Tim Hardwick
Tim is a Senior Editor at MacRumors and has been writing for the site since 2016. Formerly a magazine journalist, his work has appeared in over 30 newsstand print publications and online brands covering a range of topics, from the latest trends in technology to the mysteries of ancient history.
Based in the UK, Tim's current role at MacRumors involves editorial oversight and how tos, in addition to covering daily news and contributing occasional reviews. Tim can be reached at tim@macrumors.com, Telegram (@waxeditorial) or Twitter.
Based in the UK, Tim's current role at MacRumors involves editorial oversight and how tos, in addition to covering daily news and contributing occasional reviews. Tim can be reached at tim@macrumors.com, Telegram (@waxeditorial) or Twitter.
Tim Hardwick's Articles
iOS 27: Access the New iPhone Recovery Screen
Since iOS 26, a malfunctioning iPhone has been able to boot itself into Recovery Assistant, with no Mac or PC required. However, you could only get there if your device failed to start up and dropped into recovery on its own.
In iOS 27, now available to download, Apple has removed that limitation, and you can now manually boot into a Mac-style recovery screen whenever you like.
The new...
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iOS 27 Lets You Hide the Messages Button Everyone Hits by Mistake
If you accidentally press the dictation or voice icon after sending a text in Messages, your music may pause while your iPhone starts listening. It's a small annoyance, but a frequent one, since the dictation/audio icon sits so close to the send arrow that stray taps are almost inevitable. In iOS 27 and iPadOS 27, Apple has finally given you a way to get rid of it.
The issue is one that...
iOS 27: Tone Down Liquid Glass Transparency
If you've never been a fan of Liquid Glass – Apple's glass-like interface effect introduced in iOS 26 – then there's some good news in iOS 27. Apple has added a setting that lets you finely adjust the level of translucency, giving you more control over the look and feel of your iPhone.
Perhaps you find notifications too see-through, or you want to see more of your wallpaper through...
iOS 27 Finally Unlinks Alarm Volume From Your iPhone Ringer
For the better part of two decades, an iPhone's alarm volume has matched its ringer. In other words, if you slide the ringtone volume down to silence your iPhone overnight, you're also turning your alarm's volume down with it. That's no longer the case in iOS 27, which is available to download now.
Settings now includes an "Alarms and Timers" section with its own Match Ringtone Volume...
Set a Custom EQ for Your AirPods in iOS 27
Sony, Bose, and Sennheiser owners have been able to adjust the audio frequency spectrum of their headphones for years, whereas AirPods owners have had to make do with Apple's default tuning. That's no longer the case in iOS 27, which adds a three-band equalizer to the AirPods settings screen. You can download the new update in the Settings app via General ➝ Software Update.
It's worth...
iOS 27's New Compact Clock Gives Your Wallpaper Room to Breathe
In iOS 26, Apple let you stretch the Lock Screen clock down your iPhone's display until it dwarfed everything else. In iOS 27, now available to download, Apple has a new clock option that does the opposite, with the introduction of a compact mode that shrinks the time to roughly the size of the date and tucks it into the row at the top of the screen.
The result is a Lock Screen that...
iOS 27: Find My App Lets You Hide Location From Others Temporarily
Apple's first iOS 27 developer beta, released on Monday, includes a new feature in the Find My app that lets you temporarily hide your location from select people.
A new "Hide Location" option appears in the user's Find My card in the People section, under "My Location." Tapping it hides your location temporarily for 12 hours before reverting to your previous shared location state. When...
iPhone Duo's Vertical Dock Seemingly Limited to Four App Icons
It looks like the iPhone Duo's vertical Dock can currently only house four apps maximum. In his hands-on with the device, Marques Brownlee attempted to add a fifth app to the Dock, but was unable to do so. Apple does not mention the four-app limit in its tech documentation, but those hoping to add a fifth or sixth app to it may be out of luck.
For the iPhone Duo, Apple made the Dock vertical...
Apple's Siri AI Can Be Swapped Out for Claude, ChatGPT, Code Shows
Code sleuth "pdfu" has uncovered iOS 27 and macOS Golden Gate private frameworks that show Apple has designed its new Siri architecture to work with third-party AI models at what appears to be a surprisingly deep level.
One mechanism called Model Delegation allows Claude to appear as a Siri extension in the same way as the existing built-in ChatGPT extension. In pdfu's video, shared on X,...
Gurman: iPhone Duo Likely to Get Face ID, Telephoto Lens by Third Gen
Apple will prioritize adding Face ID and a telephoto lens to future iPhone Duo models, argues Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. The device debuted with Touch ID and dual rear cameras, likely owing to physical constraints.
In his latest Power On newsletter, Gurman says his guess is that Apple will use a combination of component miniaturization and advances in AI to eventually fit them into the iPhone...
iPhone Duo Has a Hidden Display Setting for Case Compatibility
Apple's new iPhone Duo has a special option in its display settings that adds a narrow black border to the left side of the front screen.
Blogger Nicolas Lellouche discovered the setting in the Display & Brightness menu during his hands-on time with the device shortly after Apple's iPhone event stream last week.
The idea behind the "Shift Left Edge" setting – which roughly doubles the...
iPod Touch Released 19 Years Ago Today
The first iPod touch went on general sale on September 14, 2007, nine days after Steve Jobs unveiled it at Apple's "The Beat Goes On" media event. The device brought the iPhone's multi-touch interface, Wi-Fi, and Safari browser to the iPod lineup for the first time, but it lacked cellular phone functionality and a camera.
iPod touch launched at $299 for 8GB and $399 for 16GB, and was pitched...
Gurman: 'iPhone Duo Max' With Bigger Display Likely in Apple's Plans
Bloomberg's Mark Gurman has suggested Apple will release an "iPhone Duo Max" in the coming years, highlighting why Apple chose the "Duo" moniker over other names.
In the months leading up to Apple's iPhone Duo unveiling, Gurman reported that employees within Apple had begun referring to the device as the "iPhone Ultra," possibly having been influenced by media coverage of the device and...
Apple's New 2026 iPhone Lineup: Prices for Every Storage Tier
Apple on September 9 unveiled the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max, alongside the iPhone Duo, its first foldable iPhone. So how much does each device cost across its storage options, and how do those prices compare with the earlier-generation devices Apple continues to sell?
Apple's current iPhone lineup, including the newly announced models, is priced as follows in the United States....
Apple Store Down Ahead of iPhone 18 Pro Pre-Orders
Apple's online store is down ahead of iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max pre-orders, which begin at 5:00 a.m. Pacific Time on Saturday, September 12.
"We love that early energy," reads the Apple Store's message when visiting the U.S. website. "Almost ready for you. Pre-order begins at 5:00 a.m. PT. See you soon." Apple has been opening pre-orders at 5:00 a.m. Pacific Time for several years, ...
iPhone Duo Can Do Split View, But Not Like Your iPad
Apple's iPhone Duo is the first iPhone that can run two apps side by side, but anyone expecting the sort of freedom that Split View offers on iPad might want to temper their expectations.
Apple's iPhone Duo marketing materials talk up app pairs and side-by-side windows, but it doesn't mention anything about resizing them. There's a reason for that.
If you put two apps side by side on the...
'MacBook Ultra' Coming Soon With Touchscreen and 5 Other Changes
Reports and rumors suggest the next high-end MacBook Pro that Apple will release might not be a MacBook Pro at all. It could actually be something altogether new and more exciting – a "MacBook Ultra" – marketed as the company's top-tier laptop offering. The device is likely to sit above the current M5 Pro and M5 Max MacBook Pros, rather than replace them, suggesting that they will remain on...
IMAX Reacts to iPhone Duo's 1:1.4 Aspect Ratio Displays
Production theater company IMAX has responded in a mixed way to Apple's embrace of a 1:1.4 aspect ratio on the iPhone Duo's inner and outer displays. The boxier ratio happens to be very close to the classic "full-frame" IMAX 1.43:1 aspect ratio, which comes from the geometry of the company's original 15-perforation/70mm film system.
In response to an X post from someone wondering if we'll see...
Apple Execs Explain iPhone Duo's Display Design, Secrecy, and Price
In a joint interview with Tom's Guide and TechRadar, new Apple CEO John Ternus and marketing chief Greg Joswiak explained why the company waited until now to release a foldable, its design philosophy, and how it kept the iPhone Duo under wraps.
Ternus said the timing always comes down to when a product idea meets Apple's bar "for quality and durability, but also for design." He said the...
Apple to Pay $250 Per iPhone Duo Foldable Display in Samsung Deal
Samsung Display has signed a three-year exclusive supply agreement with Apple to provide foldable display panels for the iPhone Duo and future models, reports Chinese leaker Instant Digital.
The iPhone Duo is the first device on the market to feature Samsung's M16 OLED material set, said to bring improvements to brightness, color performance, lifespan, and power efficiency over previous OLED...
