Over the past ten years, Apple’s iPhone has become the company’s most valuable —and recently, somewhat volatile— asset. Since its introduction in 2007, the iPhone helped to jumpstart the smartphone revolution, and with it came some big innovations. The App Store, touchscreen gaming, the mass adoption of social media, and protecting user data with biometrics. Its product lineup is enmeshed in Apple’s ecosystem, and the impact that it continues to have around the globe is vast.
The Elec reports that Samsung Display secured a three-year exclusivity deal for folding iPhone screens, with the maybe-delayed, maybe-not-delayed Apple foldable due later this year. The question is whether Apple is getting the nearly creaseless panels Samsung showed off at CES, which it will need to match the Oppo Find N6.
Nikkei Asia reported earlier that the foldable iPhone could hit shipment delays due to engineering setbacks, but Gurman says that the phone will be announced with the iPhone 18 Pro lineup. However, he says supply of the foldable iPhone might initially be limited.
The update adds protections against DarkSword, a security vulnerability that can steal information from your phone if you visit an infected link. Apple previously released iOS 18.7.7 to the iPhone XS and XR, but if you have a newer phone and don’t want to download iOS 26, now you can install the patch without worrying about getting Liquid Glass.
After users in China reported seeing Apple Intelligence on their iPhones, Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman said these AI-powered features launched in “error” and that Apple has since taken them offline. The Chinese government currently requires Apple to partner with local companies, like Alibaba, to power AI features in the country.
That’s one way to get MagSafe on the iPhone 16E! According to iFixit, however, even if you make the swap, the older iPhone doesn’t have the fancy MagSafe animation.
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If you have the means, then another $200 for an iPhone 17 is well worth it.
Spokesperson Peter Ajemian tells The Verge that Apple has since removed the prompt, which showed up for UK users who downloaded the latest iOS 26.4 beta:
Some users on the beta software in the UK temporarily saw a message suggesting age verification is required to download apps. That message was displayed in error, and has been fixed. Developers may continue to use the Declared Age Range API to provide age appropriate experiences for users.
Rumors of an Apple product launch event next week look confirmed, now that Tim Cook is posting about a “big week ahead,” with a short video clip of someone swiping around Apple’s logo. So, new MacBook Pros, probably some new iPads, and maybe the rumored iPhone 17e?
We’ll find out soon.
Blizzard apparently isn’t busy enough with Overwatch, announcing a mobile version of the game that “will begin select region testing soon.” Unlike mobile versions of games like Call of Duty, PUBG, or Fortnite, it’s not an attempt at an FPS and is being made by a separate team.
A gameplay preview trailer shows a similar feeling but slower-paced game capable of running on devices like an iPhone XS or Pixel 4a.
The iPhone 18 Pro Max will have a battery capacity of around 5000 mAh for the version with a SIM slot and around 5200 mAh for versions with eSIM, according to a post from leaker Digital Chat Station reported on by 9to5Mac. I’ll always take more battery.
The standard iPhone 18 is set for a spring 2027 launch, and a “revamped” iPhone Air is in the works but isn’t expected for this year, according to Nikkei Asia.
The Information similarly reported last May that Apple might shuffle its fall iPhone release plans.
The $39.99 Classic LS case, available for only the iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max, features a boxy design and a “retro tech aesthetic” based on the Macintosh 128k and Apple Lisa. There are also keyboard-inspired buttons on both sides of the case, a lanyard loop, and a single beige color option.
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It’s very possible I’m the only person who didn’t know this, but just in case: you can go to the Clock app and set a timer, and then under “When Timer Ends,” instead of picking an alarm tone, scroll all the way down and set it to “Stop Playing.” System-wide sleep timer! As someone who sometimes likes to fall asleep listening to podcasts or The Office episodes, this is a game-changer. Thank you, five-year-old Reddit thread, for solving this for me.
It’s unclear if Jon Prosser — Apple rumor monger and target of that Cupertino lawsuit — has his own sources, or is just regurgitating as fact reporting already done by the likes of Mark Gurman and Ming-Chi Kuo. Nevertheless, this video is a good summary of where rumors of the foldable iPhone have coalesced, less than a year before its supposed release.
