pro Max's battery was low, so I unplugged the USB-C charging cable from my MacBook Air and plugged it right into the phone. No searching for another cable. No dongles. Just a USB-C charger powering a USB-C iPhone.
Johnson says the Action button can function as a physical shutter button when the Camera app is open, instead of the volume buttons:
I set the Action Button on the 15 Pro Max to open the camera, which I thought I'd really like. It even acts as a shutter when you use the Action Button to open the camera, and I love a physical shutter button. But it’s a bit of a reach, and after the first week, I’m not finding it any easier than swiping the homescreen to launch the camera and pressing the volume down button to snap shots. I have some other ideas for the Action Button, though, and the beauty is you can experiment with it until you find something you like.
Apple says that the 6-inch iPhone 15 Pro is 187 grams, or 9% lighter than last year's model. The iPhone 15 Pro Max, with a bigger 6.7-inch screen, weighs 8% less. But in practice, it feels like an even bigger reduction. Going back to my old iPhone 14 Pro, it feels like a brick. The weight difference between this year's Pros and last year's is noticeable even with a case.
On our battery test, which involves continuous web surfing at 150 nits of screen brightness, the iPhone 15 Pro lasted 10 hours and 53 minutes. That’s 40 minutes longer than the iPhone 14 Pro and nearly 2 hours longer than the Pixel 7 Pro. We consider 11 hours or more to be excellent.
And we haven't even started talking about the 120mm tetraprism-enabled 5x telephoto lens. This thing is an incredible achievement in every way. It doesn't just work, it's probably the best camera Apple has ever made.
Apple could upgrade to considerably more advanced 2-nanometer chip fabrication technology as soon as 2026, according to analyst Ming-Chi Kuo.
In a recent post on Medium, Kuo explained that Apple will likely begin to use TSMC's 2-nanometer chip fabrication technology to produce iPhone chips as early as 2026. The iPhone 15 Pro's A17 Pro chip is the industry's first 3-nanometer chip, sporting performance and efficiency improvements thanks to its increased transistor density.
If so, this would mirror its use of the 5-nanometer node through the A14, A15, and A16 Bionic chips from 2020 to 2022, where the technology persisted for three years through successive chip generations. The 2026 timeframe would also presumably mean the 3-nanometer node persists for three years through the A17 Pro, "A18," and "A19" from 2023 to 2025.
Like 3-nanometer, 2-nanometer further reduces the smallest possible dimension used in chip manufacturing and increases transistor density, resulting in improved performance and efficiency.
According to Kuo, TSMC is strengthening its vertical integration capabilities with chip designer ARM in an effort to ensure a smooth transition from the current 3-nanometer technology to the next-generation 2-nanometer process. Apple and Nvidia are expected to be among the first clients to place orders for 2-nanometer chips.
Apple's new iPhone 15 series includes several new camera features, but not all of them will be visible to casual photographers, and Apple says it is relying on third-party developers to make these extra controls accessible to enthusiasts and filmmakers.
In an interview with PetaPixel, Jon McCormack, Apple's vice president of camera software engineering, explained the company's rationale behind this middle-ground approach, while also shedding light on some of the decisions it took when finalizing the iPhone 15 feature set.
"It really is, in my mind, all about allowing people to go chase their vision and this goes from the harried parent of a toddler where their vision is, 'can I get my kid in frame as they take their first step' all the way through to a pro or a creative who has got a very specific artistic vision in mind and want to get there as quickly as possible," said McCormack.
"Behind the big red button… the thing you're worrying about is the frame and the moment because honestly, that's the most inspiring part of any photograph or any video."
iPhone 15 Pro: Focal Lengths
iPhone 15 Pro users can choose from 24mm, 28mm, and 35mm focal lengths when taking photos, simply by tapping the 1x button in the Camera app. However, for technical reasons, these focal length options aren't available when shooting video, and the Camera offers a zoom ring instead.
"When you're shooting [photos], we gather a bunch of data to let you keep shooting and then sort of keep processing in the background, so we have more time and this is just something we can't do in video," McCormack told PetaPixel.
iPhone 15 Pro: Log Video Encoding
When encoding video in log mode, the camera uses a logarithmic curve to more efficiently compress the colors in such a way as to offer a wider dynamic range. This allows filmmakers to maximize dynamic range as much as possible without overexposing, or push the shadows as much as possible to minimize noise.
"We go for a middle-ground exposure," said McCormack. "When you go into log, there's no tone mapping so you can have much more precise control over what your exposure is."
However, while the iPhone can now shoot in ProRes Log, there are no on-screen controls or waveform in the native Camera app to control exposure. Instead, Apple is relying on third-party app developers to bring these controls to power users, which serves to keep the standard Camera interface uncluttered. Apple said it will also be providing LUT profiles to editors on September 22.
iPhone 15 Pro: External Video Transfer via USB-C
The iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max support USB3 transfer speeds from the new USB-C port, but only ProRes files recorded in 4K at 60p can be recorded to an externally attached SSD. All other video and phot modes must be saved to the iPhone first and transferred later. Apple told PetaPixel this was an in-house design decision focused on supporting ProRes workflows.
iPhone 15: 24 vs 48 Megapixels
Last year, Apple limited the default camera settings to 12MP, but this year it is limited to 24MP, despite the main camera's sensor's 48MP capabilities. The reason for this, McCormack explained, is that there is slightly more dynamic range when shooting in 24MP.
"When shooting at 24-megapixels, we shoot 12 high and 12 low — we actually shoot multiple of those — and we pick and then merge. There is, basically, a bigger bracket between the 12 high and the 12 low. Then, the 48 is an 'extended dynamic range,' versus 'high dynamic range,' which basically just limits the amount of processing. Because just in the little bit of processing time available [in the 24 megapixel] we can get a bit more dynamic range into Deep Fusion. So what you end up with in the 24, it's a bit of a 'Goldilocks moment' in that you get all of the extra dynamic range that comes from the 12 and the detail transfer that comes in from the 48."
McCormack also said there's zero shutter lag when shooting at 24-megapixels, whereas shooting at full 48-megapixel resolution doesn't provide an instantaneous shutter.
Keeping Photography Approachable
Ultimately, Apple's goal is to ensure that iPhone photography remains approachable, according to Maxime Veron, senior director of iPhone product marketing. "For the vast majority of our customers, we just aim to process everything in the background so that the process is invisible and out of the way so that people can take great photos and videos and capture beautiful, true-to-life moments in one click," she told PetaPixel.
Veron added that at the same time, Apple wants to meet the ever-growing demands of its enthusiast customers, allowing them to use the same hardware to capture images that can grace the cover of a magazine.
The full interview can be found at PetaPixel. All of Apple's new iPhone 15 models are now available to order and launch this Friday.
During the iOS 17 beta testing process from June to September, MacRumors wrote a series of in-depth feature guides highlighting every major new addition, plus how tos that walk you through using the new features.
This comprehensive guide rounds up all of our coverage, making it a great resource for casual users who haven't had a chance to test out iOS 17 and those who might not remember all of the new features. Everything is organized by app or feature to make it easy to find what you might be looking for.
Apple made further updates to the Lock Screen in iOS 17 with StandBy, a feature that turns an iPhone into a home hub when it's charging and positioned in a horizontal orientation. The update also brings interactive widgets and other features.
The Messages app got a redesign that makes it less cluttered and simpler to use, plus it has a revamp to the stickers function. Emoji are now stickers and can be placed anywhere on an iMessage, and you can even create your own stickers from photos. A new Check In feature keeps you safe by allowing friends and family to track your trips when you're alone.
There are multiple privacy and security improvements in iOS 17, including restricted access to the private browsing tab, the removal of tracking URLs, secure ways to share passwords, and more.
New safety-related features in iOS 17 range from sensitive content warnings that block unwanted nude photos to offline maps and critical reminders for medications.
Apple didn't preview the promised next-generation CarPlay experience, but CarPlay did get SharePlay for allowing everyone in the car to contribute to the music, plus it includes improvements for locating EV charging stations.
In iOS 17, you no longer need to say "Hey Siri" to activate Siri, and you can instead just say "Siri." Siri can also read web articles and recognize back to back requests.
Safari supports profiles for separating work browsing and home browsing (or any kind of browsing you want to segregate), plus there's now a locked private browsing window that you can't open without Face ID or Touch ID authentication.
Apple has also improved anti-tracking features, boosted password functionality, and more, with full details available in our iOS 17 Safari guide.
Phone and FaceTime
The Phone app and the FaceTime apps have some of the most notable changes in iOS 17. You can set up a Contact Poster that people see when you call them, and you can see the voicemails people are leaving in real time so you can pick up if it's important. FaceTime supports audio and video messages so you can leave FaceTime voicemails too.
Apple is using a new machine learning algorithm for autocorrect so it's smarter than before, plus it's easier to correct the mistakes that it makes. Autofill is quicker, and stickers are now found in the same place as emoji so you can use them everywhere in the operating system.
A more detailed overview of what's new with autocorrect can be found in our iOS 17 autocorrect guide.
AirDrop
AirDrop has a new NameDrop option for quickly sharing contact information with someone by touching two phones together, plus there are new proximity sharing options.
There are a couple of new features in AirPlay, including automatic AirPlay functionality with TVs and a smarter AirPlay function that puts the device you AirPlay to most often at the top of the AirPlay interface.
Later this year, Apple also plans to bring AirPlay functionality to hotel TVs so you can watch your content without having to log in to your streaming services when traveling.
In the Weather app, Apple has added a new widget for viewing moon phases, plus an option to see yesterday's weather in the 10-day forecast. There are several other small but useful changes, all of which are outlined in our iOS 17 Weather guide.
In the Health app, the major new feature is mood tracking, which is designed to help you catalog your emotions throughout the day and over a long period of time, determining what influences how you feel and how activities like exercise impact mood. The Health app has also expanded to iPad, and there are a few other new features.
In the Maps app, Apple has added offline maps for the first time, so you can download maps for the area that you're in or visiting and have access even without a cellular or WiFi connection.
There are also changes to the Maps interface and a few other tweaks, with details available in our iOS 17 Maps guide.
Photos and Camera
The iOS 17 Photos app is able to recognize pets in addition to people, correctly identifying different cats and dogs. Visual Look Up works with recipes, laundry symbols, and more, plus it can be used with videos. The Camera app has an improved interface for QR codes and new leveling tools.
In iOS 17, Apple has added long-requested features like collaborative playlists and crossfade for a non-stop music experience. There are also new CarPlay sharing tools, song credits, and more.
The Notes and Reminders app in iOS 17 have a number of useful new features. You can link one note to another for the first time, so you can create wiki-style documents, and in Reminders, there's new grocery sorting, custom sections, and a column view option.
We have a complete overview of all of the new features in iOS 17 in one handy place in our iOS 17 roundup, which is also well worth checking out for all of the little details that didn't make it into our guides and how tos.
With the release of a new operating system, there are multiple features and design elements for developers to adopt. Now that iOS 17 is out, many major apps are getting interesting updates today, which we've rounded up below. watchOS 10 also has a new design language, so there are a range of Apple Watch updates to check out too.
Popular flight tracking app Flighty is expanding to the Apple Watch for the first time, bringing crucial flight details to your wrist. Flighty for Apple Watch works like Flighty on iPhone, but it provides intelligent updates for each leg of the flight.
When you're getting ready to go to the airport, it will let you know the time your plane is taking off and whether there are any delays, then once you're there, you'll see your gate, departure time, and seat number. After you board, you'll get a readout of your flight's progress. Flighty is using the new watchOS 10 visual design and shows up in the Apple Watch Smart Stack accessible by swiping up on the watch face or turning the Digital Crown. Flighty also has a widget designed for StandBy mode in iOS 17.
Carrot Weather is using the iOS 17 Personal Voice feature to let users have their own voice give weather updates. With Personal Voice, an accessibility feature, you can create a digital version of your voice that can speak aloud for you. It's designed for individuals who may lose their ability to speak, but anyone can use it.
There are new weather widgets that can be used with StandBy mode on the iPhone, and the Apple Watch app has been redesigned with Apple's new aesthetic that is designed to make information more easily accessible.
Skiing and snowboarding app Slopes has an overhauled Apple Watch app that focuses on glanceability, which is what Apple is pushing for watchOS 10. You can swipe scroll through all of the different data options in the app with the Digital Crown, starting workouts, viewing elevation, distance traveled, and more.
You can start a recording on the iPhone and have it sync to the Apple Watch, and there is support for StandBy mode on iPhone and the Smart Stack on the watch.
Other App Updates
World Clock Widgets (Free, $3.99 Pro unlock) - World Clock Widgets now includes StandBy support and new Lock Screen widgets for the iPad.
Halide ($2.99/Month) - Camera app Halide includes improved HDR rendering, more responsive capture times, and a Zero Shutter Lag feature that better matches up image that's captured with what's visible in the viewfinder. Halide is available for $2.99 per month, $11.99 per year, or a one time purchase of $59.99.
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Know of an app that got a useful update that we don't have in our list? Let us know in the comments below.
Apple today released iOS 17 to the public, and there are hundreds of new features and changes for you to learn about. Some of these options require some set up to get up and running, so we've written this guide that walks you through what you should do after installing iOS 17.
Set Up Your StandBy Screen
When you charge an iPhone running iOS 17 in an upright and horizontal orientation, it displays a new StandBy screen. StandBy serves as a home hub to show glanceable information that makes your iPhone more useful when it's not being actively used.
StandBy is most useful on the iPhone 14 Pro models with always-on display, but it is available on all iPhones that run iOS 17.
There are three total StandBy screens that you can access by swiping between them when your phone is in the appropriate StandBy position. The first screen displays widgets (including interactive widgets), the second showcases photos from the Photos library, and the third is a large clock that shows the time.
You will want to customize your two widget stacks on the widget screen to make it more useful, and you can also customize how the time is displayed and the photos that you see. Customizing is done by swapping over to the correct screen and long pressing on it to get to the customization options.
StandBy can show you incoming notifications, Live Activities, and Siri queries full screen. When you use StandBy with different MagSafe chargers in separate locations, you can customize your phone to remember which screen configuration you prefer based on location. For example, you might prefer widgets when at the office, or the clock screen when the iPhone is on your nightstand.
StandBy can be a little bit complicated when you're not familiar with it, so we recommend looking through our StandBy guide to see the full extent of what you can do with it.
Prioritize Interactive Widgets
Lock Screen and Home Screen widgets are interactive in iOS 17, which makes widgets much more useful. You can do things like check off a reminder or activate a home device right from a widget without having to open an app.
Both Apple apps and third-party apps are able to use the new interactive functionality, so you might want to redo your widget setup now that certain widgets are more useful.
Lock Screen widgets can be customized by long pressing on the Lock Screen, choosing a Lock Screen option, and then tapping "Customize." From there, select the Lock Screen and then tap into the widgets box to choose your widget options.
On the Home Screen, long press, tap on the "+" button in the upper left corner, and select the widget that you want to add.
Customize Your Contact Poster
In iOS 17, there's a customizable Contact Poster that people see when you call, FaceTime, or text them. You can customize it with a photo, Memoji, Animoji, or an initial, and choose the colors and fonts that you prefer.
When you install iOS 17, you'll be prompted to make a Contact Poster, but you can tweak it at any time in the Contacts app. Just open Contacts, tap on "My Card" and then tap on "Edit" in the upper right corner to get to the editing interface.
From there, you can choose a photo, select a color for the text, add a filter, and more. You can have multiple Contact Posters to swap between, and you can create a Contact Photo that's different from your Contact Poster.
The Contact Poster and Contact Photo that you choose will be shared with others when you call or message them, but there are some settings you can use to restrict access. You can choose to share your photo and poster automatically with all of your contacts, or you can have your iPhone get permission from you first. Name and photo sharing can also be disabled entirely if you prefer.
Make Sure Live Voicemail is On (U.S. and Canada Only)
Live Voicemail is a new feature that lets you see a transcript of a voicemail as it's left, so you can pick up if it's an important call. You can make sure Live Voicemail is enabled by opening up the Settings app, tapping on Phone, scrolling down to Live Voicemail and toggling it on.
With the option turned on, when someone begins to leave a voicemail you will see a the transcript of what they have to say right on the Lock Screen. You can ignore it or answer the phone. During the beta testing process, Live Voicemail's wording was a bit confusing for callers, but Apple has since addressed that issue.
If you find Live Voicemail irritating, toggling it off will disable it and your voicemail will return to normal.
Create Your Own Stickers
Apple in iOS 16 added a Remove Subject from Background tool that lets you remove the primary object from any image. In iOS 17, when you use this feature, you can turn the subject of an image into a sticker.
To get it to work, choose any photo with main subject. Do a short tap and hold on the subject of the image and at the text popup, choose "Add Sticker."
From there, you can choose a sticker effect, such as adding a puffy look, including a white border, adding a glitter effect, and more. Some stickers will animate if they are pulled from a Live Photo, and the stickers that you can create can be used across the operating system.
With iOS 17, Apple also merged emojis and stickers into one, so stickers work wherever you can use emoji.
Set Up New Safari Profiles
In iOS 17, Apple added a Profile feature that is designed to let you separate your browsing for different use cases. You can create a "Work" profile and a "Personal" profile, for example, so all of your work-related browsing is kept separate from your personal browsing.
Each profile has separate cookies, browsing history, extensions, and website data. You can turn off cookies and pop-ups on one profile, for instance, leaving them on for another profile. Profiles also have separate Favorites and Tab Groups.
To set up your separate profiles, open the Settings app, select Safari, tap on New Profile, and choose an icon, name, and background color.
Turn on Anti-Tracking
URLs in iOS 17 can be stripped of all tracking information appended to the end of the URL so that websites cannot track your browsing using URL identifiers. This function is enabled automatically for private browsing in iOS 17, but it can be turned on for all browsing.
To turn it on, open up the Settings app and go to Safari. Tap on Advanced, then tap on "Advanced Tracking and Fingerprinting Protection." From there, toggle on "All Browsing." The setting will ensure that URLs opened in Safari will strip any tracking information at the end of a URL.
Share Your iCloud Keychain Passwords
iOS 17 lets you securely share passwords and passkeys stored in iCloud Keychain with friends and family members. Through the sharing feature, passwords for media accounts, utilities, bills, and more can be accessed by multiple people.
Passwords can be shared by opening up the Passwords section in the Settings app and tapping on "Get Started" under the Share Passwords with Family banner. Alternatively, you can tap the "+" button and create a new shared group. You can have multiple separate password sharing groups with different people.
Name Your Pets in Photos
In the Photos app, the People album is now the Pets and People album because the iPhone can recognize dogs and cats. Once you've let your iPhone charge for a bit, head into the Pets and People album and you'll be able to identify your pets and other animals that you have photos of, adding a name just like you can with people.
You can review additional photos to add more, watch a slideshow, and more.
Log a Mood
Apple added a mood tracking feature to the Health app in iOS 17 so you can track your mental wellbeing over time. To get to it, open up the Health app, go to Browse, and tap on Mental Wellbeing. Choose Log under State of Mind, and you can select your mood
You can set a mood for the current time or an overall mood for the entire day, choosing the factors that might have influenced your mood such as work or a relationship. You can see how your mood changes from week to week and what impacts how you're feeling.
You can set up notifications to remind you to log your mood, and if you have an Apple Watch, you can do mood logging from your wrist.
Share an AirTag
AirTags can be shared with family members, so if your partner or your child borrows an item with an AirTag, they'll no longer get alerts about an unknown item traveling with them. This also goes for items that have Find My integration.
To share a device, open up the Find My app and choose the items tag. Select an AirTag or an item and tap on Share This AirTag. From there, you can choose a contact to share the AirTag with.
Try Out New AirPods Pro 2 Features
AirPods Pro 2 have multiple new features in iOS 17 that you'll want to test out. Adaptive Audio combines Active Noise Cancellation and Transparency into an all-in-one mode that adjusts the volume of what's playing based on what's around you and your interactions throughout the day.
With Conversation Awareness, the AirPods Pro 2 can detect when someone is speaking to you, turning down the volume of media and cutting down on background noise. Personalized Volume will also adjust the sound of what's playing based on personal preference and the sounds around you.
Automatic Device Switching is also quicker, plus if you press on the stem of the AirPods Pro 2 while on a call, you can mute and unmute yourself. More on the new AirPods Pro 2 features can be found in our guide.
Apple today released iOS 17 to the public after months of beta testing, which means the new operating system update is available to all iPhone users. iOS 17 makes widgets far more useful than before, adding a new interactive element that allows you to use them from the Lock Screen, Home Screen, or StandBy interface without having to open up an app.
We've rounded up a list of apps that take advantage of interactive widgets so you can update your widget workflow. Note that interactive widgets work on iPhone, iPad, and will even be accessible on the Mac when macOS Sonoma comes out thanks to new interconnectivity between the iOS and macOS.
WidgetSmith has several interactive widgets to choose from, including a series of photo galleries that you can tap to flip through your photos and multi-purpose widgets where you can tap between things like photos and step count, hiding useful information behind images.
The app also includes a Music widget for flipping through music albums and playlists, a weather widget for swiping through the upcoming weather forecast without having to open the app, a calendar widget so you can see the day's upcoming events, and a number-adding tile game.
Spark's interactive widgets let users delete or mark emails as done to archive them without having to open up the Spark app. Spark will also have options to view emails directly from different categories (People, Priority, Newsletters, Notifications, and All Emails) in the Spark widget.
Spark is also gaining new Drag and Drop features on the iPad for adding attachments, and App Shortcuts for creating calendar events, opening a priority list, and more.
Sleep tracking app Rise has widgets that can be used for managing alarms and sleep sounds without opening up the app. The app also includes outdoor light exposure monitoring so you can see how light exposure affects sleep, and there is a dedicated iPad app.
Budgeting and money tracking app Copilot has added a Review Transactions widget that can be used to view and confirm all of your purchases without having to open the app. Copilot lets you track all of your spending and investments in one place.
App launching app Launcher has interactive folder widgets so you can nest several actions in one folder, accessing them with a tap without having to go into the Launcher app. There are also multi-contact widgets so you can do things like quickly contact a friend, and there are options for music controls.
Other Apps With Interactive Widgets
Things ($9.99) - Task management app Things now supports interactive widgets so you can complete to-dos right from the Home Screen.
TripIt (Free, Premium Subscription) - Travel planning app TripIt has interactive widgets that let you scroll through your entire travel itinerary from the Home Screen.
Calendars ($30) - Calendars includes new widgets, such as a Load Indicator widget, an icon with the current date, and month calendar options, all of which can be used without opening the app. There's also support for StandBy mode.
Focus (Free, Premium Subscription) - Interactive widgets in productivity app Focus let you start a timer with a tap from the Home or Lock Screen. There's also a StandBy Focus widget and a redesigned Apple Watch app.
Timery for Toggl (Free, Premium Subscription) - Time-tracking app Timery, which is designed to work with Toggl, has interactive widgets that can be used for quickly setting timers, tracking time, and showing report details. There's a StandBy widget and a refreshed design for the Apple Watch.
Chronicling (Free, Premium Subscription) - Event tracking app Chronicling has interactive widgets for event logging from the Home Screen, as well as a new watchOS app and StandBy support.
SmartGym (Free, Premium Subscription) - Fitness app SmartGym has an interactive widget that lets you swap between various metrics like heart rate and calories burned for your workouts. There's also a redesigned Apple Watch app and support for StandBy mode on iPhone.
Liftin' (Free, Premium Subscription) - Weightlifting app Liftin' has interactive widgets that let you start a workout, plus there are widgets optimized for the Apple Watch Smart Stack and Live Activities.
Home Widget (Free, Premium Upgrade) - HomeKit app Home Widget offers a selection of widgets that can be used to control smart home devices from the Home Screen.
Overcast (Free, $9.99 Premium Option) - Podcast app Overcast has interactive widgets that let you control episode playback without having to open the app.
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Find an app with interactive widgets that we didn't mention here? Let us know in the comments below.
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