Google Photos’ advanced editing tools will now play better with HDR photos. They preserve both the dynamic range and HDR metadata after edits.
The photo backup tool is also gaining a new “Ultra HDR” tool. It will enable you to control the brightness of HDR images.
Apple TV+ heats up this summer with the true-crime drama Smoke season 1 igniting small screens everywhere Friday, with investigators on the trail of two serial arsonists. The streamer recently revealed a first look and a trailer, below, for the nine-episode series, starring and executive produced by Taron Egerton. And now you can watch the show on Apple TV+.
Inspired by the popular podcast Firebug, Smoke reunites the creative team behind Apple’s critically acclaimed limited psycho-drama Black Bird. It should appeal to fans of crime dramas, psychological thrillers and the previous Dennis Lehane-Egerton collaboration on Black Bird. Smoke looks like a must-watch addition to the Apple TV+ lineup.
Update 2: Smoke streams as of Friday, June 27, on Apple TV+. Reviews so far are mixed but leaning positive. The Boston Globe said the show “stretches too much story over too many episodes.” But The Guardian said “no TV show has ever been worth sticking with more,” adding the “smart, mesmerizing and hugely entertaining” series more than pays off after the first two somewhat shaky episodes.
Update 1: Apple TV+ just released a new trailer for upcoming drama series Smoke. Clocking in at just over 2 minutes, the tense trailer pits two would-be allies — the Fire Dept. arson investigator played by Egerton and the Police crime scene expert played by Jurnee Smollett — against each other in a psychological game with a timer on it. When will the arsonists, whoever they are, kill again? And at least one of them might be Egerton’s character.
To avoid further penalties under the European Union’s Digital Markets Act, Apple has announced sweeping changes to its App Store guidelines for the EU.
However, it’s not happy with the EU’s additional demands and plans to appeal against this.
Apple celebrated 20 years of Apple podcasts on Thursday by unveiling a curated collection of 20 shows that it said helped shape the medium into what it is today. The first podcasts in iTunes debuted back in 2005, before the name “Apple Podcasts” became a thing. This new list is like a roadmap to quality content that goes back in time.
“This list is a love letter to the podcasts that left a lasting impact on us and the ones we continue to recommend again and again,” the streamer wrote. “They are shows with hosts that feel like friends, and shows that make us press play immediately on the latest episode to hear what happens next. These shows have measurably improved our lives and helped define this medium we know and love.”
You don’t need to wait until September to see the four models in the iPhone 17 series. Images of them leaked out already, including a new glamour shot showing the entire collection, including the slim model likely called the iPhone 17 Air.
A highlight of the image is the rumored move from a camera hump to a camera bar in most of Apple’s upcoming handsets.
The goal of the new Targus VersaVu line is to upgrade the latest iPad models to a laptop-like experience. Plus, the slim keyboard case allows users to type on their tablet in either landscape or portrait mode.
It boasts a backlit keyboard, a trackpad and an adjustable kickstand.
With every new iOS and macOS release, Apple deepens the integration between its mobile and desktop operating systems. iOS 26 is no different, building on the iPhone Mirroring feature introduced in iOS 18 and macOS Sequoia.
Check out all the new cross-device features and integrations that iOS 26 and macOS 26 (aka Tahoe) bring.
Apple’s walled garden approach means you can’t use the Apple Watch with a smartphone other than the iPhone. But with its latest Android foldable, Vivo claims full support for the Apple Watch.
The Vivo X Fold 5 even promises deep iPhone and Mac integration, apparently mirroring your calls, messages, and notifications.
Apple TV+ subscribers will soon get an exclusive look inside one of college basketball’s greatest dynasties. It’s a new three-part documentary series focused on the University of Connecticut (UCONN) women’s basketball program. The series chronicles four decades of unprecedented success under legendary head coach Geno Auriemma. That includes the team’s most recent triumph as 2025 NCAA National Champions, of course. No other team, men or women, has won so many championships — 12.
“This series offers fans an exclusive view into 40 seasons of UConn women’s basketball, and I’m really excited for audiences to be able to see all the hard work that has built this program,” Auriemma said.
The three-part documentary series doesn’t have a title or a streaming date yet, however.
The next-generation iPad Pro is on the horizon. Its OLED screen is reportedly already in production, and the launch is rumored for this autumn with a new Apple M5 processor on board.
The upcoming iPadOS 26 might do more to spur sales of the tablet than a faster processor or gorgeous screen, though.
The new Apple Sports app version 3.0 dropped Wednesday, packing significant improvements that should make following your favorite teams and matches easier than ever on iPhone. The update brings a redesigned home screen with more personalization, some new baseball features and, more importantly for certain sports fans, new coverage of professional tennis — just in time for Wimbledon!
CarPlay Ultra just hit another speed bump. Several automakers reportedly won’t use Apple’s most advanced in-dash infotainment system because it takes over too many features of the vehicle that the carmakers themselves want to control. This is especially bad news for Apple as some of these holdouts are companies that previously showed interest in implementing CarPlay Ultra.
On the other hand, there are well-known carmakers still planning on adding the system to their vehicles.
Adventurers can once again enjoy Oceanhorn: Chronos Dungeon, a dungeon crawler RPG with a 16-bit feel. Players battle their way through monsters on ever-changing levels.
Previously, the game by Cornfox & Brothers was included in Apple Arcade, but it’s been pulled out of Apple’s subscription gaming service and is now available to all for a flat fee.
Here’s some encouraging news for Apple users eagerly awaiting the next generation of smart wearable — new technology could cool down overheating smart glasses. The world’s first active cooling system small enough to fit inside the frame of smart glasses arrives with µCooling fan-on-a-chip technology, xMEMS Labs said Tuesday.
That potentially addresses one of the biggest obstacles facing AR glasses projects like Apple’s rumored one. A sophisticated system in a frame generates heat against a user’s skin, and a passive heat sink may not dissipate it enough.
The gradual process of reducing the size of the iPhone screen cutout that’s been ongoing for years will continue, but the front-facing camera will remain visible until 2030, according to a reliable source of leaked Apple info.
Getting the various scanners to work well from behind the iPhone’s OLED panel isn’t a trivial task.
JetBlue Airways now offers real-time baggage tracking through its mobile app and supports Apple AirTag location sharing to help recover delayed or misplaced luggage, the airline said Monday. So now it joins other airlines in AirTag/Find My network integration. As such, JetBlue’s new changes should certainly appeal to Apple device users on the go.
“We are constantly looking for ways to offer our customers a more convenient travel experience,” said Carol Clements, JetBlue’s chief digital and technology officer. “As part of our JetForward strategy, we’re focused on delivering the products and perks our customers want. This new in-app bag tracking feature, along with AirTag location sharing for baggage recovery, are designed to bring customers peace of mind when checking their bags with JetBlue.”
Early leaks about an upcoming Apple computer with an 18- to 20-inch folding display were vague about whether the device will be an iPad or the first Mac with a touchscreen. In the wake of the introduction of iPadOS 26, the answer now seems obvious: Apple’s extra-large folding tablet will be an iPad.
Recent comments by a high-level Apple executive about not merging macOS and iPadOS add weight to the theory.
OpenAI and Jony Ive’s io have removed all public details about the latter’s acquisition. The much-hyped video announcing the acquisition is also no longer live on YouTube. Contrary to rumors, this is not due to the deal between the two companies falling apart.
The issue stems from a trademark dispute over the name “io” used by Ive’s firm.
iOS 26 will not just make your iPhone better. It will also add several new features to AirPods, improving the already excellent experience of using Apple’s super-popular earbuds.
The changes will further deepen the AirPods integration with the iPhone. Find out all the ways iOS 26 will improve your AirPods experience.
Apple reportedly held internal discussions to acquire AI startup Perplexity AI. The latter is an AI-powered search engine. It uses a large language model (LLM) to process the answers and presents them in an easier-to-understand format.
The discussions inside Apple are seemingly at an early level, and it may not even officially provide an offer to the young startup.
It’s World Wi-Fi Day, which highlights the ability of wireless internet access to bring people together. But I’d like everyone to instead consider the advantages of an earlier tech: wired networking via good old reliable Ethernet.
Ethernet is easy to overlook now that almost everything has gone wireless, but it still has a role to play: filling in a flaw in Wi-Fi. Unfortunately, Apple doesn’t build Ethernet ports into MacBooks, but adding one is easy and inexpensive.
Apple posted a clever new marketing tool Friday that puts students in charge of making their own sales pitch — a customizable template called The Parent Presentation, designed to help convince parents that a Mac is essential for college success. And it comes complete with a video demo by comedian and Saturday Night Live performer Martin Herlihy (part of the trio behind those Please Don’t Destroy digital shorts videos, which are a lot funnier than his work here, to be honest).
Update: Apple made the YouTube video private for unknown reasons Saturday. It remains offline, although The Parent Presentation is still available as a free download.
Experiencing random crashes with the YouTube app on your iPhone or iPad? Google recommends reinstalling the app to fix the issue.
While the random crashes also affected Android users, Google’s official solution does not require them to reinstall the app.
Apple introduced iPhone Mirroring with iOS 18 and macOS Sequoia in 2024. But due to regulatory concerns, Apple never launched the feature in the EU.
iOS 26 and macOS Tahoe won’t change that, with Apple confirming it has no plans to bring iPhone Mirroring to Macs in the European Union anytime soon.
Production of the long-awaited iPhone with a folding screen begins in a few months, according to a trusted analyst. But Apple supposedly plans to make only a few million of them, indicating the company expects this to be a niche product.
Previous reports indicate the price for the folding iPhone could be around $2,000 — about what similar Androids with foldable screens cost. High cost keeps this entire class of handsets out of the hands of average users, and so far it doesn’t seem like Apple has a solution.