Today is Independence Day in the United States, and many Americans will be gathering to celebrate the Fourth of July holiday with friends and family. If you are headed to a backyard BBQ, we have a fun iPhone party trick to share with you.
If you have a compatible iPhone model with a LiDAR Scanner (see the list below), you can measure a person's height in Apple's built-in Measure app. This way, you can see how much your nieces and nephews have grown since you last saw them, or find out if your favorite uncle is as tall as he claims he is. This might sound silly (it totally is!), but many people have no idea that iPhones offer this neat little feature.
Steps
Open the Measure app.
Make sure the person is visible on your iPhone's screen from head to toe.
Wait a moment, and a line should appear at the top of the person's head with their height measurement.
To take a photo of the measurement, tap the shutter button (white circle in the bottom-right corner).
You can save and share the photo of the person with their height measurement if you prefer.
Tips
The app measures a person's height from the ground to the top of their head or hair. However, if the person is wearing a hat, the height measurement will be from the ground to the top of the hat.
You can also measure a person's seated height.
You can switch between imperial (feet and inches) and metric (centimeters) in the Settings app under Measure → Measure Units.
Compatible iPhones
The feature requires an iPhone model with a LiDAR Scanner:
iPhone 12 Pro
iPhone 12 Pro Max
iPhone 13 Pro
iPhone 13 Pro Max
iPhone 14 Pro
iPhone 14 Pro Max
iPhone 15 Pro
iPhone 15 Pro Max
iPhone 16 Pro
iPhone 16 Pro Max
The feature is not available on any other iPhone models.
Apple saw its first year-over-year iPhone sales growth in China in two years during the second quarter of 2025, according to new data from Counterpoint Research, marking a temporary reversal of a prolonged decline in one of its most strategically critical markets.
The data indicates that iPhone sales in mainland China grew 8% year-over-year between April 1 and June 22, 2025. This period represents Apple's first quarterly sales increase in the region since the second quarter of 2023. The growth is attributed primarily to aggressive price adjustments in May, ahead of the country's mid-year 618 shopping festival, and bolstered by a national subsidy program that supported smartphone purchases.
In May, Chinese e-commerce platforms such as JD.com and Tmall started offering heavy discounts on the iPhone 16 lineup, in some cases offering up to 2,530 yuan ($351) off retail prices. Simultaneously, Apple increased the value of trade-in credits for older iPhone models to incentivize upgrades. Select devices priced below 6,000 yuan purchased directly from Apple also qualified for up to 500 yuan in government subsidies, with certain Mac models eligible for discounts of as much as 2,000 yuan.
Apple's rebound in China follows a prolonged downturn. From the third quarter of 2022 through the first quarter of 2025, Apple experienced year-over-year revenue declines in China for all but one quarter. Contributing factors included persistent trade tensions, regulatory pressure, restrictions on iPhone use in government-linked workplaces, and competition from resurgent domestic brands. In the first quarter of 2025, Apple was the only major smartphone manufacturer to report a shipment decline in China.
During the second quarter of 2025, Huawei led all manufacturers in China by growth and market share, posting a 12% year-over-year sales increase, followed by Vivo, which experienced a 9% decline. Apple ranked third in overall unit shipments.
Apple also faces competition from Xiaomi and Oppo, which continue to target price-sensitive segments with hardware offerings that are broadly comparable with Apple's, but at a lower cost. Counterpoint claims that the Chinese smartphone market as a whole grew by approximately 1% during the quarter.
Still, Counterpoint analysts warn that Apple's growth in the second quarter may not persist into the second half of the year, partly because the national subsidy on smartphones is likely to be scaled back during the second half of 2025.
China is a crucial market for Apple. The country is believed to account for around 20% of global iPhone sales. Apple is scheduled to report its fiscal third-quarter earnings on July 31, which should include final figures for the April to June period covered in the Counterpoint analysis. The results ought to provide a fuller picture of the company's performance in China and other global markets.
iOS 26 adds new functionality to the AirPods, which will be available this fall when Apple releases iOS 26 and new AirPods firmware to the public.
Camera Remote
The AirPods can be used as a camera remote for the Camera app or third-party iOS camera apps. Just connect your AirPods to your iPhone, open the Camera app, and then press and hold on the AirPods stem to take a photo or start a video recording.
When you're finished, a second press and hold gesture will stop the recording. If you have an Apple Watch, you can already control your iPhone remotely from your wrist, but the AirPods have the potential to be even quicker since it's a physical gesture rather than a series of steps that include opening an Apple Watch app.
Studio-Quality Recording
The AirPods 4 and the AirPods Pro 2 support recording studio-quality audio for interviews, podcasts, songs, videos, and more. Apple says that the feature can be used to record high-quality vocals while on the go, with background sounds filtered out thanks to Voice Isolation.
You can record higher-quality audio when making videos or using your devices to do things like record a podcast.
Improved Audio Quality
The H2 chip in the AirPods 4 and AirPods Pro 2 brings more natural vocal texture and clarity to iPhone calls, FaceTime calls, and all CallKit-enabled apps like Zoom.
Studio-quality audio recording and improved call quality are available across iPhone, iPad, and Mac, and support the Camera app, Voice Memos, Messages dictation, third-party camera apps, and video conferencing apps.
Beta Updates
With iOS 26, Apple is adding an option to more easily install beta updates on AirPods. There's a new update interface when you connect your AirPods to your iPhone and tap into them in the Settings app.
Pause Audio for Sleep
If you're listening to music, a podcast, or a book while you're in bed and you're wearing AirPods, the AirPods will pause your audio when you fall asleep if you toggle on the new "Pause Media When Falling Asleep" option.
You'll find it in the AirPods settings after connecting your AirPods to your iPhone, but you'll need the new AirPods firmware and iOS 26. In addition to saving your spot in an audiobook or podcast, it will also preserve battery by turning your AirPods off so they're not running all night.
iOS 26 addresses an irritating issue that happens with CarPlay and AirPods. There's a new "Keep Audio in Headphones" option that prevents audio from switching to car speakers or Bluetooth speakers when you're listening to music through the AirPods.
With the option on, your music will continue playing in your AirPods when you get in the car. You can turn it on in iOS 26 by going to Settings > General > AirPlay and Continuity.
Read More
We have a dedicated iOS 26 roundup that goes into detail on all of the new features that are available in the update.
Apple has announced that it will share earnings results for the third quarter of its 2025 fiscal year on Thursday, July 31. Apple's earnings reports are typically released at 4:30 p.m. Eastern Time, shortly after the stock market has closed in New York.
Apple's CEO Tim Cook and CFO Kevan Parekh will discuss the results on a live-streamed conference call at 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time that day. While the call is primarily intended for Apple shareholders and Wall Street analysts, anyone can listen live for free on Apple's Investor Relations website, with no registration required.
The call should last around one hour. Cook and Parekh will read their prepared remarks, and then they will take questions from analysts.
If you miss the call, a recording will be available for replay on the page later in the day.
Analysts may press Apple about tariffs, as well as intensifying regulatory scrutiny that Apple is facing in many regions, including the U.S. and Europe.
Apple in recent years has considered competing with Amazon Web Services (AWS), according to The Information's Aaron Tilley.
In a paywalled report today, Tilley said that Apple was actively discussing the idea into the first half of 2024, but he does not know whether the talks have continued. A supposed key backer of the idea, Michael Abbott, left Apple in 2023.
Apple's potential cloud service would allow developers to rent servers powered by the M-series chips used in Macs. A service like this allows developers to power cloud-based app features without purchasing and maintaining their own servers.
According to the report, some Apple executives believed that the power efficiency of M-series chips would make its cloud service more affordable for developers compared to AWS and other similar platforms. This belief is apparently backed by Apple's own use of the servers for the likes of Apple Music and Apple Wallet.
If such a service were ever to launch, perhaps it would have iCloud branding, and it would help to boost Apple's services revenue.
Samsung recently opened up pre-orders for its newest collection of monitors, including the new 32-inch Smart Monitor M9 (M90SF), and the updated 32-inch Smart Monitor M8 (M80F) and 32-inch/43-inch Smart Monitor M7 (M70F). When you pre-order these monitors at Samsung or Amazon, you'll receive up to $300 in credit from each retailer.
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.
All three monitors have received advanced AI features, while the flagship M9 model features a 32-inch 4K QD-OLED panel to deliver deep contrast and vibrant color. It also includes a glare-free display to minimize reflections and Samsung Vision AI, which Samsung says will enhance picture and sound quality in real time based on content and surroundings.
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.
Deals Newsletter
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AppleInsider's Marko Zivkovic today shared a list of alleged identifiers for future Mac models, which should roll out over the next year or so.
The report does not reveal anything too surprising, but it does serve as further evidence that Apple is seemingly working on new models of every Mac, including the MacBook Air, MacBook Pro, iMac, Mac mini, Mac Studio, and Mac Pro.
Apple is expected to release new MacBook Pro models with M5, M5 Pro, and M5 Max chips later this year. Just like in 2024, the report suggests that updated Mac mini and iMac models with M5 chips could launch at the same time.
The next MacBook Air and Mac Studio models are expected to launch next year, and an updated Mac Pro desktop tower allegedly remains in development, but it is not entirely clear if it will be released later this year or next year.
No major design changes have been rumored for any of Apple's next Macs. Later next year, though, the MacBook Pro models with the M6, M6 Pro, and M6 Max chips are expected to feature OLED displays and a thinner design.
The chart below provides a summary of the identifiers, and the upcoming Mac models that they may correspond with, according to AppleInsider.
Four more games were added to Apple Arcade today, including a new Angry Birds title.
Angry Birds Bounce is a new take on the iconic Angry Birds game, which has received more than a billion downloads over the years. The new edition combines classic Angry Birds slingshot gameplay with arcade-style brick-breaker mechanics.
Here is how Apple describes Angry Birds Bounce:
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.
The other three games added to Apple Arcade today:
Apple Arcade is a subscription service that provides access to hundreds of games across the iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple TV, and Apple Vision Pro. All of the games are 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.
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 July 8 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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Apple's position as the dominant force in the global true wireless stereo (TWS) earbud market is expected to continue through 2025, according to Counterpoint Research.
The forecast outlines a 3% year-over-year increase in global TWS unit shipments for 2025, signaling a transition from rapid growth to a more mature phase for the category. While Apple is set to remain the leading brand by revenue and brand recognition, the report suggests that volume growth will be led by lower-priced models under $50 from other brands, driven by emerging markets and replacement demand.
Counterpoint attributes Apple's continued strength to the introduction the AirPods Pro 3, which is expected to see strong demand among existing users. The new model is rumored to include enhanced immersive audio and health-related features.
However, due to the AirPods Pro's relatively high price point compared to competitors in the market, they're unlikely to drive growth. In fact, Apple is expected lose market share very slightly this year. "A more noticeable increase in volume is expected around 2027, when the standard AirPods and a new ANC-equipped version are released," Counterpoint added.
Counterpoint notes that while Apple remains unmatched in the premium segment, its unit volume growth is increasingly threatened by value-oriented brands such as Xiaomi and JBL, both of which are projected to record double-digit year-over-year shipment growth in 2025. Xiaomi's success is credited to its low-cost pricing strategy and broad global distribution network, while JBL has gained traction in markets like India by offering trusted mid-tier products with aggressive pricing and discounts.
Counterpoint believes that the broader TWS market now mirrors the trajectory of the smartphone sector, with replacement cycles lengthening and demand increasingly tied to ecosystem features and regional price dynamics.
In a new post, the leaker listed the battery capacities of the iPhone 11 Pro Max through to the iPhone 16 Pro Max, and added that the iPhone 17 Pro Max will feature a battery capacity of 5,000mAh:
iPhone 11 Pro Max: 3,969mAh
iPhone 12 Pro Max: 3,687mAh
iPhone 13 Pro Max: 4,352mAh
iPhone 14 Pro Max: 4,323mAh
iPhone 15 Pro Max: 4,422mAh
iPhone 16 Pro Max: 4,676mAh
iPhone 17 Pro Max: ~5,000mAh
The battery life of the iPhone 16 Pro Max is 33 hours, according to Apple. This is up from 29 hours on the iPhone 14 Pro Max, and 28 hours on the iPhone 13 Pro Max. The iPhone 12 Pro Max had a battery life of just 20 hours. With an extra 300mAh of battery capacity, the iPhone 17 Pro Max could be on course to offer around 35 hours of battery life, or perhaps even more. Efficiency improvements from the A19 Pro chip and Qualcomm's Snapdragon X80 modem should also contribute significantly to enhanced battery life.
Apple appears to have joined Meta-owned social media site Threads, two years after Threads first launched. Apple has a verified Threads profile and the @apple handle, but has yet to make any posts. Apple's account has 4.8 million followers, because of its existing followers on Instagram.
It's not clear why Apple has opted to make a Threads account, and there's no word on whether it will actually see use. Apple also has the @apple handle on X, but it uses the account for advertising and does not share content there (though it does on other specific feature accounts). Apple has a similar unused Facebook account.
Apple does have an active @apple Instagram account where it regularly posts Shot on iPhone videos, and an @apple TikTok account for sharing Apple product tips.
When you're not using your iPhone, the Lock Screen is what you see most often. Liquid Glass is everywhere in iOS 26, and it starts right when you pick up your device. The Lock Screen got a Liquid Glass overhaul, plus a few other new features.
Here's what you'll see first when you upgrade to iOS 26.
Liquid Glass
The two customizable control buttons on the Lock Screen are larger and have a floating, glass-like appearance like the other Liquid Glass interface options in iOS 26. The clock has a frosted glass appearance with the new "Glass" option, using lighting effects to make it look like glass in the real world.
Glass can be selected for any of the clock fonts, and you can choose a color to tint the glass. Apple has multiple preset options, or you can select your own.
When you tilt your iPhone, light reflects and glints with the movement, for a realistic glass effect.
Notifications that are on your Lock Screen have a Liquid Glass aesthetic with a frosted glass look that leaves your wallpaper visible behind them.
Clock
In addition to having a Liquid Glass aesthetic, the clock can be resized to better match your iPhone's wallpaper using a new adaptive feature. When you're customizing your Lock Screen, you can grab the corner of the time and drag it down to expand it.
Adjusting the size of the time only works with the first font option, and only with the standard Arabic, Western numbering.
With photo wallpapers, the time can automatically expand to fill in missing space, and it can change based on the image if you have Photo Shuffle set. The subject in photo wallpapers is meant to always be visible, and can overlap the time in unique ways in iOS 26.
There is a Photos watch face for the Apple Watch that also supports time that changes size and position based on the wallpaper.
Wallpaper
There is a new default wallpaper that was designed for iOS 26. It's multiple shades of blue, with the same floating glass aesthetic that the rest of iOS 26 features. The wallpaper can subtly shift with iPhone movement.
It's a small detail, but the icons for selecting different wallpaper categories have been updated to better match the Liquid Glass design.
Spatial Scenes
Aside from the Liquid Glass time, Spatial Scenes are the biggest change to the Lock Screen. 2D photos that you set as wallpaper can be turned into 3D spatial images that separate the subject of the photo from the background using depth information.
When you move your iPhone, Spatial Scenes shift and move along with it, making the images feel alive. Spatial Scenes is a feature in the Photos app too, and it can be added to any image that you've taken with your iPhone, including older ones.
Tap on the small icon with a mountain and a sun to activate the Spatial Scenes setting when choosing a photo wallpaper.
Widgets
Lock Screen widgets can be placed on the top of the display under the time, or at the bottom of the display. In earlier versions of iOS, you could only put widgets at the top of the screen. With the adaptive clock and new wallpaper options, widgets can also shift down automatically to ensure the subject of an image is always visible.
Apple Music
Apple added a new Lock Screen widget for Apple Music search, but there are no other new Lock Screen widget options. What is new, though, is a new full screen Now Playing interface that shows album art. Artwork expands and animates right on the Lock Screen.
Read More
We have a dedicated iOS 26 roundup that goes into detail on all of the new features that are available in the update.
When you're away from home and want to play your Nintendo Switch 2 on a larger display, you can do so if you have a USB-C iPad. All you need is an app and a couple of accessories to get everything connected, as MacRumors videographer Dan Barbera demonstrates.
To use this setup, you need a USB-C iPad that's able to run the latest version of iOS, and a Nintendo Switch. We're demonstrating with Nintendo's new Switch 2, but it also works with the original Switch, plus other Playstation and Xbox consoles.
Along with the iPad and the Switch 2, you need to pick up an HDMI cable and a video capture card dongle, which is easy to get on Amazon for around $20. Along with the hardware, you need to get an app that captures the video feed from your Switch and sends it to your iPad.
We tested Orion, which is free to use, but has a one-time $5 upgrade for extra features like 4K upscaling.
When you have all the components and the software, plug in the Switch 2 dock, then plug the HDMI cable into the dock. The other end of the HDMI cable connects to the video capture card, and the capture card's USB-C cable plugs into the iPad. From there, put the Switch 2 in the dock and power everything on.
You should see your Switch 2's display come up on the iPad, and you're ready to play. There is a little bit of input lag, but it's minimal. You may not want to play online shooters, but offline games should be fine.
In his latest Power On newsletter, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said that the Apple Watch Ultra 3 is on track to launch this year with "significant" new features, including satellite connectivity, which would let you send text messages when Wi-Fi and cellular coverage is unavailable. This feature will work without an iPhone, he said.
Gurman also expects the Apple Watch Ultra 3 to support a special version of 5G for smartwatches. The existing Ultra models support LTE.
Last year, the Apple Watch Ultra 2 received a black titanium case option, but otherwise the Ultra model has not received any hardware upgrades since 2023.
Other likely upgrades for the Apple Watch Ultra 3 include an S10 chip or newer, faster charging, and a wide-angle OLED display that is brighter when viewed from an angle and offers a higher refresh rate for the always-on display mode. All of these improvements were already introduced on the Apple Watch Series 10 last year.
In March, Gurman said Apple was still experiencing issues with a planned blood pressure monitoring feature for the Apple Watch, so it is unclear if that will be ready in time for the Ultra 3, which should launch in a little over two months from now.
There have been multiple rumors about Apple's work on some kind of notebook-sized foldable device. Some have referred to it as a foldable iPad, while others have called it an all-display MacBook. Either way, it appears that development has stopped for the time being while Apple focuses on a foldable iPhone.
Digitimes says that Apple is holding off on the foldable iPad because of manufacturing difficulties, increased production expenses for foldable display technology, and modest consumer demand for larger foldable devices.
If Digitimes is correct and Apple has decided not to work on a larger foldable for the time being, it doesn't mean it's a permanent decision. Apple could revisit a foldable iPad or MacBook when display technology improves enough to become more affordable.
The foldable device was rumored to be between 18.8 inches and 20.2 inches, with OLED display technology and a crease-free design. Information about a potential launch timeline has varied from 2026 to 2028, but it sounds like we could be waiting even longer.
As for the foldable iPhone, it's expected to launch alongside the iPhone 18 Pro models next year.
Below, we recap rumors and other possibilities for this new MacBook.
Chip
The new MacBook will be equipped with the A18 Pro chip, according to Kuo. If so, it would be the first Mac to ever use an A-series chip from an iPhone. (In 2020, Apple did briefly offer developers a Mac mini with the iPad Pro's A12Z chip, to help them prepare for the Mac's transition from Intel processors to Apple silicon).
Introduced in the iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max last year, the A18 Pro chip has a 6-core CPU, a 6-core GPU, and a 16-core Neural Engine.
Unsurprisingly, the A18 Pro chip is around 40% slower than Apple's latest M4 chip. As noted by Jason Snell on Six Colors, however, the chip's multi-core CPU performance is nearly identical to the M1 chip in the 2020 MacBook Air, and the A18 Pro chip even outperforms the M1 chip for graphics. That matters for pricing — see below.
Pricing
Kuo said the new MacBook will be a "more-affordable" model, but he did not provide an exact price point. The current 13-inch MacBook Air starts at $999 in the U.S., so the new MacBook would likely have a starting price of between $699 and $899.
As mentioned above, the A18 Pro chip's performance is similar to the M1 chip in the 2020 MacBook Air, which Apple still sells for $649 through Walmart. Given this MacBook Air model is nearly five years old, it will be discontinued at some point, and the MacBook with an A18 Pro chip could effectively be its replacement sold directly by Apple.
Specs
As noted by Stephen Hackett on 512 Pixels, the A18 Pro chip lacks Thunderbolt support, so the new MacBook would likely be equipped with regular USB-C ports. They would look the same as Thunderbolt ports, but data transfer speeds would be limited to up to 10 Gb/s, and the new MacBook might natively support only a single external display.
iPhones with the A18 Pro chip have only 8GB of RAM, whereas all current MacBook Air and MacBook Pro models start with at least 16GB of RAM.
No other specs have been reported yet, but obviously a lower-priced MacBook will have other limitations compared to MacBook Air and MacBook Pro models.
Design
While this rumor may fuel hopes that Apple is planning to relaunch the discontinued 12-inch MacBook, Kuo said the new MacBook will be equipped with an approximately 13-inch display, matching the smaller MacBook Air.
Still, the new MacBook could have a lot in common with the old 12-inch MacBook in spirit, including an ultra-thin and lightweight design.
Kuo said potential color options for the new MacBook include silver, blue, pink, and yellow, so the laptop could come in bright and fun colors, like the iMac.
Release Date
While he did not provide an exact release date, Kuo expects the more-affordable MacBook to enter mass production towards the end of the fourth quarter of 2025, or early in the first quarter of 2026. He said that shipments of the new MacBook will begin at some point in 2026, so the laptop should be available at some point next year.
Ever since the Mac lineup transitioned from Intel processors to Apple silicon, it has felt somewhat inevitable that Apple would relaunch its plain "MacBook" model. Arm architecture paves the way for an iPhone chip to be used in a Mac, and Apple no longer has to worry about the power efficiency constraints of Intel processors, allowing for the return of a super compact, ultra-thin, and lightweight MacBook for everyday customers.
Biggest design overhaul since iOS 7 with Liquid Glass, plus new Apple Intelligence features and improvements to Messages, Phone, Safari, Shortcuts, and more. Developer beta available now ahead of public beta in July.
Biggest design overhaul since iOS 7 with Liquid Glass, plus new Apple Intelligence features and improvements to Messages, Phone, Safari, Shortcuts, and more. Developer beta available now ahead of public beta in July.
Apple Watch Ultra's existing 
