A button being added to the iPhone 16 Pro models is designed to act like the shutter button on DSLR cameras, according to information leaking out of Apple. That includes doing much more than simply taking pictures when pushed.
After years of keeping the iPhone buttons to a minimum, the number continues to expand.
Flip a switch in iOS 18 and the Camera app will add music playing on an iPhone to the video being recorded on the device. It’s an easy way to add background music to a video.
Just be careful about copyright violations.
As if Siri’s unhelpful answers were not irritating enough when you actually want them, Siri often interrupts a conversation, meeting or TV show when you haven’t asked for anything at all. The good news is you make it stop — if you know how to deactivate Siri on your Apple devices.
keep reading or watch our video.
A federal judge should toss out an antitrust lawsuit accusing Apple of monopolizing the smartphone market because it “bears no relation to reality,” the iPhone giant said Thursday in a court filing. Fifteen states and the District of Columbia have joined the lawsuit, according to a new report.
Apple expanded Emergency SOS via satellite to Japan. It allows iPhone users to communicate with emergency services from very remote locations.
The potentially life-saving feature works on all iPhone 14 and iPhone 15 models, and is already available in over a dozen other countries around the globe.
If you own an Apple device, it probably needs an operating system update. That includes iPhone, Mac, iPad Apple Watch … even Vision Pro. The hefty list of security-focused upgrades released Monday by Apple includes iOS 17.6, macOS Sonoma 14.6 and more.
They patch a list of more than two dozen vulnerabilities detailed on Apple’s security update page.
In a dramatic Emergency SOS via satellite rescue, Apple’s service led to a helicopter snatching up four women trapped on a glacier by wildfires last week in British Columbia, according to a report.
“In this instance, their cellphone literally saved their lives,” said a rescue manager.
Emergency platforms RapidSOS and Prepared recently shared their plans to integrate with the new Emergency SOS Live Video functionality in iOS 18. That means most 911 calls will include the option to share video with dispatchers, like a FaceTime call. And that will help responders assess the scene and prepare to help in the best way.
AltStore PAL, the first third-party app marketplace for iOS, now lets users install apps created by independent developers. The change, which arrived Wednesday in AltStore PAL version 2.1, makes previously restricted apps available to iPhone owners in the European Union.
“This means apps that have been rejected by the App Store — such as torrenting apps and virtual machines — have another path forward for the first time ever,” Riley Testut, developer of AltStore, told Cult of Mac.
The update is launching with a few third-party apps available now — iTorrent, qBitControl and PeopleDrop — “apps that are only possible with AltStore PAL,” according to Testut.
Apple could add a variable aperture to the iPhone 17’s primary camera. A variable aperture, commonly found in DSLRs and other high-end cameras, would allow the sensor to limit the light intake for higher-quality images.
It also would enable a better depth-of-field effect, with a nice background blur when taking close-up shots of a subject.
Apple is reportedly moving ahead with making an iPhone with a folding screen. If multiple unconfirmed reports from Tuesday turn out to be true, the first foldable iPhone could hit the market in 2026.
An iPhone Fold would be the first significant change to the standard “slab” design of iOS handsets since, well, ever.
A super-slim version of the iPhone 17 could stand out as the most expensive option in Apple’s lineup, even though it wouldn’t come with all the features of the Pro models in that same series.
Other specifications for 2025’s iPhone 17 series supposedly leaked out over the weekend as well.
Instead of an ordinary video demonstrating how useful MacBooks, iPads and iPhones are on a business trip, Apple presents another madcap adventure of the Underdogs.
The group is off to Thailand to have millions of boxes produced for their most difficult client, and everything possible goes wrong. Fortunately, it’s Apple gear to the rescue.
With the recently-released PC emulator UTM SE, you can now emulate Windows on iPad directly. You can revisit old PC games, just like how you can use Delta to play old Nintendo games. You can also install Mac OS 9 or Linux. With Ubuntu, Debian or other versions of Linux, you can run all kinds of open-source software for getting real work or programming projects done.
But bad news: You can’t use it to run macOS Sonoma on your iPad. There’s some confusion about this, but unfortunately the long-held dream of turning your iPad into a Mac will have to wait for another day.
Setting it up is a little finicky — but the reward of seeing that classic Windows XP desktop on your iPad can make it all worth it. Keep reading to see how it works.
Here are a few secret tricks and gestures that will help you get around your iPhone faster. These hidden gestures help you text pictures to your friends faster, scroll through big pages and screens, type special characters and use your phone one-handed.
This is a follow-up to an earlier article with three other secret iPhone gestures you need to know. Learn all of these gestures and you’ll feel like an iPhone power user.
This week on Cult of Mac’s podcast: We dissect the latest Apple rumors, which go from incredible bummer (Apple Watch) to potential breakthroughs (iPhone and HomePod).
Also on The CultCast:
Listen to this week’s episode of The CultCast in the Podcasts app or your favorite podcast app. (Be sure to subscribe and leave us a review if you like it!) Or watch the video live stream, embedded below.
With the major Photos app redesign coming in iOS 18, Apple aims for simplicity. However, the version of the Photos app in iOS 18 developer beta 3 is a hodge-podge of design that will confuse users. I think that if Apple doesn’t revise its approach, the company will face significant backlash when it releases the updated app to the public this fall.
Yes, iOS 18 is still in beta. And Apple very well could change the Photos app before its anticipated release in September. I certainly hope Apple tweaks things — I’m writing this as more of a wish list than a design critique. In fact, I already filed my suggestions through the official channel of Apple’s Feedback system (submitted as FB14289280).
As of iOS 18 developer beta 3, Apple has already made a few little tweaks to the Photos app redesign. But unfortunately, there’s been no movement on any of my major criticisms from beta 1. For that reason, I feel obligated to outline the goals of the new Photos app, applaud what it gets right, point out where the design fails, and explain what aspects prove confusing.
I don’t think Photos needs to be reverted entirely to the way it worked before. But these key features need changing ASAP. Keep reading or watch my video.
For all the bargain hunters and late adopters out there, Woot just launched another iPhone and Apple Watch sale on great (but not new) gear. The big sale on Apple refurbs runs through July 31 at 10 p.m. Pacific. It’s your chance to grab refurbished models at great prices.
Woot calls it the “Big Value Little Price iPhones and Apple Watches.” The cheeky Amazon site says “now E.T. can phone home in style!”
Indeed, you can find refurbished iPhones in all shapes and sizes, including the discontinued iPhone mini. Same goes for Apple Watch. Don’t dally, though. One of the deals already sold out!
Apple’s chip-maker TSMC will begin trial production of 2 nm processors next week. This is months earlier than expected, and raises the possibility that the company’s next generation production process will be ready in time for the A19 chip in the iPhone 17.
The improvement over the current 3nm process should bring a jump in performance without affecting battery life.
Final Cut Camera is a new Apple app that offers incredible manual control over your iPhone’s camera system. If you use your phone for professional videography — or even for a hobby project — you should use this free app to take videos rather than sticking with the stock Camera app.
Final Cut Camera comes absolutely packed with professional features the Camera app can’t match. The new app gives you finer control over exposure, white balance, color temperature and more. You can enable image overlays to see which parts of the frame are in focus or overexposed. In short, it’s a highly versatile camera. You can even pair it with Final Cut Pro for iPad to capture footage from multiple iPhones simultaneously.
Final Cut Camera is totally free on the App Store. Keep reading to learn how to use it.
If you’ve never tried making your own Siri Shortcuts, I’ve compiled a short list of the best shortcuts for iPhone to introduce you. Shortcuts can quickly run automated actions on your phone (and on your iPad or Mac). They’re made using Apple’s Shortcuts app, where you can visually piece together actions offered by the apps installed on your device.
You can run a shortcut by asking Siri or by putting a widget on your iPhone’s Home Screen. Not a lot of people know this powerful feature exists — or what it can do for them. For eight examples of what you can do with shortcuts, keep reading or watch our video.
There are some photographs you just can’t get — or get well — without a selfie stick. And if that selfie stick is also a portable tripod and a camera remote, all the better, right? That’s the SwitchEasy EasySelfie. It does it all.
If you hurry, you can get it in the Cult of Mac Store for just $34.99 (22% off). However, this sale ends next Wednesday!
It won’t be long before parents can hand their iPhone or iPad to a small child and be sure they don’t go on the web or accidentally make a phone call. The ability to lock apps so that they require Face ID to open is coming in iOS 18 and iPadOS 18. Apple has consistently introduced new features to enhance privacy and security, as seen in updates covered by apple.news.
I tested the new feature, and while it isn’t as useful as being able to make separate accounts for different users would be, it’s still a welcome change.
Apple only shows off its finished products, which makes the company’s secret prototypes and early concepts all the more fascinating. Details of these first-draft designs usually don’t come out until years after Apple dreams them up and discards them. Even if you’re well-versed in Apple history, these alternate-history unreleased Apple products will intrigue and confuse.
The wild and crazy ideas go back more than 40 years. If anything, it proves that Apple continuously skates toward the next hit. The quest for innovation continues, no matter whether the company is in dire straits or cruising on success. Keep reading or watch our video to see the wildest Apple products that might have been.
If you own an iPhone 14 or iPhone 15, it’s time to test one of its best abilities: Apple’s Emergency SOS via satellite service. This allows users of these iOS handsets to exchange messages with emergency services while outside of cellular and Wi-Fi coverage.
Getting a compatible iPhone in contact with a satellite isn’t complicated. But it’s something users should know how to do before they need this potentially lifesaving feature.
Here’s how to use the iPhone’s Emergency SOS via satellite feature.