Meta-owned social network Threads was today updated with support for direct messages, a feature that Meta has been testing during June. This is the first time the two-year-old social network has offered a direct messaging option.
Direct messages on Threads are limited to a person's Threads followers or mutual followers from Instagram users who are 18 and older. Meta says that as it expands messaging features, it plans to prioritize safety and positive interactions.
Additional messaging features will be coming in the future, including support for message controls, group messaging, and inbox filters.
Along with direct messaging, Threads is also getting a a highlighter feature that's meant to elevate and emphasize "unique perspectives that lead to thoughtful conversations." Highlighter will show up in content discovery, and will eventually mark trending topics.
Apple has to pay $110.7 million for infringing on wireless patents owned by Spanish company TOT Power Control, reports Reuters. A jury found that transceivers used in Apple devices rely on 3G wireless technology owned by TOT.
TOT was formed by engineer Alvaro Lopez-Medrano, who patented a technology that manages "how power is used to respond to decreases and increases in the ratio of radio signal to interference." TOT does not manufacture any products, and it has also sued LG, Samsung, Verizon, AT&T, and T-Mobile.
In the original filing in 2021, TOT said that it had approached Apple "and its suppliers of wireless baseband processors" to license TOT technology, but Apple and other companies "refused."
Apple claimed that the TOT patents it was accused of infringing were invalid, but it was unable to prove that in court. TOT was seeking damages and ongoing royalties.
Apple told Reuters that it is disappointed with the ruling and that it will appeal.
If you listen to audio using Beats or AirPods when going to bed, iOS 26 has a useful new feature for you. The update adds a "Pause Media When Falling Asleep" option that is designed to shut off your earbuds when you're no longer awake to listen.
Apple mentioned the feature during its Worldwide Developers Conference, but it was highlighted as an AirPods feature. Code discovered by MacRumors contributor Steve Moser suggests that the option is also available for Beats headphones.
The option to pause audio when asleep will save your spot in an audiobook or a podcast, but it should also preserve battery life by preventing your earbuds from staying on all night.
Pausing audio should be on by default when you install iOS 26, but it can be enabled by connecting your headphones to your iPhone and then tapping on them in the Settings app. Apple has not explained how the Beats or AirPods detect that you've fallen asleep.
You'll need iOS 26 to use the option, plus updated firmware that Apple is beta testing. iOS 26 is limited to developers, but a public beta is coming soon. The update will launch this September.
Smartphone maker Nothing today introduced the Headphone (1), the company's first set of over-ear headphones. The new audio accessory was created in partnership with high-end speaker company KEF.
Like most of the Nothing products, the Headphone (1) features a transparent design that lets you see the internal components inside. The see-through look does not work quite as well as it does for a smartphone, and the Headphone (1) will definitely draw attention.
The earpieces are rectangular, with PU-covered memory foam ear cups and an adjustable headband, with the shell made from a mix of plastic and aluminum. There are no distracting glyph lights like there are on the Nothing smartphones.
The Headphone (1) ear cups aren't as large as the ear cups on some other over-ear headphones, and there is a good amount of pressure on the ears that can get uncomfortable over time. The ear cups are where weight is concentrated and they are tight on the head, so you may feel them after a couple hours. The AirPods Max also have a lot of weight in the ear cups, so the fit of the Headphone (1) is similar to the fit of the AirPods Max.
Sound quality is good for a set of headphones priced at $299, and it's not too far off what you'll get with over-ear headphones from companies like Sony, Bose, and Apple. Out of the box, the headphones are heavy on the bass, but the Nothing X app allows for EQ adjustments. Bumping up the mids and highs makes for a much more balanced listening experience.
The Headphone (1) supports Apple-esque features like spatial audio and dynamic head tracking, though you're going to be missing the iCloud-based functionality like automatic pairing and device switching. Active Noise Cancellation is included, and the Headphone (1) fits tightly on the head to minimize sound leakage, so the overall result is a solid sound dampening experience. The headphones are able to scan every 600ms to adapt to external noise.
There are physical control buttons on the Headphone (1), and they can be customized to the functions that you find most useful. There's a paddle button that can be used for audio playback, and a roller for adjusting volume. There's a 3.5mm audio jack along with support for LDAC and USB-C audio. As for battery life, the Headphone (1) lasts for 35 hours with ANC and 80 hours without it.
What do you think of the Headphone (1)? Let us know in the comments below.
Apple today seeded the second betas of upcoming iOS 18.6 and iPadOS 18.6 updates to public beta testers, with the betas coming just a day after Apple provided the betas to developers. Apple has also released a second beta of macOS Sequoia 15.6.
Testers who have signed up for beta updates through Apple's beta site can download iOS 18.6 and iPadOS 18.6 from the Settings app on a compatible device by going to General > Software Update.
No notable features have been found in the developer betas so far, but the iOS 18.6 update will bring additional changes to the App Store in the European Union. Aside from that, the updates likely focus on smaller changes and bug fixes. No new features were found in macOS Sequoia 15.6 either.
Apple is also beta testing iOS 26, iPadOS 26, and macOS Tahoe. While betas are limited to developers right now, a public beta will be coming soon.
Apple and Major League Baseball this week announced the August schedule for Friday Night Baseball, a weekly doubleheader of MLB games streamed on Apple TV+ throughout the 2025 regular game season.
Friday Night Baseball is included with an Apple TV+ subscription, at no additional cost. In the U.S., Apple TV+ costs $9.99 per month or $99 per year, and it is also included in all Apple One subscription bundles with other Apple services.
The full July schedule is as follows:
Friday, 8/1 Milwaukee Brewers at Washington Nationals 6:45 p.m. ET
Houston Astros at Boston Red Sox 7:10 p.m. ET
Friday, 8/8 Cincinnati Reds at Pittsburgh Pirates 6:40 p.m. ET
Houston Astros at New York Yankees 7:05 p.m. ET
Friday, 8/15 Milwaukee Brewers at Cincinnati Reds 6:40 p.m. ET
Texas Rangers at Toronto Blue Jays 7:07 p.m. ET
Friday, 8/22 Kansas City Royals at Detroit Tigers 7:10 p.m. ET
New York Mets at Atlanta Braves 7:15 p.m. ET
Friday, 8/29 Atlanta Braves at Philadelphia Phillies 6:45 p.m. ET
Baltimore Orioles at San Francisco Giants 10:15 p.m. ET
Available in 60 countries, Apple says Friday Night Baseball provides enhanced production quality, expert commentary, no local broadcast restrictions, and more.
Apple is facing renewed antitrust scrutiny in Brazil, where the country's competition regulator has formally recommended sanctions against the company over its App Store rules and restrictions on third-party access to iPhone features, including near-field communication (NFC) technology.
The recommendation was issued by the General Superintendence of Brazil's Administrative Council for Economic Defense (SG/CADE), the technical body of the federal antitrust authority. In a public statement translated from Portuguese, SG/CADE determined that Apple's conduct with iOS constitutes a violation of Brazilian competition law and urged CADE's internal tribunal to impose penalties, including financial fines and mandatory changes to Apple's policies.
The investigation started in 2022 after formal complaints were submitted by Latin American e-commerce platform MercadoLibre and other digital service providers. The companies alleged that Apple engaged in anti-competitive practices by requiring in-app purchases to be made exclusively through its own payment system and by restricting developers from informing users about alternative purchasing options — a practice known as anti-steering.
MercadoLibre further argued that Apple abused its control over the iOS platform by denying third-party access to critical technologies such as the iPhone's NFC chip, effectively limiting mobile payment competition in Brazil. In a statement to the Brazilian technology publication Tecnoblog, Apple said:
For more than 16 years, the App Store has provided our users in Brazil with a safe and trusted marketplace to discover new apps and has helped Brazilian developers build successful businesses. We are concerned that CADE's proposed measures would harm the experience our users love and trust, while also introducing new risks to their privacy and security. We will continue to engage with CADE to defend the rights of users and developers on our platform.
According to Reuters, CADE's technical body has now concluded that Apple's enforcement of these restrictions creates artificial barriers to entry for competitors and harms both developers and consumers. In its ruling, CADE wrote that Apple's practices "artificially preserve its dominant position" in iOS-related markets and reduce the availability of competing digital payment solutions.
CADE's internal tribunal must now decide whether to accept the recommendation and proceed with formal sanctions. If CADE's tribunal upholds the recommendation, Apple could be required to open its NFC technology to third-party payment providers, following similar mandates already imposed in the European Union.
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.
Amazon is discounting numerous models of Apple's M4 iPad Pro this week, including both 11-inch and 13-inch models this time around. Simultaneously, Amazon has the Apple Pencil Pro for $99.00 right now, and it's compatible with these iPad Pro models.
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.
In this sale, the 256GB Wi-Fi 11-inch iPad Pro has hit $899.00, down from $999.00. There are multiple record low prices on 11-inch iPad Pros right now on Amazon, including a steep $380 discount on the high-end 2TB Wi-Fi model with Nano-Texture Glass, now available for $1,719.00.
These iPad Pro models feature Apple's M4 chip, OLED displays, and support for the Apple Pencil Pro and the Magic Keyboard. Don't forget that you can get the Apple Pencil Pro for a match of its all-time low price of $99.00 today on Amazon, down from $129.00.
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 today shared a new ad titled "Snap-a-Mole" in the UAE, Saudi Arabia, and Turkey to highlight the iPhone 16 Pro's Camera Control feature.
The ad shows a photographer quickly grabbing photos with the Camera Control on the iPhone 16 Pro, using gestures to zoom in and change Photographic Styles rapidly. As a key feature of the iPhone 16 lineup, the Camera Control has been the subject of Apple ads in the past. From the latest video's description:
Never miss a shot with Camera Control. An easier way to access your camera, adjust functions like zoom, exposure, or depth of field, and toggle between Photographic Styles.
Apple recorded the highest year-over-year growth among major computer vendors in the United States during the first quarter of 2025, with Mac shipments increasing 28.7% and market share rising from 14.2% to 16.0%, according to newly published data from Canalys.
Shipments of desktops and notebooks to the United States reached 16.9 million units in the first quarter of 2025, representing a 15% increase compared to the same period last year. Apple shipped 2.705 million units, up from 2.102 million in the first quarter of 2024. This gain was the highest among the top five vendors, outpacing Lenovo's 19.9% growth and significantly exceeding Dell's 8.3% and HP's 13.1%. Apple was the only top-five vendor to grow its U.S. market share by more than 1.5 percentage points during the quarter.
The first quarter surge in computer shipments is primarily attributed to vendor efforts to front-load inventory ahead of anticipated U.S. tariff changes. Canalys analysts noted that this proactive sell-in activity resulted in elevated inventory levels across the board. This inventory overhang, combined with increasing economic pressures on consumers, will likely continue to suppress further shipment growth for the remainder of the year.
Canalys projects total U.S. PC shipments to grow by only 2% for full-year 2025, with a more pronounced 4% growth forecast in 2026. According to Canalys, the total number of desktop and notebook shipments in the U.S. in 2024 was approximately 69.2 million units. That figure is expected to rise to 70.4 million units in 2025 and to 73.0 million units in 2026.
Apple is accusing one of its former engineers of stealing confidential design and development information related to the Apple Vision Pro headset and taking it to Snap, according to a lawsuit filed in California.
Apple filed the complaint against Di Liu on June 24, 2025, in Santa Clara County Superior Court, alleging that Liu misappropriated trade secrets during his final days of employment at the company (via SiliconValley.com). Liu had worked at Apple for seven years and was most recently a senior product design engineer. He is accused of downloading thousands of internal files to his personal cloud storage account shortly before his resignation.
According to the lawsuit, Liu informed Apple that he was leaving his position to focus on his health and spend more time with his family. However, Apple alleges that Liu had already accepted a job offer from Snap Inc., the parent company of Snapchat and maker of the "Spectacles" smart glasses. The complaint states that Liu failed to disclose his future employment at Snap, which is ostensibly competing with Apple in the wearable augmented reality space, and thereby avoided triggering Apple's standard protocol of revoking access to internal systems immediately upon notice of employment with a competitor.
During that time, Apple alleges that Liu accessed and copied a "massive volume" of internal documents from his company-issued MacBook, including files related to product design, testing, supply chain strategy, and unreleased features of the Vision Pro. Apple discovered Liu's alleged actions through forensic analysis of his company-issued laptop. Log data from Liu's device apparently shows he manually selected specific folders, renamed them, and uploaded them to his personal cloud account. Apple further claims that Liu deleted files from the same machine in an apparent attempt to conceal the scope of the transfer.
While Snap is not named as a defendant in the suit and is not accused of any misconduct, Apple argues that there is significant overlap between the materials Liu allegedly retained and the nature of his new role. Snap issued a statement in response to press inquiries, denying any connection between the lawsuit and Liu's current responsibilities.
Apple is seeking a court order requiring Liu to return the allegedly stolen materials and allow inspection of his devices and accounts to verify that no Apple confidential information remains. The company is also pursuing unspecified financial damages for breach of contract and misappropriation of trade secrets.
Just as Google Calendar makes it debut on the Apple Watch, the Google Keep app for Apple Watch has been discontinued.
Google Keep is a free note-taking service offered by Google. Version 2.2025.26200 of Google Keep removes the watchOS app, with no other noticeable changes to the app on the iPhone or iPad. Google Keep for Wear OS continues to be available.
Google Keep for Apple Watch had not been updated meaningfully for many years, with no support for many basic platform features such as complications. Meanwhile, with watchOS 26, Apple is bringing its own native Notes app to the Apple Watch for the first time.
The Google Keep app for Apple Watch as it was upon release in 2019.
Yesterday, Google released a Calendar app for the Apple Watch, bringing its native calendar and task functionality to watchOS for the first time. Now, only Google Maps, YouTube Music, and Google Calendar have dedicated watchOS apps.
Apple today sent out surveys to some Vision Pro users, asking them a series of questions about the utility of various features, owned accessories, and most interestingly, competing devices.
Much of the survey asked for feedback on screen resolution, fit, and other factors, but there are some highlights. Apple asked about Guest Mode, whether the Vision Pro iPhone app is useful, and what accessories, if any, are used with the headset.
There were specific questions about competing mixed reality and virtual reality headsets, along with a question about smart glasses. Users were asked if they owned the following: Meta Quest 3, Meta Quest Pro, Other Meta Quest headset, PlayStation VR, Valve Index, or ByteDance Pro. As for smart glasses, Apple asked about the Meta Ray-Ban smart glasses, the Amazon Echo Frames, and the Snapchat Spectacles.
The PlayStation VR and Meta Quest devices are Vision Pro competitors, but Apple does not have a product that is the equivalent of the Meta Ray-Bans or Amazon Echo Frames as of now. Apple wants to compete with those products, though, and rumors suggest that it is developing smart glasses that will be similar in function and form to the Meta Ray-Bans.
Kuo says the smart glasses will have multiple frame and temple material options for a custom look, along with support for voice control, gesture recognition, and audio playback. Integrated cameras will allow users to capture photos and videos, with the cameras also feeding information to a built-in AI assistant that will have environmental awareness. The 2027 smart glasses will be followed by "XR Glasses" with an integrated display for augmented reality features.
As for the Vision Pro, a revised model could come as soon as this year, with Apple adding an M5 chip but no other features. In 2027, Kuo claims Apple will release the "Apple Vision Air," a new Vision Pro model that's "substantially lighter" and less expensive, incorporating an iPhone chip instead of a Mac chip. In 2028, Apple is planning for the second-generation Vision Pro with an overhauled design, Mac-grade processor, and lower price.
Swiss company Proton today filed an antitrust lawsuit against Apple, accusing Apple of violating U.S. antitrust law. Proton is technically joining an existing May 23 class-action lawsuit against Apple that includes several Korean developers, but it has filed its own legal complaint. Proton is known for Proton Mail, an email service that uses client-side encryption for security.
In a blog post explaining the decision to file against Apple, Proton said it wants to make sure that a future settlement or ruling in the class-action suit affects "real changes" to Apple's App Store policies rather than just "cosmetic changes." The lawsuit Proton is joining is seeking monetary damages for developers, but Proton said that any funds it receives will be donated.
Proton claims Apple's App Store fees encourage the "surveillance capitalism business model" used by companies like Meta and Google, while harming smaller privacy-focused companies that don't monetize data. Free apps that exploit data don't pay Apple's fees, but apps that offer services in exchange for money do have to give a cut to Apple.
Proton believes that Apple's control over the App Store gives it too much power over app distribution, which Proton says is an issue when Apple has to comply with government app removal requests in different countries.
Finally, Proton suggests Apple's policies disadvantage end users by controlling the information that developers can provide to customers and by increasing prices that consumers pay. Proton says that it has been unable to link to FAQs and customer support pages from its apps because of Apple's restrictions on links, which is a worse experience for consumers. Proton also argues that it is unable to offer lower prices to customers because it has to pay Apple's fees.
The remedies we are seeking would address many of the social ills mentioned above, ensuring that the internet of the future can continue to protect privacy and democracy. Mobile apps are now the dominant platform of the internet and the way the bulk of the world interacts with one another and with the web. Even if app stores started out as niche markets, today they are a critical component of the internet and fundamental to democracy. It is more essential than ever that we fight to create mobile ecosystems that are truly free, competitive, and not beholden to whichever dictator corporate leaders are currently bowing down to.
Proton's filing includes a long list of requested App Store changes that it asks the court to put in place, including support for distributing apps through alternative app marketplaces and websites, and using alternative payment methods.
Apple failed in its attempt to get the antitrust lawsuit that the U.S. Department of Justice filed against it dismissed, reports Reuters. U.S. District Judge Julien Neals, who is overseeing the case, today denied Apple's motion for dismissal.
Apple asked the court to dismiss the lawsuit in August of last year, arguing that the DOJ's complaint failed to demonstrate anticompetitive conduct, harm to consumers, or that Apple has a monopoly over the U.S. smartphone market.
The government's antitrust case against Apple will take years to play out, but it will now move forward. It is not unusual for a case to fail to be dismissed, because when filing for a dismissal, there are limits on the information that can be provided and cases often go in favor of the plaintiff.
The DOJ accused Apple of a smartphone monopoly in the United States, citing Apple's restriction of third-party access to Apple services and features and claiming that consumers are "locked" into Apple's ecosystem. Apple argues that the DOJ is attempting to force it to spend money on enriching its competitors, and that it is not a monopolist because it faces competition from companies like Samsung and Google.
Apple will now file an answer to the DOJ's initial complaint, and a discovery period will begin where Apple and the DOJ provide documents, expert testimony, and depositions. After that, there will be a summary judgment with additional arguments, and finally, a trial. The case is unlikely to make it to trial until 2028 or even later.
For a reminder about the DOJ's antitrust claims against Apple, we have a dedicated guide that explains the details in the U.S. vs. Apple legal fight.
Note: Due to the political or social nature of the discussion regarding this topic, the discussion thread is located in our Political News forum. All forum members and site visitors are welcome to read and follow the thread, but posting is limited to forum members with at least 100 posts.
Apple may fix its Siri failings by partnering with ChatGPT creator OpenAI or Claude creator Anthropic, reports Bloomberg. Apple has been meeting with OpenAI and Anthropic to discuss a potential deal that would see a third-party large language model used as the backbone for Siri.
Both companies are training versions of their models that would work with Apple's Private Cloud Compute servers, and Apple is running tests, but hasn't made a final decision on whether to abandon Siri. So far, Apple has found that Anthropic's AI models are the best fit for Siri, and Apple and Anthropic have already discussed some preliminary financial terms. Bloomberg says that Anthropic is asking for a multibillion-dollar annual fee that increases over time, which is why Apple is also considering partnering with other companies like OpenAI.
Apple has been training a large language model for a future version of Siri, but it is no secret that Apple has been struggling with AI. Apple previewed several new Siri capabilities at the June 2024 WWDC keynote and advertised the iPhone 16 models with the functionality, but ultimately wasn't able to develop the technology in time.
Apple's work on an LLM version of Siri is separate from the personalized Siri features that are coming in iOS 26. LLM Siri is planned as a follow up to the new features coming in iOS 26, and it will presumably debut in iOS 27 in the fall of 2026.
Partnering with Anthropic or OpenAI would give Apple time to work on its own AI models while still delivering modern AI features that customers have come to expect. Apple already partners with OpenAI to integrate ChatGPT into Siri, and iOS 18 users are able to have Siri pass requests on to ChatGPT for more detailed answers.
Apple is officially ending support for the prior version of Apple Home this year, and the company has been encouraging users to update to the new HomeKit architecture by that time to avoid interruptions with accessories and automations.
So far, Apple has warned that support for the current version of Apple Home is ending soon and asked users to upgrade, but it appears some homes that have yet to transition to the updated architecture will be moved over automatically.
Support for your current version of Apple Home will end this fall. Some homes will be automatically updated at that time, but others need to be updated manually. You can update now to avoid interruptions with your accessories, automations, and critical alerts.
Prior versions of this message did not mention the possibility of an automatic upgrade, but it makes sense for Apple to ensure that HomeKit users who aren't checking the Home app settings won't experience an interruption in service when iOS 26 rolls out this fall. Apple does not clarify the criteria for the automatic upgrade, so it's not clear who will need to do the manual update.
Apple first introduced the updated HomeKit architecture in December 2022, but users ran into issues with missing devices, home sharing invitations that didn't work, and problems with HomeKit Secure Video, so Apple pulled the update. It then rolled out again in March 2023 alongside iOS 16.4, and it has been stable since then.
The new HomeKit architecture does not work on devices that are running older versions of iOS, iPadOS, and macOS, so this fall, some users will be unable to control their HomeKit setups on Apple products that aren't able to run at least iOS 16 or macOS Sonoma.
Apple's HomeKit upgrade adds support for guest access, robot vacuum cleaners, and Activity History. It also offers faster, more reliable performance for smart homes with a lot of HomeKit and Matter accessories installed.
If you haven't upgraded to the new architecture, it can be installed in the Home app by tapping on the More button, choosing Home Settings, and selecting Software Upgrade.
Apple today seeded the second beta of an upcoming macOS Sequoia 15.6 update to developers for testing purposes, with the software coming two weeks after Apple released the first macOS Sequoia 15.6 beta.
Developers can opt-in to the macOS Sequoia beta through the Software Update section of the System Settings app. An Apple ID associated with an Apple Developer account is required to get the beta.
There's no word yet on what's included in macOS Sequoia 15.6, and no new features were discovered in the first beta. Apple's work on macOS Sequoia is winding down as it focuses on macOS Tahoe, the newest version of macOS that's coming in the fall.
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.
The Google Keep app for Apple Watch as it was upon release in 2019.
