MacRumors

Apple's long-rumored "homeOS" operating system might finally be on the horizon, based on recent trademark activity reviewed by MacRumors.

An apparent shell company known as Home Operations Suite LLC has submitted trademark applications for "HOMEOS" in a handful of countries in recent months. A priority filing was made in Liechtenstein in October 2024, and additional filings were made in the United States, Argentina, Peru, and a few other countries in April this year.

The trademark is now registered in Liechtenstein, but the applications are still pending elsewhere.

The trademark filing in the U.S. was first spotted by Parker Ortolani and reported by 9to5Mac.

There is no definitive proof that Apple owns the shell company, but it has a history of creating limited-liability companies with generic names in order to discreetly move to protect its intellectual property related to unannounced products.

For example, in May 2023, MacRumors uncovered a "VisionOS" trademark application filed by another secretive LLC shell company. A month later, at WWDC, Apple announced its Vision Pro headset and its visionOS operating system.

"homeOS" has been referenced in various other places in the past, including in Apple job listings, and in tvOS 17.4 code discovered by MacRumors. It could end up being the name of the software platform that powers Apple's long-rumored smart home hub, which has been described as a HomePod with a screen. The device will reportedly have a square iPad-like screen that can be attached to a speaker base or mounted on a wall.

The hub would allow users to control smart home accessories, make FaceTime video calls, use Apple's intercom feature between rooms in a house, and more. It might even double as a home security system with an Apple-designed smart home camera.

In March, Apple supply chain analyst Ming-Chi Kuo said that the HomePod with a screen would enter mass production in the third quarter of 2025, but it is unclear if it will ship to customers this year or next year. Apple delayed the personalized Siri features that are expected to be at the core of the device, so perhaps next year is a safer bet at this point. However, Apple could still provide an early preview of the home hub at any point now, and its WWDC 2025 keynote just so happens to be coming up next week. Stay tuned!

Following in the wake of numerous Anker discounts on Amazon, today we're tracking an all-time low price for the Apple Pencil Pro and a solid deal on the AirTag 4-Pack at the retailer. Neither deal requires a coupon code this time around, as both have been applied automatically by Amazon.

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.

Starting with the Apple Pencil Pro, you can get this accessory for $99.00, down from $129.00. This is a match for the record low price on the Apple Pencil Pro, and it's a deal that doesn't typically stick around long on Amazon, so if you've been waiting for it to return, be sure to check it out soon.

Secondly, Amazon has the AirTag 4-Pack for $74.99, down from $99.00. This is a second-best price on the accessory, and you can find the 1-Pack on sale as well on Amazon, available for $24.99, 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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Apple Pay on the iPhone can be used for making PlayStation purchases on the PS4 and PS5, Sony confirmed today. The feature has been rolling out to PlayStation 5 users over the course of the last few weeks, but it is now available more widely and also on the PS4.

The option to use ‌Apple Pay‌ is notable because it is a feature that works when you're making PlayStation Store purchases directly on a PS4 or PS5 from the television interface. To do so, add a game to your cart and then go to checkout.

In the checkout interface, select ‌Apple Pay‌. From there, the PlayStation will display an Apple payment code (essentially an Apple-designed QR code) that can be scanned with an ‌iPhone‌ or an iPad, with payment confirmed through biometric authentication.

Apple implemented support for this type of payment with iOS 18 last year. It also works for purchases on third-party browsers like Chrome and Firefox.

‌Apple Pay‌ is available alongside PayPal and traditional debit and credit card payment options on Sony's consoles, and using ‌Apple Pay‌ may be more secure and convenient than entering in a credit or debit card number.

iOS 18 adoption has outpaced iOS 17 adoption during the same timeframe last year, according to new ‌iOS 18‌ adoption statistics that Apple shared today.

‌iOS 18‌ is now installed on 88 percent of iPhones introduced in the last four years (iPhone 13 and newer), and 82 percent of all active iPhones. ‌iOS 18‌ adoption has grown notably since earlier this year. In January, 76 percent of iPhones introduced in the last four years had ‌iOS 18‌ installed, while 68 percent of all iPhones were running the update.

Compared to last year, ‌iOS 18‌ is more popular than iOS 17. In June 2024, 86 percent of all iPhones from the last four years had iOS 17, while 77 percent of all iPhones were running it.

As for the iPad, iPadOS 18 is currently installed on 81 percent of iPads introduced in the last four years, while 71 percent of total devices run ‌iPadOS 18‌. ‌iPadOS 18‌ has also been adopted more rapidly than iPadOS 17 in June 2024. During that time period, iPadOS 17 was installed on 77 percent of all iPads released in the last four years and 68 percent of all iPads.

Apple Intelligence features in ‌iOS 18‌ like Writing Tools, Genmoji, Image Playground, and notification summaries may have spurred the uptick in adoption between iOS 17 and ‌iOS 18‌.

Apple views software updates as an integral part of the ‌iPhone‌ usage experience. Apple is able to deliver new functionality to older iPhones on a regular basis, plus the frequent updates that Apple rolls out address bugs and ensure the best protection from security vulnerabilities.

Apple says that providing ‌iPhone‌ users with new features over multiple years is something that is unique to the ‌iPhone‌ because of the deep integration between hardware and software. Apple views software updates as a way to provide value to customers over a long period of time, enabling them to hold onto their devices for years while still getting new experiences.

The newest version of iOS is set to debut next week at the Worldwide Developers Conference. We'll get a look at ‌iOS 18‌'s successor, which rumors say will bring some major design changes and exciting new features.

Snap today announced the launch of a Snapchat app that's designed for the Apple Watch. Snapchat users can now view and respond to conversations right from their wrists.

The Snapchat app supports replies with the built-in Apple Watch keyboard, Scribble, and Dictation, plus it supports sending emoji, like any other Apple Watch messaging app.

Snap says that it is committed to making Snapchat available across all devices that Snapchat users own, including wearable devices like the Apple Watch.

It is rare for a major company to roll out an Apple Watch app these days, as it has not proven to be a popular platform. Slack, Facebook Messenger, Uber, Lyft, and more were all once available on the Apple Watch but have been discontinued after companies found that the development resources were not worth it.

Eight years ago today, Apple introduced the HomePod, a smart speaker that it said would provide "amazing sound quality and intelligence" in the home.

"Apple reinvented portable music with iPod and now HomePod will reinvent how we enjoy music wirelessly throughout our homes," said Apple's former marketing chief Phil Schiller, in a June 2017 press release announcing the HomePod.

While the original HomePod's sound quality did impress reviewers when it launched, Apple largely failed to deliver on the intelligence front. Siri is widely considered to be inferior to other popular voice assistants, like Amazon's Alexa, and the rise of chatbots like OpenAI's ChatGPT and Google's Gemini have set Siri even further back.

Apple went on to launch the HomePod mini in November 2020, before making the surprise decision to discontinue the full-size HomePod in March 2021. At the time, Apple said that it discontinued the full-size HomePod in order to focus its efforts on the HomePod mini, but declining sales were also likely a factor. Somewhat unexpectedly, the HomePod then started fetching higher prices on resale marketplaces like eBay, and Apple decided to release a second-generation full-size HomePod with some slight changes in January 2023.

What's Next?

There have not been any rumors about a third-generation HomePod, but at least two other HomePod products are allegedly in the pipeline.

In a January 2025 edition of his Power On newsletter, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said that Apple was aiming to release a new HomePod mini "toward the end of the year." He said the speaker will be equipped with an Apple-designed Wi-Fi and Bluetooth chip, but it is unclear if that change will have any consumer benefits. There is no word yet on what other new features are planned, but improved sound quality and a newer chip are safe bets. The current HomePod mini is equipped with the Apple Watch Series 5's S5 chip.

Apple is also rumored to be planning an all-new smart home hub, which has been described as a HomePod with a screen. The device is expected to have a square iPad-like screen that can be attached to a speaker base, or it can be mounted on a wall.

Apple's smart home hub will reportedly feature a 6-inch or 7-inch display, along with an A18 chip. It would allow users to control smart home accessories, make FaceTime video calls, use Apple's intercom feature between rooms in a house, and more. It might even double as a home security system with an Apple-designed smart home camera.

In March, Apple supply chain analyst Ming-Chi Kuo said that the HomePod with a screen would enter mass production in the third quarter of 2025, but it is unclear if it will launch this year or next year. Apple delayed the personalized Siri features that are expected to be at the core of the device, so perhaps next year is a safer bet at this point. However, Apple could still provide an early preview of the home hub at any point now.

The Apple Watch provides highly accurate measurements of heart rate and step count, but their estimates of calories burned can be significantly off, according to a new peer-reviewed meta-analysis conducted by researchers at the University of Mississippi (via CNET).

The study reviewed 56 previously published studies evaluating the Apple Watch's performance against gold-standard clinical tools in three core areas: heart rate monitoring, step count tracking, and energy expenditure estimation.

The researchers reported low mean absolute percentage errors (a common metric used to assess measurement accuracy) of 4.43% for heart rate and 8.17% for step counts. These fall within the threshold generally considered acceptable for consumer-grade fitness devices. In contrast, the average error for energy expenditure was 27.96%, more than three times the margin considered acceptable for accurate measurement.

The analysis incorporated data from studies spanning multiple Apple Watch models and user groups. The high error margin in calorie estimation was consistent across all cohorts and forms of physical activity.

These devices are great for keeping track of habits and staying motivated. But do not take every number as 100% truth, especially the calories. Think of it as a helpful guide, not a diagnostic tool. It is useful but not perfect.

The findings align with previous independent evaluations that have raised concerns about the reliability of calorie burn estimates from consumer-grade wearable devices like Apple Watches.

While the Apple Watch has undergone continuous generational improvements since its debut in 2015, the researchers noted that even newer models still exhibit considerable error in calorie estimation. However, the study did observe a trend toward improved accuracy in more recent models:

While we cannot say every update is a big leap forward, there is a noticeable trend of gradual improvements over time. It shows that Apple is refining the technology over time.

The researchers emphasized that their analysis is not intended to discredit the utility of wearables, but rather to clarify their limitations and inform both consumers and smartwatch makers.

By showing where the weaknesses are, we can help developers get real feedback. If they know what needs to be fixed, they can design better sensors or algorithms. Our findings can guide improvements and help make these devices more useful for both everyday users and health care providers.

Apple does not publish the algorithms used in Apple Watch fitness tracking, nor does it claim that the device provides clinical-grade energy expenditure measurements. The company has consistently positioned the Apple Watch as a general wellness tool rather than a medical diagnostic device, though it has introduced several advanced health features in recent years, such as body temperature monitoring and sleep apnea detection.

Apple today announced that four additional games will be added to the Apple Arcade library on Thursday, July 3, including a new Angry Birds title.

Angry Birds Bounce is a new take on the iconic Angry Birds game, which has been downloaded billions of times over the years. According to Apple, it combines classic Angry Birds slingshot gameplay with arcade-style brick-breaker mechanics.

Apple's full description of the game:

Join Red, Chuck, Bomb, and the rest of the gang on a brand-new adventure. Angry Birds Bounce combines the classic charm of Angry Birds with an innovative arcade brick-breaker twist. When the pigs take over their islands, the birds must bounce back — literally — combining into powerful flocks and launching themselves to defeat an army of piggies and reclaim their home. With strategic rogue-lite gameplay, each level is a new challenge where players will master precision shots, unlock exciting power-ups, and build unique combos during each run.

All four games that are coming to Apple Arcade on July 3:

• Angry Birds Bounce
• Kingdom Rush 5: Alliance TD+
• Suika Game+
• Crayola Scribble Scrubbie Pets+

More details about all of the games are outlined in Apple's announcement.

Apple also highlighted five games that are launching on Apple Arcade today.

Accessible through the App Store, Apple Arcade is a subscription-based service that provides access to hundreds of games across the iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple TV, and Apple Vision Pro, all free of ads and in-app purchases. In the U.S., Apple Arcade costs $6.99 per month, and it is bundled with other Apple services in all Apple One plans.

Amazon today is taking up to $65 off Wi-Fi and cellular models of Apple's 11th generation iPad. Prices start at $299.00 for the 128GB Wi-Fi iPad, down from $349.00, a second-best price on this model. Best Buy is matching this deal, and a few other of the iPad discounts as well.

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.

Additionally, Amazon has the 256GB Wi-Fi iPad for $399.00 ($50 off) and the 512GB Wi-Fi iPad for $594.95 ($55 off). These are also both solid second-best prices on the 11th generation iPad.

There are also numerous discounts on cellular models, starting at $449.00 for the 128GB model. Amazon is providing an estimated delivery of around June 10 for free shipping, while Prime members should be able to get the tablets a bit faster in most cases.

The 11th generation iPad is mainly a spec bump for the tablet line, now featuring the A16 chip and more storage, with the same design as the 10th generation iPad. The new ‌iPad‌ starts with 128GB of storage, and is also available in 256GB and a new 512GB configuration. The previous model was only available in 64GB and 256GB configurations.

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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If the Mail app on your iPhone is not working lately, you are not alone.

A growing number of iPhone users are seeing a blank screen in the Mail app, according to comments posted across the MacRumors Forums, Reddit, Apple Support Community, and other online discussion platforms. Affected users are unable to view any emails in their inboxes, and the app can also become glitchy and unresponsive.

The issue does not appear to be tied to any specific iPhone model, and the underlying cause is unknown. Most if not all affected users said their iPhones were running iOS 18.5, but it is unclear why online discussion about this issue only started to gain traction within the past few days, given that the update was released more than three weeks ago.

Affected users said restarting their iPhones temporarily solves the issue, but a permanent solution has yet to be identified. MacRumors has emailed Apple about the matter, and we will update this story if and when the company responds to the inquiry.

The issue is not reflected on Apple's system status page as of writing.

Thanks, Steve Ryan!

Since Safari 17 and macOS Sonoma, Apple's browser has supported favicons in the Favorites bar. Keep reading to learn why favicons can be useful, how to make space for more, and how you can disable them if they aren't for you.

A favicon is a small icon that serves as a kind of badge for a website. Its main purpose is to make it easier to locate the webpage when there are multiple tabs open in a browser.

Favicons can usually be found next to anything in a browser's interface that identifies a website. This can include bookmarks, tabs, history results, and search bars.

In Safari, if you have the Favorites Bar enabled (View ➝ Show Favorites Bar in Safari's menu bar) the favicon for each site will appear beside its title, allowing you to more easily spot it in the bar.

Favicons can certainly be handy, but they can make your browser interface look too busy and cluttered. Another possible issue with the space they take up is that if you have a full row of websites in your Favorites Bar, some of them will be lopped off the viewable area, and you may have to click the double chevron icon at the far right to reveal them.

If this happens in your case, don't worry. It's not obvious, but you can easily prevent favicons from appearing in the Favorites Bar. Simply right-click a space on the bar and check Show Text Only in the pop-up menu.

If you should miss them at all, you can easily turn them back on again by selecting Show Icons and Text. Alternatively, if you're a fan of favicons and can identify your favorites at a glance, simply select Show Icons Only. This last option also allows you to pack in more links along the bar.

Following a study looking into the success of the App Store ecosystem in the United States, Apple has sponsored a second study that covers the global App Store in 2024.

Apple's global ‌App Store‌ ecosystem supported an estimated $1.3 trillion in billings and sales across 2024, and for 90 percent of those sales, developers did not pay a commission to Apple.

"It's incredible to see so many developers design great apps, build successful businesses, and reach Apple users around the world," said Tim Cook, Apple's CEO. "This report is a testament to the many ways developers are enriching people's lives with app and game experiences, while creating opportunity and driving new innovations. We're proud to support their success."

Developer billings and sales of digital goods and services hit $131 billion, primarily from games and photo and video editing apps like those from Adobe. Sales of physical goods and services facilitated by ‌App Store‌ apps exceeded $1 trillion.

Over the last five years, spending in digital goods and services, physical goods and services, and in-app advertising has more than doubled, with the strongest growth in physical goods as people are increasingly using apps to order food and groceries.

The ‌App Store‌ draws more than 813 million average weekly visitors globally, with Apple's commerce system supporting developers with more than 40 local currencies and tax handling in 200 regions.

As with Apple's U.S. study, the global study highlights the ‌App Store‌ benefits and tools available to developers, including the more than 100 technical sessions that will come out next week during the 2025 Worldwide Developers Conference.

The study's release comes as Apple is facing regulatory and legal pressure over its ‌App Store‌ rules in multiple countries. In addition to being forced to allow developers to direct customers to web-based purchase options in the U.S., Apple is also continuing to struggle with the Digital Markets Act in Europe. Apple is currently fighting DMA interoperability requirements that require it to give third-party developers access to iOS features that are normally limited to Apple's own products, and it has faced fines for compliance issues.

The full study is available through Apple's Newsroom article.

OpenAI has announced some new productivity features for ChatGPT, adding direct integration with major cloud storage services and introducing meeting recording capabilities for business users.

The AI chatbot can now connect to Google Drive, Dropbox, OneDrive, Box, and SharePoint, allowing users to query information directly from their stored documents and files. Use case examples include a financial analyst asking ChatGPT to pull data from company reports to generate investment insights, or a marketing professional analyzing product presentations without leaving the ChatGPT interface.

OpenAI says the cloud integrations respect existing organizational access controls, so ChatGPT can only access documents it is authorized to view. The company says that data accessed through these connectors won't be used to train its models for Team, Enterprise, and Education customers.

Alongside cloud connectivity, ChatGPT is also introducing "record mode" for meeting transcription and note-taking. Initially available to Team users on macOS, the feature captures audio and generates structured notes complete with summaries, key points, action items, and time-stamped citations.

Unlike competing solutions from Zoom or Notion that require bot participation, ChatGPT's recording tool simply listens through the device microphone. Users can then convert action items into Canvas documents for follow-up work.

The update also includes "deep research connectors" in beta, which links ChatGPT to external platforms like HubSpot and Linear through the Model Context Protocol (MCP). This enables autonomous research combining internal company data with web information to produce comprehensive reports.

The cloud connectors are available to all paid ChatGPT users, while MCP support is available to Pro, Team, and Enterprise subscribers.

WhatsApp is testing a new feature that lets users build their own AI chatbot assistant within the app, reports WABetaInfo.

Currently rolling out to a small number of WhatsApp beta testers is a new section in the app called "AI Studio," which walks users through the creation of their AI assistant.

The idea isn't dissimilar to OpenAI's custom GPTs or Google Gemini's Gems. Users can devise their AI's role, personality traits, specialisms, and style of discourse, and start chatting with them immediately after creation. Here's how WABetaInfo describes it:

The creation process is structured as a guided flow directly from the AI Studio screen, making it easier to follow even for users with no technical background. The process starts with users selecting a role for their AI, which could range from a study coach to a travel assistant or even a motivational companion. They then choose a personality style and tone, such as calm and thoughtful, energetic and funny, or professional and informative. Based on these choices, WhatsApp offers smart suggestions to help shape the AI's behavior and conversational style.

WhatsApp owner Meta already offers a web-based AI Studio tool that enables users to create, customize, and deploy AI-powered chatbots across Meta's services like Instagram and Messenger. The WhatsApp implementation looks like it will replicate this feature, only within WhatsApp itself. When the feature will roll out to all users remains unclear.

In related news, WhatsApp developers are also working on bringing usernames to the chat platform. By choosing a unique handle, users will be able to connect with others without sharing their phone number, which should further enhance privacy. Usernames are also in the testing phase, and it's unknown when WhatsApp will take them live.

Apple appears to be moving to the next-generation Qi 2.2 wireless charging standard, according to regulatory filings on Taiwan's NCC certification website. Qi2.2 is the forthcoming update to the Wireless Power Consortium's (WPC) Qi standard, building on improvements introduced with Qi 2.1.

Spotted by 91mobiles.com, the filings reveal two new MagSafe charger models – A3503 and A3502 – that support the upgraded Qi 2.2 standard. The chargers feature the familiar white puck design with braided cables in 2-meter and 1-meter lengths, respectively.

It's a notable upgrade mainly because of the faster charging speed. Qi 2.2 is technically capable of up to 25W charging output. In contrast, the Qi 2 standard maxes out at 15W (although iPhone 16 models support upgraded MagSafe charging – with a 30W Apple charger, the iPhones can charge at up to 25W). The WPC has since released the Qi 2.1 standard, but no Apple devices officially support it.

Testing documents show the chargers work with devices ranging from the iPhone 16 back to the iPhone 11, indicating the Qi 2.2 pucks will have broad compatibility with existing devices, but charging speeds are going to be limited when using older models. Devices looking to take advantage of the faster charging speeds will need a corresponding advanced charging chip, similar to Samsung's Power Management Integrated Circuit (PMIC).

In addition to faster charging, Qi 2.2 offers improved magnetic alignment and charging efficiency compared to its predecessor. The standard also features backward compatibility with older Qi chargers.

Apple has not officially announced these new chargers, but their appearance in Taiwan's regulatory databases indicates we're likely to see a public release in the coming months. It also increases the likelihood that the upcoming iPhone 17 models will support the new charging standard – but that doesn't guarantee they will charge at the maximum 25W. Apple is expected to announce the iPhone 17 lineup around September, while the broader industry is expected to launch Qi 2.2-compatible phones, chargers, and accessories later this year.

Editor's note: This article originally reported that Qi 2.2 offers a maximum charging output of 50W, which turned out to be based on false information. We apologize for the error.

We're still counting down the days until the 2025 Worldwide Developers Conference, and Apple's big event is creeping closer. We haven't heard too much about what we might see in watchOS 26, but there are a few hints based on rumors, info about other updates, and features that Apple often adds to on a yearly basis.

Naming

Rather than naming the next-generation version watchOS 12, Apple is going to call it ‌watchOS 26‌. All of the software updates coming this year will be numbered "26," reflecting the September 2025 to September 2026 release cycle.

‌watchOS 26‌ will launch alongside iOS 26, iPadOS 26, macOS 26, tvOS 26, and visionOS 26, all of which are being renamed.

Design Update

The overhauled design that Apple is introducing for ‌iOS 26‌ will also extend to the Apple Watch, though the changes to watchOS may not be as dramatic as the ‌iOS 26‌ refresh.

With ‌iOS 26‌, Apple is introducing a design referred to internally as "Solarium." As the name suggests, it focuses on a glass-like look that's actually inspired by visionOS. Buttons, search interfaces, tab bars, and windows could adopt a translucent design reminiscent of frosted glass.

Floating menus, rounder buttons, and simplified navigation have been rumored, too. watchOS already uses round app icons and buttons, so it will fit right in. Apple could adopt the Solarium look for things like the app drawer, notifications, and Control Center.

Apple's aim is a more consistent design across all of its software platforms.

New Watch Faces

If watchOS is getting a design update to match ‌iOS 26‌, Apple will likely add new watch faces that are designed with the new style.

Apple Intelligence

The Apple Watch doesn't have the processing power to run Apple Intelligence on-device, but it is rumored to be getting some "powered by ‌Apple Intelligence‌" features that could rely on its link to the iPhone.

There are rumors that Apple will add an AI-powered battery management feature to iPhones running ‌iOS 26‌, and similar functionality would make a lot of sense for the Apple Watch. On the ‌iPhone‌, the feature will analyze device usage and make optimizations to maximize battery life.

Right now, features like ChatGPT Siri integration and Writing Tools don't extend to the Apple Watch, but these are options that Apple could add. The Apple Watch also doesn't support notification summaries or content summaries in general.

AirPods Sleep Detection

The Apple Watch could integrate with the AirPods to pause content that's playing when the wearer falls asleep. It's a rumored feature for ‌iOS 26‌, but the AirPods have no sleep detection functionality, so the option would need to use Apple Watch data.

Health App

Apple is developing an updated version of the Health app for launch in ‌iOS 26‌, but it's not clear if we'll see it at the keynote event because it's not going to be ready right away.

Apple wants to add AI-powered health coaching features that will provide users with personalized health recommendations, and any feature like that will rely on Apple Watch data and features.

Coaching could include expert information on health conditions, fitness tips, and ways to make positive lifestyle changes.

Apple is also said to be developing a food tracking feature that would let users log what they eat throughout the day, and the Apple Watch would be a convenient way to add foods to a daily intake list.

Health Features

Apple has been developing a blood pressure monitoring feature for the Apple Watch, and if it's ready to go for the 2025 models, there could be a new blood pressure app in ‌watchOS 26‌. The feature will alert users if hypertension is detected, but it won't provide specific systolic and diastolic readings.

It's not yet clear if blood pressure monitoring is ready to launch due to developmental problems, so it's something that we might not see until the 2026 Apple Watch models.

Fitness

Apple typically adds new workout types and features with new watchOS releases. One area that's lacking is strength training, and Apple Watch users need to download third-party apps for counting reps. That's something that the Apple Watch could get in the future. Apple has patented a method for rep tracking that uses the ‌iPhone‌'s camera.

Safety

In 2024, Apple submitted a patent for an Apple Watch feature that would be able to determine when the wearer is drowning, which would be a logical addition to crash detection and fall detection. There's no word that Apple has plans to launch this feature in ‌watchOS 26‌, but it's something that's in the works behind the scenes.

WWDC 2025 Event Info

Apple's WWDC 2025 keynote will begin on Monday, June 9 at 10:00 a.m. Pacific Time. Apple will live stream the event on its website, on YouTube, and in the TV app.

If you're not able to watch live, we'll have a live blog and coverage of the announcements here at MacRumors, plus we'll be live tweeting the event on the MacRumorsLive account.

Apple will not be able to walk back the anti-steering App Store changes it was ordered to implement in May while the legal process plays out, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit said today. That means Epic Games, Spotify, Patreon, and others will be able to continue to direct customers to web purchase options that are available outside of the App Store, and Apple won't be able to collect fees on those web purchases.

Shortly after being forced to update its U.S. ‌App Store‌ rules to support external purchase links, Apple filed an emergency motion with the appeals court. Apple wanted to be able to hold off on implementing the new rules until it was able to mount a full appeal, but the appeals court denied the motion.

To be granted a stay, Apple needed to prove that its appeal is likely to succeed and that it would be irreparably injured without a stay, while the court also needed to consider whether the stay would injure other parties and where public interest lies. The court said that after "reviewing the relevant factors" it has not been persuaded that a stay is appropriate.

Apple argued that the original order was "extraordinary" and forced it to "give away free access" to Apple products and services, including intellectual property. Apple said that it should be able to collect commission on external purchase links and control the way those links look, both of which are currently prohibited. Apple claimed that keeping the ‌App Store‌ rules as is will cost it "hundreds of millions to billions" of dollars annually.

The ‌App Store‌ changes that Apple implemented in the U.S. are a result of the ongoing Apple vs. ‌Epic Games‌ legal battle that started in 2020. The judge overseeing the case originally ordered Apple to tweak the ‌App Store‌ rules to allow developers to direct customers to web purchase options instead of using in-app purchases. Apple complied after a multi-year appeals process, but levied 12 to 27 percent fees on developers who opted to do so and implemented strict rules around link styling.

‌Epic Games‌ protested Apple's implementation, and the judge sided with Epic. In a scathing ruling, Apple was ordered to immediately change its U.S. ‌App Store‌ rules. As of now, Apple is not allowed to charge any fee on purchases that consumers make outside of an app, nor is it allowed to restrict the language or design that developers use for buttons or links to web purchase options.

The iOS 26 and macOS 26 updates could bring several new features to the AirPods, including sleep detection features and camera control options, reports 9to5Mac. The AirPods features would be introduced through firmware updates that would accompany Apple's new software.

Here's what's rumored:

• New head gestures - Apple could add new head gestures, such as a gesture for adjusting the volume of Conversation Awareness. Last year, Apple added a nod and a head shake to answer or decline calls.
• Auto-pause for sleep - The AirPods could pause audio when the wearer falls asleep, presumably using sleep data gleaned from the Apple Watch, as the AirPods have no sleep detection functionality.
• Camera trigger - Apple is planning to add trigger functionality to the AirPods, capturing an image on a linked iPhone with a press on the AirPods stem. It's possible this might work with a timer so the ‌iPhone‌ user isn't touching an ear when the photo is taken.
• Microphone enhancement - AirPods could get a "studio quality" microphone mode that's similar to the Audio Mix feature on ‌iPhone‌ that lets users choose from sound recording options like studio and cinematic.
• Better pairing - Apple is apparently working on a feature that would improve how AirPods pair with shared iPads for use in the classroom.

It is not clear if these rumored features would work across all AirPods models or if some features might be limited to the AirPods Pro. 9to5Mac warns that Apple could "choose to delay or tweak" the AirPods features before they are announced.

Apple is also expected to introduce a live translate feature for the AirPods, which would translate in-person conversations from one language to another.

Apple's WWDC 2025 keynote kicks off on Monday, June 9, and Apple plans to unveil ‌iOS 26‌ and macOS 26. That's where we're likely to hear additional details about any new AirPods functionality that's coming alongside the software updates.