You’ve wanted to try iOS 18 since Apple showed it off in June but held off for fear of massive bugs. But the current iOS 18 beta is nearly the final one — and it’s really quite stable. Put it on your iPhone now and jump ahead of friends and co-workers by about a month.
And there are great new features to try, including a fully customizable Home Screen, an improved Control Center, a new Passwords app, and more.
This week on Cult of Mac’s podcast: The latest batch of iPhone 16 rumors give us more insight into the probable camera upgrades — and color combos — coming to the lineup.
Also on The CultCast:
Listen to this week’s episode of The CultCast 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 live stream, embedded below.
Despite Apple’s reputation for innovation, the company does not always adopt the latest cutting-edge smartphone technology. This year, I hope the company adds these six features in iPhone 16 — all of which you can find in Android phones.
Here’s my iPhone 16 wish list.
In an interesting turn of events, sources familiar with Apple’s plans reportedly confirmed the iPhone 16 event date as September 10, according to a new report. That date happens to match a recent hoax report that circulated online, adding an unexpected twist to Apple’s biggest product launch of the year, with the iPhone 16 lineup, Apple Watch 10 and more expected.
Update: On August 26, Apple confirmed that the event will take place on Monday, September 9. The official invite bears the catchprase, “It’s Glowtime.”
In a significant shift in the podcasting landscape, YouTube has emerged as the leading platform for podcast consumption in the United States, surpassing long-time market leader Apple Podcasts and streaming giant Spotify, which is now in second place, according to recent studies. Meanwhile, former leader Apple Podcast loses market share, falling to third place. And that marks a turning point in how Americans access and consume podcast content.
Apple reportedly added support for JPEG XL to the iPhone Camera app in iOS 18. That’s left many iPhone users wondering, what the heck is JPEG XL?
It’s intended to be the replacement for the classic JPEG image format with new features for use on the web. And apparently, iPhone users soon can take pictures in this format, not simply view them.
European iPhone and iPad users will be able to kick Apple’s Phone and Messages apps to the curb if they wish. The same goes for an array of other applications that iOS currently makes the default options.
These join a long list of other changes being forced on Apple by the EU’s Digital Markets Act.
A multifunction button specifically to control the Camera app will be included in all four iPhone 16 version, not only the Pro models, according to an unconfirmed report published Thursday.
The same source details a range of improvements to the cameras built into these iOS handsets expected to launch in September.
SwitchEasy is offering a great deal in the Cult of Mac Store through Thursday, August 22 — buy any SwitchEasy Apple Watch band at 20% off.
You can pick from an array of cool Apple Watch bands in different styles and made of various materials, from stretchy nylon to stainless steel mesh. See below.
Apple Watch SE and SE2 are great, affordable smart watches. But with the killer deals on grade A refurbished Apple Watches like Series 6,7 and 8 that Amazon bargain site Woot! offers this week, why not go for a wearable with more features than the budget models?
Act fast, though — the deals, which also include Apple Watch SE plus Series 4 and 5 — and and appealing variety of choices of models and colors — end Tuesday, August 27, at 10 p.m. Pacific.