What does 36 hours of video playback actually mean for your iPhone battery life? After analyzing specs for 55 iPhone models, one thing is clear: Apple’s new “typical use” metric is long overdue.

A zero-day CoreGraphics exploit is being used in “extremely sophisticated attacks against specific targeted individuals.” Apple has patched it in iOS 26.7.1 and related updates, while OS 27.0.1…

Skeptical about how fast AI is really moving? This chronological tour by AI researcher Simon Willison, documenting 2026’s LLM developments, may change your mind.

Apple has come up with a clever solution to a problem most users never knew existed: shipping restrictions surrounding single-cell lithium-ion batteries over 20 watt-hours in capacity.

If you use a digital car key on your iPhone, don’t assume it will transfer automatically when you switch to a new iPhone. Here’s what happened when Adam Engst’s Hyundai IONIQ 5 key didn’t make the…

Did you buy an iPhone 15 Pro or iPhone 16 expecting Siri features that never arrived? You may be owed $25–$95 per device from Apple's class-action settlement. Here's how to file your claim before the…

You can export an Apple Intelligence Report that reveals how Apple formulates requests on your behalf to perform tasks and take actions with Siri AI and Apple Intelligence in OS 27. It requires an…

Adam Engst shares his experience setting up a new iPhone 18 Pro and Apple Watch Series 12, including the best restoration method, Google account chaos, Apple Pay verification hassles, and a surprise…

iOS 27 finally adds a few text-editing commands to dictation—something Adam Engst suggested six years ago. A broken bone in his wrist gave him the chance to test these improvements extensively, along…

David Pogue’s comprehensive testing of 125 Siri AI requests reveals what Apple’s revamped assistant can handle and where it still falls short. Share your own experiences in the comments.

Apple has added an option in iOS 27 that lets you share one eSIM with two iPhones, allowing each to function—one at a time—as your incoming phone line, destination for messages, and Find My location.…

Apple has released the first versions of its 2027 operating systems—macOS 27 Golden Gate, iOS 27, iPadOS 27, watchOS 27, visionOS 27, tvOS 27, and HomePod Software 27. You might want to upgrade right…

Apple released iOS 26.6.2 and iPadOS 26.6.2 to fix a bug that prevented downloading software updates over cellular. If you plan to upgrade to iOS 27 using cellular data, install this update first via…

Apple’s first folding iPhone, the $1999 iPhone Duo, opens from a 5.4-inch outer display to a 7.6-inch inner screen—nearly iPad mini size—in a passport-like form factor. Pre-orders begin 16 October…

Apple’s iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max pair the faster A20 Pro chip with a variable-aperture Fusion Main camera, a smaller, more capable Dynamic Island, longer battery life, and higher prices, while…

Apple’s iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max pair the faster A20 Pro chip with a variable-aperture Fusion Main camera, a smaller, more capable Dynamic Island, longer battery life, and higher prices, while…

Apple’s new Apple Watch Series 12 and Ultra 4 pair redesigned health sensors with the S11 chip for denser heart-rate data, Readiness scores, and Audio Intelligence, while Ultra 4 gains substantially…

Apple’s AirPods 5 bring Active Noise Cancellation to both models, improve water resistance to IP57, and add more AirPods Pro features, while the higher-end version offers longer battery life,…

Comcast is promoting the WiFi Motion feature of its free Xfinity Shield service, which uses Wi-Fi signals to detect movement in your home. It’s opt-in, but the underlying technology could…

Apple has raised Apple TV subscription prices by $2 per month, marking the second significant increase in as many years. The annual plan jumps $20, from $99 to $119.

We’re taking a brief break from building an email issue of TidBITS next week for the Labor Day holiday in the United States, so look for the next issue in your mailbox on 14 September 2026. Check our…

Apple has announced its annual iPhone event for 9 September 2026. The “Surprise and Shine” event will be CEO John Ternus’s first product launch, with rumors pointing to a foldable iPhone alongside…

A Vermont road trip in the Hyundai IONIQ 5 revealed the joy of the car’s speed limiter feature, the frustration of short Tesla Supercharger cables on older stations, the importance of downloading…

On 2 September 2026 at 11:30 AM EDT, veteran tech journalist David Pogue discusses his latest book, Apple: The First 50 Years, at a free NMUG presentation.

Apple surprised everyone with a late August announcement of the M6 and M5 Ultra chips, along with updated Mac mini and Mac Studio models. The new Macs deliver substantial performance gains—but at…

USB-C cables look alike but vary wildly in capability. WhatCable, a free utility for Apple silicon Macs, shows you exactly what each cable supports for charging, data transfer, and display. The paid…

Have you ever suspected macOS of silently changing your settings during an update? Adam Engst’s free SetShot captures and compares snapshots of your Mac’s configuration so you can catch those…

The TidBITS search engine now sports AI-generated summaries above the usual results, courtesy of a beta feature from Jetpack Search. The question is whether these AI Answers are worth the screen real…

Four new Apple security updates bring macOS 26.6.2 Tahoe, iOS/iPadOS 26.6.1, and iOS/iPadOS 18.7.10 into sync with fixes from the OS 27 betas. AI-assisted research contributed a notable share of the…

HyperCard once let non-programmers build real software, but nothing since has matched it—until now. Adam Engst discovers that AI development tools like Claude Code and Codex finally let him create…

Need a new Mac? The global chip shortage means some configurations now take months to arrive. We look at Apple’s current delivery estimates and offer strategies for those who can’t afford to wait...

Tired of checking Terminal to see if your script finished? TerminalWidget displays command line output, Shortcuts results, and AppleScript data as customizable widgets that sync across your Apple devices,...

Apple has released updates to macOS 26.6.1, 15.7.9, and 14.8.9 to fix a Screen Sharing vulnerability that could let an attacker “on the network” connect without valid credentials. Update soon.

SuperDuper 4 might be the first backup app that tells you in plain English exactly what it’s going to do and what it has done. Developer Dave Nanian’s new “narrative” interface embeds documentation...

In Tim Cook’s final earnings call as CEO, Apple posted a record $109.4 billion quarter, but behind Apple’s AI hype and “phenomenal” reviews lie supply constraints driven by poor predictions, skyrocketing...

Apple’s new Apple Upgrade program, run through Klarna, lets US customers lease iPhones, iPads, Apple Watches, and Macs for monthly fees. It replaces the iPhone Upgrade Program, but unlike that program,...

Apple’s latest updates patch an unprecedented number of security vulnerabilities while optimizing the Spotlight index in preparation for OS 27 and fixing bugs affecting Messages screenshots, Intel-based...

The ohSnap Snap Grip is a cleverly designed MagSafe accessory that helps you hold your iPhone more securely. After months of testing, Adam Engst found it most useful for one specific situation: reading...

An OpenAI model being tested for cybersecurity capabilities decided to cheat rather than solve its assigned test, breaking out of its sandbox and hacking into Hugging Face to steal the answers. Simon...

AI has made it vastly easier to build apps and pitch them to publications like TidBITS for review. But we don’t have the time or brain space to look at everything, so here’s how developers can improve...

Ready for a glimpse into our future as Apple users? Public betas for macOS 27 Golden Gate, iOS 27, iPadOS 27, and other major Apple operating systems are now available—but beware of bugs and be sure...

Apple has finally completed its silicon transition: macOS 27 drops all Intel-based Macs, and iPadOS 27 and watchOS 27 each leave five models by the wayside, whereas the iPhone compatibility list remains...

Apple has raised prices for Apple Music and most Apple One bundles, citing rising licensing costs. AppleCare+ prices also increased, presumably to keep pace with rising component costs.

Tired of clunky email triage on your iPhone? Avec’s swipe-based interface lets you quickly sort important messages from noise, using AI to prioritize what matters. It’s Gmail-only and iPhone-only...

OpenAI has replaced its Mac apps with a confusing 1.45 GB amalgamation, killed its ChatGPT Atlas Web browser after less than a year, and boosted ChatGPT Voice by backing it with more capable models.

Can’t stream a YouTube video on a plane? Worried that a rare concert recording will disappear? Need to edit a clip for a presentation? Here’s why TidBITS Talk readers download YouTube videos—and...

After a mostly successful first EV road trip, Adam Engst refined his approach for a weekend drive to Boston. The result was a boring, stress-free experience—exactly what you want from travel logistics.

Audiofile Engineering’s Fidelia plays your music collection with bit-perfect accuracy and lets you shape the sound through Audio Units, equalization, and headphone virtualization. It’s not for everyone—but...

Our poll results are in: virtually no TidBITS readers use clear or tinted icons on the Mac or the iPhone. But the real issue isn’t color—it’s that Apple’s mandatory squircle shape strips icons...

Apple’s Hide My Email feature has a vulnerability that does exactly what the name says it shouldn’t: reveal your real email address. Worse, Apple has ignored reports of the flaw for over a year.