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Change these 3 hidden Apple TV settings and thank us later

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Apple TV settings: Fix Its Biggest Problems
Fix the remote, the Home Screen, and those pesky sports notifications.
Image: Davidbspalding/Wikimedia Commons/D. Griffin Jones/Cult of Mac

There are three Apple TV settings I always tell people to change as soon as they set up their set-top box. While I heartily recommend the Apple TV over the clunky and ad-infested experience of Roku and other smart TVs, it’s not perfect. You’ll want to change a few things to make it right.

First of all, you can put one of the Siri Remote buttons to better use. The TV button, by default, opens the Apple TV app — but you can have it take you to the Home Screen instead. Also, you’ll want to change the Home Screen to show your Continue Watching list, not its recommendations. And finally, you can turn off those annoying Apple TV sports notifications to stop the interruptions while you’re watching your shows.

Change these three annoying default settings, and you’ll enjoy a far better viewing experience. Keep reading or watch our video to find out how.

Today in Apple history: Steve Ballmer freaks out and stomps an iPhone

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Microsoft's Steve Ballmer
Turns out using an iPhone at a Microsoft event is a bad idea.
Photo: Off2riorob/Wikipedia CC

September 11: Today in Apple history: Steve Ballmer freaks out and stomps an iPhone September 11, 2009: Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer snatches an iPhone from an employee during a meeting and pretends to destroy it.

The iPhone freakout isn’t the first time Ballmer behaves in a wacky way and incurs negative publicity as a result. However, it’s an embarrassing moment for a man who ranks among the tech world’s most powerful people.

Get 50-plus AI models for life for just $39.99 — no monthly fees

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A man working at a cafe with his laptop and mobile device, using multi-AI platform AskAnyModel
Type in one prompt, get multiple answers from leading AI models using AskAnyModel.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

AskAnyModel is a new multi-AI platform that gives you lifetime access to more than 50 models like GPT, Claude and Mistral. It makes it easy to compare results from various AI models with just one prompt, so you can choose the best output for any given task.

And right now, you can secure lifetime access to AskAnyModel for just $39.99 (regularly $499), with no recurring fees. For one low price, you get unlimited use of supported AI models, plus 500 monthly credits to access 20 advanced AI models.

Apple Watch Live Rewind and Siri Recap sound creepy, but privacy is built in

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Apple Watch Live Rewind isn't a privacy nightmare.
Apple Watch Live Rewind isn't the privacy nightmare you think it is.
Screenshot: Apple/Cult of Mac

Apple Watch Series 12 and Ultra 4 will bring two surprisingly futuristic new tricks: Live Rewind and Siri Recap, a pair of Audio Intelligence features that turn the smartwatch into an always-listening AI device.

Apple markets Live Rewind as a way to rewind the world around you. Actually, it can only turn the previous 15 seconds of a conversation into a text snippet. Still, it potentially could help people remember something that’s just been said.

Siri Recap, on the other hand, quietly takes notes during your conversations, then uses Apple Intelligence to create concise summaries you can refer to later. The goal is to help people stay focused on the moment.

The new Audio Intelligence features seem quite useful, but they make privacy advocates nervous. Fortunately, Apple really locked them down, hoping to prevent the Apple Watch features from being abused.

Apple Watch Series 12 vs. Series 11 comparison: Worth the upgrade?

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Apple Watch Series 12: Should you upgrade from Series 11?
Apple Watch Series 12: Should you upgrade from Series 11?
Photo: Apple/Rajesh Pandey/Cult of Mac

 The Apple Watch Series 12 looks like the same watch as Series 11. But it’s the first real upgrade that Apple’s smartwatch has received in a while.

It packs upgraded health sensors, new recovery insights and Audio Intelligence. But are these improvements worth upgrading from the Apple Watch Series 11? Find out in this comparison. 

The hottest (and laziest) takes about iPhone Duo

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iPhone Duo with doomed and revolutionary word bursts in comic style
iPhone Duo managed to get everyone talking. Is it the future... or destined to fail?
Photo: Apple, Gemini

The internet is full of ridiculous hot takes about almost everything, and the introduction of the iPhone Duo is no exception. From “copying Samsung” to “resurrecting 10-year-old tech in a modern smarphone,” the best, worst and most hilarious hot takes show just how important the new foldable is likely to be.

iPhone Duo vs. iPhone 18 Pro: What you’ll miss with Apple’s first foldable

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A picture of the iPhone Duo alongside the iPhone 18 Pro used in a story comparing the two devices.
iPhone Duo vs iPhone 18 Pro: Apple’s foldable trades some flagship camera and security features for its folding design.
Photo: Apple/Cult of Mac

So you’re eyeing the iPhone Duo. Before you preorder, know this: The iPhone Duo versus iPhone 18 Pro fight is closer than you might think, but the folding phone loses by more than a few rounds.

Apple’s latest flagships launched together during Wednesday’s Surprise and Shine event. But to achieve its cutting-edge design, the Duo trades some camera and other features that the two iPhone 18 Pro models keep. Here’s what you’d give up if you buy the first folding iPhone.

Apple TV Remote app hides slick new app launcher in iOS 27

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A picture of the Apple TV Remote app used in a story about new features coming with iOS 27.
The iOS 27 Apple TV Remote app adds a new app launcher button.
Photo: Apple

The Apple TV Remote app receives a sneaky upgrade in iOS 27. Apple tucked away two new features inside the app’s redesigned interface, and they’re hiding in plain sight.

The changes first surfaced in the iOS 27 release candidate. One of them brings a full app launcher to the remote, while the other surfaces streaming recommendations on the remote screen.

Today in Apple history: Macintosh 512K, aka the ‘Fat Mac,’ quadruples the memory

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Photo of Apple's Macintosh 512K aka Fat Mac with keyboard and drive at launch
The "Fat Mac" solved one of the original Mac's biggest problems.
Photo: Apple

September 10: Today in Apple history: Macintosh 512K, aka the 'Fat Mac,' quadruples the memory September 10, 1984: Apple ships the Macintosh 512K, the first upgrade to the first-gen Macintosh 128K.

Coming less than eight months after the original Macintosh, the 512K Mac makes no sweeping changes to the computer’s form factor. Instead, the big upgrade is quadrupling the RAM. This leads Apple fans to refer to the computer as the “Fat Mac.”

iPhone 18 Pro vs. iPhone 17 Pro: How much better is the new Pro?

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iPhone 18 Pro vs. iPhone 17 Pro
All the pro-differences a year makes.
Photo: Apple/ Rajesh Pandey/Cult of Mac

The iPhone 18 Pro gets a flashy new main camera, longer battery life, and some other nice-to-have upgrades. But if you already got an iPhone 17 Pro last year, are these improvements enough to justify an upgrade?

While there’s plenty to like about the iPhone 18 Pro, the higher starting price makes the decision a little harder. Here is how Apple’s two Pro iPhones compare. 

Are Apple Watch’s new readiness and Health Age metrics scientific? Yes, but …

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Apple Watch Series 12 Readiness feature
Should you ”go for it” just because your Apple Watch says you're ready?
Photo: Apple

Apple introduced a new fitness feature for Apple Watch called “readiness” during its Surprise and Shine event today. Readiness gives you a score from zero to 10, along with recommendations like “recover,” “pace yourself,” “ready” or “go for it.”

But what exactly is it telling us we’re ready for? According to Apple, your readiness score “tells you when to rest or put yourself to the test.” But can a smartwatch really know that?

What happens when your Apple Watch tells you to “go for it,” but your body tells you otherwise? Most personal trainers will tell you that learning to listen to your body is an important part of training. So what should you do when your body and your Apple Watch disagree?

Apple again extends free iPhone satellite access by one year

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iPhone 17 Pro in Cosmic Orange
Another free year of satellite connectivity for iPhone owners.
Photo: Unsplash

Apple extended free satellite connectivity on older iPhones for another year. That gives existing users more time with the satellite features without having to pay to keep using them.

The company announced a similar extension during last year’s iPhone 17 launch and the year before that, too.

Looks like iPhone Duo avoided the curse of the crease

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Detail shot of the top of the iPhone Duo folding phone.
Thanks to its clever hinge and nano-texture glass, the iPhone Duo appears crease-free (at least for now).
Photo: Apple

Judging by social media, the iPhone Duo looks like it will be a big hit, not least because the first folding iPhone appears to have no visible screen crease when opened to full size.

That’s a big drawback for other foldable devices. Here are some other revealing tidbits about the iPhone Duo.

Price hikes hit iPhone 17 and more

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Apple raises iPhone 17 prices
Hope you didn't expect the launch of the iPhone 18 Pro to lower iPhone 17 prices.
Photo: Brijesh H/Pexels

iPhone 17 just went up $100. The same goes for several other mid-range Apple models — they all got a price hike on Wednesday, the same day Apple unveiled the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone Duo.

The launch of new iPhone models usually brings price cuts on previous models. Not this time. And we can lay the blame on a global shortage of memory chips driving up Apple’s production costs.

AirPods 5 mean it’s time to replace your old earbuds

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AirPods 5: Active Noise Cancellation all around
AirPods 5 promise improvements in so many ways.
Screenshot: Apple

Apple is bringing active noise cancellation to its most affordable wireless earbuds with the AirPods 5, which the company unveiled today during its Surprise and Shine event. The new open-ear model promises up to 50% more noise reduction than AirPods 4 with ANC, while adding improved sound quality, Siri AI and Live Translation. And these features come in the $129 version.

Today’s launch means you should take a hard look at your current AirPods. If they are three years old or more, it could be time to replace them.

Apple Watch Series 12 is the upgrade long-term users have been waiting for

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A picture of the Apple Watch Series 12 used in a story about Apple announcing the same.
Apple Watch Series 12 and Ultra 4 get a new S11 chip, redesigned health sensors and on-wrist Apple Intelligence.
Photo: Apple

Apple Watch Series 12 finally gets the upgrade long-time owners have been waiting for. The new model pairs the new, faster chip with a redesigned health sensing system. It also brings Apple Intelligence to your wrist for the first time.

Apple unveiled the Apple Watch Series 12 and the beefier Apple Watch Ultra 4 on Wednesday during its Surprise and Shine event. Both watches arrive alongside a new watchOS 27 update. They share the same faster Apple silicon processor and advanced health sensors, and together mark one of the most notable hardware refreshes the Apple Watch has seen in years.

iPhone Duo merges iPhone and iPad into one brilliant device

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The newly unveiled iPhone Duo is a pocket-size iPad
Apple's first foldable is the iPhone Duo, not the Ultra or Fold.
Screenshot: Apple

The just announced iPhone Duo is an iPad that fits in your pocket. The 7.6-inch screen is 50% larger than the iPhone 18 Pro Max, but folds up to be easily pocketable.

iPad users are well accustomed to side-by-side multitasking, and the Duo offers that too. And the dual-display design enables some camera tricks no other iPhone can pull off.  

“With the largest display ever on iPhone that still fits easily in your pocket, combined with the power of A20 Pro, iPhone Duo helps you stay more immersed and productive wherever you go, whether you’re enjoying content, multitasking across apps, or gaming,” said John Ternus, Apple’s new CEO.

The biggest iPhone 18 Pro upgrades you might have missed

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iPhone 18 Pro in burgundy
The iPhone 18 Pro hides some useful upgrades.
Photo: Apple

The iPhone 18 Pro’s variable aperture camera and longer battery life grabbed plenty of attention at Apple’s launch event. But the new iPhones pack plenty of other notable upgrades.

From adding Cinematic effects after recording to checking how a photo has been edited, there’s more to the new Pro lineup than its headline features.

This is when iOS 27, iPadOS 27, watchOS 27 and macOS Golden Gate arrive

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iPhone, Mac and iPad got so many performance improvements
iOS 27 is almost here!
Image: Apple/Cult of Mac

UPDATE: This article is now moot because the wait is over! iOS 27 is now out for everyone:

 


After months of beta testing, Apple will release iOS 27, iPadOS 27, watchOS 27 and macOS Golden Gate to the public this month. And at its “Surprise and Shine” event, the company finally provided a release date.

The new operating systems will be released publicly in less than a week, on September 14.

Apple’s Surprise and Shine event: iPhone Duo, iPhone 18 Pro and more

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New Apple CEO John Ternus onstage during Surprise and Shine event
John Ternus talks up the iPhone during his first event as Apple CEO.
Photo: Apple

Apple kicked off its Surprise and Shine event Wednesday with a cinematic passing of the torch as former CEO Tim Cook introduced his successor, John Ternus.

Ternus then praised the company’s crown jewel — the iPhone, which he called an “intelligent personal hub” superpowered by artificial intelligence — before unveiling a slew of new products, including the first folding iPhone, known as the iPhone Duo.

Other new and upgraded products included the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max, Apple Watch Series 12, Apple Watch Ultra 4 and AirPods 5. Plus, various Apple execs also showcased new software features coming soon in iOS 27 and the company’s other software platforms.

“iPhone sits at the center of an amazing ecosystem of intelligent features and experiences that work seamlessly across the products you use every day,” Ternus said, before name-checking the new AI-powered Siri and advanced features in the new Apple Watch and AirPods.

“Simply put, iPhone brings powerful AI capabilities together with your personal context on the device you have with you all the time,” Ternus continued. “So today, we’re going to take these experiences even further with the next generation of iPhone.”

Today in Apple history: After liver transplant, Steve Jobs makes heartfelt return at Apple event

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Photo of CEO Steve Jobs onstage at Apple event on September 9, 2009, after his liver transplant
September 9, 2009, marked the start of Steve Jobs' final run at Apple.
Photo: Apple

September 9: Today in Apple history: Steve Jobs returns to Apple following liver transplant September 9, 2009: Apple CEO Steve Jobs makes his public return to the company after a successful liver-transplant surgery. Appearing onstage at Apple’s fall event, Jobs receives a standing ovation that lasts nearly a minute. He then opens the keynote on an unusually personal note by discussing his health.

“I wouldn’t be here without such generosity,” Jobs tells the audience, referring to the organ donor whose liver he received. “I hope all of us can be as generous and elect to become organ donors.”

Before revealing Apple’s new iPad nano line, Jobs says, “I’m vertical, I’m back at Apple, and I’m loving every day of it.”

Build your own iPhone and Android app without coding for just $99.99

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Photo of a hand holding an iPhone with a MacBook keyboard in the background, used to illustrate a post about Swiftspeed AI app builder
Go from bright idea to polished app with this no-code AI development tool.
Photo: cottonbro studio/Pexels CC

If you ever wanted to turn a clever idea into a blockbuster app but stalled out on the coding, the Swiftspeed AI app builder can fill that gap. It lets you create native iOS, Android and web apps without writing code.

And it won’t cost you a fortune or tie you into monthly fees. You can grab a lifetime subscription to the Swiftspeed Pro Plan for just $99.99, down from $1,440, with no recurring payments.

iPhone 18 Pro could avoid the massive price hike everyone feared

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iPhone 17 Pro lying face down
iPhone 18 Pro will seemingly feature a smaller Dynamic Island.
Photo: Unsplash

Apple’s iPhone 18 Pro lineup apparently won’t get the huge price hike that many people predicted/feared. The new models will cost slightly more than their predecessors, according to a last-minute leak, but don’t expect a massive jump.

The same leak also covers previously rumored design details, such as big camera upgrades. The Pro Max will reportedly pack a variable-aperture lens for depth-of-field control and better low-light images. And for better heat dissipation, Apple will seemingly add vapor chamber cooling to the new iPhones.