MacRumors

Apple's first foldable iPhone, rumored for release next year, may turn out to be smaller than most people imagine, if a recent report is anything to go by. According to The Information, the outer display on the book-style device will measure just 5.3 inches – that's smaller than the 5.4-inch screen on the ‌iPhone‌ mini, a line Apple discontinued in 2022 due to poor sales. The report has led some people to wonder why Apple would settle on such a compact form factor.

Using The Information's reported dimensions, content creator Ben Geskin has shared some images and video of a printed version of the device (embedded below) that help envision what it could look and feel like in the hand. They also hint at Apple's design strategy, suggesting it is related to an unavoidable trade-off between the outer and inner displays of a book-style foldable.

A taller, phone-like outer screen generally leads to a more square inner panel once unfolded, which can be awkward for many types of content, like videos and two open windows in Split View. Conversely, a more rectangular inner display that better supports multi-window use inevitably forces the outer display to become wider or smaller, making it less comfortable to hold and less conventional in use.

Reports suggesting Apple has opted for a roughly 4:3 aspect ratio on the inner display strongly suggest Apple is favoring the latter approach. A 4:3 inner display would allow Apple to more easily transfer established multitasking features from iPadOS into a foldable form. Here the unfolded state becomes the main mode of use, prioritizing a lightweight, ultra-portable iPad experience over a stretched-out smartphone.

That said, the ‌iPhone‌ Fold in its closed state is likely to feel more like a smaller everyday phone than other foldables on the market. Compare the rumored 5.3-inch outer screen size with the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7, which has a 6.5-inch front display, or the Google Pixel Pro Fold, whose cover screen comes in at 6.3 inches. Indeed, the ‌iPhone‌ Fold's front display would be smaller than almost all current major foldables, suggesting Apple is deliberately diverging from the "outer screen as primary phone" philosophy.

When choosing size, Apple will of course have a very deliberate product strategy in mind. While Samsung and Google largely treat the cover display on their foldables as a full-time smartphone screen, Apple may see the device's folded state as a secondary experience, suited to notifications, quick replies, and other glanceable interactions, while reserving the main experience for when the device is unfolded.

However, software too has its limits. If users expect to browse, type extensively, or use third-party apps in the folded state, no amount of interface refinement will fully overcome a physically smaller canvas. That's what makes the comparison to the ‌iPhone‌ mini so notable – especially for a device expected to command a price premium of anywhere between $2,000 and $2,500, which would make it Apple's most expensive ever iPhone.

Ultimately, the rumored dimensions suggest Apple is betting on the value of the unfolded experience rather than the comfort of the folded one. The company seems willing to accept a smaller, less conventional outer display if it ensures the inner display can shine at the system and app level. If users come to think of the device not as a larger iPhone, but as an iPad that happens to fold into a pocket, the design trade-offs start to look far more intentional, and far more Apple-like.

What do you think of the alleged dimensions of Apple's rumored foldable iPhone? Let us know in the comments. The "iPhone Fold," which some are calling it, is expected to launch alongside the iPhone 18 Pro models in September 2026.

Flight tracker apps are a popular way to keep tabs on planes in the sky, because when you're preparing to fly or when someone you know is on board a flight, you can use them to check that things are still on schedule. But if you have an iPhone, you don't need to download and install a third-party app to track a flight – it's a handy built-in feature of the operating system.

The ability to track flights in iOS is thanks to the data detectors that Apple has integrated into the system for quite a few years now. Data detectors recognize things like times, dates and addresses, and in the right context, turns these into tappable links. Here's how it works.

Track Flights in Messages

If someone sends you a flight number (U2502, say) in Messages, you can press and hold the underlined number to get a real-time view of the flight's progress plotted on a map.

You also get the option to learn more by tapping Preview Flight, which will give you information like departure and arrival times, delays, and for some airports, baggage claim details. You'll find links to the airline website and Apple Maps at the bottom of the information card.

To increase the chances that iOS detects the flight number, it's best to include the full airline name along with the number (EasyJet U2502, for example).

Track Flights in Spotlight Search

On iPhone and iPad, you can also track flights in Search.

Swipe down from the middle of the Home screen and simply input the flight number into the search field to get departure and arrival information. Tap the information card to get the additional details mentioned above.

Tracking Flights on a Mac

Apple has included the same data detectors into macOS, meaning you can track flights on your Mac, too. Simply invoke Spotlight with the Command-Spacebar key combination and type the flight number into the input field.

Select the flight data in the results, and you'll see the same information card that appears in iOS, complete with the flight's live trajectory shown on a map and other details.

OpenAI added a year-end summary feature to ChatGPT, allowing users to get a personalized overview of their 2025 ChatGPT usage. The summary is similar to year-end wrap-ups from companies like Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube, and other services.

ChatGPT offers up an overview of themes discussed and chat stats, such as busiest chatting day, number of overall chats, messages sent, and more. ChatGPT provides each user with a chat style based on writing or speaking habits, along with an "archetype" based on what ChatGPT is used for.

The year-end update also provides a poem, a personalized pixel painting, a 2025 "award," and predictions for 2026.

ChatGPT users can get their year-end summary by asking ChatGPT to "Show me my year with ChatGPT" in the ChatGPT app or on the web. Summaries are available for Free, Pro, and Plus users who have chat history and memory enabled for ChatGPT.

Countries where the feature is available include the United States, UK, Canada, New Zealand, and Australia.

The European Commission today praised the interoperability changes that Apple is introducing in iOS 26.3, once again crediting the Digital Markets Act (DMA) with bringing "new opportunities" to European users and developers.

The Digital Markets Act requires Apple to provide third-party accessories with the same capabilities and access to device features that Apple's own products get. In iOS 26.3, EU wearable device makers can now test proximity pairing and improved notifications.

Here are the new capabilities that Apple is adding:

• Proximity pairing - Devices like earbuds will be able to pair with an iOS device in an AirPods-like way by bringing the accessory close to an iPhone or iPad to initiate a simple, one-tap pairing process. Pairing third-party devices will no longer require multiple steps.
• Notifications - Third-party accessories like smart watches will be able to receive notifications from the iPhone. Users will be able to view and react to incoming notifications, which is functionality normally limited to the Apple Watch. Notifications can only be forwarded to one connected device at a time, and turning on notifications for a third-party device disables notifications to an Apple Watch.

The European Commission says that developers can test third-party TVs, smart watches, and headphones with the new features in iOS 26.3, with the functionality to be "fully available in Europe" in 2026.

iOS 26.3 offers "another step towards a more inter-connected digital ecosystem to the benefit of all EU citizens," according to the European Commission. iOS 26.3 is expected to launch at the end of January.

The changes to proximity pairing and notifications are only available for device makers and iPhone and ‌iPad‌ users in the European Union.

Apple has started offering free two-hour delivery on eligible, in-stock products for those who still need to do some last-minute gift shopping. The two-hour delivery upgrade is available through December 24 in most metro areas of the U.S. and Canada. Three-hour delivery is also available in Australia.

Two-hour delivery is provided through courier companies that Apple partners with, like Uber Eats or Postmates, and it typically costs $9. Items are delivered from a local Apple retail store, so whatever you're ordering needs to be in stock at a nearby location.

The offer is available for in-stock purchases of iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch, AirPods, Apple TV, and Beats headphones. It is not available for custom Macs or engraved orders, nor is it applicable to accessories. Some accessories and products are also still available for December 24th delivery with express shipping.

Apple is still providing an extended return policy, so items purchased now can be returned through January 6, 2026.

Apple hasn't updated the Apple TV 4K since 2022, and 2025 was supposed to be the year that we got a refresh. There were rumors suggesting Apple would release the new ‌Apple TV‌ before the end of 2025, but it looks like that's not going to happen now.

Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said several times across 2024 and 2025 that Apple would update both the HomePod mini and the ‌Apple TV‌ 4K toward the end of the year, and we also heard the same information from other sources. No announcement happened in September alongside the iPhone launch, and when Apple updated the Vision Pro, iPad Pro, and MacBook Pro in October, there was no sign of the ‌Apple TV‌.

It's not clear what happened, but it's possible Apple decided to hold all home-related product announcements until spring 2026, when the smarter, more capable version of Siri will be ready in iOS 26.4.

That's right around the time when Apple is rumored to be launching its new home hub device, so we could see the ‌Apple TV‌, home hub, and ‌HomePod mini‌ sometime in late March or April.

Rumored Features

The ‌Apple TV‌ isn't going to get a major design overhaul, but there are some useful updates in store. It's long overdue for a new chip, and Apple's newer chip options will bring gaming improvements.

A-Series Chip

The next-generation ‌Apple TV‌ is expected to get an updated A-series chip, and Apple backend code we found suggests that it'll use the A17 Pro. The A17 Pro is the chip that Apple first used in the iPhone 15 Pro models, and it would bring Apple Intelligence support to the ‌Apple TV‌ for the first time. The A17 Pro is built on 3-nanometer technology and it would also bring support for console-quality games thanks to much improved CPU and GPU performance. It'll be a significant improvement over the current A15 Bionic chip.

N1 Chip

Apple debuted its custom N1 networking chip in the iPhone 17 models, and rumors suggest that the N1 will also be used in the upcoming ‌Apple TV‌. It adds support for Wi-Fi 7, which is not a current ‌Apple TV‌ feature. With Wi-Fi 7 support, the ‌Apple TV‌ will be able to connect to Wi-Fi networks that support the faster and less crowded 6GHz band. Users can expect faster Wi-Fi speeds and lower latency.

New Siri Features

With a faster chip that supports ‌Apple Intelligence‌, the next-generation ‌Apple TV‌ will support the LLM version of ‌Siri‌ coming in 2026. ‌Siri‌ will be more like Claude or ChatGPT, which could lead to better ‌Apple TV‌ recommendations, the option to use voice commands to do more than before, better support for questions about actors and music in movies and shows, and much more.

Pricing

There's a possibility that Apple will cut costs for the next ‌Apple TV‌, and Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has suggested that Apple is targeting a price point around $100. With the A17 Pro chip and the N1 chip, Apple might not be able to hit that price with the flagship model, but there could be a lower-end entry-level option that's more affordable. Pricing right now starts at $129.

New Launch Date

In early November, Gurman said that an ‌Apple TV‌ and ‌HomePod mini‌ "shouldn't be too far off" based on dwindling supplies of the devices at Apple retail stores. At the time, he said a post-2025 debut was a possibility, but he confirmed the products are ready to go and could launch at any time.

The ‌HomePod mini‌ and ‌Apple TV‌ will "help showcase the new ‌Siri‌ and ‌Apple Intelligence‌ features" that Apple has coming, which makes the spring timing sound even more likely.

Italy's Competition Authority (AGCM) has imposed a €98.6 million ($116 million) fine on Apple over its App Tracking Transparency feature.

Since the release of iOS 14.5 in April 2021, Apple has required apps to ask for permission before tracking a user's activity across other apps and websites for personalized advertising, as part of a feature named App Tracking Transparency. If a user selects the "Ask App Not to Track" option, the app is unable to access the device's advertising identifier.

In a press release and executive summary today, the AGCM said the App Tracking Transparency rules are "disproportionate," and "harmful" to app developers and advertisers. Ultimately, it found that Apple abused its dominant position in the EU market.

The regulator does not take issue with Apple implementing policies that are designed to strengthen privacy and security for users, but it said the App Tracking Transparency feature is "excessively burdensome for developers."

Specifically, iPhone and iPad users in the EU are presented with both App Tracking Transparency and GDPR-related permission prompts in apps, and the AGCM found this "double consent" requirement to be harmful to app developers and advertisers.

"Apple could have achieved the same level of privacy protection for its users through means less restrictive of competition," the AGCM said. "This would have prevented the unilateral imposition of additional burdens on third-party developers, thereby avoiding the above-mentioned double consent requests for advertising purposes."

The regulator also found that the App Tracking Transparency rules appear capable of generating financial benefits for Apple, even though the feature applies to its own apps as well. The only reason that Apple apps do not show an App Tracking Transparency prompt is because Apple does not track user activity across other apps and websites.

In a statement shared with several media outlets, Apple said it will appeal the decision, and it touted the privacy benefits of App Tracking Transparency.

Earlier this year, Apple warned that it may be forced to stop offering App Tracking Transparency in the EU due to regulatory pressures in countries such as Italy, France, Germany, and Poland, and from the overarching European Commission.

Note: Due to the political or social nature of the discussion regarding this topic, the discussion thread is located in our Political News forum. All forum members and site visitors are welcome to read and follow the thread, but posting is limited to forum members with at least 100 posts.

Apple is significantly increasing its reliance on Samsung for iPhone memory as component prices surge, according to The Korea Economic Daily.

Apple is said to be expanding the share of iPhone memory it sources from Samsung due to rapidly rising memory prices. The shift is expected to result in Samsung supplying roughly 60% to 70% of the low-power DRAM used in the iPhone 17, compared with a more even split with SK Hynix in previous generations, with Micron also participating as a smaller supplier.

The change is occurring against a backdrop of tightening supply in the global memory market. The iPhone relies on low-power double data rate memory (LPDDR), which is optimized for energy efficiency and thermal performance in mobile devices. While Samsung, SK Hynix, and Micron all manufacture LPDDR at scale, industry sources report that SK Hynix and Micron have increasingly redirected production capacity toward high-bandwidth memory (HBM), which is in high demand for artificial intelligence accelerators and data center hardware. As a result, their available capacity for mobile-focused LPDDR has become heavily constrained.

By contrast, Samsung has apparently maintained substantial production of general-purpose and mobile DRAM, allowing it to meet Apple's requirement for extremely large and predictable volumes. Samsung is said to be the only company that can meet Apple's conditions in a situation where SK Hynix seems to be focused on HBM.

According to the report, Apple's hardware is particularly sensitive to momentary voltage spikes, which are not well accommodated by its latest chips, including the A19 and A19 Pro. This places additional pressure on memory suppliers to deliver components that perform identically across very large production runs.

The price of a 12GB LPDDR5X module, the likes of which are used in the iPhone Air and iPhone 17 Pro, has risen sharply from around $30 at the beginning of 2025 to roughly $70 today. Apple's scale and long-standing practice of negotiating multi-year supply agreements typically provide some insulation from short-term price volatility, but the magnitude of the increase has made supplier reliability and volume commitments more important. Concentrating a much larger share of orders with Samsung should allow Apple to secure more predictable deliveries and potentially benefit from economies of scale, even as overall component costs rise.

Amazon and Best Buy this week have all-time low prices on the Apple Watch Series 11, with $100 discounts across numerous models of the smartwatch. These discounts beat the Black Friday prices we saw last month by about $30.

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.

You can get the 42mm GPS Apple Watch Series 11 for $299.00, down from $399.00, and the 46mm GPS model for $329.00, down from $429.00. On Amazon, you'll find four of the 42mm GPS models on sale at this all-time low price, and three of the 46mm GPS models on sale.

If you're shopping for cellular models, you can find record low prices on multiple models this week on Amazon. The 42mm cellular Apple Watch Series 11 has hit $399.00, down from $499.00, and the 46mm cellular model has hit $429.00, down from $529.00.

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

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Apple is reportedly testing next-generation ultra-thin flexible glass (UFG) for its book-style foldable iPhone as it works to make the display crease invisible and potentially solve one of the most persistent issues of existing foldable displays.

According to Weibo-based leaker Digital Chat Station, Apple is evaluating UFG panels with uneven thickness, using thinner glass in the folding area to improve flexibility while retaining thicker sections elsewhere for rigidity and durability.

Unlike existing foldables, which rely on ultra-thin glass (UTG) that inevitably deforms along the hinge, UFG is designed to distribute bending stress more evenly across the panel. In theory, this approach could reduce the crease to the point where it becomes visually imperceptible during everyday use.

The testing is said to be ongoing as Apple refines manufacturing processes and long-term reliability targets ahead of an expected 2026 launch alongside the iPhone 18 Pro models.

The timing may appear late in Apple's development cycle, but it doesn't necessarily suggest a delay. Apple is likely currently transitioning from design validation into early production validation, where the big hardware decisions are already locked in, but more high-risk components continue to undergo final qualification.

Apple testing UFG now could be part of an effort to validate the novel way it's being applied, rather than to do with a decision about whether to use the technology at all. Apple could have more mature UTG solutions available as a fallback if its targets are not met. The report also claims that multiple Chinese display makers are also evaluating UFG-based solutions, suggesting the technology is approaching commercial readiness.

• iPhone Fold: Launch, Pricing, and What to Expect From Apple's Foldable

The foldable iPhone is expected to feature a book-style design with an approximately 5.3- to 5.5-inch outer display and a 7.8-inch inner screen. It will reportedly use liquid metal hinges to achieve a virtually crease-free display and is expected to be priced between $2,000 and $2,500, making it Apple's most expensive iPhone ever.

Apple is reportedly preparing to begin trial production of the iPhone 18 after Chinese New Year, according to Weibo-based leaker Fixed Focus Digital.

The claim suggests small-scale manufacturing runs will start once factories return to normal operations following the Lunar New Year shutdown, which typically ends in late February.

The Chinese leaker claims that production lines for the iPhone 18 Pro models have already been set up, indicating that the Pro hardware design has already been locked in. The leaker adds that the scope of external design changes is expected to be smaller than some may be anticipating.

That lines up with reports that the iPhone 18 Pro models will feature the same general design as the iPhone 17 Pro models, with the triple-lens rear camera system residing within the new camera plateau.

The report also fits with Apple's rumored shift to a split iPhone launch cycle. Under the reported strategy, the iPhone 18 Pro models are expected to debut in September 2026 alongside Apple's first foldable iPhone, while the standard iPhone 18 will follow later with the iPhone 18e for a spring 2027 launch.

Apple's iPhone 18 models could feature a simplified Camera Control button without a capacitive sensor to cut costs, but pressure sensing will still be available for all of the button functions. The standard iPhone 18 could be also upgraded to 12GB RAM, while adopting TSMC's 2nm architecture for the A20 chip, but beyond that we don't have many specifics about what else to expect at this time.

As for the iPhone 18 Pro models, they are expected to debut Apple's A20 Pro chip and could potentially feature under-screen Face ID technology, not to mention a variable aperture lens, and a new three-layer stacked image sensor made by Samsung. Apple is also expected to use the device to debut its next-generation, custom-made C2 modem.

Apple's AirTag 4-Pack has dropped to $64.98 this weekend on Amazon, down from the original price of $99.00. Prime members can get the accessory delivered today in many locations, but otherwise free shipping options have moved past December 25.

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

Overall, this is a solid second-best price on the AirTag 4-pack that's within $2 of the Amazon all-time low price, which we last tracked during Black Friday. If you're shopping for a single AirTag, Amazon has the AirTag 1-Pack for $24.00, down from $29.00.

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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You'd think things would be slowing down heading into the holidays, but this week saw a whirlwind of Apple leaks and rumors while Apple started its next cycle of betas following last week's release of iOS 26.2 and related updates.

This week also saw the release of a new Apple Music integration with ChatGPT, so read on below for all the details on this week's biggest stories!

Top Stories

iOS 26.3 Beta 1 Features: What's New So Far

With iOS 26.2 and other 26.2 updates now available to the general public, Apple has started beta testing on the next round of 26.3 updates. With work on this round of updates typically spanning the holidays, they tend to be smaller in scale, but there are still a few notable changes.

iOS 26.3 brings changes that make it easier to switch from iPhone to Android, with corresponding changes to Android making the reverse process simpler as well. Users in the European Union will also be gaining a setting that allows iPhone notifications to be forwarded to third-party devices, increasing interoperability.

iOS 26.4 and iOS 27 Features Revealed in New Leak

Macworld's Filipe Espósito last week revealed a handful of features that Apple is allegedly planning for iOS 26.4, iOS 27, and even iOS 28.

As always, Apple's plans could change, so there is no guarantee that any or all of these features will end up being released to the general public, but some of the leaked features include:

• iOS 26.4: Revamped Siri powered by Apple Intelligence
• iOS 26.4: Redesigned Health app, potentially involving a previously rumored Apple Health+ subscription service
• iOS 26.4: Credit card AutoFill improvements for third-party apps
• iOS 27: Improvements to collections in the Photos app and AirPods pairing
• iOS 28: New metrics for Apple Watch sleep tracking

Apple Leak Confirms Work on Foldable iPhone, AirTag 2, and Dozens More Devices

More information on the sourcing of that software leak has subsequently surfaced, and it apparently comes from an early build of iOS 26 (then still known as iOS 19) that was on a leaked prototype iPhone.

In addition to numerous features planned for future software updates, which we've outlined in more detail, the leak also reveals dozens of devices in Apple's product pipeline, including many of the expected evolutionary updates to existing products but also some new products that have either been previously rumored or newly revealed.

Notable additions include the first foldable iPhone, Apple's upcoming smart home products, the rumored low-cost MacBook powered by an A18 Pro chip, an iMac with a high-powered M5 Max chip, and more.

Apple Aims to Boost Popularity of iPhone Air 2 in Two Ways

A new report this week from The Information outlined some details on Apple's iPhone product roadmap, including word that Apple is looking at two key improvements for the second-generation iPhone Air: a second rear camera and a lower price tag.

The current iPhone Air has reportedly not sold well due to compromises related to camera capabilities, battery life, and perceived value for the price, with suppliers reportedly already winding down production due to the number of already-produced units still available for distribution.

The same report claimed that next year's iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max will include under-screen Face ID with the front camera becoming a punch hole at the top-left corner of the screen. Apple is reportedly also adding a mechanical iris to one of the device's rear cameras, which will allow for variable aperture to control the amount of light reaching the sensor.

Leak Reveals Foldable iPhone Details

We've already heard a lot about Apple's first foldable iPhone that's expected next year, but a new report from a frequent leaker on Chinese blogging site Weibo has added a few new details to the existing rumors.

The foldable iPhone will reportedly use a Touch ID power button on the side of the device rather than Face ID in order to save internal space, and it will include a 7.58-inch internal display with an under-screen camera. When folded, the outside will feature a 5.25-inch display with a punch-hole camera.

ChatGPT's Apple Music Integration Is Now Live

There's now a dedicated Apple Music app for ChatGPT, which allows ChatGPT to make music recommendations and build playlists.

ChatGPT can be used to search through the ‌Apple Music‌ catalog for songs, artists, albums, and playlists, even without an ‌Apple Music‌ subscription. OpenAI says that all users are able to discover music, generate playlists, and listen to preview clips in ChatGPT. ‌Apple Music‌ subscribers can add songs, albums, and playlists to their ‌Apple Music‌ Library using ChatGPT.

MacRumors Newsletter

Each week, we publish an email newsletter like this highlighting the top Apple stories, making it a great way to get a bite-sized recap of the week hitting all of the major topics we've covered and tying together related stories for a big-picture view.

So if you want to have top stories like the above recap delivered to your email inbox each week, subscribe to our newsletter!

Apple's Beats brand is launching a new celebrity ad campaign today featuring rapper Travis Scott and entitled "DARE TO DREAM." The campaign is inspired by a 2011 tweet from Scott when he was just starting his career, in which he claimed, "One day Travis Scott will be somebody."

The campaign short film is a "testament to how belief in oneself can manifest into reality" and features a re-creation of his actual childhood bedroom and an appearance by his real mother, Wanda Webster.

The film depicts a young Scott working on music projects using his iMac and the original Beats Studio headphones, with the scene transforming from his bedroom to a dream of sold-out shows on his just-completed "Circus Maximus" tour spanning multiple legs over the past two years.

The dream is short-lived, however, with his mother calling him back to reality and sending him off to school. Inspired by the dream, Scott composes his prophetic tweet, and on his way out of the house he discovers a pair of Powerbeats Fit in his pocket, a symbol linking past and present.

While the partnership with Scott is currently focused on the campaign film, Beats Chief Marketing Officer Chris Thorne hints that we can expect to see more in the future.

“This campaign captures something deeply personal — the belief that greatness starts with a single idea and the courage to chase it,” said Chris Thorne, Beats CMO. “It’s the same belief that connects Beats and Travis — and this is only the beginning of what we’ll build together.”

Whether this means we'll see any product partnerships between Beats and Scott down the road remains to be seen.

Since the beginning of December, Apple has been pushing iPhone users who opted to stay on iOS 18 to install iOS 26 instead. Apple started by making the iOS 18 upgrades less visible, and has now transitioned to making new iOS 18 updates unavailable on any device capable of running ‌iOS 26‌.

If you have an iPhone 11 or later, Apple is no longer offering new versions of iOS 18, even though there was a security update that came out alongside iOS 26.2. Apple stopped showing new iOS 18 updates when iOS 26.2 launched, forcing iOS 18 users to upgrade to iOS 26.2 if they want to keep their devices secure.

For now, there's a way to stay on iOS 18 and continue to get security updates. On a device running iOS 18, you can turn on iOS 18 public beta updates to force new versions of iOS 18 to show up. This may not remain an option for long, but it works at the current time.

Apple's move to push users to ‌iOS 26‌ is timed with a long list of security updates introduced in iOS 26.2 and iOS 18.7.3, including a WebKit vulnerability known to be actively exploited. Both updates addressed the problem, so there is no technical need for the iOS 26.2 requirement.

Jason Snell wrote an article yesterday on Apple's decision not to offer iOS 18 users further iOS 18 upgrades and speculated that it might be a bug or an error, but the reality is that Apple does this every year.

The iOS 14 to iOS 15 transition in 2021 was the first time that Apple allowed users to remain on an older version of iOS. At the time, Apple said that iOS offered "a choice between two software update versions." Users would be able to update to iOS 15 at release, or opt to continue on iOS 14 and "still get important security updates."

As promised, Apple did allow users to stay on iOS 14 and avoid the iOS 15 update, but only temporarily. Apple started pushing people to iOS 15 in January 2022 by making the iOS 15 software update option more prominent and no longer offering iOS 14 security updates for devices capable of running iOS 15.

In fact, iOS 14 updates stopped being available when Apple launched iOS 15.2, which might sound familiar because it is the exact same path that it followed with the iOS 18 to ‌iOS 26‌ transition. Apple did the same thing with the iOS 16 to iOS 17 transition, and the iOS 17 to iOS 18 transition.

For a clear answer why iOS 18 security updates are no longer available on devices capable of running ‌iOS 26‌, we can look to what Apple had to say in 2022 after people complained about being forced to upgrade to iOS 15. According to Apple, the option for users to stay on iOS 14 and avoid iOS 15 was always meant to be temporary. Apple provided a grace period for people to remain on iOS 14 while iOS 15 bugs were worked out, but Apple ultimately wanted users on the latest version of iOS.

In a support document published in 2021, Apple clarified that users would be able to stay on the old version of iOS "for a period of time," but not forever.

If you're using iOS or iPadOS 14.5 or later, you might now see the option to choose between two software update versions. This option allows you to choose between updating to the latest version of iOS or iPadOS 15 as soon as it's released, or continuing on iOS or iPadOS 14 while still getting important security updates for a period of time.

Apple has continued with the same update policy since iOS 15, but the company's move to wean users off of iOS 18 is more visible this year due to the design changes introduced with ‌iOS 26‌. Liquid Glass is a major user interface overhaul that's polarizing, and some users are unsurprisingly reluctant to update for that reason.

Update: Apple is no longer allowing the iOS 18 public beta to be used to skirt the iOS 18 to ‌iOS 26‌ transition. Opting in to the iOS 18 beta no longer triggers the iOS 18.7.3 update.

For this week's giveaway, we've teamed up with Astropad to offer MacRumors readers a chance to win an iPhone 17 and one of Astropad's Fresh Coat anti-reflective screen protectors to go along with it.

Fresh Coat is a new kind of screen protector that Astropad designed with an optical-grade anti-reflective coating to reduce glare and provide a more pleasant iPhone viewing experience. The technology that Astropad is using cuts reflections by 75 percent, while improving contrast and keeping colors vibrant. Unlike other anti-reflective screen protectors, there's no haze or distortion.

Priced at $30, Fresh Coat is made from a scratch-proof tempered glass that also provides protection for the iPhone's display in addition to cutting down on glare and reflections. It's slim and won't add any bulk to the iPhone even though it has a five-layer design. From the top down, there's an anti-reflective coating, an oleophobic and hydrophobic coating, a layer of tempered glass, a dust barrier, and an impact-resistant "airbag" bonding.

If you have an ‌iPhone 17‌, it comes with a new anti-reflective coating added by Apple. What you might not know, though, is that you can't use just any screen protector with the ‌iPhone 17‌. If you put a regular screen protector without an anti-reflective coating on, it entirely nullifies the anti-reflective properties of that added coating.

Since Fresh Coat has its own anti-reflective coating, it actually improves upon Apple's included anti-reflective layer, reducing glare even further. With Fresh Coat, the iPhone's screen is easy to see in any lighting conditions, there's less eye strain, and if you use Dark Mode, it looks even darker.

If you don't have an ‌iPhone 17‌, Fresh Coat can provide an iPhone 17-style display upgrade, mirroring Apple's own reflection-reducing display coating. Fresh Coat is available for all ‌iPhone 17‌ models, the iPhone 16 Pro and Pro Max, and the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max.

Astropad even designed an installation process that's impossible to mess up, so you get perfect alignment on your iPhone without hassle.

We have an ‌iPhone 17‌ in white and a Fresh Coat screen protector for one lucky MacRumors reader. To enter to win, use the widget below and enter an email address. Email addresses will be used solely for contact purposes to reach the winner(s) and send the prize(s). You can earn additional entries by subscribing to our weekly newsletter, subscribing to our YouTube channel, following us on Twitter, following us on Instagram, following us on Threads, or visiting the MacRumors Facebook page.

Due to the complexities of international laws regarding giveaways, only U.S. residents who are 18 years or older, UK residents who are 18 years or older, and Canadian residents who have reached the age of majority in their province or territory are eligible to enter. All federal, state, provincial, and/or local taxes, fees, and surcharges are the sole responsibility of the prize winner. To offer feedback or get more information on the giveaway restrictions, please refer to our Site Feedback section, as that is where discussion of the rules will be redirected.

The contest will run from today (December 19) at 10:00 a.m. Pacific Time through 10:00 a.m. Pacific Time on December 26. The winner will be chosen randomly on or shortly after December 26 and will be contacted by email. The winner will have 48 hours to respond and provide a shipping address before a new winner is chosen.

Apple has stopped signing iOS 26.1, meaning that iPhone users can no longer downgrade to that software version via Finder on macOS or the Apple Devices app on Windows. iOS 26.2 is now the minimum version that is still signed by Apple, and the first beta of iOS 26.3 is also available to developers and public beta testers.

iOS 26.2 was released last week. The update adds a Liquid Glass slider for the Lock Screen's clock, offline lyrics in Apple Music, and much more.