Apple doesn’t like to talk about its upcoming products before it’s ready, but sometimes the company’s software does the talking for it. So far this week we’ve had a couple of software-related leaks that have outed products Apple is currently testing—one a pre-release build of iOS 26, and the other some leaked files from a kernel debug kit (both via MacRumors).
Most of the new devices referenced in these leaks are straightforward updates to products that already exist: a new Apple TV, a HomePod mini 2, new AirTags and AirPods, an M4 iPad Air, a 12th-generation iPad to replace the current A16 version, next-generation iPhones (including the 17e, 18, and the rumored foldable model), a new Studio Display model, some new smart home products we’ve already heard about elsewhere, and M5 updates for the MacBook Air, Mac mini, Mac Studio, and the other MacBook Pros. There’s also yet another reference to the lower-cost MacBook that Apple is apparently planning to replace the M1 MacBook Air it still sells via Walmart for $599.
For power users, though, the most interesting revelation might be that Apple is working on a higher-end Apple Silicon iMac powered by an M5 Max chip. The kernel debug kit references an iMac with the internal identifier J833c, based on a platform identified as H17C—and H17C is apparently based on the M5 Max, rather than a lower-end M5 chip. (For those who don’t have Apple’s branding memorized, “Max” is associated with Apple’s second-fastest chips; the M5 Max would be faster than the M5 or M5 Pro, but slower than the rumored M5 Ultra.)
Just three days after Apple released iOS 26.2 to iPhones everywhere, the company is back at it with a new update. iOS 26.3 is official, though only for beta testers. Those brave enough to install Apple's unfinished software on their devices won't find an update packed to the brim with new features and changes, but they will stumble upon two key new features. The thing is, we already knew both of them were on the way.
This isn't the end all be all for the update, however: Since iOS 26.3 is so new, it's possible testers will discover additional features hidden within the update. In addition, Apple may add new changes in subsequent beta versions. I'll continue to update this article to reflect any new features that reveal themselves, but, until then, here are the two new features we know about.
Notification forwarding
Back in September, we learned that Apple was quietly working on some type of notification forwarding feature, but other than that basic functionality, the details were left to speculation. At the time, the common assumption was that Apple intended the feature to be used to forward notifications to third-party devices, specifically smartwatches, in an attempt to open up the platform to wearables other than the Apple Watch. This wouldn't be Apple's choice, of course—left to its own devices, the company would keep as many features locked to Apple devices as possible. Instead, the motivation would come from the EU, which has compelled Apple to make its platforms more cooperative with third-party devices.
After three months, we are now getting our first official look at this feature. In this first iOS 26.3 beta, there is now a "Notification Forwarding" option in Notification settings. While the option isn't live at this time, Apple does have a description for how the feature works, saying that notifications can be forwarded to one device at a time. Importantly, the description says that when notifications are forwarded to another device, they will not appear on your Apple Watch. Is that limitation really necessary, Apple?
Knowledge of iOS 26.3's second feature is not quite so old. In fact, we only learned about it last week. As it happens, Apple is working directly with Google on an official way to make transferring between an iPhone and an Android device more seamless.
As of last week, Google had already rolled out its first test of the feature to Android Canary, but it was nowhere to be found in Apple's betas. Now, we know what to expect: In iOS' "Transfer or Reset iPhone" settings, there is now a new "Transfer to Android" option. Here, iOS instructs you to place your iPhone near your Android device, where you can choose to pass along data like photos, messages, notes, and apps. However, it seems not all data will transfer: Health data, devices paired with Bluetooth, and "protected items" like locked notes will not come along with this transfer feature.
This isn't the flashiest beta Apple has ever shipped, but it is possible to install right now. Both the developer and public betas are now available, which means anyone interested can enroll their device in Apple's beta program to give 26.3 a try.
However, know the risks before you do. Unfinished software could come with bugs and glitches that could impact your experience using your iPhone. If the software is particularly glitchy, you could lose data when downgrading back to iOS 26.2. If you do decide to install the beta, make a complete backup of your iPhone to a Mac or PC before you do.
If you open a picture in the Photos app on your iPhone, and it inexplicably starts turning red, I wouldn't blame you for being a bit concerned. After all, that's not supposed to happen, and out of all the colors your photos could randomly fade into, red is among the creepiest.
While you contemplate what angry and vengeful god you might have crossed recently, understand that this isn't necessarily a problem affecting all, or even most, iPhone users and their photos. In fact, it doesn't appear to be affecting photos taken on iPhones at all. Rather, the users reporting this issue see it when zooming in on photos taken on Android devices. It seems a new hue has been added to the iPhone/Android divide: green bubbles, red pictures.
If this isn't happening on your own iPhone, you can see the issue play out in this Reddit post. User djenki0119 posted a screen recording of themself browsing photos on their iPhone that they had originally taken on a Samsung Galaxy S24. At first, the pictures appears totally normal. But once djenki0119 zooms in on each, it quickly turns a deep shade of red—almost as if you were looking at film developing in a dark room. This user has the same issue, only they took their photo on a Motorola Razr.
At this time, it's unclear what is actually causing the issue to occur. It usually doesn't matter what type of device took any particular image: Once it's in the Photos app, it should display normally. But there must be something about Android files that the iOS Photos app isn't reading correctly, at least when users zoom in on the image. As 9to5Mac highlights, it appears that something is adding a red filter to these images in the Photos app. Since this issue is only popping up recently, my guess is there's a bug within iOS 26, though there could be an issue with Android instead.
For what it's worth, I wasn't able to replicate the problem with photos I sent from my Pixel 8 Pro over to my iPhone. But perhaps there is some strange combination of hardware and software that results in this tinting: Maybe a photo taken on a certain type of Android device running a specific version of Android turns red on a certain iPhone model running a specific version of iOS.
How to undo a photo that turned red on iPhone
Luckily, you don't have to wait for Apple, Google, Samsung, or Motorola to issue a fix, depending on where the actual issue is coming from. To return your image to its proper color scheme, open it in the Photos app, tap "Edit," then choose "Revert." This restores the image to its original state, and removes the red filter that was unnecessarily overlayed on top of it.
The UK government reportedly will “encourage” Apple and Google to prevent phones from displaying nude images except when users verify that they are adults.
The forthcoming push for nudity-blocking systems was reported by the Financial Times today. The report said the UK won’t institute a legal requirement “for now.” But asking companies to block nude images could be the first step toward making it mandatory if the government doesn’t get what it wants.
“The UK government wants technology companies to block explicit images on phones and computers by default to protect children, with adults having to verify their age to create and access such content,” the FT report said. “Ministers want the likes of Apple and Google to incorporate nudity-detection algorithms into their device operating systems to prevent users taking photos or sharing images of genitalia unless they are verified as adults.”
The iPhone's Focus modes are perhaps its most underrated feature. Once customized, they can become incredibly powerful tools that put you in control of how your iPhone can grab your attention. They can take some time to set up, but it’s worth it. Once you've got everything squared away, you'll have timed boundaries from certain apps, people, and even your work, for that mythical work-life balance. Forget having a personal phone and a work phone—a couple of well-tuned Focus modes might be enough.
Diving into Focus modes
Credit: Khamosh Pathak
What used to be Do Not Disturb on iPhone is now Focus mode, which comes with many more options. Open the Control Center and tap the Focus button to see a list of all available Focus modes. The familiar Do Not Disturb option will be up top, but you’ll also see helpful Focus modes premade by Apple, Sleep being a prominent example. If you have a device that supports Apple Intelligence, you’ll also see a mode called Reduce Interruptions, which automatically mutes all notifications except the really important ones. Other premade modes include Personal, Work, and Sleep, which you can all customize to your own liking.
How to set up your own Focus mode
To get the most out of Focus Modes, you should set some Focus modes for yourself. One for work and one for personal time would be a great place to start. Go to Settings > Focus and tap the Plus button at the top. Here, choose the Custom mode option to get the most flexibility. Give it a name, icon, and tap Next. Then, tap Customize Focus.
Credit: Khamosh Pathak
This is where you'll do most of your work. First, tap Choose People and select if you want to allow notifications from only a couple of people, or if you want to silence notifications from particular folks. If you’re setting up a Focus mode for personal time, you might want to stop notifications only from your boss and colleagues. Choose the people to allow, and tap Next. Then, choose who is allowed to call you. You can limit it to just your Favorites, or only a handful of people.
Credit: Khamosh Pathak
Then, tap Choose Apps and follow the same process for apps as well, either allowing notifications from some apps, or only silencing notifications from particular apps. For example, if you’re setting up a Focus mode for personal time, you might want to disable notifications from work apps like Slack, Teams, Gmail, and more. Tap into the Options menu, and you can also choose to show silenced notifications on the Lock Screen, or to dim the lock screen every time that Focus mode is enabled.
Next, take some time to customize what you see when a Focus mode is enabled. Apple will let you choose a distinct Lock screen, Home screen and even an Apple Watch watch face per Focus mode. For example, your work Focus can feature just your calendar and to do list. This will go a long way towards cementing the Focus state in your mind. For example, when I’m in my Writing Focus mode, my home screen is devoid of everything, including my tasks widget and communication apps.
Credit: Khamosh Pathak
Then, you’ll see a Set a Schedule section. Here, you can turn on a Smart Activation feature that will automatically enable a Focus mode depending on your location, app usage and so on. This has been hit or miss for me, so I would advise you to avoid it for the most reliable results. But you can definitely create a manual schedule using the Add Schedule button. Here, You can trigger a Focus mode to automatically start or stop at a certain time of day.
Credit: Khamosh Pathak
You can even use Focus Filters to further customize exactly what apps can show you when you’re in a Focus mode. For example, you can choose to only see your work calendar when you’re in your work Focus, but not your other calendars. These filters work for Apple’s apps and even third-party apps.
Credit: Khamosh Pathak
Lastly, you can choose to enable the Intelligent Breakthrough & Silencing feature that's found at the top of the Focus page. If you have an iPhone with Apple Intelligence enabled, you'll see this setting. It uses on-device intelligence to allow priority notifications to interrupt you even when you're in silent mode. This goes over all other customizations that you might've done. But, being an Apple Intelligence feature, its reliability can be a bit iffy. Based on personal experience, I would recommend you take the time to fully customize the Focus mode to your liking instead of handing some of that work over to Apple Intelligence, as it gets things wrong for me fairly often.
Sometimes you need just a little bit more light during a video call, especially if you're in a dimly lit room. The latest macOS update (26.2) has a trick for this: you can use the edge of your screen as a ring light.
The feature, which adds a rounded white rectangle to your screen, is called Edge Light. The rectangle takes up part of your screen but will become partially transparent if you move your mouse pointer into it, meaning you'll mostly be able to use your computer normally.
You can use the feature by clicking the camera icon on the menu bar during a call and toggling on the Edge Light option. You can also adjust the brightness and the color of the edge light from here.
Credit: Justin Pot
I tried this in a well-lit room and didn't notice much of a difference, which makes sense. In a totally dark room, though, it proved extremely helpful. Here's how I looked without Edge Light:
Credit: Justin Pot
As you can see, I'm just barely lit by the laptop itself. Here's how I look with the feature turned on:
Credit: Justin Pot
It's a lot easier to make out my face, but whether that's a pro or a con is a matter of opinion. Try the feature out if you find yourself on a video call with the lights off. Note that it's only offered on devices with Apple Silicon.
Updates aren't all about the features, however. Apple typically includes a number of security patches with its software releases as well, which makes each update important to install. You don't always need to install the latest version of iOS or macOS to benefit from these security patches, either: Apple usually releases important security patches for some older versions of its software. iPhones running iOS 18 can install the same security patches as those running iOS 26, as can Mac users running macOS Sequoia or Sonoma, rather than Tahoe.
All that to say, Apple's update today comes with a series of patches you'll want to install on your iPhone—no matter what software version you're currently running. This particular release ships with 25 patches, and while some of them seem only pertinent to software developers, others are plainly serious.
iOS 26.2 patches some serious security vulnerabilities
Perhaps most importantly from a security perspective, this release includes two patches for potential zero-day vulnerabilities. Zero-day flaws are especially dangerous as they are either publicly disclosed or actively exploited before a developer has a chance to issue a patch—leaving users vulnerable to attack.
Both flaws (CVE-2025-43529 and CVE-2025-14174) affect WebKit, Apple's platform for developing Safari and web browsers on iPhone. Before Apple patched these issues, bad actors could present users with malicious web content. Once the user processes it on their iPhone, it could lead to arbitrary code execution, which, essentially, allows the bad actor to run whatever code they want on your iPhone. Apple says it is aware of reports that these two flaws may have been exploited in "an extremely sophisticated attack against specific targeted individuals" in versions of iOS older than iOS 26.
This is not the first time Apple has patched flaws with this warning. Due to the iPhone's popularity, these flaws are valuable to governments and other large-scale actors that target high-profile individuals, like journalists and politicians. Apple will even send these users warnings when their iPhone has been identified in such an attack. While the risk is low that the average iPhone user will be targeted in one of these campaigns, it's not impossible, which means it's important to update as soon as a patch is available. These apply to other Apple devices too, like Macs, so update all devices as soon as possible.
While those two flaws are the most important of the bunch to fix, there are others here that you'll want to fix ASAP. One of the first to jump out at me was a "Calling Framework" flaw that allows bad actors to spoof their FaceTime caller ID. With the rise of AI scams, bad actors could create an AI voice that sounds like someone you know, and spoof their contact so it looks like they're calling you over FaceTime audio. This update patches that possibility—at least, as far as spoofing is concerned.
Speaking of FaceTime, this update also patches a flaw that sometimes reveals password fields when remotely controlling a device over FaceTime. If you were sharing your screen with someone over a video call, they might be able to see when you typed in your password and use that against you. There's also a patch for an issue that allowed an app to see other apps you had installed on your device—a major privacy and security vulnerability.
If you use the Photos' app Hidden feature to hide sensitive pictures you don't want others to see, you'll want to install this update ASAP, too: Previous versions of iOS contained a bug that made it possible to view these hidden photos without authentication.
iOS 26.2 security release notes
If you're interested in seeing all of Apple's security patches in this update, the full release notes are as follows:
App Store
Available for: iPhone 11 and later, iPad Pro 12.9-inch 3rd generation and later, iPad Pro 11-inch 1st generation and later, iPad Air 3rd generation and later, iPad 8th generation and later, and iPad mini 5th generation and later
Impact: An app may be able to access sensitive payment tokens
Description: A permissions issue was addressed with additional restrictions.
CVE-2025-46288: floeki, Zhongcheng Li from IES Red Team of ByteDance
AppleJPEG
Available for: iPhone 11 and later, iPad Pro 12.9-inch 3rd generation and later, iPad Pro 11-inch 1st generation and later, iPad Air 3rd generation and later, iPad 8th generation and later, and iPad mini 5th generation and later
Impact: Processing a file may lead to memory corruption
Description: The issue was addressed with improved bounds checks.
CVE-2025-43539: Michael Reeves (@IntegralPilot)
Calling Framework
Available for: iPhone 11 and later, iPad Pro 12.9-inch 3rd generation and later, iPad Pro 11-inch 1st generation and later, iPad Air 3rd generation and later, iPad 8th generation and later, and iPad mini 5th generation and later
Impact: An attacker may be able to spoof their FaceTime caller ID
Description: An inconsistent user interface issue was addressed with improved state management.
CVE-2025-46287: an anonymous researcher, Riley Walz
curl
Available for: iPhone 11 and later, iPad Pro 12.9-inch 3rd generation and later, iPad Pro 11-inch 1st generation and later, iPad Air 3rd generation and later, iPad 8th generation and later, and iPad mini 5th generation and later
Impact: Multiple issues in curl
Description: This is a vulnerability in open source code and Apple Software is among the affected projects. The CVE-ID was assigned by a third party. Learn more about the issue and CVE-ID at cve.org.
CVE-2024-7264, CVE-2025-9086
FaceTime
Available for: iPhone 11 and later, iPad Pro 12.9-inch 3rd generation and later, iPad Pro 11-inch 1st generation and later, iPad Air 3rd generation and later, iPad 8th generation and later, and iPad mini 5th generation and later
Impact: Password fields may be unintentionally revealed when remotely controlling a device over FaceTime
Description: This issue was addressed with improved state management.
CVE-2025-43542: Yiğit Ocak
Foundation
Available for: iPhone 11 and later, iPad Pro 12.9-inch 3rd generation and later, iPad Pro 11-inch 1st generation and later, iPad Air 3rd generation and later, iPad 8th generation and later, and iPad mini 5th generation and later
Impact: An app may be able to inappropriately access files through the spellcheck API
Description: A logic issue was addressed with improved checks.
Available for: iPhone 11 and later, iPad Pro 12.9-inch 3rd generation and later, iPad Pro 11-inch 1st generation and later, iPad Air 3rd generation and later, iPad 8th generation and later, and iPad mini 5th generation and later
Impact: Processing malicious data may lead to unexpected app termination
Description: A memory corruption issue was addressed with improved bounds checking.
CVE-2025-43532: Andrew Calvano and Lucas Pinheiro of Meta Product Security
Icons
Available for: iPhone 11 and later, iPad Pro 12.9-inch 3rd generation and later, iPad Pro 11-inch 1st generation and later, iPad Air 3rd generation and later, iPad 8th generation and later, and iPad mini 5th generation and later
Impact: An app may be able to identify what other apps a user has installed
Description: A permissions issue was addressed with additional restrictions.
CVE-2025-46279: Duy Trần (@khanhduytran0)
Kernel
Available for: iPhone 11 and later, iPad Pro 12.9-inch 3rd generation and later, iPad Pro 11-inch 1st generation and later, iPad Air 3rd generation and later, iPad 8th generation and later, and iPad mini 5th generation and later
Impact: An app may be able to gain root privileges
Description: An integer overflow was addressed by adopting 64-bit timestamps.
CVE-2025-46285: Kaitao Xie and Xiaolong Bai of Alibaba Group
libarchive
Available for: iPhone 11 and later, iPad Pro 12.9-inch 3rd generation and later, iPad Pro 11-inch 1st generation and later, iPad Air 3rd generation and later, iPad 8th generation and later, and iPad mini 5th generation and later
Impact: Processing a file may lead to memory corruption
Description: This is a vulnerability in open source code and Apple Software is among the affected projects. The CVE-ID was assigned by a third party. Learn more about the issue and CVE-ID at cve.org.
CVE-2025-5918
MediaExperience
Available for: iPhone 11 and later, iPad Pro 12.9-inch 3rd generation and later, iPad Pro 11-inch 1st generation and later, iPad Air 3rd generation and later, iPad 8th generation and later, and iPad mini 5th generation and later
Impact: An app may be able to access user-sensitive data
Description: A logging issue was addressed with improved data redaction.
CVE-2025-43475: Rosyna Keller of Totally Not Malicious Software
Messages
Available for: iPhone 11 and later, iPad Pro 12.9-inch 3rd generation and later, iPad Pro 11-inch 1st generation and later, iPad Air 3rd generation and later, iPad 8th generation and later, and iPad mini 5th generation and later
Impact: An app may be able to access sensitive user data
Description: An information disclosure issue was addressed with improved privacy controls.
CVE-2025-46276: Rosyna Keller of Totally Not Malicious Software
Multi-Touch
Available for: iPhone 11 and later, iPad Pro 12.9-inch 3rd generation and later, iPad Pro 11-inch 1st generation and later, iPad Air 3rd generation and later, iPad 8th generation and later, and iPad mini 5th generation and later
Impact: A malicious HID device may cause an unexpected process crash
Description: Multiple memory corruption issues were addressed with improved input validation.
CVE-2025-43533: Google Threat Analysis Group
Photos
Available for: iPhone 11 and later, iPad Pro 12.9-inch 3rd generation and later, iPad Pro 11-inch 1st generation and later, iPad Air 3rd generation and later, iPad 8th generation and later, and iPad mini 5th generation and later
Impact: Photos in the Hidden Photos Album may be viewed without authentication
Description: A configuration issue was addressed with additional restrictions.
CVE-2025-43428: an anonymous researcher, Michael Schmutzer of Technische Hochschule Ingolstadt
Screen Time
Available for: iPhone 11 and later, iPad Pro 12.9-inch 3rd generation and later, iPad Pro 11-inch 1st generation and later, iPad Air 3rd generation and later, iPad 8th generation and later, and iPad mini 5th generation and later
Impact: An app may be able to access a user’s Safari history
Description: A logging issue was addressed with improved data redaction.
CVE-2025-46277: Kirin (@Pwnrin)
Screen Time
Available for: iPhone 11 and later, iPad Pro 12.9-inch 3rd generation and later, iPad Pro 11-inch 1st generation and later, iPad Air 3rd generation and later, iPad 8th generation and later, and iPad mini 5th generation and later
Impact: An app may be able to access sensitive user data
Description: A logging issue was addressed with improved data redaction.
CVE-2025-43538: Iván Savransky
Telephony
Available for: iPhone 11 and later, iPad Pro 12.9-inch 3rd generation and later, iPad Pro 11-inch 1st generation and later, iPad Air 3rd generation and later, iPad 8th generation and later, and iPad mini 5th generation and later
Impact: An app may be able to access user-sensitive data
Description: This issue was addressed with additional entitlement checks.
CVE-2025-46292: Rosyna Keller of Totally Not Malicious Software
WebKit
Available for: iPhone 11 and later, iPad Pro 12.9-inch 3rd generation and later, iPad Pro 11-inch 1st generation and later, iPad Air 3rd generation and later, iPad 8th generation and later, and iPad mini 5th generation and later
Impact: Processing maliciously crafted web content may lead to an unexpected Safari crash
Description: A type confusion issue was addressed with improved state handling.
WebKit Bugzilla: 301257
CVE-2025-43541: Hossein Lotfi (@hosselot) of Trend Micro Zero Day Initiative
WebKit
Available for: iPhone 11 and later, iPad Pro 12.9-inch 3rd generation and later, iPad Pro 11-inch 1st generation and later, iPad Air 3rd generation and later, iPad 8th generation and later, and iPad mini 5th generation and later
Impact: Processing maliciously crafted web content may lead to an unexpected process crash
Description: A use-after-free issue was addressed with improved memory management.
WebKit Bugzilla: 301726
CVE-2025-43536: Nan Wang (@eternalsakura13)
WebKit
Available for: iPhone 11 and later, iPad Pro 12.9-inch 3rd generation and later, iPad Pro 11-inch 1st generation and later, iPad Air 3rd generation and later, iPad 8th generation and later, and iPad mini 5th generation and later
Impact: Processing maliciously crafted web content may lead to an unexpected process crash
Description: The issue was addressed with improved memory handling.
WebKit Bugzilla: 300774
WebKit Bugzilla: 301338
CVE-2025-43535: Google Big Sleep, Nan Wang (@eternalsakura13)
WebKit
Available for: iPhone 11 and later, iPad Pro 12.9-inch 3rd generation and later, iPad Pro 11-inch 1st generation and later, iPad Air 3rd generation and later, iPad 8th generation and later, and iPad mini 5th generation and later
Impact: Processing maliciously crafted web content may lead to an unexpected process crash
Description: A buffer overflow issue was addressed with improved memory handling.
WebKit Bugzilla: 301371
CVE-2025-43501: Hossein Lotfi (@hosselot) of Trend Micro Zero Day Initiative
WebKit
Available for: iPhone 11 and later, iPad Pro 12.9-inch 3rd generation and later, iPad Pro 11-inch 1st generation and later, iPad Air 3rd generation and later, iPad 8th generation and later, and iPad mini 5th generation and later
Impact: Processing maliciously crafted web content may lead to an unexpected process crash
Description: A race condition was addressed with improved state handling.
WebKit Bugzilla: 301940
CVE-2025-43531: Phil Pizlo of Epic Games
WebKit
Available for: iPhone 11 and later, iPad Pro 12.9-inch 3rd generation and later, iPad Pro 11-inch 1st generation and later, iPad Air 3rd generation and later, iPad 8th generation and later, and iPad mini 5th generation and later
Impact: Processing maliciously crafted web content may lead to arbitrary code execution. Apple is aware of a report that this issue may have been exploited in an extremely sophisticated attack against specific targeted individuals on versions of iOS before iOS 26. CVE-2025-14174 was also issued in response to this report.
Description: A use-after-free issue was addressed with improved memory management.
WebKit Bugzilla: 302502
CVE-2025-43529: Google Threat Analysis Group
WebKit
Available for: iPhone 11 and later, iPad Pro 12.9-inch 3rd generation and later, iPad Pro 11-inch 1st generation and later, iPad Air 3rd generation and later, iPad 8th generation and later, and iPad mini 5th generation and later
Impact: Processing maliciously crafted web content may lead to memory corruption. Apple is aware of a report that this issue may have been exploited in an extremely sophisticated attack against specific targeted individuals on versions of iOS before iOS 26. CVE-2025-43529 was also issued in response to this report.
Description: A memory corruption issue was addressed with improved validation.
WebKit Bugzilla: 303614
CVE-2025-14174: Apple and Google Threat Analysis Group
WebKit Web Inspector
Available for: iPhone 11 and later, iPad Pro 12.9-inch 3rd generation and later, iPad Pro 11-inch 1st generation and later, iPad Air 3rd generation and later, iPad 8th generation and later, and iPad mini 5th generation and later
Impact: Processing maliciously crafted web content may lead to an unexpected process crash
Description: A use-after-free issue was addressed with improved memory management.
Although this is ostensibly the entry-level MacBook Air, it is well-equipped to last you for many years. It comes with 16GB of RAM standard, twice what the previous generation's basic model included. The 13.6-inch "Liquid Retina" display has a resolution of 2,560 by 1,664, a P3 wide color gamut, and a maximum brightness of 500 nits. You'll also get an excellent backlit keyboard with Touch ID, Wi-Fi 6E support, and great speakers and microphones. Apple even decided to bring back MagSafe charging with this laptop.
The 12MP camera comes with Center Stage, which follows your face as you move around the frame during video calls. The two USB-C ports are Thunderbolt 4 means you can extend to up to two 6K external monitors.
For a "basic" laptop, the 13-inch M4 MacBook Air offers incredible capabilities and features for the price, and is arguably a much better value than the Pro, according to Lifehacker Senior Tech Editor Jake Peterson. If you take into account the current discount, it really is the best all-around MacBook you can buy.
Back in April, District Court Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers delivered a scathing judgment finding that Apple was in “willful violation” of her 2021 injunction intended to open up iOS App Store payments. That contempt of court finding has now been almost entirely upheld by the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, a development that Epic Games’ Tim Sweeney tells Ars he hopes will “do a lot of good for developers and start to really change the App Store situation worldwide, I think.”
The ruling, signed by a panel of three appellate court judges, affirmed that Apple’s initial attempts to charge a 27 percent fee to iOS developers using outside payment options “had a prohibitive effect, in violation of the injunction.” Similarly, Apple’s restrictions on how those outside links had to be designed were overly broad; the appeals court suggests that Apple can only ensure that internal and external payment options are presented in a similar fashion.
The appeals court also agreed that Apple acted in “bad faith” by refusing to comply with the injunction, rejecting viable, compliant alternatives in internal discussions. And the appeals court was also not convinced by Apple’s process-focused arguments, saying the district court properly evaluated materials Apple argued were protected by attorney-client privilege.
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The latest AirPods Pro are a big step up from the first generation buds. The third (and newest) generation comes with OTA updates that the AirPods Pro 2 also got to enjoy—but considering the second and third generations are the same price right now, why not go with the newer version? If you want the latest Apple has to offer, this is a great time to do so. The AirPods Pro 3 are down to $199 (originally $249.99) for the first time since their September release—the lowest price yet, according to price tracking tools.
The AirPods Pro 3 improve on already great premium earbuds with new features (like a heart rate sensor) without increasing the list price. You'll get Personalized Spatial Audio (so you can hear sounds seemingly coming from different directions as you move your head) and the ability to use head gestures to tell Siri "yes" or "no" (this also works for answering or denying calls). Apple added a live translation feature to both the second- and third-generation AirPods Pro when iOS 26 rolled out earlier this year. You'll also get features like Conversation Awareness, which lowers your music volume when your AirPods detect that you're talking to someone; Transparency Mode, which lets you better hear your surroundings while your earbuds are in; and Adaptive Audio, which combines ANC and Transparency mode to adjust ANC levels based on the noise around you.
Since these are in-ear earbuds (as supposed to regular earbuds like the AirPods 4) the ANC is much better since it naturally blocks out the noise with a tight seal, but the ANC technology itself has also improved—as has the sound quality, thanks to the new H3 chip, as PCMag detailed in its "exemplary" review. You can expect about eight hours of juice, depending on your usage, and another 24 hours from the charging case.
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Apple released the latest 14-inch MacBook Pro with the powerful M5 chip this October, and ever since then, it has been steadily dropping in price—right now, it's down to $1,349 (originally $1,599) for the base model. This new price is $50 cheaper than it was during Black Friday, when Lifehacker's Senior Tech Editor Jake Peterson called it "a ridiculously good value." At the time of this writing, Amazon is sold out of the base model, but it's still available at Best Buy.
To be honest, this laptop is overkill for most people. The M4 MacBook Air is a more than capable laptop and will get the job done for under $800, but for those who need that extra oomph, like those who do media editing or complex programming, the MacBook Pro will be worth every penny. This is the first laptop Apple makes with the latest M5 chip, which offers significant upgrades in many aspects, like graphics performance compared to the M4.
In addition to performance improvements over the MacBook Air, the Pro model also has a fan, which the MacBook Airs don't. This should help keep the machine's temperature down and prevent performance hiccups.
This base model starts with a 10-core CPU and a 10-core GPU M5 chip, 16GB of RAM, and 512GB of storage. PCMag says this laptop is so powerful that you can play most games without issues in its "outstanding" review. If you're looking for the one of the best laptops Apple has to offer, this is likely the best price you'll see on it for some time.
If you picked up your iPhone to round out your Apple Music Replay for the year, or turned on your TV to watch a show like Pluribus, you might have noticed something odd: Neither service is working. It's not just you: Apple Music, Apple TV, and Game Center are currently down.
That's directly from Apple's "System Status" website, which tracks all of Apple's web-based services and identifies which ones may be experiencing problems. While most of Apple's services, like the App Store, Find My, and iMessage, are all "Available," four of these services are experiencing an outage: Apple Music, Apple TV, Apple TV Channels, and Game Center.
If you click on each, you can see the service's full status report:
Apple Music - Outage
Today, 2:53 PM - ongoing
Some users are affected
Users may be experiencing intermittent issues with this service.
Apple TV Channels - Outage
Today, 2:53 PM - ongoing
Some users are affected
Users may be experiencing intermittent issues with this service.
Apple TV - Outage
Today, 2:53 PM - ongoing
Some users are affected
Users may be experiencing intermittent issues with this service.
Game Center - 1 Outage, 1 Resolved Issue
Outage: Today, 2:53 PM - ongoing
Some users are affected
Users may be experiencing a problem with this service.
Resolved Issue: Today, 8:43 AM - 9:14 AM
Some users were affected
Users may have experienced a problem with this service.
It's not clear what is causing the outages, though they all went down at 2:53 p.m.. (Apple doesn't specify, but I imagine that's ET.) This isn't the first time this has happened, of course. In fact, Apple Music was down earlier this year, though it was actually still working for me when Apple said the outage was active.
That appears to be the situation today, as well. Each report says "some users are affected," not all. As it happens, Apple Music is working on my Mac, and I'm able to stream the free pilot episode of Pluribus without issue.
Apple will likely get these services back up and running for affected users. In the meantime, if your Apple Music or Apple TV won't cooperate, this is likely the cause.
SoundSource, my preferred volume control app on the Mac, just got a major upgrade. The developer, Rogue Amoeba, recently released SoundSource 6 for Mac, which adds support for AirPlay devices, per-app equalizers, output device groups, and much more. It's an incredibly polished app packed with features, but my favorite feature is its ability to turn any random group of earbuds and speakers into a multi-room audio setup.
Multi-room audio with SoundSource 6
Credit: Pranay Parab
You can use SoundSource 6 to create a group of audio output devices, including Bluetooth speakers, wired headphones, AirPods, AirPlay speakers, and literally any other audio device your Mac can connect to. Then, you can send audio from any app to all of these devices at the same time, making for the ideal multi-room audio setup. I've used this to play Apple Music songs simultaneously on my AirPods, Bluetooth speakers, my Mac's speaker, and my HomePod. It's a great way to get music playing throughout your whole house.
To get started, click SoundSource's menu bar icon to open the app, and click the drop-down menu next to any app's volume slider. You'll see a button called Create Output Group or Edit Output Groups. Click this button and select New Group. You can now add as many audio devices as you want to the group.
In theory, you could also use this to chain a bunch of Bluetooth speakers from different brands to enjoy a more immersive audio experience while watching a movie, but in practice, latency makes the experience less than ideal. Even a slight lag in one of the speakers can ruin an immersive audio experience, but that's not SoundSource's fault. It's a difficult job to get multiple speakers from different brands, which use different audio output standards, to work as a perfect surround sound setup. Given the barriers in place, SoundSource does an admirable job with its task.
I found that the multi-room audio feature works best when you're listening to music with one speaker in each room. That way, the slight latency won't bother you at all, and you can have music to keep you company as you run through household chores.
AirPlay support is great to have
Credit: Pranay Parab
As someone who's used SoundSource since 2017, I've always missed the ability to send audio to AirPlay devices. Until recently, Rogue Amoeba had left that feature to another of its apps—Airfoil. However, SoundSource's latest release adds support for AirPlay devices, which means that you can finally use it to send audio from any app on your Mac to a HomePod, Apple TV, or other AirPlay-enabled device.
I use SoundSource to redirect audio from certain apps to specific speakers, and with AirPlay support, I can send music straight to my HomePod, while restricting notification sounds from messaging apps to the Mac's built-in speakers.
Per-app EQ is a big deal
Credit: Pranay Parab
I first started using SoundSource for its ability to let you set a custom volume level for each app on your Mac. I used this to reduce the volume of notifications from Messages and Slack, while keeping sounds from other apps at a higher level. SoundSource 6 has added another layer to this feature by shipping a per-app equalizer, which lets you set a different sound profile for every single app you use. It ships with nearly two dozen EQ presets for you to choose from. You can choose one EQ preset for music streaming apps and a different one for the apps you use to watch movies. You can locate this feature by clicking the right-arrow button under the FX section in SoundSource.
Set a custom audio level for each device
Credit: Pranay Parab
SoundSource also lets you set a custom volume level for each audio device your Mac is connected to. This lets me reduce the volume on a particularly loud Bluetooth speaker I own, while keeping my Mac's speaker volume a little higher. The app also allows you to set a maximum volume limit for each audio device, which you should use for two reasons: To prevent hearing loss if you're using headphones, and to avoid damaging your speakers. I've accidentally damaged a speaker by keeping it at 100% volume for a few hours in an outdoor venue, which isn't what the speaker was designed for. Since then, I've shied away from running speakers at full volume, and you can use the maximum volume limit feature here to help with that.
To use this feature, open SoundSource and click the speaker icon in the top-right corner. This will show you all your input and output devices. Select any device and locate the Output tab in the right pane. Here, move the Max Volume slider to an acceptable limit.
More features
Credit: Pranay Parab
SoundSource 6 has many other new features that make it worth the upgrade. You can set a preferred device order to ensure that your Mac doesn't accidentally connect to the wrong audio devices. I use this to set my AirPods as my preferred speaker, followed by my HomePod, my Mac's own speakers, and my Bluetooth speaker comes in last. The app also allows you to add volume controls for individual apps to the menu bar, which means that you can control the audio level of Chrome, Music, Spotify, or any other app without opening the main SoundSource window. This is great for the times when you only want to adjust a single app's volume.
There's also a neat feature where SoundSource can set your AirPods to 'output-only' mode, which means that every app will use the Mac's built-in mic for input and send the audio to the AirPods. Rogue Amoeba says this improves audio quality on the AirPods significantly.
There are many such quality-of-life improvements in this app, which made it an easy decision for me to buy its sixth version. If you've never used SoundSource before, you'll have to pay $49 to use the app. There is a trial mode that lets you try the app for up to 20 minutes for free, after which it degrades the audio. Those upgrading from previous versions of SoundSource can get the updated app for $25.
I'm routinely surprised by just how much technology Apple has managed to pack into the iPhone that I can carry in the palm of my hand. What's even more surprising is that underneath the layers, there's even more than what meets the eye. There's a better, faster way to use the keyboard, there's a faster way to select unread emails to archive, there are better ways to browse the web than just the usual Safari experience, and you can get way better photos out of the iPhone Pro cameras than what the stock Camera app shows you.
The iPhone has become such a default product in all our lives that we just take it for granted. Yes, it's a great way to stay in touch with friends and coworkers, to capture moments, and to doomscroll the night away. But spend some more time, and there's a whole new iPhone experience just waiting for you that will truly transform how your iPhone looks and works.
Automate the small, redundant tasks
Credit: Khamosh Pathak
Apple installs the Shortcuts app on every device and even offers pre-built shortcut automations that you can install from the Gallery. But the fun starts when you explore the very active Shortcuts community online and start to integrate Automations into the mix.
Apple’s Shortcuts app lets you create automations that automatically follow pre-defined steps. They can be used to resize images, compress files, convert data, and even control aspects of your smartphone. For example, you can create an automation that automatically enables a VPN when you step out of your home, or sends a message to your partner when you leave work. Looking to get started? We have a list of seven automations that I feel every iPhone user should install.
Add custom widgets to your Home Screen
Credit: Khamosh Pathak
I’m a huge fan of custom widgets. Whenever someone picks up my iPhone, the response is usually something like, "Your iPhone doesn’t look like a regular iPhone." That’s down to custom widgets that show the time, day, my appointments, the weather, my tasks, and more. The world of custom iPhone widgets is huge, and if you just want to dip your toes in, I would suggest you start with the Widgetsmith app, which lets you customize multiple widgets with the same theme and fonts. All together, it looks really aesthetically pleasing. When you’re ready, you can dive in with the Widgy app, where you can import and customize thousands of interactive widgets.
Access features quickly using the hidden Back Tap gesture
Credit: Khamosh Pathak
The iPhone has a hidden button, and it’s on the back of your iPhone. It’s an accessibility feature that you can access via Settings > Accessibility > Touch > Back Tap. You can then assign any app, shortcut, or action to either the Double Tap or Triple Tap gesture. It’s a great way to trigger Shortcuts automations, or to simply bring up the selfie camera. I personally find that the double-tap gesture has a tendency to misfire sometimes, and the triple-tap gesture is a lot more reliable.
Using a third-party browser, like Vivaldi, is a very power-user move. All third-party browsers on iOS are technically variations of Safari, as Apple forces developers to build their browsers on Safari's WebKit platform. However, these third-party browsers can include unique features that Safari doesn't. Vivaldi, for example, offers desktop-class tab browsing, including tab groups and pinned tabs. Then there’s Orion, which can run desktop-class extensions from Firefox and Chrome Web Store on your iPhone (something that Safari can’t do). And if you don’t like Safari’s new interface, try out Quiche, which is a completely customizable browser.
Master your Focuses
Credit: Khamosh Pathak
Focuses have the potential to transform how your iPhone looks and works, based on your location, time, day, or the task at hand. It’s time to go beyond Do Not Disturb and embrace everything that Apple's Focuses can do.
It would be a good idea for you to set up Focuses for Work, Personal Time, and Sleep. In each Focus, you can decide which apps can send notifications, and which friends or family members can contact you. You can even choose which home screens to show in particular Focus, choosing to hide widgets and apps depending on the Focus (no work stuff at all in Personal Time Focus, for example). Focus also integrates with Shortcuts and Automations, so you can trigger a Focus when you start a video call on your Mac or reach a particular location (like your workplace). Go to Settings > Focus to get started.
Use the hidden swipe gestures everywhere
You’ll be familiar with all the usual iPhone gestures, like swiping up from the Home bar, or tapping the top edge of the iPhone to instantly scroll to the top. But the iPhone has a lot more hidden gestures that can really speed things up. If you see a long list, try to swipe down with two fingers to instantly start selecting items. This works really well in Mail, Phone, and other Apple apps, but is also supported by third-party apps. Next, in iOS 26, Apple added back gesture support that’s arguably better than Android. You can swipe in from anywhere on the left edge to quickly go back.
You can also cut, copy, and paste with a three-finger gesture. To copy something, pinch it with three fingers. To cut, do it twice. To paste something, do a three-finger spread gesture (opposite of the pinch).
Get faster with the iPhone keyboard
Credit: Khamosh Pathak
The iPhone keyboard is more than what meets the eye. It has a built-in Slide to Type feature where you can glide your finger over the keys to type words. It works really well, especially when using the phone one-handed. There’s a virtual trackpad built in, too. Just tap and hold the Space bar and move your finger to move the cursor around.
If you find your keyboard too large to type on, you can also enable the one-handed keyboard from the Keyboard Settings button (tap and hold the Globe icon). From here, you can go to Keyboard Settings to enable a multi-lingual keyboard and to try out Text Replacement, where you can create shortcuts for expanding your frequently used text snippets. For example, you can type “adrs” to expand to your full home address.
Scan documents without a third-party app
Credit: Khamosh Pathak
You might not know this, but there’s a really neat document scanner built into the Notes app and the Files app. I prefer to use the Files app for this because I get to save a PDF directly in the folder that I want. Open the Files app, go to any folder, tap the three-dotted Menu icon, and choose the Scan Documents feature. There’s an Auto Shutter feature that’s enabled by default that will automatically scan each new page you put in front of your camera (if you find this annoying, you can disable it as well). Scan as many pages as you want, and tap the Done button. Then, give the document a name. And it’s now stored as a PDF in the folder. You can now send it to where it needs to go, or back it up using iCloud Drive.
Upgrade your photos and videos on iPhone Pro
Credit: Blackmagic
The cameras on the iPhone Pro are truly stellar. But the Camera app is not. The default Camera app does too much computational photography for my taste, and has trouble focusing on elements exactly when I need to capture something small. Plus, the Pro cameras can shoot in Log in ProRes, and to fully take control of the visuals from your iPhone, you’ll need to step out of the Camera app.
For shooting video in the best light, Blackmagic is a great choice. Here, you get full manual control over both photos and videos, with film-grade presets (including the ability to create your own custom ones).
If that feels a bit too Pro, try using a third-party app to capture much better photos. My colleague Pranay has highlighted a couple of great options, with Halide Mark II topping the list (I agree, as well). Halide gives you a lot more control over the look of your photos. There’s also a Process Zero feature that removes all of Apple’s computational processes from the photos.
The term 'Mac power user' is a bit vague and almost sounds exclusionary, but I'm here to tell you that if you regularly use your Mac, you absolutely are a power user. You don't need to exclusively be using command line tools or keyboard shortcuts to be a power user. Even though I use my Mac all day, every single day, I keep discovering new shortcuts, awesome apps I'd never heard of, or just general tips that I hadn't come across until now.
So, if that sounds like you, you absolutely are a Mac power user, and I'm here to share some tips that have helped me optimize my workflow over the past few years. From setting up automation routines to save time, to a faster way to launch apps, there's something in this guide for everyone who uses a Mac.
Spotlight Search is your best friend
Spotlight Search is one of the most underrated tools on the Mac. Even though I've had a fair share of complaints with its occasional sluggishness, it's still my go-to for so many things. You can fire it up by pressing Command-Space on the keyboard, and use it for everything from launching apps to converting currencies. Just open Spotlight and type 100GBP (or any other currency), and you'll see it convert that to your local currency automatically. You can also use it to convert imperial units to metric, create calendar events, search for files, or create shortcut actions.
If you've upgraded to macOS 26 Tahoe, you'll notice that Spotlight is slightly better than before. It now allows you to do two things it didn't before—check your clipboard history, and create shortcuts to execute common actions. You can enable clipboard history by going to System Settings > Spotlight > Results from Clipboard, and access it by using the keyboard shortcut Command-Space-4.
As for automation, Spotlight has a new feature that lets you add quick keys to speed up common actions. You can press Command-Space-3 to open the Actions tab in Spotlight, and you'll see a list of supported actions. Next to some, you'll see a button called Add quick keys. Press this button and you can set up a keyboard shortcut to execute it. As an example, I've set up "sm" as the keyboard shortcut to send a message. The moment I type it and select the action via Spotlight, it allows me to type a message and send it to anyone from my contacts without opening the Messages app. Feel free to set up as many quick keys as you want and use Spotlight as your gateway to different actions within apps.
Use an app to control per-app volume
One of the most common annoyances with the Mac is that it doesn't easily let you set a different volume level for each app. If you find that app notifications are too loud and getting in the way of your video viewing experience, the easiest workaround is to use an app to set a custom volume level for different apps. The free Background Music app does a decent job with this, and if you're willing to pay for a much more polished experience, you should get SoundSource ($45).
Optimize your window tiling setups
macOS didn't have any useful window management features for very long, but now it has some good basic options. You can try pressing fn-ctrl-left arrow or right arrow to move windows around, or just drag an app's window to the left or right edge of the screen to see tiling options. You also have the option of hovering your mouse pointer over the green button to the top-left of any app's window, where you'll see lots of options to arrange windows. There are some window tiling settings available under System Settings > Desktop & Dock > Windows, too, so be sure to check them out.
While macOS' built-in window tiling features work just fine, the implementation isn't as polished as that on third-party apps, which also offer lots of advanced features that Apple does not. Free window management apps such as Loop and Rectangle offer many more window positioning and layout options. If you're willing to pay, apps such as Moom ($15) and Rectangle Pro ($10) are even better, as they have support for precise custom layouts, and handling multi-display setups, too.
Make the most of your Mac's display notch
Credit: Pranay Parab
Newer MacBooks have a notch in the display, which is a design choice Apple made to give you a larger screen without increasing the size of the MacBook. The notch looks like dead space on your MacBook, but some apps add a ton of useful features to this space. You can have things like music controls, calendars, battery status indicators, AirPods connectivity indicators, and more sitting right in your Mac's display notch. Alcove ($15) is my favorite app for this, as it brings the iPhone's Dynamic Island to your Mac. It shows you when your Mac enters a Focus mode, highlights volume and brightness changes, and when AirPods are connected. It also has gesture-based music playback controls, and much more. But if you just want music controls, you can get Tuneful ($5), which does that job quite well and costs a lot less.
The Option key hides a treasure trove of features
The humble Option key on your Mac's keyboard holds the secret to many hidden features. Hold the Option key and click the clock icon in your Mac's menu bar. You'll notice that this toggles Do Not Disturb mode on your Mac. It also reveals advanced wifi network information, shows more export formats in Preview, and has several more tricks that only appear when you press the Option key while opening menus from the menu bar.
You can customize the dock
Your Mac's dock is a great place to keep the apps that you use the most, so that you can launch them quickly. However, there are lots of fun ways to customize the Mac's dock to make it even more useful. Once you've cleaned up the dock by removing apps you don't use and replacing them with ones you do, you can also add spacers to organize the dock and use folders to group multiple apps in one icon. All these options are built into macOS, but third-party apps let you access even more options. The free TinkerTool app makes it easier to add spacers and has extra dock customization options, while uBar ($30) gives you the freedom to completely change the look and feel of the dock. If you're really missing Windows, uBar lets you replace the dock with something that looks like the Windows 11 taskbar, too.
The screenshot tools are great
Credit: Pranay Parab
Your Mac has some amazing built-in screenshot tools, and you should absolutely make the most of these. Press Command-Shift-5 to see the breadth of the screenshot and screen recording tools you get for free. These tools are great, and have been designed with a lot of thought and care, but for some people, they aren't going to be enough. If you want some neat features like taking scrolling screenshots of entire webpages, repeatedly capturing a specific part of the screen, or showing the keyboard buttons you're pressing during a screen recording, then you should consider replacing your Mac's screenshot tool with something better. My favorite app is CleanShot X ($29) and I've used it for over six years now. It has every screenshot feature you could ask for, and its screen recording tools are quite good, too.
There are easy ways to free up your Mac's storage
If your Mac's storage is full, it'll slow down a lot, and eventually you may experience a system crash. That's why it's important to keep some free space at all times. Your Mac has an easy built-in way to free up storage space now. Go to System Settings > General > Storage to get started. If you just pay attention to the recommendations on this page, you'll find it easy to clear out lots of storage space in just a few clicks. Beyond that, don't hesitate to enable automatically deleting files in Trash on your Mac.
These tools are all really good, but I highly recommend DaisyDisk ($10) for those who want to free up even more space. This app is faster than macOS' built-in methods, has a prettier interface, and lets you see exactly which apps or folders are taking up too much space. Cleaning up also takes just a couple of clicks.
Back up your photos to local storage
Everyone knows about iCloud and uses it to back up photos to the cloud. My only issue with this approach is that iCloud is a sync service and not a true backup option. If you delete iCloud photos from your iPhone, they'll be deleted from all other Apple devices, too. To safeguard against accidental photo deletion or losing your precious memories, I recommend backing up your photos to a second location. Parachute Backup ($5) is an excellent Mac app that backs up your iCloud photos to an external drive . I recently used Parachute Backup to back up over 12,000 photos to a hard drive on my home network, and it did the job flawlessly in around 2 hours.
Apple’s various apps and utilities are finally starting to talk to each other, and it’s great news for iPhone users. Last year, Apple added the ability to sync Reminders with Calendar, which added time-based reminders directly into your Calendar view—a feature I now regularly use. Now, with iOS 26.2, Apple is finally integrating Reminders with the Alarms app; you'll be able to set an accompanying alarm for any reminder.
If, like me, you tend to be forgetful—if you need a reminder for your reminder—this will be a handy feature. The alarm will sound, taking up your entire screen until you dismiss it. And yes, you can snooze it.
How to add an alarm to any reminder on your iPhone
To get started, open the Reminder app, navigate to a task list, and either create a new reminder, or edit it. When you’re adding a date and time, you’ll see a new Urgent toggle. When you enable the Urgent mode, it will turn on an alarm that will go off when the reminder is due. The alarm will trigger even when your iPhone is in silent mode or in a Do Not Disturb Focus mode, so be careful when setting it up.
Credit: Khamosh Pathak
When you enable this for the first time, you’ll get a connection request for integrating Reminders with Alarms. Here, tap Allow. If you don’t see this popup, or if you’ve dismissed it before, go to Settings > Apps > Reminders, and in the "Allow Reminders to Access" section, enable the Alarms toggle.
When the reminder is due, you’ll see a full-screen reminder interface, with the reminder up top, and an option to slide to stop (using Apple’s new sliding interface for dismissing alarms, which you can disable if you want). You’ll also see a big blue Snooze button. This will snooze the reminder for nine minutes.
Whether you hit the Snooze button or you use the slider to stop the alarm, Apple will add the Reminder to the top of the notifications list, as a Live Activity. You’ll see the reminder, with the snooze duration (if enabled), and the task. To actually complete the task, you’ll have to check it off from the Live Activity or the Reminders app.
Credit: Khamosh Pathak
Unlike in the new alarm feature, there’s no way to edit the Snooze duration for reminders, or to disable the slider. If you don’t like the Snooze feature or the two-tap approach to completing reminders, you can switch it out for a Complete button instead. Go to Settings > Apps > Reminders and in the "Urgent Reminders" section, enable the Complete from Alarm feature. Now, when the alarm goes off, you’ll see two buttons instead: Slide to Stop and Complete. When you tap Complete, the alarm will disappear, and the task will be marked as Complete.
In a lawsuit filed against top Trump administration officials on Monday, Apple was accused of caving to unconstitutional government demands by removing an Immigration and Customs Enforcement-spotting app from the App Store with more than a million users.
In his complaint, Joshua Aaron, creator of ICEBlock, cited a Fox News interview in which Attorney General Pam Bondi “made plain that the United States government used its regulatory power to coerce a private platform to suppress First Amendment-protected expression.”
Suing Bondi—along with Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, Acting Director of ICE Todd Lyons, White House “Border Czar” Thomas D. Homan, and unnamed others—Aaron further alleged that US officials made false statements and “unlawful threats” to criminally investigate and prosecute him for developing ICEBlock.
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Apple has been top dog in the premium tablet space for years, and the iPad Pro with an M4 chip released last year solidified their dominance. If you've been waiting for a discount on the best-performing tablet you can get, the decked out 1TB M4 iPad Pro is $600 off and a great deal compared to the other variations. You can get the 13-inch 1TB wifi and cellular version for $1,499.97 (originally $2,099.99), the lowest price it has been since, according to price-tracking tools. To put this deal into perspective, the 256GB cellular version is $1,299 (originally $1,499), making the upgrade to four times the storage just $200. The smaller 11-inch sizes are also discounted, but not as much as the 13-inch 1TB cellular version.
The M4 is about 1.5 times faster than the M2, the chip used in the previous generation of iPads. That's a big difference for anyone looking to use their iPad for more than just navigating the web and streaming media apps. The 11-inch screen is an OLED display with a maximum brightness of 1,600 nits and a contrast ratio of 2,000,000:1, making it ideal for creators who need to see accurate colors for pictures or videos. The processing power can easily handle heavy-duty apps like Final Cut Pro, Logic Pro, or Photoshop. A 120Hz refresh rate also means games will look smooth.
As far as battery life, you can expect about 10 hours depending on your use, and a charge that takes about two hours to get to full. Keep in mind Apple switched to USB-C charging, and this iPad does not support wireless charging. If you don't get the cellular version, you'll be limited to wifi signal. You can get the Apple Pencil Pro and the Magic Keyboard if you want to complete the set, but of course, they're not necessary.
If you're not going to be doing heavy work, the iPad Air will do just fine. But if you're looking for the best tablet to perform professional tasks, the iPad Pro M4 is at a great price right now.
Google and Apple have released new global cyber threat notifications, alerting users across dozens of countries to potential targeting by state-linked hackers. The latest warnings reflect growing concerns about government-backed surveillance operations and the expanding commercial spyware marketplace.Both companies confirmed that the alerts were sent this week as part of their ongoing efforts to protect users from digital espionage. The warnings are tied to commercial surveillance firms, including Intellexa, which has been repeatedly linked to high-end spyware deployments around the globe.
Apple Sends Warning Across More than 80 Countries
Apple stated that its newest set of threat notifications was dispatched on December 2, though the company declined to identify the number of affected users or the specific actors involved. These warnings are triggered when technical evidence indicates that individuals are being deliberately targeted by advanced hacking techniques believed to be connected to state agencies or their contractors.While Apple did not specify locations for this week’s alerts, it confirmed that, since the initiative began, users in more than 150 countries have received similar warnings. This aligns with the company’s broader strategy of alerting customers when activity consistent with state-directed surveillance operations is detected.
Google Reports Intellexa Spyware Targeting Several Hundred Accounts
Google also announced that it had notified “several hundred accounts” identified as being targeted by spyware developed by Intellexa, a surveillance vendor sanctioned by the United States. According to Google’s threat intelligence team, the attempted compromises spanned a wide geographic range. Users in Pakistan, Kazakhstan, Angola, Egypt, Uzbekistan, Saudi Arabia, and Tajikistan were among those affected.
The tech giant stated that Intellexa has continued to operate and adapt its tools despite U.S. sanctions. Executives associated with the company did not respond to inquiries about the allegations. Google also noted that this round of alerts covered people in more than 80 countries, stressing the nature of the attempted intrusions by state-linked hackers.
Rising Scrutiny of Commercial Spyware
The latest notifications from Google and Apple are part of a bigger concern surrounding the global spyware industry. Both companies have repeatedly warned that commercial surveillance tools, particularly those sold to government clients, are becoming increasingly common in targeting journalists, activists, political figures, and other high-risk individuals.Previous disclosures from Apple and Google have already prompted official scrutiny. The European Union has launched investigations in past cases, especially after reports that senior EU officials were targeted with similar spyware technologies. These inquiries often expand into broader examinations of cross-border surveillance practices and the companies that supply such tools.
Despite the breadth of the new alerts, neither Google nor Apple offered details about the identities of the actors behind the latest attempts. Apple also declined to describe the nature of the malicious activity detected. Both companies stress that withholding technical specifics is common when dealing with state-linked hackers, as revealing investigative methods could interfere with ongoing monitoring operations.Although the exact attackers remain unnamed, the alerts demonstrate a global distribution of spyware activity. Google’s identification of affected users across multiple continents, along with Apple’s acknowledgment of notifications issued in over 150 countries over time, shows that the threat posed by government-aligned surveillance groups continues to expand.
You may have a keen eye for spotting scams, but fraudsters are finding new ways to weaponize trusted systems to avoid detection. For example, threat actors are generating real Apple support tickets to phish two-factor authentication (2FA) codes and gain access to iCloud accounts.
The scheme, detailed on Medium by a security researcher and software product manager Eric Moret, shows how social engineering tactics can sow just enough fear and confusion to trick even those who know the red flags. (The money transfer scam that conned a financial advice columnist out of $50,000 is another example.)
How scammers are exploiting Apple's support system
The Apple support scam started with a text message from Apple containing a 2FA code, followed by verification notifications across devices, indicating that someone was trying to log into Moret's account. He then received an automated call from Apple with another 2FA code. The text was delivered from a five-digit short code, and the call from a toll-free number, both of which are used by legitimate businesses and not necessarily red flags of a scam.
The next call, however, came from an Atlanta-based 404 phone number. The caller claimed to be from Apple Support, stated that Moret's account was under attack, and assured him that they were opening up a support ticket. During a follow-up call lasting 25 minutes, Moret received a real Apple Support case confirmation via email (it turns out anyone can create an Apple support ticket in someone else's name) and was directed to reset his iCloud password.
He was then sent a link via text—from the 404 number this time—to close the ticket. After clicking through, Moret was directed to a phishing website that spoofed a real Apple page (the URL was appeal-apple[dot]com), where he was prompted to enter a 6-digit 2FA code he'd just received via text. An email to his inbox then alerted him that an unknown Mac mini had been used to sign into his iCloud account, which the rep on the phone told him was "expected as part of the security process" and "standard procedure."
Moret then immediately reset his iCloud password again to kick the unauthorized device off.
It may be easy in hindsight to see the signs: the unsolicited call about an urgent security issue, the 404 number, the phishing link that isn't a real Apple subdomain, the request for an authentication code. But the Apple support ticket—with a real case number and official emails from apple.com domains—lent just enough credibility, and the multiple 2FA notifications just enough urgency, to work.
That's the problem with social engineering. It manipulates emotions and instincts that are stronger than logic and reason, leading to actions that are not in our interest.
How to stay safe
As always, you should be wary of anyone who calls, texts, or emails you about a security or account issue, even if you have received real security alerts or they have a legitimate case number. Don't click links, enter credentials, or provide codes when prompted by these unsolicited callers. Don't accept reassurance from anyone on the phone, no matter how calm and confident they sound.
If you are concerned, you should reach out directly using trusted contact information or open support tickets yourself. Always check URLs and subdomains carefully, as hackers can play tricks to make them look legit.
Also, know that simply having 2FA enabled isn't enough to keep your accounts secure. Some forms are (obviously) easily phished, so if possible, you should use a multi-factor authentication method like a hardware key or WebAuthn credentials (biometrics and passkeys) rather than codes.
Using keyboard shortcuts is a lot faster than clicking around in the menus, but only after you learn them. That's the hard part.
You could look up the documentation for the application or explore the menu bar—but if you're on a Mac, you could also just install KeyClu. This free application shows an overlay with all the keyboard shortcuts for the currently open Mac application, which is very useful for anyone trying to become a more keyboard-savvy computer user.
To get started, install the application. Then, you'll need to choose a trigger key (basically one of the modifier keys on your keyboard). By default, you will tap the key twice and hold on the second tap to trigger the overlay, but you can optionally set the application to simply press and hold the key if you prefer. I opted to press and hold Command.
After that, you'll be asked to enable permissions so KeyClu can access the keyboard shortcuts for your applications. Then you can start using the application. I tend to ignore the application until I wonder whether a keyboard shortcut for a particular function exists. I trigger the application, look through the list of keyboard shortcuts, and see what's available. When I let go of the trigger key, the window disappears.
This default floating window is useful, but you might want a window listing shortcuts to stay open even when you let go of the trigger. That's where the persistent panel comes in. This window, which you can trigger using the menu bar, stays open and always shows a list of keyboard shortcuts for the currently active application. You can add a separate keyboard shortcut for this window in the settings, if you like.
Credit: Justin Pot
If you dig around in KeyClu's settings, you can configure the layout of both the pop-up and persistent panels, changing the size of the windows, how many columns shortcuts are sorted into, and which display the panels show up on.
Credit: Justin Pot
It's a simple piece of software, but it's completely free and can help you get better at using your computer. And if you're reading Lifehacker, that's probably something you want. Speaking of keyboard shortcuts: here are a few keyboard shortcuts you should know. You can also check out our guide to creating your own macOS keyboard shortcuts.
watchOS 26 introduced Sleep Score, a feature that was sorely missing on the Apple Watch. Sleep Score analyzes a host of data collected while you slept, including sleep duration, the time you actually went to bed, and any wake-ups you might have had during the night, and gives you an overall score. The idea is to glance at the score and see how you slept that night, so you can either take steps to improve your sleep going forward, or know you're on the right track. The total score is out of 100: Duration gets you up to 50 points, bedtime gets up to 30, and sleep interruptions go up to 20.
watchOS 26.2 refines the feature, by adjusting the final Sleep Score metrics. The feature had a tendency to give you higher scores than you might have otherwise felt you earned: A mediocre night's sleep might have have scored "High" on your chart, which wouldn't have made much sense to you.
Going forward, the scoring is a bit more conservative. Here's what you can expect, and how the scores changed from the last update:
Very Low: 0–40 (previously 0–29)
Low: 41–60 (previously 30–49)
OK: 61–80 (previously 50–69)
High: 81–95 (previously 70–89)
Very High: 96–100 (previously 90–100)
You'll also noticed Apple changed the "Excellent" score to "Very High," which keeps the naming a bit more consistent.
Music app glitch fix
If you've been using the Music app on your Apple Watch, but have been struggling to get your songs to actually, you know, play, good news: Apple says in the release notes for watchOS 26.2 that there is now a fix for an issue where the Music app doesn't move to the next song.
Enhanced Safety Alerts
Finally, watchOS 26.2, along with other Apple updates, introduces Enhanced Safety Alerts. According to Apple, this feature will warn you about "imminent threats," including floods, natural disasters, and other emergencies. The feature will also include data like maps and links to official safety advice.
Apple has been positioning the Apple Watch to be an overall health and safety device, and this feature only seems to complement that. Recent Apple Watches have hypertension alerts, which can help you passively identify high blood pressure, while fall and crash protection can automatically call for help in emergencies when you can't reach the phone.
New products tend to add features, not take them away. That isn't always the case with Apple, however. The company has a long history of removing functions from one generation of devices to the next, whether that's removing the disc drive from its MacBooks back in 2012, or taking away the iPhone's Home button in 2017. Some of these changes are good, some are controversial, while others are undone altogether: MagSafe and HDMI both found their way back to MacBooks after all.
It's not often I hear about Apple removing software features from one generation of product to the next, however. So, imagine my surprise when I saw a number of headlines this morning asserting that the iPhone 17 Pro, Apple's latest and greatest flagship, is missing a feature found in the last five generations of Pro iPhones—and nobody noticed for nearly three months. Night mode is missing from Portrait mode on the iPhone 17 Pro and 17 Pro Max.
What happened to Night mode in Portrait?
The short answer? We have no idea. This was not something Apple announced publicly, of course. In fact, Macworld spotted the change in an Apple support doc: If you scroll down to the section where it says "On supported models, you can take Night mode photos with Portrait mode," and click the hyperlink on "On supported models," you'll pull up a list of iPhones that, mysteriously, doesn't include the 17 Pro or 17 Pro Max. The list includes:
iPhone 12 Pro
iPhone 12 Pro Max
iPhone 13 Pro
iPhone 13 Pro Max
iPhone 14 Pro
iPhone 14 Pro Max
iPhone 15 Pro
iPhone 15 Pro Max
iPhone 16 Pro
iPhone 16 Pro Max
For the uninitiated, Night mode and Portrait mode are technically two distinct features. Portrait mode was released first, all the way back on the iPhone 7 Plus, which utilized the dual-camera system to add a bokeh effect to shots of people. Those early shots were hit or miss, and were often no replacement for a true DSLR, but as Apple's tech and cameras have improved, so has Portrait mode. Part of the improvement was the introduction of Night mode. This feature, which Apple was a bit late to the game on, allowed you to take brighter images in low-light environments by lengthening the time the shutter stays engaged. Older iPhones without the feature would take images that were hard to see without the flash engaged, but Night mode could pull in details as long as there was just enough light present in the scene.
Since the iPhone 12 Pro, Portrait mode came with the option of Night mode, as well. If you're trying to take a portrait shot in a dark environment, Night mode kicks in and gives the image a chance to turn out brighter and more detailed. But now, it seems, the 17 Pro and 17 Pro Max do not have this option.
To be clear, these new iPhones still have Night mode: Per that previously mentioned support page, you can take brighter shots at night when taking standard photos, selfies, and time-lapse videos. It just seems Apple decided to remove the feature for Portrait mode shots on its latest Pros.
Of course, this news started breaking on Dec. 3, nearly three months after the 17 Pros launched. If it took this long for someone to notice a missing feature, was it really all that important to begin with? I don't have a 17 Pro, so I really can't say, but I also can't say I take many Portrait mode shots in dark environments. I've reached out to Apple for comment, and will update this story if I hear back.
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The latest AirPods 4 have dropped to a record low price, according to price-tracking tools, and they've been selling out on Amazon consistently. But if you haven't had a chance to snag one up, Walmart has the AirPods 4 (without active noise cancelling, aka ANC) for $74 (originally $129.99), the cheapest they've ever been, and the ANC AirPods 4 for $99 (originally $179.99).
The AirPods 4 have updated USB-C charging. Both models (the ANC and non-ANC) are powered by Apple's H2 chip, so you'll get Personalized Spatial Audio (so you can hear sounds seemingly coming from different directions as you move your head) and the ability to use head gestures to tell Siri "yes" or "no" and answer calls. Apple added a live translation feature to the ANC model when iOS 26 rolled out earlier this year.
The biggest difference if you choose to go with the non-ANC is that you'll miss out on the charging case with a built-in speaker, which you can use with Find My to locate it if you lose them. You'll also miss features like Conversation Awareness, which lowers your music volume when your AirPods detect that you're talking to someone; Transparency Mode, which lets you better hear your surroundings while your earbuds are in; and Adaptive Audio (combines ANC and Transparency mode to adjust ANC levels based on the noise around you).
Both versions are rated IP54 for dust and water resistance, offer up to five hours of listening per charge (up to 30 hours with the charging case), and can handle automatic switching with your other Apple devices. You can read more about the non-ANC AirPods in PCMag's "excellent" review, and more about the ANC AirPods in PCMag's "outstanding" review.
I've said it before and I'll say it again: Safari is better than Chrome. Apple's default browser runs faster, is less cluttered, offers privacy features Google would never contemplate, and doesn't try to cram AI down your throat.
But that doesn't mean Safari is perfect. Like all browsers, it works better if you install the right extensions. Here are a few I've found in the past year or so that make the best browser even better.
Block ads and other clutter
Credit: Justin Pot
The internet is increasingly useless without a good ad blocker, and the best ad blocker for Safari—which works on both macOS and mobile devices—is wBlock. This extension uses the built-in ad blocking functionality offered by Safari, which is much faster than the workarounds that extensions on browsers like Chrome need to use. It also supports a number of popular blocklists, with automatic updating. Or you can go even further and install Userscripts. Best of all, it's completely free. Try it out if you're not happy with your current ad blocker.
Add a dark mode to sites that don't have one
Credit: Justin Pot
We can argue endlessly about whether dark or light mode are better (and I have), but we can all agree it's annoying to be using dark mode only for the websites you're browsing to be white as snow. That's where Noir comes in. This extension forces Dark Mode in Safari on websites that otherwise don't offer the feature. It's a must-have for dark mode enthusiasts.
Automatically open picture in picture when you switch tabs
Safari, on mobile, will keep playing videos using picture-in-picture mode if you switch to another application or tab. The desktop version of Safari doesn't do this, which is a shame. Autopip is a Safari extension for Mac that adds this feature. The result: you can keep watching a video in the background while you're working in another tab or application. It's perfect if you're the sort of person who leaves a video playing while you're working on something else.
Quickly copy the URL for the current site
Credit: Justin Pot
Arc, the browser, is dead, and if I'm honest I only miss one feature: the ability to copy the URL of the current website using the keyboard shortcut Command-Shift-C. Yes, it's a very specific thing to miss, but I can't overstate how much of a habit this became for me. And I can keep the habit thanks to Supercopy, a Safari extension that adds the keyboard shortcut to Safari. Yes: that's all it does. I use it dozens of times every day, though, so for me it's well worth keeping around.
Filter Reddit to be less rage inducing
Credit: Pranay Parab
I'd love it if I spent less time on Reddit and I'm sure I'm not alone. The problem: there's a mix of useful and rage-inducing stuff on that website. The good news is Protego lets you filter Reddit to be less infuriating. The idea is to pick a few subreddits you know, in your heart of hearts, you shouldn't be looking at. Do that and you'll be able to use Reddit without ending up down rabbit holes of rage and disgust. You can also filter out posts using keywords and hide promoted content. Trust me: you'll be happier.
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The Apple Watch Series 11 is the middle-of-the-pack smartwatch, sandwiched between the budget-friendly Apple Watch SE 3 and the flagship Apple Watch Ultra 3. It also happens to be the only one still holding on to its Black Friday discount. You can get the GPS version starting at $329 (originally $399) and the GPS + Cellular version starting at $429 (originally $499), both the lowest prices they've reached, according to price tracking tools.
It's always nice when the "best Apple Watch for most people" gets better without a price increase over the previous generation. The Series 11 improved its battery life, going up to 43 hours with the always-on display enabled, up from 36 hours for the Series 10. Also, now you can get a 5G Cellular version, which, before, the best Apple could offer was LTE. This makes cell service much better for calls and helps to keep the battery life running longer. Another big update is that its hypertension notification feature is FDA-approved, so this watch could potentially save your life if you suffer from high blood pressure. Like new iterations, the new smartwatch is also more vibrant, slimmer, and more durable.
You'll start off with the new WatchOS 26 and all of the features it brings, like Heart Rate Monitor, ECG, Blood Oxygen Monitor, Temperature Sensor, Pedometer, Gyroscope, and others. If you already own the Series 10, you'll see the same display, measurements, processor, and sensors, so it might not be worth upgrading unless battery life and 5G connectivity really matter to you.
At its current price, the Series 11 is a great smartwatch for most Apple lovers, and the lowest price it'll likely be this year.
Apple reportedly won’t comply with a government order in India to preload iPhones with a state-run app that can track and block lost or stolen phones via a device’s International Mobile Equipment Identity (IMEI) code. While the government describes it as a tool to help consumers, privacy advocates say it could easily be repurposed for surveillance.
Reuters reported today, citing three anonymous sources, that “Apple does not plan to comply with a mandate to preload its smartphones with a state-owned cyber safety app and will convey its concerns to New Delhi.” Reuters noted that the government mandate has “sparked surveillance concerns and a political uproar.”
The government’s Sanchar Saathi (“Communication Partner”) app is billed as a consumer tool for reporting suspected fraud communications, verifying the genuineness of a phone, and blocking lost or stolen handsets. The app can already be installed by users as it is available on the Apple and Google Play app stores, but the government wants device makers such as Apple, Google, Samsung, and Xiaomi to load phones with the app before they are shipped.
When I switched to a Mac about a decade ago, I immediately fell in love with my MacBook's menu bar, and especially the various icons in its top-right corner. I've always enjoyed keeping useful menu bar apps there, such as clipboard managers, app launchers, or apps that update other apps. But unfortunately, if you've installed more than a few third-party apps on your MacBook, your menu bar might be pretty cluttered. It's nothing a quick clean-up can't fix, though, and now macOS ships with a few ways to help fix your messy menu bar.
Remove apps from the menu bar
Credit: Pranay Parab
Just as you'd remove unwanted items from your desk, you should periodically declutter the menu bar by removing apps that don't need to be there. This doesn't uninstall those apps, but it does free up some space in your menu bar. I do this for menu bar icons I never end up clicking. macOS 26 Tahoe has an easy way to remove apps from the menu bar. Follow these steps to do it:
Click the Apple logo in the top-left corner of your Mac's screen.
Go to System Settings > Menu Bar.
In the right pane, navigate to the section called Allow in the Menu Bar.
You'll see a list of apps that have a menu bar icon. You can uncheck any app you want to remove.
Some apps also offer a way to remove their icons from the menu bar. Try checking your apps' settings to see if they let you remove their menu bar icons.
Note that removing a menu bar icon for an app can sometimes cause the app to become "headless," which means that it'll be running in the background but its icon won't show up in either the menu bar or the dock. This is fine for apps that you only need to configure once, but it can become a problem if you want to use the app regularly. In such cases, you can use a Spotlight search (Cmd + Space, or the magnifying glass icon in the menu bar) or alternatives such as Alfred or Raycast to search for the app's name and open it.
Remove system controls from the menu bar
Credit: Pranay Parab
I'm sure you've noticed that the menu bar has more than just app icons. It's also home to the clock, wifi, volume controls, and more. You can easily add or remove these controls from the menu bar, as long as you're running macOS Tahoe. Here's how:
Go to System Settings > Menu Bar.
Head over to the Menu Bar Controls section.
Uncheck any control you want to remove from the menu bar.
You cannot entirely remove the clock from the menu bar, but you can click Clock Options… and switch to Analog to make its icon a lot smaller.
Drag and drop icons to rearrange the menu bar
Credit: Pranay Parab
You also have the option of dragging and dropping your app icons around the menu bar, or using drag-and-drop to remove them from the menu bar. Just hold the Command key and drag any menu bar icon to a different position within the menu bar to rearrange it. To remove icons from the menu bar using drag-and-drop, hold Command and drag-and-drop them outside the menu bar.
Use a menu bar manager app
Credit: Pranay Parab
To tame the chaos at the top of your Mac's screen, I strongly recommend using a menu bar manager app. These apps will automatically show or hide menu bar icons based on triggers (eg: the battery icon will only show up when your MacBook's charge is below 25%), or add a second row of icons that's visible only when you click the menu bar. You'll need to try a couple of menu bar managers to decide which one works best for you. I've been using Barbee for some time, and its my current favorite.
2025 was another big year for music. We had new albums from Taylor Swift, Sabrina Carpenter, Tyler the Creator, and, of course, Huntrix (of KPop Demon Hunters fame), just to name a few. You may have listened to any number of new albums that came out this year, mixed in with music that released any time over the last century. You might not even remember what you were listening to back in January. But Apple Music remembers, and will serve in up to you in your 2025 Apple Music Replay.
Like last year, your Replay is available in your Apple Music app. If you're relatively new to the streaming service, that might sound obvious—especially if you've previously used a service like Spotify that offers a similar annual wrap-up. But this wasn't always the case: For much of Apple Music Replay's brief history, you had to visit a separate website, music.apple.com/us/replay, and log into your Apple Music account in order to access your recap. It seemed silly, considering Spotify Wrapped is very much an in-app experience, but it took Apple until 2024 to get with the program.
That said, it seems Apple has made additional improvements this year. In 2024, the experience was essentially contained in an in-app browser, where it loaded your Apple Music Replay with the same UI as the website. This year, Replay is a native function of the Apple Music app, at least on iOS.
How to access your 2025 Apple Music Replay
Credit: Lifehacker
You can still access your Replay from the official website, but the easiest way to review it is from the app on your iPhone or iPad. Open the app on your device of choice. Make your way to the Home tab if the app doesn't open there automatically, then tap or click on the large Replay option, which should appear at the top left. (This option also shows up in the Music app for Mac, but it will automatically direct you to the website in your browser.) Whichever way you access it, you'll be able to see all of your Replay months here (excluding December, of course, since the month just started), but let's focus on 2025 as a whole.
Unpacking your Apple Music Replay
At the top, you'll find a Replay your year in music tile. Tap Play Your Highlight Reel and Apple Music will walk you through your year. Here's what you can expect, at least based on my results:
First, you'll see your total listening minutes, complete with both a collage of the albums you listened to most, and one of your top-played songs playing in the background.
Next, you'll see your top artist of the year, with a collage of their images and a relevant song playing in the background.
The following slide is a breakdown of your top artist by month
The next will show if any artist was your number one for multiple months.
Next, you'll see the number of songs you listened to, complete with your top song of the year.
Then you'll see the number of albums you listened to, and which one was your top choice.
Second to last, Apple Music tells you your top genres of the year, including the one you listened to most
One final slide summarizes the whole year.
You don't have to watch the highlight reel to see these stats: Once out of the reel, you can scroll through the Replay page to see everything covered in the slides, plus additional stats. Mine shows top artists, songs, and albums by month—so I can see which artist defined March (Will Stratton), which song I listened to most in August ("The Subway" by Chappel Roan), and which album I played on repeat in May ("Tunnel Vision" by Beach Bunny). I also see top playlists of the year; different listening milestones, like Minutes Listened, Artists Played, and Songs Played; stats from last year's Replay; and a playlist of my top songs of the year.
Many of these stats, both in and out of the highlight reel, are easily sharable. You'll see a share icon next to any stat you can export, which makes it simple to share fun graphics with friends or on social media. I've already blown up the group chat with some of my stats here, and I expect many of you to do the same.
Sales are accurate at the time of publication, but prices and inventory are always subject to change.
Apple’s new MacBook Pro with the M5 chip is a stunningly good computer. If I hadn’t bought my M4 Pro MacBook Pro last year, this is what I would probably get right now. The M5 chip is a substantial upgrade over the M4, especially in the AI department. And for Cyber Monday, Amazon is discounting the already fresh M5 MacBook Pro down to $1,349. That’s down from the sticker price of $1,599, a savings of $250.
At that rate, the M5 MacBook Pro becomes attractive for anyone who wants a Mac laptop that is going to last for ages. The M5 MacBook Pro is a sizable upgrade over the MacBook Air, too, thanks to its superior 14.2-inch Liquid Retina XDR display (after using this, going back to my 4K monitor is really tough, I’ll tell you that). This XDR display has Mini-LED backlighting, a ProMotion 120Hz display, and 1,600 nits peak HDR brightness.
The M5, meanwhile, is a new 10-core CPU that Apple says is 15% faster than the M4. The real gains are in graphics and AI. The new 10-core GPU comes with a neural accelerator integrated into each core. This boosts on-device AI workflows by up to 3.5 times. It’s a sizable jump if you’re running third-party on-device AI models as well. Graphics are better by up to 30%, too, with Apple’s third-gen ray tracing tech. Gaming on the Mac might finally be a no-compromise affair (although compatibility is still limited depending on the title).
Along with 16GB RAM, there’s a 512GB SSD and a massive 24-hour battery life. The battery on my M4 Pro MacBook Pro isn’t as great as I’d want it to be. The M5 is more efficient, lasts longer and runs cooler as well. You can also use it for intense workflows like photo editing and video editing, and it can handle sustained thermal loads thanks to its built-in fan cooling. There’s also a nice 12MP Center Stage webcam up top, and a six-speaker sound system with Spacial audio. The speakers are genuinely amazing. When my wife and I watch something in bed, we no longer need to connect to Bluetooth speakers (like we do when using my wife’s MacBook Air).
Yes, Apple participates in Cyber Monday, though you may want to compare their sales with other retailers like Best Buy and Walmart. Apple is offering an exclusive $250 gift card for eligible purchases, but so far, the best Cyber Monday sale on an Apple product is the M4 MacBook on sale for cheaper than ever.
Are Cyber Monday deals better than Black Friday?
Black Friday used to be bigger for major retailers and more expensive tech and appliances, while Cyber Monday was for cheaper tech and gave smaller businesses a chance to compete online. Nowadays, though, the distinction is almost meaningless. Every major retailer will offer sales on both days, and the smart move is to know what you want, use price trackers or refer to guides like our live blog that use price trackers for you, and don’t stress over finding the perfect timing.
How long do Cyber Monday deals really last?
Black Friday sales officially begin Friday, November 28, 2025, and run throughout “Cyber Week,” the five-day period that runs from Thanksgiving through Cyber Monday, December 1, 2025. But Black Friday and Cyber Monday dates have expanded as retailers compete for customers. Expect sales to wind down by December 3, 2025.
Our Best Editor-Vetted Cyber Monday Deals Right Now
Sales are accurate at the time of publication, but prices and inventory are always subject to change.
The AirPods Pro 2 are one of the best audio products Apple's launched. Since their release in 2022, the AirPods Pro 2 have received multiple software updates to add features such as controlling Siri with head movements, reduced latency, improved call quality, and more. Even today, they remain a fantastic pair of earbuds, especially now that the Cyber Monday 2025 sale has dropped the price to a record low.
During Amazon-owned Woot's Cyber Monday 2025 sale, the AirPods Pro 2 are going for $135, which is 46% off the list price of $250. Sure, some of you are going to want the latest and greatest product in the lineup, the AirPods Pro 3 ($220, 12% off, during Cyber Monday 2025), but for most people, the AirPods Pro 2 are an amazing choice at this price.
Every time I've used the AirPods Pro 2, I've been impressed by their comfort and noise cancellation features. The ANC cuts out a lot of noise in loud places, including concert venues, and for me, they've been a great companion on long flights.
The AirPods Pro 2 work best with Apple products, but they're also compatible with other Bluetooth devices such as a Windows PC or an Android phone. Having said that, if you want to make the most of the AirPods Pro 2, you should pair them with your Apple devices for the seamless device switching, instant pairing, and host of software features that don't work with other platforms.
I've used the AirPods Pro 2 during workouts at the gym, for cycling, and while running half-marathons. They've have never disappointed me through all these situations. I love recommending slightly older products when they're heavily discounted, and with the AirPods Pro 2 getting such a good deal during Cyber Monday 2025, you're basically getting a current-gen product at last-gen prices.
Does Apple do Cyber Monday?
Yes, Apple participates in Cyber Monday, though you may want to compare their sales with other retailers like Best Buy and Walmart. Apple is offering an exclusive $250 gift card for eligible purchases, but so far, the best Cyber Monday sale on an Apple product is the M4 MacBook on sale for cheaper than ever.
How long do Cyber Monday deals really last?
Black Friday sales officially begin Friday, November 28, 2025, and run throughout “Cyber Week,” the five-day period that runs from Thanksgiving through Cyber Monday, December 1, 2025. But Black Friday and Cyber Monday dates have expanded as retailers compete for customers. Expect sales to wind down by December 3, 2025.
Are Cyber Monday deals better than Black Friday?
Black Friday used to be bigger for major retailers and more expensive tech and appliances, while Cyber Monday was for cheaper tech and gave smaller businesses a chance to compete online. Nowadays, though, the distinction is almost meaningless. Every major retailer will offer sales on both days, and the smart move is to know what you want, use price trackers or refer to guides like our live blog that use price trackers for you, and don’t stress over finding the perfect timing.
Our Best Editor-Vetted Cyber Monday Deals Right Now
Sales are accurate at the time of publication, but prices and inventory are always subject to change.
For years, the M1 MacBook Air has been the default cheap MacBook recommendation every deals season. Even now, it’s available for just $549 at Walmart. But now, I think the best cheap MacBook that you can buy is the 13-inch M2 MacBook Air for just $599 during Best Buy’s Cyber Monday sale. This laptop has the same modern design as the M4 MacBook Air and even comes with the same 16GB RAM.
This isn't the only good MacBook Air deal right now, though—if you have the money to spare, you could opt for the latest M4 MacBook Air for $738 duringAmazon’s Cyber Monday sale. For most budget-conscious users, though, the $600 M2 MacBook Air is the best deal. The M2 MacBook Air has the same 13.5-inch Retina Display (with wide P3 color gamut and sharp resolution at 2560x1664), the same latest design, MagSafe connection, fast Touch ID, and nicer speakers, not to mention 16GB RAM, which is twice as much as the M1 MacBook Air. It supports Apple Intelligence as well, though that 16GB RAM will come in really handy in day-to-day tasks and will help with longevity as well.
The M2 chip is also no slouch. Compared to the M1 chip, you get 18% faster CPU, 35% faster GPU, and 40% faster Neural Engine. It’s more than capable for your daily work, email, and web browsing, and it can even take over some intense photo editing and video editing workflows. There’s 18 hours of battery life (15 when you’re web browsing). Again, that's more than enough to last a full workday, and then some. The M2 MacBook Air is also thin and light, as you’d expect, weighing in at 2.7 pounds (and just 1.13 cm thick).
If you’re looking for a larger laptop, the 15-inch M2 MacBook Air is down to $769.99. The two laptops are virtually the same, down to the processor and quality of screen. The 15-inch model, of course, has a larger screen, and because of the extra space, has better speakers too. The weight is a different story though, with the 15-inch model weighing in at 1.51 kg, which is quite a bit heavier than the 13-inch MacBook Air.
What stores have the best sales on Cyber Monday?
Nowadays, both large retailers and small businesses compete for Cyber Monday shoppers, so you can expect practically every store to run sales through Monday, December 1, 2025. The “best” sales depend on your needs, but in general, the biggest discounts tend to come from larger retailers that can afford lower prices: think places like Amazon, Walmart, Target, Best Buy, and Home Depot. You can find all the best sales from major retailers on our live blog.
Are Cyber Monday deals worth it?
In short, yes, Cyber Monday still offers discounts that can be rare throughout the rest of the year. If there’s something you want to buy, or you’re shopping for gifts, it’s a good time to look for discounts on what you need, especially tech sales, home improvement supplies, and fitness tech. Of course, if you need to save money, the best way to save is to not buy anything.
Are Cyber Monday deals better than Black Friday?
Black Friday used to be bigger for major retailers and more expensive tech and appliances, while Cyber Monday was for cheaper tech and gave smaller businesses a chance to compete online. Nowadays, though, the distinction is almost meaningless. Every major retailer will offer sales on both days, and the smart move is to know what you want, use price trackers or refer to guides like our live blog that use price trackers for you, and don’t stress over finding the perfect timing.
Our Best Editor-Vetted Cyber Monday Deals Right Now
We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication.
It's Cyber Monday, and Lifehacker is sharing the best sales based on product reviews, comparisons, and price-tracking tools before the sales are over.
Some Cyber Monday deals are still live, and Lifehacker is sharing the best sales based on product reviews, comparisons, and price-tracking tools before the sales are over.
Follow our live blog to stay up-to-date on the best sales we find.
Browse our editors’ picks for a curated list of our favorite sales on laptops, fitness tech, appliances, and more.
Sales are accurate at the time of publication, but prices and inventory are always subject to change.
Apple Watches aren't the company's most expensive product, but that doesn't mean they're cheap. The Series 11 starts at $399, while the Ultra 3 runs for $799. Even the company's "affordable" watch, the SE 3, starts at $249.
Many of these watches were on sale for Black Friday and Cyber Monday this year. But even if you didn't buy one during this period, don't worry: Luckily, most of Apple's new and last-gen smartwatches are still on sale. If you've been waiting for an opportunity to pick up a new Apple wearable, now is the time.
Apple's current mainline Apple Watch is actually cheaper now than it was last week. It's currently $70 off from Amazon. This smartwatch comes in either a 42mm or 46mm models, and while it doesn't reinvent the wheel when compared to last year's Series 10, it does come with a few new features, including 5G for the cellular model, improved battery life (to 24 hours from 18 hours), and upgraded quick charging (8 hours of use after 15 minutes of charging). It also comes with some great perks carried over from past models, like display that can reach 2,000 nits of brightness, an ECG sensor, Blood Oxygen sensor, and a built-in speaker.
Apple's least-expensive smartwatch is even less expensive after Cyber Monday. All models of the SE 3 are currently $50 off, which means you can pick one up for as low as $199.
In order to keep the costs down, Apple does make some cuts to this watch, so you'll miss out on features the other models provide. The display only gets half as bright as the Series 11, and a third as bright as the Ultras. You don't get hypertension alerts or an ECG reader. There's no blood oxygen monitor, nor do you get the Ultra Wideband chip used for precise finding if you misplace the watch.
But for most people, those are small sacrifices. The SE 3 is more than enough smartwatch for the average user. It has the same S10 chip as the latest Series 11 and Ultra 3; it tracks your sleep, body temperature, and cycles; you can swim with it; there's a built-in speaker; and, if you buy the cellular model, it's 5G-compatible. That said, the cellular SE 3 is no longer on sale. If you want one, you'll need to pay full price.
Apple's latest Apple Watch Ultra, the Ultra 3, sadly did not go on sale during this shopping season. Amazon does list it for $20 less than Apple's $799, but that's been the case for most of the past two months. But the previous model, the Ultra 2, is on sale, and still very capable in 2025. While it's obviously missing some of the features Apple included with the Ultra 3, you might feel the savings is worth the trade-off.
That said, this is an expensive smartwatch, even on sale. The Ultra 2 is currently marked down to $599 at Best Buy, which is considerably pricier than some of Apple's other watches. However, this watch is 49mm, the largest you can buy from Apple, and has cellular connectivity built-in (though this model isn't compatible with 5G). It's a little more fair to compare this to the price of the cellular 46mm Series 11, versus, say, the standard 40mm SE 3.
The Ultra 2 comes with the S9, Apple's last-gen Apple Watch chip. It does, however, have a display that can reach a whopping 3,000 nits of brightness, a built-in siren, double the water resistance of the other watches (100m vs. 50m), and 36 hours of battery-on time (72 hours when using Low Power Mode).
Black Friday sales officially begin Friday, November 28, 2025, and run throughout “Cyber Week,” the five-day period that runs from Thanksgiving through Cyber Monday, December 1, 2025. But Black Friday and Cyber Monday dates have expanded as retailers compete for customers. Expect sales to wind down by December 3, 2025.
Does Apple do Cyber Monday?
Yes, Apple participates in Cyber Monday, though you may want to compare their sales with other retailers like Best Buy and Walmart. Apple is offering an exclusive $250 gift card for eligible purchases, but so far, the best Cyber Monday sale on an Apple product is the M4 MacBook on sale for cheaper than ever.
Does Amazon have Cyber Monday deals?
Yes, Amazon has Cyber Monday sales, but prices aren’t always what they seem. Use a price tracker to make sure you’re getting the best deal, or refer to guides like our live blog that use price trackers for you. And if you have an Amazon Prime membership, make the most of it.
Our Best Editor-Vetted Cyber Monday Deals Right Now
Sales are accurate at the time of publication, but prices and inventory are always subject to change.
It's not easy to find good deals on current-gen Apple products, but the just-released Apple Watch Series 11 is already on sale ahead of Cyber Monday 2025. It's the best non-Ultra smartwatch for your iPhone and, in my experience, its fitness-related features are excellent. This Cyber Monday deal brings the Series 11 down to $329 (18% off), which is an excellent price for a brand new Apple Watch.
The Series 11 is available in two sizes: 42mm and 46mm; and two variants: GPS, and GPS+Cellular. At time of writing, the best deal is on the 42mm GPS variant. All other variants are more lightly discounted, but be aware that your favorite color may not be discounted during this Cyber Monday 2025 sale.
The key to finding great Apple deals is to buy from third-party retailers, and that's true for this Apple Watch Series 11 deal as well. Amazon's Cyber Monday 2025 sales have it cheapest right now.
Lifehacker's Associate Tech Editor Michelle Ehrhardt said she loves the Apple Watch Series 11, but admittedly, she doesn't recommend it to those who already have a Series 10. If you have an Apple Watch that's a few years old, the Series 11 is worth buying, but it's hasn't taken a big enough leap ahead to justify annual upgrades.
The Series 11 is thin, light, and plenty comfortable to wear all day. It has support for hypertension notifications, ECG recording, built-in GPS for tracking outdoor workouts, and an Ion-X display that's more scratch resistant than that of older Apple Watch models. It also has improved battery life compared to the Series 10.
While it's common knowledge at this point, I still think it's worth mentioning that the Apple Watch only works with iPhones. You can't even pair it with an iPad or a Mac, so this device is only for iPhone users. If that sounds like you, this is a great opportunity for an upgrade.
Does Apple do Cyber Monday?
Yes, Apple participates in Cyber Monday, though you may want to compare their sales with other retailers like Best Buy and Walmart. Apple is offering an exclusive $250 gift card for eligible purchases, but so far, the best Cyber Monday sale on an Apple product is the M4 MacBook on sale for cheaper than ever.
What stores have the best sales on Cyber Monday?
Nowadays, both large retailers and small businesses compete for Cyber Monday shoppers, so you can expect practically every store to run sales through Monday, December 1, 2025. The “best” sales depend on your needs, but in general, the biggest discounts tend to come from larger retailers that can afford lower prices: think places like Amazon, Walmart, Target, Best Buy, and Home Depot. You can find all the best sales from major retailers on our live blog.
Are Cyber Monday deals worth it?
In short, yes, Cyber Monday still offers discounts that can be rare throughout the rest of the year. If there’s something you want to buy, or you’re shopping for gifts, it’s a good time to look for discounts on what you need, especially tech sales, home improvement supplies, and fitness tech. Of course, if you need to save money, the best way to save is to not buy anything.
Our Best Editor-Vetted Cyber Monday Deals Right Now
With the recent releases of visionOS 26 and newly refreshed Vision Pro hardware, it’s an ideal time to check in on Apple’s Vision Pro headset—a device I was simultaneously amazed and disappointed by when it launched in early 2024.
I still like the Vision Pro, but I can tell it’s hanging on by a thread. Content is light, developer support is tepid, and while Apple has taken action to improve both, it’s not enough, and I’m concerned it might be too late.
When I got a Vision Pro, I used it a lot: I watched movies on planes and in hotel rooms, I walked around my house placing application windows and testing out weird new ways of working. I tried all the neat games and educational apps, and I watched all the immersive videos I could get ahold of. I even tried my hand at developing my own applications for it.
Google is suing more than two dozen unnamed individuals allegedly involved in peddling a popular China-based mobile phishing service that helps scammers impersonate hundreds of trusted brands, blast out text message lures, and convert phished payment card data into mobile wallets from Apple and Google.
In a lawsuit filed in the Southern District of New York on November 12, Google sued to unmask and disrupt 25 “John Doe” defendants allegedly linked to the sale of Lighthouse, a sophisticated phishing kit that makes it simple for even novices to steal payment card data from mobile users. Google said Lighthouse has harmed more than a million victims across 120 countries.
A component of the Chinese phishing kit Lighthouse made to target customers of The Toll Roads, which refers to several state routes through Orange County, Calif.
Lighthouse is one of several prolific phishing-as-a-service operations known as the “Smishing Triad,” and collectively they are responsible for sending millions of text messages that spoof the U.S. Postal Service to supposedly collect some outstanding delivery fee, or that pretend to be a local toll road operator warning of a delinquent toll fee. More recently, Lighthouse has been used to spoof e-commerce websites, financial institutions and brokerage firms.
Regardless of the text message lure or brand used, the basic scam remains the same: After the visitor enters their payment information, the phishing site will automatically attempt to enroll the card as a mobile wallet from Apple or Google. The phishing site then tells the visitor that their bank is going to verify the transaction by sending a one-time code that needs to be entered into the payment page before the transaction can be completed.
If the recipient provides that one-time code, the scammers can link the victim’s card data to a mobile wallet on a device that they control. Researchers say the fraudsters usually load several stolen wallets onto each mobile device, and wait 7-10 days after that enrollment before selling the phones or using them for fraud.
Google called the scale of the Lighthouse phishing attacks “staggering.” A May 2025 report from Silent Push found the domains used by the Smishing Triad are rotated frequently, with approximately 25,000 phishing domains active during any 8-day period.
Google’s lawsuit alleges the purveyors of Lighthouse violated the company’s trademarks by including Google’s logos on countless phishing websites. The complaint says Lighthouse offers over 600 templates for phishing websites of more than 400 entities, and that Google’s logos were featured on at least a quarter of those templates.
Google is also pursuing Lighthouse under the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act, saying the Lighthouse phishing enterprise encompasses several connected threat actor groups that work together to design and implement complex criminal schemes targeting the general public.
According to Google, those threat actor teams include a “developer group” that supplies the phishing software and templates; a “data broker group” that provides a list of targets; a “spammer group” that provides the tools to send fraudulent text messages in volume; a “theft group,” in charge of monetizing the phished information; and an “administrative group,” which runs their Telegram support channels and discussion groups designed to facilitate collaboration and recruit new members.
“While different members of the Enterprise may play different roles in the Schemes, they all collaborate to execute phishing attacks that rely on the Lighthouse software,” Google’s complaint alleges. “None of the Enterprise’s Schemes can generate revenue without collaboration and cooperation among the members of the Enterprise. All of the threat actor groups are connected to one another through historical and current business ties, including through their use of Lighthouse and the online community supporting its use, which exists on both YouTube and Telegram channels.”
Silent Push’s May report observed that the Smishing Triad boasts it has “300+ front desk staff worldwide” involved in Lighthouse, staff that is mainly used to support various aspects of the group’s fraud and cash-out schemes.
An image shared by an SMS phishing group shows a panel of mobile phones responsible for mass-sending phishing messages. These panels require a live operator because the one-time codes being shared by phishing victims must be used quickly as they generally expire within a few minutes.
Google alleges that in addition to blasting out text messages spoofing known brands, Lighthouse makes it easy for customers to mass-create fake e-commerce websites that are advertised using Google Ads accounts (and paid for with stolen credit cards). These phony merchants collect payment card information at checkout, and then prompt the customer to expect and share a one-time code sent from their financial institution.
Once again, that one-time code is being sent by the bank because the fake e-commerce site has just attempted to enroll the victim’s payment card data in a mobile wallet. By the time a victim understands they will likely never receive the item they just purchased from the fake e-commerce shop, the scammers have already run through hundreds of dollars in fraudulent charges, often at high-end electronics stores or jewelers.
Ford Merrill works in security research at SecAlliance, a CSIS Security Group company, and he’s been tracking Chinese SMS phishing groups for several years. Merrill said many Lighthouse customers are now using the phishing kit to erect fake e-commerce websites that are advertised on Google and Meta platforms.
“You find this shop by searching for a particular product online or whatever, and you think you’re getting a good deal,” Merrill said. “But of course you never receive the product, and they will phish that one-time code at checkout.”
Merrill said some of the phishing templates include payment buttons for services like PayPal, and that victims who choose to pay through PayPal can also see their PayPal accounts hijacked.
A fake e-commerce site from the Smishing Triad spoofing PayPal on a mobile device.
“The main advantage of the fake e-commerce site is that it doesn’t require them to send out message lures,” Merrill said, noting that the fake vendor sites have more staying power than traditional phishing sites because it takes far longer for them to be flagged for fraud.
Merrill said Google’s legal action may temporarily disrupt the Lighthouse operators, and could make it easier for U.S. federal authorities to bring criminal charges against the group. But he said the Chinese mobile phishing market is so lucrative right now that it’s difficult to imagine a popular phishing service voluntarily turning out the lights.
Merrill said Google’s lawsuit also can help lay the groundwork for future disruptive actions against Lighthouse and other phishing-as-a-service entities that are operating almost entirely on Chinese networks. According to Silent Push, a majority of the phishing sites created with these kits are sitting at two Chinese hosting companies: Tencent (AS132203) and Alibaba (AS45102).
“Once Google has a default judgment against the Lighthouse guys in court, theoretically they could use that to go to Alibaba and Tencent and say, ‘These guys have been found guilty, here are their domains and IP addresses, we want you to shut these down or we’ll include you in the case.'”
If Google can bring that kind of legal pressure consistently over time, Merrill said, they might succeed in increasing costs for the phishers and more frequently disrupting their operations.
“If you take all of these Chinese phishing kit developers, I have to believe it’s tens of thousands of Chinese-speaking people involved,” he said. “The Lighthouse guys will probably burn down their Telegram channels and disappear for a while. They might call it something else or redevelop their service entirely. But I don’t believe for a minute they’re going to close up shop and leave forever.”
We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication.
Some Cyber Monday deals are still live, and Lifehacker is sharing the best sales based on product reviews, comparisons, and price-tracking tools before the sales are over.
Follow our live blog to stay up-to-date on the best sales we find.
Browse our editors’ picks for a curated list of our favorite sales on laptops, fitness tech, appliances, and more.
Sales are accurate at the time of publication, but prices and inventory are always subject to change.
The 2023 15-inch M2 MacBook Air is currently on sale for $769.99 at StackSocial for the 256GB SSD model. That’s a steep drop from its original price for what is still a current and capable machine. With an 8-core CPU, a 10-core GPU, and Apple’s M2 chip inside, this MacBook handles most day-to-day tasks with ease. Web browsing, photo editing, app switching, and light video work all feel smooth and quick, and the 15.3-inch Liquid Retina display is bright at 500 nits, supports a wide P3 color gamut, and offers sharp resolution at 2880x1864. If you’ve been using a smaller screen or an older laptop, the difference is noticeable.
The M2 MacBook Air offers up to 18 hours of battery life for video playback or 15 hours for web use, so it’s built for long stretches without needing a charger, though your mileage may vary depending on use. The port selection includes MagSafe 3 for charging and two Thunderbolt/USB 4 ports, which cover most use cases but does mean you'll likely need adapters for more complex setups. The six-speaker system is surprisingly full for a laptop this size and supports Spatial Audio, which pairs well with the 1080p FaceTime camera and three-mic array for video calls. Bluetooth 5.3 and wifi 6 round out the connectivity, keeping everything modern. And while the 8GB RAM and 256GB SSD will suit general use, creatives or heavier users might prefer upgrading to the 512GB, 1TB, or even 2TB configurations, which are also discounted on StackSocial at the moment.
Since it’s a pre-owned device, this unit comes with a Grade A refurbished rating, which means you’re getting something that may (or may not) have a few tiny scuffs, but nothing that affects performance. It also includes a 30-day parts and labor warranty, just in case. You won’t get macOS preinstalled in every case, but the device can be updated to the latest macOS Tahoe 26. If you want a larger MacBook with modern power but don’t want to spend over $1,000, this is one of the more balanced deals you’ll find, especially considering it’s less than half the price of a new 15-inch MacBook Pro.
How long do Cyber Monday deals really last?
Black Friday sales officially begin Friday, November 28, 2025, and run throughout “Cyber Week,” the five-day period that runs from Thanksgiving through Cyber Monday, December 1, 2025. But Black Friday and Cyber Monday dates have expanded as retailers compete for customers. Expect sales to wind down by December 3, 2025.
What stores have the best sales on Cyber Monday?
Nowadays, both large retailers and small businesses compete for Cyber Monday shoppers, so you can expect practically every store to run sales through Monday, December 1, 2025. The “best” sales depend on your needs, but in general, the biggest discounts tend to come from larger retailers who can afford lower prices: think places like Amazon, Walmart, Target, Best Buy, and Home Depot. You can find all the best sales from major retailers on our live blog.
Are Cyber Monday deals worth it?
In short, yes, Cyber Monday still offers discounts that can be rare throughout the rest of the year. If there’s something you want to buy, or you’re shopping for gifts, it’s a good time to look for discounts on what you need, especially tech sales, home improvement supplies, and fitness tech. Of course, if you need to save money, the best way to save is to not buy anything.
Are Cyber Monday deals better than Black Friday?
Black Friday used to be bigger for major retailers and more expensive tech and appliances, while Cyber Monday was for cheaper tech and gave smaller businesses a chance to compete online. Nowadays, though, distinction is almost meaningless. Every major retailer will offer sales on both days, and the smart move is to know what you want, use price trackers or refer to guides like our live blog that use price trackers for you, and don’t stress over finding the perfect timing.
Our Best Editor-Vetted Cyber Monday Deals Right Now
We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication.
Black Friday sales officially start Friday, November 28, and run through Cyber Monday, December 1, and Lifehacker is sharing the best sales based on product reviews, comparisons, and price-tracking tools before it's over.
Follow our live blog to stay up-to-date on the best sales we find.
Browse our editors’ picks for a curated list of our favorite sales on laptops, fitness tech, appliances, and more.
Sales are accurate at the time of publication, but prices and inventory are always subject to change.
Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals aren't just on physical products. While you can find discounts on everything from fitness trackers to Kindles, subscriptions also offer sales, too. Case in point: Apple TV—not Apple TV+ anymore, mind you. Apple's own subscription service typically costs a relatively expensive $12.99 per month. But new and returning Apple TV customers can snag a six-month subscription to Apple TV for $5.99 per month. That amounts to more than a 50% discount on each month (53.89%, to be precise).
You have some time to claim this price cut. This is a Black Friday and Cyber Monday deal, after all, so you'll be able to sign up now through Dec. 1 at 8 p.m. PT. Once you do, you'll be set for six months, but just make sure to keep an eye on the calendar: Once those six months are up, Apple will go back to charging you the full $12.99. You'll also need to subscribe through a method where Apple bills you directly. You won't be eligible for the discount if you sign up for Apple TV through a third-party provider. Finally, you won't be eligible if your account qualifies for a free trial.
If you haven't been tuned in to Apple TV, now's a great time to check it out. The platform has surprisingly great catalogue, including popular shows like Severance, Ted Lasso, and Shrinking. Plus, there are a number of shows airing new episodes right now, like Pluribus, The Morning Show, and The Last Frontier. You can redeem the offer from any device that bills directly to Apple, or from Apple TV's official site.
Does Apple do Black Friday?
Yes, Apple participates in Black Friday, though you may want to compare its sales with other retailers like Best Buy and Walmart. Apple is offering an exclusive $250 gift card for eligible purchases, but so far, the best Black Friday sale on an Apple product is the M4 MacBook on sale for cheaper than ever.
Are Cyber Monday deals worth it?
In short, yes, Cyber Monday still offers discounts that can be rare throughout the rest of the year. If there’s something you want to buy, or you’re shopping for gifts, it’s a good time to look for discounts on what you need, especially tech sales, home improvement supplies, and fitness tech. Of course, if you need to save money, the best way to save is to not buy anything.
Are Cyber Monday deals better than Black Friday?
Black Friday used to be bigger for major retailers and more expensive tech and appliances, while Cyber Monday was for cheaper tech and gave smaller businesses a chance to compete online. Nowadays, though, distinction is almost meaningless. Every major retailer will offer sales on both days, and the smart move is to know what you want, use price trackers or refer to guides like our live blog that use price trackers for you, and don’t stress over finding the perfect timing.
Our Best Editor-Vetted Cyber Monday Deals Right Now
Last year, Apple finally added support for Rich Communications Services (RCS) texting to its platforms, improving consistency, reliability, and security when exchanging green-bubble texts between the competing iPhone and Android ecosystems. Today, Google is announcing another small step forward in interoperability, pointing to a slightly less annoying future for friend groups or households where not everyone owns an iPhone.
Google has updated Android’s Quick Share feature to support Apple’s AirDrop, which allows users of Apple devices to share files directly using a local peer-to-peer Wi-Fi connection. Apple devices with AirDrop enabled and set to “everyone for 10 minutes” mode will show up in the Quick Share device list just like another Android phone would, and Android devices that support this new Quick Share version will also show up in the AirDrop menu.
Google will only support this feature on the Pixel 10 series, at least to start. The company is “looking forward to improving the experience and expanding it to more Android devices,” but it didn’t announce anything about a timeline or any hardware or software requirements. Quick Share also won’t work with AirDrop devices working in the default “contacts only” mode, though Google “[welcomes] the opportunity to work with Apple to enable ‘Contacts Only’ mode in the future.” (Reading between the lines: Google and Apple are not currently working together to enable this, and Google confirmed to The Verge that Apple hadn’t been involved in this at all.)
We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication.
Black Friday sales officially start Friday, November 28, and run through Cyber Monday, December 1, and Lifehacker is sharing the best sales based on product reviews, comparisons, and price-tracking tools before it's over.
Follow our live blog to stay up-to-date on the best sales we find.
Browse our editors’ picks for a curated list of our favorite sales on laptops, fitness tech, appliances, and more.
Sales are accurate at the time of publication, but prices and inventory are always subject to change.
As someone who's still rocking an M1 MacBook Air, an iPhone 12 Pro Max, the Apple Watch SE (Gen 1), and the AirPods Pro (Gen 1), I can proudly say that using older devices is a great lifestyle decision. It saves me a lot of money, and I still get access to premium products with almost all of the features I need. And now that the AirPods Pro 3 are out, it's a great time to start looking for deals on the older AirPods Pro 2 before stocks are cleared. This Walmart deal brings the AirPods Pro 2 to an all-time low price of $139 (which is $100 off the list price), and they're an absolutely fantastic piece technology for that price.
Although the AirPods Pro 2 launched a few years ago, they've received enough software updates to make them far more capable than they were at launch. Now, the AirPods Pro 2 are also approved for use as a hearing aid in the US, and still offer excellent noise isolation with great sound quality. I live in a really noisy city and I cannot roam around without wearing my AirPods for fear of triggering my migraines. My AirPods Pro (Gen 1) do a good job at cutting out the noise, but the AirPods Pro 2 take the cancellation to another level. I've used and compared all three generations of AirPods, and the noise cancellation on the Pro 2 is solid. It's not as good as that on the Pro 3, but it's better than on the Pro 1, and the difference isn't big enough to spend nearly twice the price for the latest product.
The AirPods Pro 2 are everything I need to keep migraines away. They block out the worst of the loud noises around me while being light and comfortable enough to wear all day. My city has extremely humid weather, which makes it near impossible to wear over-ear headphones outdoors. However, I feel quite comfortable with my AirPods, and I've been waiting for nearly four years to upgrade mine. While I was saving up for the AirPods Pro 3, this deal is too good to resist, and I may just get the Pro 2 instead and save the rest of my cash to upgrade my Apple Watch.
Does Apple do Cyber Monday?
Yes, Apple participates in Cyber Monday, though you may want to compare their sales with other retailers like Best Buy and Walmart. Apple is offering an exclusive $250 gift card for eligible purchases, but so far, the best Black Friday sale on an Apple product is the M4 MacBook on sale for cheaper than ever.
Are Cyber Monday deals worth it?
In short, yes, Cyber Monday still offers discounts that can be rare throughout the rest of the year. If there’s something you want to buy, or you’re shopping for gifts, it’s a good time to look for discounts on what you need, especially tech sales, home improvement supplies, and fitness tech. Of course, if you need to save money, the best way to save is to not buy anything.
Are Cyber Monday deals better than Black Friday?
Black Friday used to be bigger for major retailers and more expensive tech and appliances, while Cyber Monday was for cheaper tech and gave smaller businesses a chance to compete online. Nowadays, though, the distinction is almost meaningless. Every major retailer will offer sales on both days, and the smart move is to know what you want, use price trackers or refer to guides like our live blog that use price trackers for you, and don’t stress over finding the perfect timing.
Our Best Editor-Vetted Cyber Monday Deals Right Now
Apple has launched Digital ID, a way for users in the US to create and present a government-issued ID in Apple Wallet using their passport information. For now, it works only for identity verification at Transportation Security Administration (TSA) checkpoints in more than 250 airports.
Apple says the reason for the introduction is because users asked for it:
“Since introducing the ability to add a driver’s license or state ID to Apple Wallet in 2022, we’ve seen how much users love having their ID right on their devices. Digital IDs brings this secure and convenient option to even more users across the country, as they can now add an ID to Wallet using information from their U.S. passport.”
What does Apple’s Digital ID mean for users?
You add a Digital ID by scanning your physical passport (photo page and chip) and taking a selfie as part of a verification process. Your ID stays encrypted on the device and isn’t shared with Apple.
To present it, you hold your iPhone or Apple Watch near a reader and confirm with Face ID or Touch ID. You choose which information is shared, and you never have to unlock or hand over your device.
At launch, it’s TSA-only. Apple says wider use at businesses, organizations, and online services will come later. Digital ID does not replace a passport for international travel.
Pros of Apple’s Digital ID:
Convenience: Quickly present your ID from your iPhone or Apple Watch for TSA security, and eventually, for businesses or online checks.
Security: The ID data is locally encrypted and requires biometric authentication for access.
Privacy control: Users review and authorize the information shared, and Apple claims it doesn’t track when you use the ID.
Expanded access: It’s helpful for people without a REAL ID-compliant driver’s license who want to fly domestically.
No device hand-off: You don’t hand over your device for inspection. You just present your phone or watch to a reader.
Scalable: Apple already has the support of states and airports, and plans to expand.
Apple barely touches upon the risks that come with this new feature. We discussed many of them when we asked, should you let Chrome store your driver’s license and passport? Although Apple’s Digital ID looks safer than storing your ID in your browser, there are some additional concerns.
The risks of using Apple’s Digital ID
We had to look at other sources to find some of the more serious downsides.
Device dependency: Lose your phone or watch, and you lose access to your Digital ID. That’s not to mention the risks if the device is stolen.
Privacy and surveillance: Experts warn Digital ID adoption may lead to more ID checks in places that didn’t require them before, increasing surveillance and data tracking concerns.
Potential for security breaches: Encrypted or not, digital IDs can still be targeted by device exploits, phishing, or social engineering.
Biometric spoofing: Face ID or Touch ID can, in some cases, be spoofed or exploited.
Platformlock-in: Apple’s system is closed, which means users are dependent on Apple’s legacy, update policies, and device ecosystem. If you switch platforms, you might find it hard to recover your digital ID.
Social risks: Critics worry police or other authorities could pressure users to unlock devices under the guise of ID verification.
Data sharing with state authorities: Your photo, video, and limited device analytics may be shared temporarily with issuing authorities for verification.
Limited usefulness: Digital ID doesn’t replace your passport outside the US, so it’s not very useful for international travel, and it’s not accepted everywhere yet.
Summary
Apple’s Digital ID aims to make ID checks private, more secure, and convenient for most users. But concerns remain regarding privacy, device loss, ecosystem lock-in, and the potential for expanded surveillance and demands in everyday activities beyond TSA checkpoints.
We still see this option as safer than storing your ID in a browser, where attacks are far more common, but the drawbacks may still outweigh the benefits for many users. As one of our readers put it:
“The inconvenience of having to look through a drawer for my passport is not that big, that I would risk having my identity stolen.”
We don’t just report on threats—we help safeguard your entire digital identity
Cybersecurity risks should never spread beyond a headline. Protect your, and your family’s, personal information by using identity protection.
For the past week, domains associated with the massive Aisuru botnet have repeatedly usurped Amazon, Apple, Google and Microsoft in Cloudflare’s public ranking of the most frequently requested websites. Cloudflare responded by redacting Aisuru domain names from their top websites list. The chief executive at Cloudflare says Aisuru’s overlords are using the botnet to boost their malicious domain rankings, while simultaneously attacking the company’s domain name system (DNS) service.
The #1 and #3 positions in this chart are Aisuru botnet controllers with their full domain names redacted. Source: radar.cloudflare.com.
Until recently, Aisuru’s malicious code instructed all infected systems to use DNS servers from Google — specifically, the servers at 8.8.8.8. But in early October, Aisuru switched to invoking Cloudflare’s main DNS server — 1.1.1.1 — and over the past week domains used by Aisuru to control infected systems started populating Cloudflare’s top domain rankings.
As screenshots of Aisuru domains claiming two of the Top 10 positions ping-ponged across social media, many feared this was yet another sign that an already untamable botnet was running completely amok. One Aisuru botnet domain that sat prominently for days at #1 on the list was someone’s street address in Massachusetts followed by “.com”. Other Aisuru domains mimicked those belonging to major cloud providers.
Cloudflare tried to address these security, brand confusion and privacy concerns by partially redacting the malicious domains, and adding a warning at the top of its rankings:
“Note that the top 100 domains and trending domains lists include domains with organic activity as well as domains with emerging malicious behavior.”
Cloudflare CEO Matthew Prince told KrebsOnSecurity the company’s domain ranking system is fairly simplistic, and that it merely measures the volume of DNS queries to 1.1.1.1.
“The attacker is just generating a ton of requests, maybe to influence the ranking but also to attack our DNS service,” Prince said, adding that Cloudflare has heard reports of other large public DNS services seeing similar uptick in attacks. “We’re fixing the ranking to make it smarter. And, in the meantime, redacting any sites we classify as malware.”
Renee Burton, vice president of threat intel at the DNS security firm Infoblox, said many people erroneously assumed that the skewed Cloudflare domain rankings meant there were more bot-infected devices than there were regular devices querying sites like Google and Apple and Microsoft.
“Cloudflare’s documentation is clear — they know that when it comes to ranking domains you have to make choices on how to normalize things,” Burton wrote on LinkedIn. “There are many aspects that are simply out of your control. Why is it hard? Because reasons. TTL values, caching, prefetching, architecture, load balancing. Things that have shared control between the domain owner and everything in between.”
Alex Greenland is CEO of the anti-phishing and security firm Epi. Greenland said he understands the technical reason why Aisuru botnet domains are showing up in Cloudflare’s rankings (those rankings are based on DNS query volume, not actual web visits). But he said they’re still not meant to be there.
“It’s a failure on Cloudflare’s part, and reveals a compromise of the trust and integrity of their rankings,” he said.
Greenland said Cloudflare planned for its Domain Rankings to list the most popular domains as used by human users, and it was never meant to be a raw calculation of query frequency or traffic volume going through their 1.1.1.1 DNS resolver.
“They spelled out how their popularity algorithm is designed to reflect real human use and exclude automated traffic (they said they’re good at this),” Greenland wrote on LinkedIn. “So something has evidently gone wrong internally. We should have two rankings: one representing trust and real human use, and another derived from raw DNS volume.”
Why might it be a good idea to wholly separate malicious domains from the list? Greenland notes that Cloudflare Domain Rankings see widespread use for trust and safety determination, by browsers, DNS resolvers, safe browsing APIs and things like TRANCO.
“TRANCO is a respected open source list of the top million domains, and Cloudflare Radar is one of their five data providers,” he continued. “So there can be serious knock-on effects when a malicious domain features in Cloudflare’s top 10/100/1000/million. To many people and systems, the top 10 and 100 are naively considered safe and trusted, even though algorithmically-defined top-N lists will always be somewhat crude.”
Over this past week, Cloudflare started redacting portions of the malicious Aisuru domains from its Top Domains list, leaving only their domain suffix visible. Sometime in the past 24 hours, Cloudflare appears to have begun hiding the malicious Aisuru domains entirely from the web version of that list. However, downloading a spreadsheet of the current Top 200 domains from Cloudflare Radar shows an Aisuru domain still at the very top.
According to Cloudflare’s website, the majority of DNS queries to the top Aisuru domains — nearly 52 percent — originated from the United States. This tracks with my reporting from early October, which found Aisuru was drawing most of its firepower from IoT devices hosted on U.S. Internet providers like AT&T, Comcast and Verizon.
Experts tracking Aisuru say the botnet relies on well more than a hundred control servers, and that for the moment at least most of those domains are registered in the .su top-level domain (TLD). Dot-su is the TLD assigned to the former Soviet Union (.su’s Wikipedia page says the TLD was created just 15 months before the fall of the Berlin wall).
A Cloudflare blog post from October 27 found that .su had the highest “DNS magnitude” of any TLD, referring to a metric estimating the popularity of a TLD based on the number of unique networks querying Cloudflare’s 1.1.1.1 resolver. The report concluded that the top .su hostnames were associated with a popular online world-building game, and that more than half of the queries for that TLD came from the United States, Brazil and Germany [it’s worth noting that servers for the world-building game Minecraft were some of Aisuru’s most frequent targets].
A simple and crude way to detect Aisuru bot activity on a network may be to set an alert on any systems attempting to contact domains ending in .su. This TLD is frequently abused for cybercrime and by cybercrime forums and services, and blocking access to it entirely is unlikely to raise any legitimate complaints.
Apple has released security updates for iPhones, iPads, Macs, Apple Watches, Apple TVs, Safari, and Xcode, fixing nearly 50 security flaws. Some of these bugs could let cybercriminals see your private data, take control of parts of your device, or break key security protections.
Installing these updates as soon as possible keeps your personal information—and everything else on your Apple devices—safe from attack.
What caught our eye
Although Apple never releases full details before everyone has had a chance to apply the updates, two serious security flaws stand out:
CVE-2025-43442: This vulnerability is a permission issue which is fixed in iOS 26.1 and iPadOS 26.1. It could allow an app to identify which other apps a user has installed. You can imagine that if a banking Trojan—like this one on Android—can see which banking apps and crypto wallets someone uses they can maximize their social engineering strategies to target that user.
CVE‑2025‑43455: This is a privacy issue in watchOS 26.1, visionOS 26.1, iOS 26.1, and iPadOS 26.1. It allows malicious apps to capture screenshots of sensitive information in embedded views. Apple addressed this by tightening privacy checks and isolation policies.
Updates for your particular device
This table shows which updates are available and points you to the relevant security content fot that operating system (OS).
iPhone 11 and later, iPad Pro 12.9-inch 3rd generation and later, iPad Pro 11-inch 1st generation and later, iPad Air 3rd generation and later, iPad 8th generation and later, and iPad mini 5th generation and later
For iOS and iPadOS users, here’s how to check if you’re using the latest software version:
Go to Settings > General > Software Update.
Turn on Automatic Updates if you haven’t already—you’ll find it on the same screen.
How to update macOS on any version
To update macOS on any supported Mac, use the Software Update feature, which Apple designed to work consistently across all recent versions. Here are the steps:
Click the Apple menu in the upper-left corner of your screen.
Choose System Settings (or System Preferences on older versions).
Select General in the sidebar, then click Software Update on the right. On older macOS, just look for Software Update directly.
Your Mac will check for updates automatically. If updates are available, click Update Now (or Upgrade Now for major new versions) and follow the on-screen instructions. Before you upgrade to macOS Tahoe 26, please read these instructions.
Enter your administrator password if prompted, then let your Mac finish the update (it might need to restart during this process).
Make sure your Mac stays plugged in and connected to the internet until the update is done.
How to update Apple Watch
Ensure your iPhone is paired with your Apple Watch and connected to Wi-Fi, then:
Keep your Apple Watch on its charger and close to your iPhone.
Open the Watch app on your iPhone.
Tap General > Software Update.
If an update appears, tap Download and Install.
Enter your iPhone passcode or Apple ID password if prompted.
Your Apple Watch will automatically restart during the update process. Make sure it remains near your iPhone and on charge until the update completes.
How to update Apple TV
Turn on your Apple TV and make sure it’s connected to the internet, then:
Open the Settings app on Apple TV.
Navigate to System > Software Updates.
Select Update Software.
If an update appears, select Download and Install.
The Apple TV will download the update and restart as needed. Keep your device connected to power and Wi-Fi until the process finishes.
How to update your Safari browser
Safari updates are included with macOS updates, so installing the latest version of macOS will also update Safari. To check manually:
Open the Apple menu > System Settings > General > Software Update.
If you see a Safari update listed separately, click Update Now to install it.
Restart your Mac when prompted.
If you’re on an older macOS version that’s still supported (like Sonoma or Sequoia), Apple may offer Safari updates independently through Software Update.
How to update Xcode
Xcode is Apple’s developer tool for building apps, so most people won’t have this, but if you do, you’ll need to keep it updated. Xcode updates come through the App Store:
Open the App Store on your Mac.
Click Updates in the sidebar.
If an Xcode update is available, click Update next to it.
You can also search for “Xcode” directly and click Update or Get if you’ve uninstalled it.
We don’t just report on phone security—we provide it
As you might expect, iOS 26.2 isn't a major update. Apple clearly added most of the features and changes it had in mind with iOS 26, and a handful of new features and adjustments with iOS 26.1. Still, iOS 26.2 does bring some changes. Here's what's new:
Liquid Glass slider for the Lock Screen clock
With iOS 26.1, Apple added an option to adjust the look of Liquid Glass. With it, you can choose from two options: "Clear," the iconic Liquid Glass look, or "Tinted," which increases opacity of the elements, and turns Liquid Glass into more of a Frosted Glass.
While this is a helpful addition for users who didn't like the look of Liquid Glass, some wanted Apple to go a step further, and add a slider to more finely adjust the look of the glassy design. It seems Apple has done just that with iOS 26.2, but not for the system-wide Liquid Glass UI. Instead, with this new version, you get a slider to adjust the look of your Lock Screen clock:
In addition, it looks like Apple adjusted the Liquid Glass animations throughout iOS. As you can see from the post below, the animation is responsive and bouncy, a bit closer to the demos we saw back in June:
Apple is also continuing to update its apps with Liquid Glass. With 26.2, the Measure app is next. The new update adds Liquid Glass bubbles to the app's Level function, which replaces the existing solid white circles.
Reminders are an indispensable part of my iPhone. I rely on them on a daily basis to make sure I keep up with important tasks. However, reminder alerts are as present as any other notification on your iPhone. If you frequently watch your notifications, that's just fine, but if you don't check your iPhone so much, or you use Focuses or Do Not Disturb, it can be easy to miss a reminder—and easy to forget to do the thing you were reminding yourself to do.
iOS 26.2 has a solution: alarms for reminders. When you set a reminder as "Urgent" while running iOS 26.2, you'll see a pop-up asking for permission to to schedule alarms and timers. The idea is, rather than rely on a simple alert, the Reminders app can play an alarm when your reminder is due. I imagine that will help avoid forgotten reminders: You might miss a short ping, but you probably will hear if your iPhone is continuously blaring.
Sleep Score updates
If you have an Apple Watch running watchOS 26, you can take advantage of Apple's new Sleep Score feature. Sleep Score looks at your sleep duration, bedtime, and sleep interruptions to assign you a score to summarize how well you slept. Duration can go up to 50 points, bedtime up to 30, and interruptions up to 20, culminating in a highest possible score of 100.
With iOS 26.2 and watchOS 26.2, Apple is adjusting the Sleep Score metrics, which should hopefully make it a bit more accurate for users at a glance. Here's how it changed, as noted by MacRumors:
Very Low: 0–40 (previously 0–29)
Low: 41–60 (previously 30–49)
OK: 61–80 (previously 50–69)
High: 81–95 (previously 70–89)
Very High: 96–100 (previously 90–100)
In addition, "Excellent" is now "Very High," to keep the naming scheme more consistent.
AirDrop codes
iOS 26.2 introduces a new "Manage Known AirDrop Contacts" section, that reads: "You will automatically appear for 30 days to people you have shared a one-time code with." As this setting suggests, you may be able to share a one-time code with another user, after which time you will be able to easily find each other over AirDrop for 30 days.
Enhanced Safety Alerts
This new iOS 26.2 feature can update you about "imminent threats," like floods, emergencies, and natural disasters. You'll see maps of affected locations, and links to relevant safety information. This feature is also available on watchOS 26.2.
Flash a light for alerts
Apple added a new feature to Accessibility Settings that lets you choose to have the device screen flash whenever you receive a notification.
Updates to Freeform tables
Freeform, Apple's digital whiteboard app, doesn't get the attention it deserves. With iOS 26.2, tables in Freeform can now store text, images, documents, and drawings. Cells also "intelligently" resize to fit.
Drop and drop comes back to Slide Over (iPadOS 26)
With iPadOS 26.1, Apple brought back Slide Over. This useful multitasking feature lets you assign one app window that you can easily bring forward or dismiss from the side of the screen. It's great for quick glances at apps like Messages, Music, or social media platforms—things you don't always need on-screen.
With iPadOS 26.2, Apple is continuing to bring back Slide Over functionality. The company brought back drop and drop, which lets you pick up an app and drop it on top of your active Slide Over window to instantly turn that chosen app to a Slide Over view.
Apple is introducing three new changes for the Podcasts app in iOS 26.2. You'll see all three in a pop-up menu the first time you open the app post-update.
First, all Podcasts in English will come with chapters by default. Podcasters can include these chapters themselves, or, if none are available, the app will generate them automatically with AI. If podcasters don't want their episodes to have chapters, they can disable the feature on their end. The app will also collect any podcasts mentioned during the show you're listening to in one location, so you can easily find those other podcasts if interested. Similarly, podcasters can roundup any links they want to share in one place, including with timestamped entries in the transcript of the episode. The app may automatically create these links too, based on the contents of the episode.
Three changes for the Games app
When you update your iPhone to 26.2, you might notice three changes in the Games app. First there are new sorting options, including filters that sort by game size, show what games your friends are playing, and which games support challenges. In addition, the app now has expanded controller compatibility for navigating the app, so you should be able to continue using the controller rather than touch controls when in Games. Finally, your challenge scores will update in real-time as you play games.
Disable pinned messages in CarPlay
For the last five years, Apple has let you pin your favorite contacts and group chats to the top of the Messages app. With iOS 26, Apple updated CarPlay to support this feature, but didn't give you any say in the matter. If you had pinned chats on your iPhone, CarPlay would mirror that, even if you would prefer to drive without the pinned chats on your car's display.
With 26.2, however, Apple is giving you the option to disable pinned messages for CarPlay. The option appears as a simple "Pinned Conversations" toggle in CarPlay settings.
EU users are getting Live Translation
Live Translation is a promising new feature for AirPods owners running iOS 26. When you're wearing your AirPods, and you start talking to someone who speaks a different language than you do, your iPhone will translate their words on the fly, and you'll hear what they're saying in your target language through your AirPods. Apple isn't the first company to offer this feature and it isn't perfect, but it's great to have it nonetheless.
However, EU users running iOS 26 or iOS 26.1 can't use Live Translation. Apple cited the region's Digital Markets Act as the reason it couldn't bring Live Translation to the EU, but the company seems to have sorted out whatever logistical and bureaucratic issues it had been dealing with: Now that iOS 26.2 is here, AirPods users in the EU will be able to use Live Translation, too.
Edge Light (macOS 26.2)
While not technically an iOS 26.2 feature, Apple has one major update to macOS with version 26.2: The company has added an "Edge Light" feature, which adds a ring of light around your video call window. Apple says the feature uses your Mac's Neural Engine to identify your face and analyze your movements, which allows the light to adjust as needed. If you move your cursor to access something else on your screen, for example, the light will dim so you can see what you're doing. You can also change the light's hue, if you prefer something warmer or cooler for your calls.
Whether this feature will be good enough to replace a dedicated light, like the popular Ring Light, remains to be seen. But this is an interesting and unexpected feature from Apple, and I'm curious to try it for myself when it launches.
The UK’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) ruled that both Google and Apple have a “strategic market status.” Basically, they have a monopoly over their respective mobile platforms.
As a result, Apple may soon be required to allow rival app stores on iPhones—a major shift for the smartphone industry. Between them, Apple and Google power nearly all UK mobile devices, according to the CMA:
“Around 90–100% of UK mobile devices run on Apple or Google’s mobile platforms.”
According to analyst data cited by the BBC, around 48.5% of British consumers use iPhones, with most of the rest on Android devices.
If enforced, this change will reshape the experience of most of the smartphone users in the UK, and we have heard similar noises coming from the EU.
Apple has pushed back, warning that EU-style regulation could limit access to new features. The company points to Apple Intelligence, which has been rolled out in other parts of the world but is not available in the EU—something Apple blames on heavy regulation.
For app developers, the move could have profound effects. Smaller software makers, often frustrated by Apple’s 15–30% commission on in-app purchases, might gain alternative distribution routes. Competing app stores might offer lower fees or more flexible rules, making the app ecosystem more diverse, and potentially more affordable for users.
Apple, however, argues that relaxing control could hurt users by weakening privacy standards and delaying feature updates.
Security and privacy
Allowing multiple app stores will undeniably reshape the iPhone’s security model. Apple’s current “closed system” approach minimizes risk by funneling all apps through its vetted App Store, where every submission goes through security reviews and malware screening. This walled approach has kept large-scale malware incidents on iPhones relatively rare compared to Android.
It remains to be seen whether competing app stores will hold the same standards or have the resources to enforce them. Users can expect more variability in safety practices, which could increase exposure to fraudulent or malware-infested software.
On the other hand, we may also see app stores that prioritize safety or cater to a more privacy-focused audience. So, it doesn’t have to be all bad—but Apple has a point when it warns about higher risk.
For most users, the safest approach will be to stick with Apple’s store or other trusted marketplaces, at least in the early days. Android’s history shows that third-party app stores often become hotspots for adware and phishing, so security education is key. Regulators and developers will need to work together to make the review process and data-handling practices transparent.
There is no set timeline for when or how the CMA will enforce these changes, or how far Apple will go to comply. The company could challenge the decision or introduce limited reforms. Either way, it’s a major step toward redefining how trust, privacy, and control are balanced in the mobile age.
We don’t just report on phone security—we provide it
Apple’s new Liquid Glass interface design brings transparency and blur effects to all Apple operating systems, but many users find it distracting or difficult to read. Here’s how to control its effects and make your interface more usable. Although the relevant Accessibility settings are quite similar across macOS, iOS, watchOS, and tvOS, I separate them because they offer different levels of utility in each. I have no experience with (or interest in) a Vision Pro, so I can’t comment on Liquid Glass in visionOS.
An incredibly detailed article showing exactly how to change the relevant settings, and exactly what they do, for each of Apple’s relevant platforms. I have a feeling quite a few of you will want to bookmark this one.
Today we’re announcing the next major chapter for Apple Security Bounty, featuring the industry’s highest rewards, expanded research categories, and a flag system for researchers to objectively demonstrate vulnerabilities and obtain accelerated awards.
We’re doubling our top award to $2 million for exploit chains that can achieve similar goals as sophisticated mercenary spyware attacks. This is an unprecedented amount in the industry and the largest payout offered by any bounty program we’re aware of and our bonus system, providing additional rewards for Lockdown Mode bypasses and vulnerabilities discovered in beta software, can more than double this reward, with a maximum payout in excess of $5 million. We’re also doubling or significantly increasing rewards in many other categories to encourage more intensive research. This includes $100,000 for a complete Gatekeeper bypass, and $1 million for broad unauthorized iCloud access, as no successful exploit has been demonstrated to date in either category.
Our bounty categories are expanding to cover even more attack surfaces. Notably, we’re rewarding one-click WebKit sandbox escapes with up to $300,000, and wireless proximity exploits over any radio with up to $1 million.
We’re introducing Target Flags, a new way for researchers to objectively demonstrate exploitability for some of our top bounty categories, including remote code execution and Transparency, Consent, and Control (TCC) bypasses and to help determine eligibility for a specific award. Researchers who submit reports with Target Flags will qualify for accelerated awards, which are processed immediately after the research is received and verified, even before a fix becomes available.
With iOS 26, Apple seems to be leaning harder into visual design and decorative UI effects — but at what cost to usability? At first glance, the system looks fluid and modern. But try to use it, and soon those shimmering surfaces and animated controls start to get in the way. Let’s strip back the frost and look at how these changes affect real use.
I have not yet used Apple’s new “Liquid Glass” graphical user interface design, so here’s the usual disclaimer that my opinions are, then, effectively meaningless. That being said, the amount of detailed articles about the problems with Liquid Glass – from bugs to structural design problems – are legion, and this article by Raluca Budiu is an excellent example.
There are so many readability problems, spacing issues, odd animations that don’t actually convey anything meaningful, performance issues, and tons of bugs. It feels like it was made not by user interface specialists, but by marketeers, who were given too little time to boot. It feels incoherent and messy, and it’s going to take Apple a long, long time to mold and shape it into something remotely workable.
Apple has raised concerns about a new Texas state law, SB 2420, which introduces age assurance requirements for app stores and app developers.
One of its main objections is that the requirements are over the top and don’t take into account what the user is actually trying to do. Apple stated:
“We are concerned that SB2420 impacts the privacy of users by requiring the collection of sensitive, personally identifiable information to download any app, even if a user simply wants to check the weather or sports scores.”
Starting January 1, 2026, anyone creating a new Apple account will need to confirm they’re over 18. Users under 18 will have to join a Family Sharing group and get parental consent to download or buy apps, or make in-app purchases.
With age verification comes the requirement for companies to collect, store, and manage sensitive documents or data points (such as government IDs or parental authority details). The more of this data that’s stored, the greater the consequences if it’s breached.
Apple’s pushback against SB2420 is an explicit call to consider the inherent privacy risks of increased age verification mandates. It argues the requirement should only apply to apps and services where age checks are genuinely needed.
Adding to the complexity, individual states are making their own laws to protect minors online, but all using different methods of implementation. Apple reportedly warned developers that similar laws will take effect in Utah and Louisiana later in the year, so they should be prepared.
Discord’s data breach highlights the risks of age verification
An illustration of Apple’s concerns was the recent third-party breach at a customer support provider for Discord. Discord stated that cybercriminals targeted a firm that helped to verify the ages of its users. Discord did not name the company involved, but has revoked the provider’s access to the system that was targeted in the breach.
The compromise exposed sensitive government ID images for around 70,000 users who submitted age-verification data. The criminals claim to have stolen the data of 5.5 million unique users from the company’s Zendesk support system instance, including government IDs and partial payment information for some people.
We agree with Apple that regulators should be aware of the risks that come with implementing different sets of requirements. We don’t want to see regulatory pressure to collect sensitive information lead to the kind of breaches that everyone’s afraid of.
When sensitive information like government ID photos, full names, and contact details are exposed in a breach, criminals gain powerful tools for identity theft. With access to these details, a fraudster can impersonate someone to access their bank accounts, open new credit lines, or make major purchases in their name. Access to government-issued IDs enables attackers to create convincing fake documents, pass verification checks at financial institutions, and sell authentic-looking identities on the dark web to other criminals. The resulting identity theft can cause victims long-term financial and personal damage.
We don’t just report on threats – we help safeguard your entire digital identity
Cybersecurity risks should never spread beyond a headline. Protect your—and your family’s—personal information by using identity protection.
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