Apple Maps ads finally started showing up for iPhone and iPad owners in the United States and Canada this week, and some users are angry — and even threatening to switch to Google Maps.
Sponsored listings now appear inside the Maps app’s search experience, front and center, tagged with a discreet label. But some iPhone owners feel disappointed and even betrayed, saying Apple is prioritizing ad dollars over a pristine user experience.
Jailbreak developers have found a way to run macOS on the iPhone 14 Pro Max. But it works as a virtual machine, not a full swap of iOS. The trick piggybacks on an existing iPad project that was never built with phones in mind.
The update comes from Virtual Mac, an open-source tool that lets some iPads run full macOS. Version 1.2.1 of the project extends the package to the iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max. And, as expected, support is thin, and the trade-offs are real.
Apple could be preparing an iPhone price increase for this fall. The move would follow Google and Samsung, both of which raised prices on their flagship phones this year.
The iPhone faces the same memory and chip shortages that pushed Apple to jack up Mac and iPad prices back in June. And while an iPhone price increase now looks all but certain, Apple appears to be trying to keep the hike modest.
Conventional wisdom says that an iPhone that’s been dropped in water should immediately go into a bowl of dry rice to absorb the excess moisture. Turns out that’s rubbish advice for dealing with a wet iPhone.
Worse yet: It’s actively bad for your device. Here’s what to do instead.
This week on the Cult of Mac podcast: The Apple leaks are getting out of hand! Code in the macOS 26.7 release candidate spills the beans on tons of unreleased Apple products, and that’s just the start.
Tim Cook must be fuming — unless it’s the world’s craziest marketing campaign!
Also on the Cult of Mac podcast:
Listen to this week’s episode of the Cult of Mac podcast 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 version, embedded below and also available on our YouTube channel.
Norton Mobile Security protects iOS and Android devices from many of the modern world’s most insidious tech problems. With AI scam detection, real-time malware defense and Wi-Fi security, it can keep your iPhone from falling prey to bad actors.
For a limited time, you can secure 15 months of Norton Mobile Security for just $19.99 (regularly $37.48).
Apple’s AirPods with cameras just got a lot less mysterious. Buried in the macOS 26.7 release candidate’s code is a hidden framework that reveals exactly how the earbuds will perceive and process the world around you.
The discovery goes far beyond the recently leaked demo video spotted in the same code. It details resolution numbers, capture modes, calibration systems and a built-in privacy light. This gives us the clearest picture yet of the long-rumored AirPods upgrade.
Your iPhone can become a remote control for your iPad. It’s a convenient way to control a film or TV show playing on the tablet without having to get up off the couch.
And this doesn’t require a third-party application. All you need is Control Nearby Devices, a feature built into iOS and iPadOS.
Here’s how to do it.
A new leak says the iPhone 18 Pro Max’s rumored variable-aperture camera won’t make it to the smaller iPhone 18 Pro.
The claim comes from a Weibo leaker with a strong track record on Apple hardware. The leaker also suggests Apple might limit a rumored upgrade to the Pro Max’s telephoto lens to the bigger phone, further widening the gap between this year’s Pro models.
Apple’s A20 Pro chip is shaping up to be a big leap forward. A new leak points to a significant jump in speed with a considerable cut in power use. This is the best look yet at the performance of a processor that will be critical to the success of Apple new flagship smartphones.
Built on TSMC’s 2-nm process, the chip is expected to make its debut in the iPhone 18 Pro lineup this fall. The upgrade should mean serious performance and battery gains, but it likely won’t come cheap.
August 18, 2007: A video goes viral on YouTube when 23-year-old internet personality Justine Ezarik, aka iJustine, posts a 300-page iPhone bill mailed to her in a box by AT&T.
The video of her reaction to the outrageous bill — which lists every single action that consumed cellular data on Ezarik’s brand-new iPhone — quickly racks up 3 million views and receives extensive media coverage. (You can watch it below.)
WhatsApp is reportedly working on custom emoji reactions for iPhone. The feature would let users change the app’s six default reactions to emojis they like.
Right now, every iPhone owner sees the same six icons when they long-press a message. But the upcoming tool would let people build a reaction tray that actually matches how they text.
Apple wants your iPhone to know when to bug you and when to back off. A newly published Apple AI interruption patent describes a system that keeps an eye on what you’re doing and nudges you only when your behavior calls for it.
The filing, published this month, pairs this very idea with another feature. It turns your recent activity into a quick summary that you can check later instead of interrupting whatever you’re doing on your iPhone. Together, the two pieces do read like a blueprint for smarter Reduce Interruptions and notification summaries.
Nothing illustrates the power of Apple’s ecosystem like the Continuity features that help your Mac, iPhone, iPad and Apple Watch work seamlessly together.
Thanks to Continuity, your iPhone can serve as your Mac’s webcam — and you can remotely control your iPhone from your Mac. You can start an email on one device and instantly pick it up on another. You can use the same keyboard and mouse with a Mac and iPad, copy and paste across devices and more.
These features flex the power of Apple’s hardware and software — and they would never be possible on a PC.
In this post (and the accompanying video), I will show you some of the time-saving, annoyance-busting Continuity features you can enjoy when you go all-in on the Apple ecosystem.
SpaceXAI launched Grok Bot for iPhone and Mac in beta on Tuesday, giving some subscribers access to AI agents that can handle real tasks across apps, inboxes and websites.
Each bot runs on its own cloud computer, meaning a task keeps moving even after you close your laptop.
Apple is building a new way to prove your iPhone photos are real. Called Apple Reference Image, it could become a highlight of iOS 27. The tool is designed to verify whether a photo was actually captured by the iPhone’s camera, not an AI generator.
It showed up in a privacy disclosure buried in iOS 27 beta 5.
Contrary to an analyst’s claim, Apple still plans to launch an all-glass iPhone on its 20th anniversary in 2027.
“The company expects to launch iPhone Pro models next year that will make use of a new glassy look,” wrote Mark Gurman in a Bloomberg report on Monday. Apple tested a version with even more glass but scrapped the plan early on due to design and manufacturing problems.
Apple is reportedly testing Chinese memory chips for possible use in future iPhones and MacBooks. The move comes as the company scrambles to secure memory supply during a global shortage.
The tests, which might span multiple product lineups, follows early talks with Chinese chipmaker ChangXin Memory Technologies about supplying components. Apple also seems to be seeking approval from the White House before moving forward with deals involving devices sold in China.
The iPhone’s Lock Screen has always played by Apple’s rules. That changes with iOS 27, which hands far more design choices to iPhone users.
The upcoming update adds four new tools. You can generate AI wallpapers, stretch photos to fit properly, move the clock and hide the Now Playing widget. It’s the most flexible the iPhone Lock Screen has ever been.
Apple planned to make the iPhone upgrade process more seamless by shipping customers new devices with all their data and settings preloaded.
While the idea sounded simple, the company eventually scrapped it due to privacy concerns and the complexities involved.
With automatic mail categorization in Apple Mail, you can organize your emails and keep your personal inbox less cluttered. It’ll intelligently put all your newsletters, receipts and promotions into separate folders.
If you struggle keeping up with your inbox, this feature is a great way to make your email easier to understand at a glance.
Keep reading below or watch our quick video.
Thinking about upgrading to an iPhone 18 this fall? Apple just made the decision a little easier.
The company increased the max trade-in values for most iPhone, Mac, iPad and Apple Watch models in the United States, marking the latest value bump this year. The higher payouts let customers put more money toward a new device, whether they’re buying outright or through the new Apple Upgrade program.
Charging your iPhone to 100% won’t instantly fry your battery. But regularly keeping it at full charge for hours matters more than you might think.
The real culprit isn’t the charge itself — it’s how long your phone stays plugged in at maximum capacity. Apple’s built-in tools do help, but temperature and charging habits matter even more.
Three recently discovered WebKit privacy leaks expose users’ real IP addresses on iPhone and Mac, even when they use a proxy browser or iCloud Private Relay, according to a new report.
This would mean Apple’s trusted privacy tools aren’t working as advertised. If you’ve relied on proxy browsers for anonymity or iCloud Private Relay for privacy, that protection apparently has some serious gaps.
A handful of small but real changes are coming to Apple’s next budget iPhone, with iPhone 18e rumors pointing to a new chip and a RAM configuration nobody expected. None of it amounts to a redesign – this is still a budget phone, just slightly better.
The extra memory is the most interesting shift, but it comes with a catch. Most other specs, including the screen and camera, look set to carry over largely unchanged from the iPhone 17e. Here’s everything reported so far, and how solid each claim actually is.