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
iCloud+ Gains Three Additional Perks in Select Countries
If you pay for iCloud+ in one of more than 100 countries, your storage plan is about to get a lot more interesting.
Apple is folding Apple TV and Apple Arcade into every paid iCloud+ plan in select markets, including the lowest 50GB tier. If you have Family Sharing enabled, iCloud+ passes the same benefits along to five other people.
There's a third perk, too. Apple Music Select is a new...
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Apple's Weirdest iTunes Walk-Back Turns 12 Today
12 years ago today, Apple published a web page with one job: to make a U2 album go away. On September 9, 2014, at Apple's iPhone 6 event, Tim Cook revealed that "Songs of Innocence" would be given to every iTunes customer for nothing. The album was directly linked to accounts, and devices set to "download automatically" got it without asking.
Complaints quickly followed, and on September 15,...
Moof! Apple Snuck a Dogcow Into iOS 27 - Here's How to Find It
If you have installed iOS 27 on your iPhone or iPadOS 27 on your iPad (download it via Settings ➝ General ➝ Software Update), Apple left a fun little easter egg for you to discover.
Open the Settings app, then tap through to Appearance ➝ Liquid Glass. Scroll to the bottom of the "Welcome to Apple Park" sample images, and when you hit the last image, keep dragging up with your finger...
iPhone 18 Pro Pre-Orders Off to a Muted Start, Analyst Says
Initial wait times for Apple's iPhone 18 Pro models in the pre-order phase are "lukewarm," according to GF Securities analyst Jeff Pu, who has subsequently trimmed his production estimates for both the company's Pro lineup and the foldable iPhone Duo.
iPhone 18 Pro pre-orders opened on September 12 in the U.S. and many other countries, and there's now a 3-4 week wait time for iPhone 18 Pro...
iCloud+ Now Includes Apple TV, Apple Arcade, and Curated Apple Music Stations in Over 100 Countries
Apple today announced a new subscription initiative that turns paid iCloud+ subscriptions into a broader services bundle in more than 100 countries.
In select countries, Apple says every paid iCloud+ plan, including the cheapest 50GB tier, now includes Apple TV and Apple Arcade "at no additional cost," while family sharing extends the storage, TV and Arcade access to up to five people....
iOS 27 Brings These Five New Features to Your iPhone Lock Screen
Apple released iOS 27 on Monday, September 14, and while the headline-grabbing Siri overhaul has received the most attention, the Lock Screen has picked up several refinements that you may not have heard about.
Some are brand-new additions, while others are tweaks to features Apple introduced in iOS 26, but together they give you more control over how your Lock Screen looks and behaves....
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...
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....
