Iphone – Breaking News & Latest Updates 2026
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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.

Apple is bringing age verification to Texas this week

People who create a new Apple account in Texas will be asked to verify that they’re over 18.

Emma Roth
The best Qi2 batteries for iPhone and Pixel

We tested seven Qi2 and Qi2.2 batteries to find the best ones to snap on the back of your MagSafe or Pixelsnap phones.

Cameron Faulkner

Latest In iPhone

Tom Warren
Tom Warren
iOS 26.5.1 fixes charging issues on iPhone Air and iPhone 17 models.

Apple’s new iOS update is exclusive to its latest handsets, to address “an issue for a small number of users that may prevent wired charging on iPhone Air and iPhone 17 models when the battery is nearly drained.” Don’t worry if you notice it lists a huge download size, iOS 26.5.1 is not actually that big of a download and it will take far longer to actually install it.

Screenshot by Tom Warren / The Verge
Dominic Preston
Dominic Preston
Cherry is the new orange.

According to leaker and journalist Sonny Dickson, that is, who shared photos of iPhone 18 dummy units — though these look like Pro models, due this fall, with the regular 18 likely launching next spring. Dickson got last year’s iPhone 17 colors almost dead-on, meaning this brand new cherry color is probably accurate.

Photo of four iPhone 18 series dummies in blue, black, white, and cherry
Photo of four iPhone 18 series dummies in blue, black, white, and cherry
Photo of four iPhone 18 series dummies in blue, black, white, and cherry
Photo of four iPhone 18 series dummies in blue, black, white, and cherry
1/4Image: Sonny Dickson
Andrew Liszewski
Andrew Liszewski
Apple will broadcast a soccer game this weekend shot entirely with iPhone 17 Pros.

The Major League Soccer match between the LA Galaxy and Houston Dynamo FC will stream live on Apple TV this Saturday and will be the first “major professional live sporting event broadcast” captured entirely using iPhones, according to Apple.

iPhones were first used to capture parts of a live MLB game between the Red Sox and Tigers last year. Here’s what their setup looked like then.

Richard Lawler
Richard Lawler
Apple reportedly plans Grammarly-like AI writing help for your iPhone.

At Bloomberg, Mark Gurman has more AI-related rumors ahead of WWDC, saying that, along with a reworked version of Siri, Apple plans to build Grammarly-like grammar checking and suggestions into the next iPhone and iPad updates (hopefully, without using our AI slopplegangers for an “expert review”).

Other changes include a Shortcuts upgrade that builds automations based on whatever requests you describe, and an AI wallpaper generator similar to what Samsung and Google already offer.

Dominic Preston
Dominic Preston
Intel may already be making iPhone chips.

It was reported last week that Intel and Apple struck a deal for unknown chips. Now supply chain analyst Ming-Chi Kuo reports Intel is manufacturing “low-end/legacy” chips for iPhones, iPads, and Macs, the majority for the phones. The scale is small though, with TSMC set to retain 90 percent of Apple’s chip supply.

Emma Roth
Emma Roth
Pornhub opens back up to UK users who verify their age on the iPhone.

Pornhub went dark in the UK in January after the country began mandating age checks for sites hosting content deemed “harmful” to kids. But now that Apple’s doing the verifying in iOS 26.4, Pornhub parent company Aylo announced that UK users who verify their age with their iPhone can now access the adult website.

Dominic Preston
Dominic Preston
iPhone 17 sales are still going strong.

It was the top-selling phone in Q1 according to Counterpoint, with 6 percent of global sales. The 17 Pro and Pro Max weren’t far behind, with Samsung A series phones and the Xiaomi Redmi A5 also at the top. The Galaxy S26 Ultra just missed the cut, after launching in the middle of the quarter.

Bar chart showing the top 10 phone models for global sales in Q1 2026, with the iPhone 17 at the top
This year’s top 10 made up a record 25 percent of total phone sales.
Image: Counterpoint
Jay Peters
Jay Peters
A foldable iPhone dummy — on video.

Unbox Therapy published a video featuring a dummy unit of the foldable phone, which Apple is apparently set to debut this fall. I’m not sure I like the wide aspect ratio, but I guess we’ll have to see how Apple markets it if the phone is real.

Emma Roth
Emma Roth
The release candidates for iOS 26.5 and macOS 26.5 are rolling out to developers.

Apple Maps is expected to get a new Suggested Places feature and ads in iOS 26.5, while users in the EU could receive interoperability features, including the ability to receive notifications from a third-party smartwatch. Apple is also launching release candidates for iPadOS, tvOS, and visionOS, which are typically the last updates before a wider rollout.

Emma Roth
Emma Roth
Apple Wallet could soon allow you to add custom passes.

With the “Create a Pass” feature, you’ll be able to import the QR code from your membership cards, tickets, and other passes to your Wallet, where you can create a custom design around it, according to Bloomberg.

This capability is rumored to arrive with iOS 27, and sounds a bit like Google Wallet’s custom pass option.

How the internet’s favorite squirrel dad made the hottest camera app of 2026

Viral wildlife creator Derrick Downey Jr. vibe-coded his way to a hit app in DualShot Recorder.

Allison Johnson
The US gets the worst phonesThe US gets the worst phones
Dominic Preston
Our new favorite budget phonesOur new favorite budget phones
Dominic Preston
I finally get the iPhone AirI finally get the iPhone Air
Allison Johnson
Dominic Preston
Dominic Preston
Apple’s foldable iPhone to use Samsung display.

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.

Will the foldable iPhone use Samsung Display’s “crease-less” display we saw at CES?
Will the foldable iPhone use Samsung Display’s “crease-less” display we saw at CES?
Image: Samsung Display
Jay Peters
Jay Peters
The foldable iPhone is actually “on track” to launch in September, according to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman.

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.

Emma Roth
Emma Roth
Apple is making its iOS 18.7.7 security patch available to more iPhones.

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.

Everything is iPhone now

The iPhone changed Apple — and the world — forever.

Nilay Patel
Emma Roth
Emma Roth
Apple Intelligence mistakenly launched in China.

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.

Screenshot: The Verge via X
Apple’s WWDC 2026 event starts June 8thApple’s WWDC 2026 event starts June 8th
Richard Lawler and Jess Weatherbed
Jay Peters
Jay Peters
iFixit found that you can put the iPhone 17E’s back panel on an iPhone 16E.

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.

Where to buy the new iPhone 17EWhere to buy the new iPhone 17E
Sheena Vasani and Cameron Faulkner
The iPhone 17E is good, but you probably shouldn’t buy it

7

Verge Score

If you have the means, then another $200 for an iPhone 17 is well worth it.

Allison Johnson