You can now sign up for a WhatsApp account from your iPad. Photo: WhatsApp
After years of delay, Meta launched a native WhatsApp app for iPad in 2025. A year later, it is adding the ability to sign up for a new WhatsApp account right from the iPad.
WhatsApp will also deliver a superior CarPlay experience, allowing you to hear and respond to messages, see your call history and more.
Apple finally fixes the Hide My Email flaw that allowed others to see the real email address behind an alias. AI image: Google Gemini/Cult of Mac
Apple finally fixed the Hide My Email vulnerability that allowed outsiders to unmask a user’s real address behind an alias. The patch went live on July 3, closing a loophole that Apple knew about for more than a year.
The fix landed only after the bug became public — and a class-action lawsuit followed close behind. But the bigger question is: Why did it take outside pressure to get Apple to fix it?
The Claude Code iOS Simulator lets you watch the AI work on your app in real time. AI image: Google Gemini/Cult of Mac
Anthropic’s AI-powered coding assistant Claude Code just got a lot more visual for iPhone developers. The new Claude Code iOS Simulator streams your app’s screen live while talking to it, as Claude does the heavy lifting for you.
Available as a public beta for Claude Code Desktop on macOS, it requires Apple’s free coding suite Xcode to work. But you can tap through the simulator anytime while Claude keeps working.
The Apple Upgrade leasing program could let you pay for an iPhone like a subscription, but there’s a catch. Photo: Apple
Apple apparently wants you to stop buying iPhones outright, with the rumored Apple Upgrade leasing program the clearest sign of that shift. But code hidden in the iOS 27 beta hints at what happens if you fall behind on an Apple Upgrade payment — and it isn’t pretty.
According to information that leaked Tuesday, Apple Upgrade will enable consumers to pay monthly for an iPhone, Mac, iPad or Apple Watch. To go with that, Apple appears to be working on a system that could restrict a financed iPhone if payments lapse.
Apple seeded the iOS 26.6 Release Candidate to beta testers Monday, signaling that iPhone users should circle July 27 on their calendars. That’s the day beta testing is most likely to end with the full release of the operating system update.
Monday also brought the macOS Tahoe 26.6 Release Candidate, as well as equivalents for iPad, Apple Watch, Apple TV and more. So we also expect the release of these OS updates on July 27.
Would you be interested in getting a Mac like a subscription through Apple Upgrade? AI image: ChatGPT/Cult of Mac
Apple is reportedly preparing a major shake-up in the way customers buy its products. The company plans to launch Apple Upgrade, a subscription-style leasing program that lets customers upgrade to newer devices more easily while lowering monthly payments, next week, according to an unconfirmed report.
It’ll apparently be similar to the long-running iPhone Upgrade Program — which is reportedly getting canceled — but with a much broader range of products covered. There’ll be other differences as well.
An iPhone price increase could hit customers in 2027. Here's why. Image: Cult of Mac
Your next iPhone could cost more, and it won’t be because of rising RAM costs or a fancier camera. TSMC reportedly plans to increase its processor prices by up to 10% starting in 2027, and Apple would have no option but to pay.
This could drive up the amount consumers shell out for a range of Apple devices, not just iPhones. Pricier chips for MacBooks, iPads and more would drive up production costs.
The iPhone 20 Pro Max display could grow to nearly 7 inches if this new leak holds up. AI image: ChatGPT/Cult of Mac
A new leak claims Apple is testing a nearly 7-inch panel that could become the iPhone 20 Pro Max display. If it makes it to production, this would become the largest screen Apple ever put on a phone.
The huge panel would arrive as part of Apple’s 20th-anniversary iPhone lineup next year. Apple hasn’t increased its flagship screen size since 2024, but this could be a real sign that the company is once again planning to do so.
ClickLock malware locks your Mac’s screen until you type in your password. AI image: ChatGPT/Cult of Mac
The nasty new ClickLock malware won’t take no for an answer. It locks up your entire Mac screen and keeps it that way until you type in the password.
The malware already hit victims across 33 countries, and it’s not stopping. Once it gets your password, it targets your Keychain, saved logins and crypto wallets, then plants a backdoor that sticks around for good.
Apple Music integration comes to Volvo cars. AI image: ChatGPT
A new over-the-air update to compatible Volvo cars brings Apple Music integration to the car’s infotainment system. Volvo says more than 2 million cars will benefit from this integration.
As part of the update, new and returning Apple Music subscribers will get up to three months of Apple Music for free.
It's no accident that that Jony Ive’s name never appears in Apple’s OpenAI lawsuit. AI illustration: Midjourney/Cult of Mac
Apple’s trade-secret lawsuit against OpenAI names two former employees and Jony Ive’s startup but scrupulously avoids mentioning the former Apple design chief by name.
This isn’t a legal oversight. It comes down to a complicated mix of factors, including Ive’s closeness with Laurene Powell Jobs and the lousy optics of Apple targeting its most famous designer.
Apple’s Genius Bar Live Notes tool transcribes repair conversations with AI. Photo: Wikipedia
Apple is testing Genius Bar Live Notes, an AI-powered tool that listens to customer conversations at the repair counter. It turns conversation into transcripts and is already running in a handful of stores.
The system is meant to save employees the hassle of scribbling notes mid-repair. But it makes some Genius Bar staff members nervous.
Apple’s “Extreme” Mac Pro was too extreme. AI image: ChatGPT
Apple reportedly planned to use “Extreme” processors in the Mac Pro to deliver unrivaled performance, beating even its “Pro” and “Ultra” chips. But eventually, pricing and demand concerns led the company to scrap the idea.
Besides M2 Extreme and M3 Extreme chips, Apple also worked on an Intel-powered upgrade for the Mac Pro, according information that leaked out on Sunday.
A handful of Apple TV series drive the streamer's impressive audience growth. These are the streamer's hottest dramas, comedies and sci-fi. Image: Apple
Apple TV finally gets the audience it deserves. Or the streaming service is headed in that direction, anyway. In the contest to become the top streamer, Apple TV posted the strongest year-over-year growth of any platform last quarter.
Five shows helped push the streaming service’s audience numbers upward. Anyone looking for the best that Apple TV has to offer needs to be watching these.
Your tunes just got a little more expensive. Image: Apple
Apple Music just became a bit pricier. Apple raised the streaming service’s monthly rate across all subscription tiers on Friday, citing the increasing cost of licensing artists’ music.
The company also jacked up the price of most Apple One bundles, which package Apple Music with subscriptions to other Apple services.
Apple momentarily reclaimed its crown as the world’s most valuable company from Nvidia. Photo: Lyle Kahney/Cult of Mac
Apple briefly became the world’s most valuable publicly traded company once again on Friday before Nvidia reclaimed the top spot.
While Nvidia ended the week with a market cap of $4.912 trillion, just a hair ahead of Apple’s $4.901 trillion valuation, Friday’s trading capped a blockbuster week of gains for AAPL, even as investors pummeled AI-related stocks.
The Hide My Email lawsuit claims Apple knew its address-hiding feature was broken and kept selling anyway. Photo: Apple
Apple is facing a new Hide My Email lawsuit, and it does not look good. A proposed class-action suit claims the company sold customers privacy promises it couldn’t deliver on.
The suit says Apple knew about a certain flaw in its address-hiding feature for more than a year, but kept marketing Hide My Email as airtight privacy the whole time.
Roblox adds AI creation to its promise that “You make the game.” Image: Roblox
Got a game idea but no idea about how to code it? Roblox just made that far easier. The company is now rolling out Build, a new AI game creation tool for iPhone and iPad. Simply type a prompt in plain English, and Build turns it into a playable — no desktop editor required.
Roblox is betting that generative AI can dramatically lower the barrier to game development.
There's so much for iPad fans to look forward to. Image: Cult of Mac/Apple/ChatGPT
Want to know which iPad models will get revamps in the next year? The answer is easy: all of them. Every single one.
An iPad mini upgraded with an OLED is reportedly at the top of the list, and we can look forward it being followed by new versions of the basic iPad, iPad Air and iPad Pro… each before the end of spring 2027.
The roots of World Emoji Day go deep into Apple history. Image: Cult of Mac
World Emoji Day happens on July 17 every year — but why? The holiday’s story takes a circuitous path through Apple history, tying together Mac OS X Jaguar, calendar software, Japanese cellphone carriers, Macworld Expo and Emojipedia creator Jeremy Burge.
Is this the world's smallest 30W USB-C charger? Photo: Chargeasap
Chargeasap calls its new Miko the world’s smallest 30W charger. It’s so tiny that you can clip it to your keyring along with the bundled USB-C cable, so you won’t ever find yourself without a charger or cable.
Apple Maps ads will shut out several business categories when they roll out this summer. Image: Apple
Apple is going to be quite picky about the types of ads it shows in Apple Maps. New advertising rules say plumbers, electricians, locksmiths and roofers can’t buy ads on the navigation app — even though Google happily sells them in its mapping app.
That’s a deliberate distinction from Google’s model, in which home services ads make up one of the biggest categories. And that’s just the start of Apple’s restrictions on ads in Apple Maps and its other services.
As it turns out, Apple wants Maps to feel more like a curated storefront than a search engine.
The unlocked iPhone loophole for T-Mobile and Verizon financing just got shut down. Photo: Apple
Apple closed the unlocked iPhone loophole for T-Mobile and Verizon buyers. If you’ve financed an iPhone through any of these carriers, it used to stay unlocked. Not anymore.
Every iPhone financed through T-Mobile or Verizon will now stay locked to that carrier until you fully pay it off. This is exactly how AT&T’s financing has always worked. It means no more SIM swapping, joining an MVNO or popping in a travel eSIM on the go.
New Mac and iPad buyers are facing an AppleCare+ price increase starting this week. Photo: Apple
Apple is pushing an AppleCare+ price increase, with Mac and iPad owners footing the bill. Sign up for coverage on a new Mac or iPad today, and you’ll pay 50 cents more per month than you would have last week.
The change just went into effect and only affects new AppleCare+ enrollments. If you’re already subscribed, you’ll keep your current rate for now. But Apple hasn’t clarified how long that will last. It’s a small bump, but lands just weeks after Apple hiked hardware prices.
Future AirPods get to keep the trademark slim design. Photo: Apple
Apple’s AirPods appear to have dodged a costly redesign after the European Commission carved out new exemptions to its upcoming replaceable battery rules for portable electronics.
The requirement could have also required changes to the design of the Apple Watch.