The iPhone 16 Pro could sport the world’s slimmest bezels on a smartphone. Its borders will apparently measure just 1.2mm, with the iPhone 16 Pro Max having even slimmer bezels at 1.15mm.
The slimmer bezels should help offset the size increase due to Apple using larger displays on its 2024 iPhones.
This week on Cult of Mac’s podcast: In the near future, your iPhone might look as wild and unique as you want it to. Home Screen customization options, rumored to arrive in iOS 18, could bring a new level of personality to iPhones. And then there’s the AI-generated emoji we’ve been hearing about.
Hold onto your hats, iPhone owners. Things are about to get weird!
Also on The CultCast:
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There are a few hidden gestures on your iPhone that you absolutely need to know. You’re typing out a long text on your iPhone and you need to go back to fix a typo. Tapping on the screen to move the cursor feels like a shot in the dark — but there’s a secret gesture to move around and select text.
Here are three top iPhone tips. Also in this article: how to select and delete a bunch of emails, text messages, anything in a list at once; and the secret gestures that undo and redo. Like, for example, if you accidentally delete a bunch of emails.
As a part of its AI upgrade, Siri in iOS 18 will reportedly enable control of individual apps through your voice. Apple has supposedly upgraded its voice assistant’s underlying architecture using LLMs to achieve this.
Additionally, Apple will process many basic AI tasks on-device in iOS 18 for faster response and a better user experience.
Popular tech influencer Marques Brownlee shared a series of posts on X (formerly Twitter) Wednesday from his visit to Apple labs that do durability testing like iPhone water testing. You’ve probably never seen iPhones this wet. And you’ve probably never subjected yours to such punishment.
Along the way, he fit in an interesting video chat with Apple hardware honcho John Ternus about product reliability versus repairability, below.
In one of the largest surveys on tinnitus so far, University of Michigan researchers participating in the Apple Hearing Study released data and insights Tuesday that could help lead to future treatment.
Tinnitus is the perception of sound, often ringing, that others do not hear.
“The Apple Hearing Study gives us an opportunity that was not possible before to improve our understanding of tinnitus across demographics, aiding current scientific knowledge that can ultimately improve management of tinnitus,” said Rick Neitzel, a University of Michigan School of Public Health professor of environmental health sciences.
iPhone shipments apparently bounced back sharply in China in recent months. Apple reportedly saw a 52% increase in shipments following heavy discounts by third-party retailers.
Since the beginning of 2024, Apple has seen a double-digit decline in iPhone demand in China. A resurgent Huawei also made things difficult for Apple, as the Chinese company registered a sales growth of 69.9% in the first quarter.
iOS 18 reportedly will let iPhone users change app icon colors on the Home Screen. Plus, they would be able to put the icons anywhere they want.
Since iOS’ inception, app icons on iPhone’s Home Screen have snapped to a grid, much to the dismay of some users. However, Apple could finally tweak this behavior with iOS 18.
iOS 17.5.1 went out Monday to patch a nasty bug that could make images completely deleted from an iPhone reappear later. Multiple times. It’s was a problem with a lot of potential for embarrassment.
Tablet users got iPadOS 17.5.1 to fix the same bug. And Tuesday brought tvOS 17.5.1 to fix the problem on Apple TV.
For a limited time, Apple has boosted the trade-in values of old iPhones when buying a new iPhone. The higher trade-in prices will apply until June 3.
Based on the model you are exchanging for your new iPhone, you will get an extra $10-$30 credit.
Apple reportedly found ways to “significantly” slim down the iPhone. The result will reportedly be part of the iPhone 17 series when it reaches customers next year.
The news comes hot on the heels of the M4 iPad Pro, the “thinnest Apple product ever,” according to the iPhone-maker.
Apple showcased some remarkable new accessibility features for people with disabilities Wednesday, including Eye Tracking, Music Haptics and Vocal Shortcuts.
The new features, coming later this year to Apple devices, harness Apple silicon, artificial intelligence and machine learning. They will come mainly to iPhone and iPad, though some new ones will appear in Vision Pro’s visionOS, too.
“We believe deeply in the transformative power of innovation to enrich lives,” said Apple CEO Tim Cook in a press release. “That’s why for nearly 40 years, Apple has championed inclusive design by embedding accessibility at the core of our hardware and software. We’re continuously pushing the boundaries of technology, and these new features reflect our long-standing commitment to delivering the best possible experience to all of our users.”
The iPhone has a one-handed mode for the keyboard and a feature called Reachability for tapping buttons on the top of the screen. Learning how to use both these features can help you shoot out a text or use apps on your phone in one hand while you’re doing something else or walking around with a cup of coffee.
As iPhones continue to get bigger and bigger, these features become ever more important. Here’s how to activate the iPhone’s one-handed keyboard and use Reachability. Keep reading or watch the video.
Apple shined a light on LGBTQ+ communities Monday with its new Pride Collection. It includes a new Apple Watch Pride Edition Braided Solo Loop plus a matching watch face and dynamic iOS and iPadOS wallpapers. In a first, you can customize the watch face and wallpapers by choosing colors.
You can order the new Apple Watch band starting May 22. The watch face and dynamic wallpapers for iOS and iPadOS arrive with an upcoming software update, Apple said.
Apple reportedly plans some big design changes for next year’s iPhone 17 lineup. The changes include a smaller Dynamic Island and a “more complex” aluminum design. The company might even revamp its lineup with the addition of the iPhone 17 Slim.
Tennis love-triangle movie Challengers looks like a contender so far in theaters, but one co-star is getting panned — the iPhone alarm on the sports drama’s soundtrack. Social media shows viewers and listeners saying they find it “triggering,” among other rants.
Maybe that’s not the sort of product placement Apple would prefer, but hey … all press is good press, right?
You can change the name of your Apple devices, whether you have an iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, Mac, AirPods or Apple TV. By default, it’s just “[your name]’s iPhone.” But you can give your iPhone its own unique name, like Kit-Kat or Magic Rectangle.
Also by default, when you set up a new iPhone, the name is transferred. This can get confusing if you keep old phones around because you’ll see “John’s iPhone,” “John’s iPhone (2),” maybe even “John’s iPhone (3)” and more. The same is true for Apple Watch, Mac, iPad and AirPods.
The name of your device shows up among a bunch of Apple features like AirDrop, Find My, Personal Hotspot, AirPlay and more. If you use these features often, giving it a unique name will make it easier to identify.
Here’s how to fix this mess on all your Apple devices. Keep reading or watch our video.
No, you didn’t deactivate the wake-up alarm in your sleep this morning. Apple is aware of a problem that sometimes causes the iPhone’s Clock app to fail to set off alarms.
A fix is on the way.
Apple reportedly will increase the screen size in the iPhone 16 Pro Max. Two tipsters recently revealed mockups of the 6.9-inch version alongside the smaller models in the iPhone 16 series.
If the rumor of a larger iPhone 16 Pro Max proves true, it’ll be among the more significant changes to the iPhone design in years.
It’s possible to remove an Apple ID from your iPhone without a password using UnlockGo.
You can unlock iCloud Activation Lock without a password or the previous owner, remove a forgotten Screen Time passcode without data loss, bypass MDM locks and more. It’s a really powerful app and it’s available for both Mac and PC.
If you get a second-hand iPhone but find out the seller didn’t fully reset it beforehand, UnlockGo will fix it. Here’s how it works.
If you don’t have your phone on silent, you may as well have a fun, custom iPhone ringtone. After all, custom Home Screens and Lock Screens are all the rage — you can create a ringtone that matches your aesthetic.
Between wearing an Apple Watch and leaving my phone muted, I almost never hear my ringtone, but needs and preferences vary. If you don’t wear an Apple Watch and you carry your phone in a bag or purse, a ringtone is the only way you’ll hear a call coming in.
It’s not super straightforward, but here’s how you can make a custom iPhone ringtone out of an MP3 using just your phone. Keep reading below or watch our video.
If you want a game emulator on iPhone, the Delta app is now available on the App Store to play games for Nintendo DS, GameBoy, GameBoy Advance, NES, SNES and N64.
That means you can play classic Nintendo games like Super Mario Bros., Donkey Kong, Zelda, Castlevania, and many, many more.
Download it for free on the App Store or from AltStore PAL in the EU. Playing classic Nintendo games on iPhone has never been easier. You don’t need to jailbreak, sideload through a computer or compile the emulator from source code anymore. And it’s legal-ish.
Here’s how to use Delta. Keep reading below or watch our latest video.
The upcoming iPhone 16 series will have no traditional buttons at all, according to information leaking out of the company that will supply the capacitive buttons that will supposedly replace them.
If true, the change would make the iOS devices more durable and waterproof.
Recover and undelete lost photos from an SD card with Stellar Photo Recovery Premium, a versatile tool that can rescue your work from corrupt files and formatting.
The worst nightmare of every content creator is getting back to your Mac, plugging in your SD card, only to find all your work from a photo shoot is missing.
Stellar Photo Recovery can save the heartache. This tool for Mac and PC can restore photos and videos that have been deleted or corrupted from all kinds of storage media and all major cameras.
It’s available from Stellar’s website with a free trial. The Premium version typically costs $69.99, but Cult of Mac readers get an extra $10 discount.
The long wait for easy access to AirPlay in hotel rooms is over. Sort of. Apple announced Thursday that a hotel chain is supporting the feature that allows iPhone and iPad users to wirelessly stream content to hotel TVs.
It’s a limited rollout, so travelers are left hoping there’ll be wider adoption.