MacRumors

Apple's AirPods 4 have dropped to $79.99 today at Best Buy, down from $129.00. This is now the best price we've ever tracked on the base AirPods 4 model, which lacks Active Noise Cancellation.

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.

You can also get the AirPods 4 with ANC on sale for $109.99 at Amazon, down from $179.00, which is another record low price. Both of these join a deal on the new AirPods Pro 3 that appeared on Amazon earlier today, now available for $219.99, down from $249.00.

You can find all the Apple Black Friday Deals currently available in our dedicated post. For everything else, we're keeping track of the season's best Apple-related deals in our Black Friday roundup, so be sure to check back throughout the month for an updated list of all the most notable discounts you'll find for Black Friday 2025.

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In select U.S. states, residents can add their driver's license or state ID to the Apple Wallet app on the iPhone and Apple Watch, and then use it to display proof of identity or age at select airports and businesses, and in select apps.

Earlier this week, Illinois became the 13th state in the U.S. to offer the feature. Subsequently, we shared a list of additional states that are committed to offering the feature in the future, as previously announced by Apple:

• Connecticut
• Kentucky
• Mississippi
• Oklahoma
• Utah

As it turns out, two more states have "signed on to adopt ID in Apple Wallet in the future," according to their government websites:

• Arkansas
• Virginia

Arkansas launched a mobile ID app in August. It works with Google Wallet and Samsung Wallet, and Apple Wallet support is coming later.

Virginia launched a mobile ID app last week, and it announced it will "prepare for integration with digital wallets" in the "coming months."

Apple Wallet IDs are accepted at TSA checkpoints in more than 250 airports in the U.S., for domestic travel. Given that Apple Wallet IDs are not accepted by law enforcement, and lack many other use cases, carrying a physical ID is still necessary.

To set up the feature, open the Wallet app and tap on the plus sign in the top-right corner. Next, select Driver's License and ID Cards and follow the steps.

If you live in a state that does not yet offer Apple Wallet IDs, you can now create a Digital ID based on your U.S. passport, and present it at the same participating TSA checkpoints, for age and identity verification purposes during domestic travel. It is not a replacement for a physical passport, and it cannot be used for international travel.

Here are just some of the airports that offer the feature — there are hundreds of others:

• Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport (BWI)
• Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA)
• Washington Dulles International Airport (IAD)
• Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport (PHX)
• Denver International Airport (DEN)
• Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL)
• Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky Airport (CVG)
• John Glenn Columbus International Airport (CMH)
• San Francisco International Airport (SFO)
• San Jose Mineta International Airport (SJC)
• Los Angeles International (LAX)
• Daniel K. Inouye International Airport (HNL)
• Des Moines International Airport (DSM)
• Eastern Iowa Airport (CID)
• Albuquerque International Sunport (ABQ)
• Lea County Regional Airport (HOB)
• Luis Munoz Marin International Airport (SJU)
• Billings Logan International Airport (BIL)
• Bozeman Yellowstone International Airport (BZN)
• Great Falls International Airport (GTF)
• Missoula International Airport (MSO)
• Chicago O'Hare International Airport (ORD)
• Chicago Midway International Airport (MDW)
• St. Louis Lambert International Airport (STL)
• Richmond International Airport (RIC)
• Norfolk International Airport (ORF)
• Roanoke-Blacksburg Regional Airport (ROA)
• Newport News-Williamsburg International Airport (PHF)

Travelers should refer to TSA signage to confirm availability of the feature.

Thanks, Michael Gannon!

B&H Photo is hosting a new Black Friday sale, which includes a few record low prices on Apple's 14-inch M4 MacBook Pro. B&H Photo provides free two-day shipping to most residences in the United States.

Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with B&H Photo. 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 16GB RAM/512GB SSD 14-inch M4 MacBook Pro for $1,299.00, down from $1,599.00, and the 24GB RAM/1TB model for $1,699.00, down from $1,999.00.

Both of these are $300 discounts on the original prices of the M4 MacBook Pro, which is now the previous generation model. If you're looking for the newest 14-inch M5 MacBook Pro, you can find great deals in our guide on the best Mac deals for Black Friday.

You can find all the Apple Black Friday Deals currently available in our dedicated post. For everything else, we're keeping track of the season's best Apple-related deals in our Black Friday roundup, so be sure to check back throughout the month for an updated list of all the most notable discounts you'll find for Black Friday 2025.

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Apple today announced that Tyler, The Creator has been named Apple Music's Artist of the Year in 2025 for his "outstanding impact on both music and culture."

Tyler, The Creator received a physical Apple Music Award, featuring a custom silicon wafer.

Apple said Tyler had his best year ever on Apple Music, with fans around the world logging more than 75 million hours of listening time between November 2024 and October 2025. His album "DON'T TAP THE GLASS" topped the Apple Music charts.

"To everyone who listens to my music, thank you," said Tyler. "I appreciate you so much. This year, for my career, was the biggest so far. To be this year's Apple Music Artist of the Year, it's sick. I appreciate the love. I appreciate the recognition. It means a lot to me, especially for the music and things that I make. Please keep supporting folks who are a bit out of the box for how they do things; it means a lot to us."

Best Buy is discounting Apple's second generation HomePod to $269.99 this week, down from $299.00. This deal is available in both Midnight and White color options, and right now we're only tracking a discount at Best Buy.

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

Discounts on the HomePod have been extremely rare, with the last notable discount occurring in the summer of 2024, over a year ago. Today's deal isn't an all-time low price, but considering the infrequency of HomePod sales, it's a solid sale for anyone on the market for the smart speaker.

You can find all the Apple Black Friday Deals currently available in our dedicated post. For everything else, we're keeping track of the season's best Apple-related deals in our Black Friday roundup, so be sure to check back throughout the month for an updated list of all the most notable discounts you'll find for Black Friday 2025.

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Apple Watch owners have been voicing their frustration online over changes to the Workout app that Apple introduced in watchOS 26, with many finding the redesigned interface makes starting exercises difficult and exasperating.

When Apple launched watchOS 26 in September, the Workout app went from large, easily tapped workout tiles to a scrolling, corner-button interface. Instead of tapping a workout once to begin, users now select the workout type, and then tap a smaller play button that appears after a brief animation. Apple has also integrated music and podcast setup directly into the Workout app itself, so users can configure audio to automatically begin playing when they start exercising.

However, many of the changes appear to have become a major source of frustration over the last couple of months, based on a Reddit thread on r/AppleWatch that's full of complaints. "Touch targets are way too small," one user wrote. "Often times I have to tap the play button several times to get the workout to start."

Another user said the update has been "absolutely horrible," adding that "activating a swimming workout has become impossible once in the pool." Several swimmers echoed this view. One notes that the latest design makes it "impossible to reliably start or switch workouts once you're wet or mid-lap."

The redesigned layout also moves common controls like goal settings, quick-start options, and frequently used workouts into different positions. Long-time users say this breaks years of muscle memory. "What I used to be able to do in my sleep without thinking now takes my full brain capacity and always annoys me just before my workout," one user noted.

Some users also report reliability issues, like tapping the start button and seeing the press animation without the workout actually starting, or walking workouts failing to register completely. Mis-starts are another recurring issue. "I've accidentally started the wrong workout so many times," one user wrote. "The play button loads late, so I think I'm scrolling, but I actually tap it the moment it appears." Another said they've watched the button animate when tapped, "and then found out later that it didn't actually register."

"The scrolling is so bad now," wrote another user, while others said the interface simply feels laggy. One explained that "the delay between selecting and starting is so long that I constantly overshoot or open the wrong thing."

Some users have turned to Siri voice commands to bypass the new interface altogether, while others rely on the Action button on Apple Watch Ultra models to start workouts directly. A few say they've been letting auto-detection handle walking and cycling sessions simply because it's less tedious than navigating the UI.

What have your experiences been with the Workout app on Apple Watch since the watchOS 26 update? Do you get on with the redesigned interface, or is it a step backwards from watchOS 11? Let us know in the comments.

Apple's annual four-day Black Friday through Cyber Monday shopping event is returning on Friday, November 28 through Monday, December 1 in many countries, including the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, the United Kingdom, Belgium, the Netherlands, Sweden, Thailand, and others.

During the shopping event, customers can get an Apple gift card with the purchase of an eligible product at an Apple Store, in the Apple Store app, and on Apple.com. However, the gift card can only be used towards future purchases, and higher immediate discounts on Apple products are frequently available at Amazon and other resellers.

In the United States, Apple is offering gift cards worth up to $250 with the purchase of an eligible iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch, Apple TV, HomePod, AirPods, Beats headphones and speakers, Apple Pencil Pro, and select Magic Keyboards for iPads.

As usual, many of Apple's newer products are excluded from the offer, including the iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Pro, iPhone 17 Pro Max, iPhone Air, Apple Watch Ultra 3, iPad Pro with M5 chip, MacBook Pro with M5 chip, and Vision Pro with M5 chip. Refurbished products are ineligible too, and the offer cannot be combined with educational pricing.

We have listed the gift card values in the United States below.

$25 Apple Gift Card:

• AirPods 4
• AirPods 4 with Active Noise Cancellation
• Apple TV 4K
• Beats Pill
• Magic Keyboard Folio for iPad (A16 chip)
• Magic Keyboard for 11-inch iPad Air
• Magic Keyboard for 13-inch iPad Air
• Apple Pencil Pro

$50 Apple Gift Card:

• iPhone 16e
• iPad (A16 chip)
• iPad mini
• Apple Watch SE 3
• Apple Watch Series 11
• AirPods Pro 3
• Full-size HomePod
• Beats Studio Pro
• Beats Solo 4
• Beats Studio Buds +
• Powerbeats Pro 2

$75 Apple Gift Card:

• iPhone 16
• iPhone 16 Plus
• AirPods Max

$100 Apple Gift Card:

• Mac mini
• 11-inch iPad Air
• 13-inch iPad Air

$150 Apple Gift Card:

• iMac

$175 Apple Gift Card:

• 13-inch MacBook Air (M4 chip)

$200 Apple Gift Card:

• 15-inch MacBook Air (M4 chip)

$250 Apple Gift Card:

• 14-inch MacBook Pro (M4 Pro chip)
• 14-inch MacBook Pro (M4 Max chip)
• 16-inch MacBook Pro (M4 Pro chip)
• 16-inch MacBook Pro (M4 Max chip)

Black Friday is one of the few occasions per year when Apple directly offers deals on its products. As we mentioned, though, better deals are often available through resellers like Amazon, so make sure to check out our Black Friday deals tracker.

Apple's all-in-one gift card can be used towards the purchase of products and accessories, subscription-based services like Apple Music and Apple TV, App Store apps, TV show and movie purchases and rentals, iCloud+ storage, and more.

Apple's terms and conditions for the event outline more details.

Apple's AirPods Pro 3 have hit a new all-time low price of $219.99 today on Amazon, down from $249.00. This is only the second time we've tracked a deal on the brand new earbuds, and today's deal beats Amazon's previous low price by about $20.

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.

The AirPods Pro 3 have 2x better Active Noise Cancellation than the prior-generation AirPods Pro 2, better audio quality, a revised fit that's meant to improve comfort and stability, Live Translation for in-person conversations, and heart rate sensing for workouts.

In other AirPods deals, the AirPods 4 with ANC is available for $109.99 on Amazon, down from $179.00, and the AirPods Max (USB-C) is available for $429.99, down from $549.00. Regarding the AirPods 4 with ANC deal, this is a new record low price on this model.

You can find all the Apple Black Friday Deals currently available in our dedicated post. For everything else, we're keeping track of the season's best Apple-related deals in our Black Friday roundup, so be sure to check back throughout the month for an updated list of all the most notable discounts you'll find for Black Friday 2025.

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Apple has reportedly reassigned BOE's planned OLED panel allocation for the iPhone 17 Pro to Samsung after the Chinese supplier failed to resolve reliability issues ahead of mass production, according to a new report from ZDNet Korea.

BOE was preparing to supply up to 10 million OLED panels for the ‌iPhone 17 Pro‌ in the Chinese market after receiving initial mass-production approval from Apple early in the third quarter of 2025. The supplier's progress apparently stalled due to unresolved technical problems affecting panel reliability, yield, and performance, making it unable to meet Apple's LTPO performance requirements.

BOE had not previously supplied LTPO OLED panels to Apple, which support features like always-on and ProMotion for refresh rates up to 120Hz. It was purportedly hoping to supply at least 40 million OLED panels to Apple this year, but amid rapidly falling supply forecasts, that is now highly unlikely to occur. BOE is said to have resolved the issues by mid-November, by which time it was too late and Apple's supply plans had changed.

Samsung Display will now seemingly take over BOE's planned volume for the ‌iPhone 17 Pro‌. Samsung was previously expected to supply around 80 million OLED panels for the iPhone 17 lineup. This figure is now projected to rise to approximately 90 million units as a result of the reallocation.

Apple remains dependent on Samsung Display and LG Display for high-specification OLED manufacturing as it scales LTPO technology across more of its devices.

OpenAI is rolling out the first major update to ChatGPT Atlas, its dedicated AI browser for Mac that includes ChatGPT integration.

There are nine new features in all for the Chromium-based browser after the update. Visually, the most notable UI change is a new option for vertical tabs that change size dynamically in the adjustable sidebar, plus there's a new interface for managing downloads.

Meanwhile, the app now features iCloud passkey support, so users can create and use passkeys for websites that are saved to iCloud. It's also now possible to import Chrome extensions and set the default search engine to Google.

A setting has been added to select multiple tabs at once (Shift + click), as well as to use Control + Tab to cycle to the most recently used tab. Lastly, the responsiveness of the Ask ChatGPT sidebar has also been improved.

Apple's Safari browser does not have AI integration as of yet, but Chrome does. With OpenAI, Google, and also Perplexity offering AI browsers, Apple may need to integrate Siri and other AI tools into Safari in the future to keep up with its main rivals.

The Atlas update follows yesterday's rollout of GPT-5.1 Pro, which OpenAI says provides "clearer, more capable answers for complex work." In early testing users rated the model especially highly for writing help, data science, and business questions, highlighting improved clarity, relevance, and structure in its responses.

The Connectivity Standards Alliance that counts Apple as a member today released Matter 1.5, the latest version of the cross-platform smart home standard. Matter 1.5 includes support for cameras, closures, and soil sensors, along with updated energy management capabilities.

Matter 1.5 will allow for Matter-enabled cameras without custom APIs or integrations. Matter cameras support live video and audio streaming through WebRTC, enabling two-way talk and local and remote access. Multi-stream specifications are supported, as are pan-tilt-zoom controls, motion detection, privacy zones, and flexible storage options. Clip playback and storage are handled by the device maker or platform, and on-camera audio and video analysis is not available.

The specification will work with doorbell cameras, indoor and outdoor security cameras, flood light cameras, baby and nanny cameras, pan/tilt cameras, and more. Cameras can connect with Wi-Fi, PoE, or Ethernet. There is built-in backward compatibility for most modern cameras, but manufacturers will need to decide which devices will get support.

There is an updated and unified approach to closures, a category that includes devices like window shades, drapes, awnings, gates, and garage doors. Different kinds of motion are supported, such as sliding, rotating, and opening, along with multiple configurations.

The Alliance says that consumers can expect more consistent and flexible control of closures across apps and ecosystems, along with clear knowledge of whether a device like a garage door is open or closed.

For plant care, Matter 1.5 adds support for soil sensors. Soil sensors are able to measure soil moisture and temperature, and can be combined with Matter-based water valves or irrigation systems for automating watering.

Matter 1.5 includes new energy management features. Utilities, grid operators, and energy services can provide real-time and forecasted pricing, tariff, and carbon data with devices. Devices can use the information to estimate and report true energy costs and carbon impact. Better smart metering support provides more accurate cost and consumption tracking.

Now that the Matter 1.5 standard has been released, manufacturers will be able to develop new kinds of Matter devices, and platforms will be able to integrate support for those devices.

Apple has announced pre-orders are now open for the Vision Pro with M5 chip and Dual Knit Band in Korea and Taiwan, preceding a launch in both countries on Friday, November 28.

Apple's updated Vision Pro moves to the M5 chip, bringing a 10-core CPU, 10-core GPU with Neural Accelerators, and a 16-core Neural Engine, while retaining 16GB of RAM.

Battery life has been increased to about three hours of video playback, up from 2.5 hours. The displays render 10% more pixels and now support a 120Hz refresh rate for sharper visuals and reduced motion blur.

The M5 also adds hardware-accelerated ray tracing, mesh shading, and up to 50% faster AI performance. Design and connectivity remain unchanged, including the R1 chip, Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.3, and the tethered battery.

The updated Dual Knit Band combines two straps in one piece: an upper strap over the head and a lower strap across the back. Tungsten inserts in the lower strap act as counterweights for balance and comfort, and both straps can be adjusted with the Fit Dial.

In Korea, the Apple Vision Pro with M5 chip with Dual Knit Band starts at 4,990,000 won and is available with 256GB, 512GB, and 1TB storage capacity, while the Dual Knit Band can be purchased separately for 149,000 won.

In Taiwan, the headset and band starts at NT$119,900, while the Dual Knit Band can be had separately for NT$3,490.

Apple launched the M5 Vision Pro on October 15 in Australia, Canada, China, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Japan, the U.K., the United Arab Emirates, and the United States.

Apple is working on a 12th-generation iPad, and plans to update the most affordable tablet in the ‌iPad‌ lineup next spring. It's not going to be a major update, but if you're planning a purchase, you might want to wait for the newest model.

Design

There are no rumors of an updated design for the 12th-generation ‌iPad‌, so it will likely have the same 11-inch edge-to-edge display with Touch ID Side Button and thick bezels.

Apple last updated the ‌iPad‌'s design with the 10th-generation model, giving the device a more modern look to better match the designs of the iPad Pro and iPad Air models.

The low-cost ‌iPad‌ is only available in a single screen size, and it is Apple's thickest tablet at 7mm. It features a Retina LED display with no ProMotion support, no P3 wide color, and no lamination (display technology that allows for improved visuals) compared to Apple's other tablets.

Apple makes the low-cost ‌iPad‌ in several fun colors, and we could see some new shades in 2026. Current colors include blue, pink, silver, and yellow.

No changes are expected for the rear camera, front camera, USB-C port, or compatibility with accessories like the Apple Pencil.

A-Series Processor

Rumors suggest the low-cost ‌iPad‌ will use Apple's A18 chip, which is the chip that Apple used for the iPhone 16e, iPhone 16, and ‌iPhone 16‌ Plus. It is built on a 3-nanometer process and it will offer speed and efficiency improvements over the A16 chip that's in the current model.

The A16 chip that Apple used in 2025 does not support Apple Intelligence, but the A18 does, so that will mark a major update for Apple's affordable tablet. The 2026 model should be able to support ‌Apple Intelligence‌ features that are unavailable with the 2025 model.

The A18 also offers hardware-accelerated ray tracing and similar features for improved gameplay.

The 11th-generation ‌iPad‌ has 6GB RAM, but Apple will need to bump that up to 8GB for ‌Apple Intelligence‌.

N1 Chip

Apple debuted its own Wi-Fi and Bluetooth chip, called the N1, in the iPhone 17 models. The N1 was added to the ‌iPad Pro‌, and it's likely that Apple plans to add the chip to all future devices coming in 2026 and beyond.

The N1 chip supports Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 6, and Thread networking technology for smart home devices.

The 11th-generation ‌iPad‌ is limited to Wi-Fi 6, so if the 12th-generation version does indeed get Wi-Fi 7, it will be able to connect to faster 6GHz networks for the first time. Bluetooth 6 would also be an improvement over Bluetooth 5.3.

Apple Modem

Apple has designed C1 and C1X modem chips that it has used in iPhones and iPads in 2025, and the next-generation version of the ‌iPad‌ could also get an Apple-designed modem chip for cellular models.

Apple's modem chips are more power efficient than Qualcomm chips while providing similar performance.

Pricing

The 11th-generation ‌iPad‌ is priced starting at $349 for 128GB of storage, and there are so far no indications that pricing is going to change for the 12th-generation model.

Launch Date

Apple plans to release the new low-cost ‌iPad‌ in spring 2026, which is a timeframe that spans from March 20 to June 20. The launch will likely come sometime in March or April, with Apple also set to update the ‌iPad Air‌.

There are now 13 states that have added support for storing a driver's license or ID in the Apple Wallet app on iPhone and Apple Watch, with more to come.

States With iPhone Digital ID Support

• Arizona
• California
• Colorado
• Georgia
• Hawaii
• Illinois
• Iowa
• Maryland
• Montana
• New Mexico
• North Dakota
• Ohio
• West Virginia

Arizona, Maryland, and Colorado were some of the first states to add support back in 2022, while Montana, North Dakota, West Virginia, and Illinois just added support this year.

Digital IDs are also able to be added to the Wallet app in Puerto Rico.

States Planning to Add Support

Several states have announced plans to support digital IDs in the Wallet app in the future.

• Connecticut
• Kentucky
• Mississippi
• Oklahoma
• Utah

There's no word on when these states plan to add support, nor on other states that have not yet committed to introducing the functionality.

Passport Digital IDs

As of November 2025, Apple is allowing ‌iPhone‌ users to create a Digital ID in the Wallet app using a U.S. passport. ‌iPhone‌ and Apple Watch users who do not live in a state that supports digital IDs and driver's licenses can instead use their passport to create an ‌iPhone‌ ID.

Digital IDs created using a passport work the same way as state IDs and driver's licenses added to the Wallet app.

TSA Support

TSA security checkpoints at most major airports in the United States accept digital IDs in lieu of a physical ID. Digital IDs in the Wallet app can only be used for domestic travel.

Age Verification

State IDs stored in the Wallet app can be used for age verification purposes at businesses and retailers that support the functionality. Apple is also adding support for using IDs for age verification in apps and on websites.

Physical ID Requirements

Most states say that ‌iPhone‌ users are still required to present a physical ID if requested, and a digital ID cannot be used in lieu of an actual ID.

Digital IDs based on a passport cannot be used for international travel or border crossing purposes, so a physical passport is still required.

How to Add an ID

An eligible driver's license, ID, or passport can be added to the Wallet app on ‌iPhone‌ by tapping on the "+" sign in the upper right corner and then choosing the "Driver's License and ID Cards" option.

Device Compatibility

Using the digital ID feature in the Wallet app requires an ‌iPhone‌ 8 or later with iOS 16.5 or later or an Apple Watch Series 4 or later running watchOS 9.5 or later.

Adding a passport requires an ‌iPhone‌ 11 or later running iOS 26.1 or later or an Apple Watch Series 6 running watchOS 26.1 or later.

TikTok today announced that it will let users limit the amount of AI-generated content that they see in their feeds. There will be a new AI content control toggle in the Manage Topics section of TikTok, with a slider for adjusting the AI content in the For You feed.

TikTok's Manage Topics section allows users to adjust the content that they see across categories like Dance, Sports, Current Affairs, Fashion, Health, and more. AI will be added as a new option "in the coming weeks."

People who like AI-generated content can opt to see more, while those who want to see less can "dial things down," according to TikTok. There won't be a toggle to turn AI-generated content off entirely.

TikTok is also testing an AI-generated content labeling system called invisible watermarking. Invisible watermarking will prevent labels denoting content as AI-generated from being removed when the content is reuploaded or shared on another platform. The invisible watermark will be harder to remove from metadata.

Invisible watermarks will be added to AI-generated content made with TikTok tools like AI Editor Pro, as well as content uploaded with C2PA Content Credentials.

Google today announced several new features that are coming to the Google Maps app, including Gemini-powered tips, trending places, and estimates on EV charger availability.

When searching for places in the Google Maps app like restaurants or hotels, there's now a "Know Before You Go" section that's powered by Gemini. The section provides tips on what to expect, pulling information from user reviews and other online content. It can include tips on how to book a reservation, what the secret menu items are, where to park, and more.

An updated Explore tab features trending and popular restaurants, activities, and popular sites near you. The suggestions can be accessed by swiping up, with curated lists from trusted sites easier to access.

Electric vehicle owners already have access to real-time information on whether charging locations have an open spot, but Google Maps will now use AI to predict how many chargers will likely be available at your arrival time to a charging location. Google says the feature uses AI to analyze historical and real-time charger availability for predictions so you can avoid charging lines.

Finally, Google is now adding support for sharing reviews without using your real name. Users can choose a nickname and profile picture to be associated with their reviews.

Insider tips are available today for iOS users, while the updated Explore tab and the review name change option is rolling out this month. Charger predictions will initially be limited to Android Auto and cars with Google built-in, but the functionality could eventually expand.

The European Commission (EC) today announced a new digital package that relaxes some of the rules implemented with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) that has protected European consumers since 2018.

Part of the change to the GDPR includes a modernization of cookie rules that should result in fewer pop-up cookie agreements on websites. The EC says that users will be able to indicate their cookie consent with a single click, with those preferences saved through the central settings of preferences in browsers and operating systems.

It sounds like browser makers will need to have a GDPR toggle that informs websites of a user's preference, eliminating the need for users to consent to cookies on a site-by-site basis.

In addition to changing GDPR cookie requirements, the EC's proposal allows personal data to be used to train AI without express consent, simplifies cybersecurity reporting, improves access to data through simplified rules, and more, with full details available in the European Commission's press release. It also delays the implementation of parts of the Artificial Intelligence Act, giving companies a longer period to comply with the rules.

Critics of the changes suggest that the EC is watering down the GDPR and rolling back consumer protections. European Digital Rights (EDRi) said that the EC's changes risk "dismantling the very foundation of human rights and tech policy in the EU."

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.

T-Mobile's Apple TV On Us promotion is ending, and T-Mobile has been informing customers that access to the ‌Apple TV‌ streaming service will no longer be free starting on January 1, 2026.

Going forward, T-Mobile subscribers with a higher-tier plan like Experience More, Experience Beyond, Go5G Plus, Magenta Plus, and more can get discounted access to Apple TV, but will need to pay a $3 per month fee.

T-Mobile has offered customers free ‌Apple TV‌ streaming access since 2021, but earlier this year, Apple increased the price of the ‌Apple TV‌ service from $9.99 per month to $12.99 per month. T-Mobile will now only provide a $9.99 per month discount, requiring customers to pay the difference.

Carriers have been pulling back on freebies in recent months. Verizon recently ended free Apple Arcade access, and it has unbundled its plans from free perks. Verizon now offers discounts for streaming add-ons, but it does not provide them for free except for some legacy subscribers who have not updated to newer plans. Verizon also nixed its loyalty discounts.

T-Mobile recently ended its Jump on Demand leasing program, and discontinued its partnership with Google offering unlimited Google Photos storage.