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Tag: iOS 26

  • Apple’s iOS 26.4 arrives in public beta with AI music playlists, video podcasts, and more | TechCrunch

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    Apple this week released the latest version of its mobile operating system, iOS 26.4, which introduces several new features, including an AI-powered playlist-generation feature in Apple Music, support for video content in the Podcasts app, end-to-end encryption (E2EE) for RCS messages, and more. 

    The update is currently available in pubic beta, with the public release expected sometime in March or April. 

    Apple Music’s AI playlist

    One of the most noticeable improvements arrives in Apple Music — iOS 26.4 introduces a new AI-powered “Playlist Playground” feature that leverages Apple Intelligence. The feature allows users to generate a custom 25-song playlist from a text prompt, such as “upbeat workout mix” or “calm evening.” Users can then further refine the results and even select matching cover art. 

    Image Credits:Apple (screenshot)

    In addition, Apple Music’s user interface has been refreshed to showcase full-screen artwork for albums and playlists.

    Concerts Near You

    Plus, Apple Music is getting a new “Concerts Near You” section that helps users discover live shows from their favorite artists. You can filter this section by Date and Genre, or switch locations if you’re traveling.

    Image Credits:Apple (screenshot)

    Apple Podcasts video episodes

    Following Spotify’s push into video, Apple’s Podcasts app is making it easy to switch back and forth between audio and video episodes with this release. Creators can publish video podcasts using HTTP Live Streaming (HLS), and listeners can seamlessly switch between audio and video playback within the same episode, moving to a full horizontal display if they choose.

    Image Credits:Apple

    At launch, the video episodes will be integrated with other Apple Podcasts features, like personalized recommendations and editorial curation on the New tab and Category pages, just as audio podcasts are.

    HLS also brings an automatic quality adjustment feature, which helps videos play better whether listeners are on Wi-Fi or cellular. Plus, users will be able to download video episodes for offline viewing. At launch, HLS is supported by Acast, Amazon’s ART19, Triton’s Omny Studio, and SiriusXM, including SiriusXM Media, AdsWizz, and Simplecast.

    Image Credits:Apple

    Creators will be able to dynamically insert video ads, including host-read spots, into their podcasts, too. Apple doesn’t charge creators to distribute podcasts, but it says that, starting later this year, participating ad networks will have to pay an impression-based fee for the delivery of the dynamic ads in the HLS videos.

    Encrypted RCS messaging

    Messaging is also receiving an important upgrade with encrypted Rich Communication Services (RCS), which begins testing in iOS 26.4. End-to-end encryption for RCS conversations will one day help ensure messages between iPhone users and Android users are just as secure as iMessage.

    Currently, Apple is only testing this between iPhones in beta. These conversations will be labeled as encrypted and cannot be read while sent between devices. The company notes that the feature will be released publicly in a later software update for iOS, iPadOS, macOS, and watchOS, and the beta is not available for all devices and carriers.

    Stolen Device Detection is on by default

    Security improvements are another highlight of iOS 26.4. Stolen Device Protection is now enabled by default, adding an extra layer of biometric authentication for sensitive actions such as accessing saved passwords or making certain account changes. By requiring Face ID or Touch ID authentication in more scenarios, Apple reduces the risk of unauthorized access if a device is stolen and the passcode is compromised.

    Image Credits:Apple

    CarPlay adds in-car video playback

    Drivers using Apple CarPlay will also notice changes. CarPlay now supports in-car video playback for select apps — including the Apple TV app —but only when the vehicle is parked to ensure safety. This enhancement introduces new entertainment options for passengers when they’re stopped or while waiting in the car for a period of time. (Hooray for parents in the pickup line at school!)

    Third-party AI services come to CarPlay

    CarPlay for the first time will offer access to third-party AI services like OpenAI’s ChatGPT, Google’s Gemini, and Anthropic’s Claude.

    Audio Zoom in Camera app

    Image Credits:iPhone screenshot/TechCrunch

    Meanwhile, the Camera app introduces Audio Zoom. When recording video, the microphone focuses on the subject as you zoom in, reducing background noise and enhancing clarity. This feature makes it easier to capture speeches, performances, or interviews without external audio equipment.

    Image Credits:Apple (screenshot)

    Additionally, the Ambient Music feature is now accessible through a widget, letting users instantly play soundscapes designed for focus, sleep, or relaxation directly from the Home Screen, instead of just the Control Center as before. The feature, first introduced in iOS 18.4, added a variety of ambient sounds to stream across categories like Sleep, Chill, Productivity, and Wellbeing.

    “Urgent” reminders

    There’s also a new “Urgent” section in the Reminders app that groups high-priority tasks and can trigger more prominent alerts when deadlines approach. Setting a reminder as Urgent will add an alarm so you’re sure not to miss the event.

    Image Credits:iPhone screenshot/TechCrunch

    And more …

    A few other smaller features include the following:

    • A new unified Apple Account Hub in the App Store, Apple Music, and other Apple apps replaces the “profile” feature that was previously used.
    • A new animation is in the Messages app when you draft a message.
    • An updated Wallpaper Gallery separates the different categories in a new way; a similar design came to the Apple Watch Face Gallery as well. The new version includes sections for Weather, Astronomy, Emjoi, and more, among other changes.
    • Apple Music lets you add songs to multiple playlists at once.
    • The Health app adds a new metric: Average Bedtime, which shows the average time you went to bed over the past two weeks. The Vitals section was also updated to include a blood oxygen level on the daily graph.
    • Freefrom adds a Content Hub for Creator Studio subscribers, providing access to new AI features and high-quality art. Its icon was updated, too.
    • The Personal Hotspot feature now includes a Data Usage section that shows how much data has been sent to your device and which Apple and non-Apple devices have been using your data.
    • Live Captions adds support for Chinese (Taiwan) under the language options.
    • There’s a new “Set Battery Charge Limit” action in Shortcuts.
    • The App Store’s Search bar is back at the top of the screen.
    • The link to iCloud.com gets a larger, featured section within the iCloud section in the Settings app. Before, there was only a toggle to “Access iCloud Data on the Web.” Now it’s more like a big ad for iCloud.

    Notably absent from this release is a next-generation Siri experience. While Apple has signaled deeper AI ambitions for its voice assistant, those larger changes do not appear in iOS 26.4, reportedly delayed once again.

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    Lauren Forristal, Sarah Perez

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  • iOS 26.1 lets you turn down liquid glass’ transparency | TechCrunch

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    Apple’s latest iOS update, available for eligible devices from Monday, doesn’t introduce any major features, but it does bring one highly-requested tweak: the ability to change the transparency of the translucent liquid glass design.

    If you didn’t like the look of iOS 26, all you could do so far was to reduce transparency via the accessibility settings, which pretty much turned off the liquid glass overlay. With iOS 26.1, we now get a new menu to retain the look while increasing opacity.

    You can head to Settings > Display & Brightness > Liquid Glass to select either the original “Clear” option or a more opaque “Tinted” option. You can also see a preview of each option when you’re selecting them.

    Liquid glass was the company’s biggest design overhaul since its move to a flat design back in 2013, but similar to most changes of this scale and significance, not everybody has been on board.

    Some people said the more translucent design made various parts of the interface harder to read, including notifications or navigation controls in apps, while others professed their love for the attention to detail and the new look, which felt like a much-needed update to an interface that had grown stale over the years.

    Image Credits: Screenshot by TechCrunch

    Besides the transparency settings, iOS 26.1 also lets you tweak what gestures do on the home screen: You now get an option to open the camera app by swiping to the left on the lockscreen. You change this by going to Settings > Camera > Lock Screen Swipe to Open Camera.

    IOS 26.1 also gives users the ability to locally capture audio and video while recording a video call. This can be useful if you’re recording a call or podcast on the move. The company announced this feature for iPadOS in June during the Worldwide Developer Conference (WWDC).

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    The update also brings support for eight new languages for Apple Intelligence: Chinese (Traditional), Danish, Dutch, Norwegian, Swedish, Portuguese (Portugal), Vietnamese and Turkish. The company is also adding live translation support for five new languages: Chinese (Simplified), Chinese (Traditional), Italian, Japanese and Korean.

    We also get some quality of life improvements, including gestures to change songs in Apple Music; a slider to stop alarms instead of a button so you don’t accidentally shut it off; and an option to automatically install security improvements.

    You can update your device by going to Settings > General > Software update.

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    Ivan Mehta

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  • iOS 26 Lets You Turn Off Liquid Glass (for Real, This Time). Here’s How.

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    If Apple was trying to make a splash with its Liquid Glass redesign of iOS 26, it succeeded—just maybe not in the way it had hoped to. In case you haven’t been keeping tabs on Apple’s ongoing iOS redesign saga, lots of people were (or are) kind of mad about the new look. And listen, I get it. Having converted to iOS 26 a few weeks back, there are some annoying choices, especially when it comes to accessibility. Let’s put it this way: contrast is not Liquid Glass’ strong suit. Personally, I’m more annoyed about Safari tabs getting buried beneath another tab, but who am I to tell you what to be grumpy about?

    So, if you’re one of the many people who are not super pumped about the whole glass part of Liquid Glass in iOS 26, you’ll be psyched to know that Apple has capitulated to demands for what’s ostensibly an off switch. That’s right, you can nuke Liquid Glass for real this time. Here’s how:

    • Download the latest version of iOS 26. That would be iOS 26.1 (not iOS 26.0.1, which you may already have downloaded).
    • Once the new version is installed, changing the look of iOS 26 is really just a settings tweak. Navigate to Settings, Display and Brightness, and then Liquid Glass.
    • Once you’re there, you can choose between two options: clear and tinted
    • You’ve probably already intuited that the “clear” one is more glass-like, while the “tinted” one basically kills the glass altogether

    That’s it. That’s all you have to do. It may not seem like much on the surface, but, historically, it feels like a big deal for Apple to let people roll back a design choice so pointedly. I guess you could characterize it in a couple of ways. On the one hand, it feels like Apple is giving in to the haters, which is objectively true. On the other hand, it feels like a rare case of Apple making a misstep so big that it has to walk the choice back fully.

    Maybe so many years of playing it safe with iOS generations have made Apple soft to criticism, or perhaps it has just forgotten how to innovate on a software level. Still, either way, it looks like Liquid Glass might not be the bright, shiny new future Apple had hoped for. Or at least not if you have the “tinted” option enabled in your settings right now.

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    James Pero

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  • Apple will let users roll back the Liquid Glass look with new ‘tinted’ option | TechCrunch

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    Apple has rolled out a new feature that makes it easier to customize Liquid Glass to your liking. Now, users will be able to set the appearance of Liquid Glass to either Clear or Tinted, with the help of a new setting included in the latest beta update of its mobile and desktop operating systems.

    The addition indicates Apple is listening closely to user feedback in these early days of the iOS 26, iPadOS 26, and macOS 26 public launches. Apples likes to push through more significant changes, but it will often offer a fallback option for those who have a hard time adjusting.

    That was the case when Apple moved Safari’s address to the bottom of the screen in 2021. After some user backlash over the then controversial decision, the iPhone maker added an option to revert the bar to the top of the screen. (Apple, we’ll concede, was right to make the move; the bar’s location is better when it’s in easier reach of your thumbs.)

    Now, Apple is taking a similar approach with Liquid Glass.

    The new user interface that shipped with iOS 26 and other Apple operating systems was the company’s biggest design overhaul since its move from a skeuomorphic to flat design back in 2013. As with most changes of this scale and significance, not everybody has been on board.

    Some have said the Liquid Glass design makes various parts of the interface harder to read, including notifications or navigation controls in apps like Apple Music and others. Others have said they love Liquid Glass’s attention to detail and its new look, which felt like a more modern update to an interface that had grown stale over the years.

    With another potential divisive response on its hands, Apple is now ceding some control over Liquid Glass’s appearance back to the users.

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    The new feature, first spotted by 9to5Mac, arrived in iOS 26.1 beta 4 and the accompanying updates for tablets and desktop computers.

    Reached for comment, Apple told TechCrunch that, during the beta period this summer, it heard from some users who wanted the option to set a more opaque look for Liquid Glass. This new setting that lets users personalize Liquid Glass is available in iOS 26.1, iPadOS 26.1, and macOS 26.1.

    To access the feature, beta users can visit the “Display & Brightness” menu under Settings to find the added Liquid Glass menu option. On Mac, it’s under “Appearance” in System Settings. The control lets you choose between two options, Clear and Tinted. The latter increases the opacity of interface elements, making them easier to see.

    Though some users had been advocating for a slider that lets them control the opacity more precisely, Apple has opted for a toggle where it specifies the two levels of tint that users can choose from.

    Apple told TechCrunch that any developers who have already implemented Liquid Glass in their apps will automatically have the user’s preference applied. Developers are able to test this now in the 26.1 developer beta.

    After selecting their preferred option, users will see changes across user interface elements, like the Now Playing controls, Notifications on the Lock Screen, and in Apple’s apps and those from third-party developers.

    While the beta feature arrives for developers today, the public beta should arrive over the next few days ahead of the wider public release.

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    Sarah Perez

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  • iOS 26 Just Made Driving Like an Asshole a Lot Easier

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    There are lots of ways to drive like a complete and utter douche bag; Teslas, for instance! Autopilot, the company’s driver assist, is an express ticket to distracted driving that has resulted in some truly Darwinian moments. Case in point: this porno that was shot while Tesla’s unfinished, almost-kind-of-self-driving software was at the wheel. Lovely. No notes. Or, wait, how about these trucks that “roll coal,” which is numbnuts code for intentionally spewing black diesel smoke everywhere? Nice! Very cool. Thanks, America.

    There are subtler ways, though, like driving with wireless earbuds in, which is not only inadvisable but actually illegal in some states. While there’s obviously nothing preventing anyone from popping their wireless earbuds in and driving like that, there’s at least one UI quirk in iOS that nudges would-be distracted drivers in the right direction. When you get into a car you’ve previously connected to via Bluetooth, your phone audio will often automatically switch to the car instead of your wireless earbuds if you happened to be listening to something at the time you turned your car on.

    You can obviously just switch it back and go about your asshole journey of driving with wireless earbuds in if you want to, but then at least you’re truly electing to be an unsafe driver each and every time you fire up the trusty steel battering ram. Maybe not anymore, though, thanks to iOS 26. With a new setting called “Keep Audio with Headphones,” you can make sure that even when your car’s Bluetooth is within range, your wireless earbuds (be they AirPods or others) will remain playing in your ears and not on your car speakers.

    © Adriano Contreras / Gizmodo

    On one hand, I get it. Sometimes the audio switches when you’re not even in your vehicle if your car happens to be on, and you don’t want that very important call you’re on to be trapped inside your car, where you are not currently located. Or maybe, you’re a passenger and you want to completely f**king ignore the person who is driving. In that case, I just want to say I am sorry, I’ve been there. I promise things will get easier once you graduate high school. But, also, let’s be honest, for people who want to listen to their wireless earbuds while driving, this is a major win. Finally, less screwing around and more Rogan-esque anti-vax misinformation piped straight into the ol’ flesh desert where your mind used to be.

    I know that there’s a less-than-0% chance that Apple intended to release a feature that makes distracted driving easier. If I had to imagine, engineers are probably trying to avoid the jump scare of having the audio switch to your car without asking it to, which is, at least in theory, an issue worth tackling. Or, I don’t know, maybe they actually want all of us dead after the mass criticism of Liquid Glass. Who’s to say, really?

    This would normally be the point where I tell you how to activate said new feature, but, uh… don’t do that. Sure, auto-switching isn’t always going to be ideal, but sometimes the annoyance we have is better than the mass safety hazard we invented, and as tempting as tuning out all of that very annoying auditory information on the road may be, a little concentration can (despite popular opinion) actually be a good thing.

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    James Pero

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  • iPhone 17 Review: The Best iPhone Value in Years

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    Next to the ultra-thin iPhone Air and the packed-to-gills iPhone 17 Pro/17 Pro Max, the iPhone 17 looks unremarkable—boring, even. The three new colors other than black and white are less vibrant than the shades the iPhone 16 came in. But peel back a few layers and things become clear: the iPhone 17, starting at $799, is in fact a remarkable value, providing a ton of bang for your buck.

    Besides the slight growth of the screen from 6.1 inches to 6.3 inches, the iPhone 17 is cosmetically similar to the iPhone 16. If the iPhone Air is the new premium model and the iPhone 17 Pros are the most powerful, then the iPhone 17 is the everyman’s iPhone. It has more than enough solid upgrades over last year’s model, but not as many as the iPhone 17 Pros.

    The iPhone 17 is not going to wow anyone with its industrial design, but underneath it all, it’s a trooper that goes the distance. It’s the iPhone you get if you want the Goldilocks experience.

    iPhone 17

    The iPhone 17 offers the best bang for buck in an iPhone. It’s a value proposition that’ll last for at least five years.

    Pros

    • Finally 120Hz, always-on display
    • Nearly A19 Pro-level performance
    • Great Center Stage camera for selfies
    • 48-megapixel ultrawide camera
    • Excellent battery life

    Cons

    • Dull colors
    • Only USB-C 2 speeds

    Basic design

    © Adriano Contreras / Gizmodo

    Take the iPhone 16 design, stretch it a teensy bit up, and you get the iPhone 17. That may sound harsh, but it’s true: the iPhone 17 is 5.89 inches tall versus the 5.81-inch iPhone 16. Somehow it’s 0.01 inches narrower, though. It’s unlikely you’ll feel that it’s 0.24 ounces heavier, either; I didn’t.

    If you were hoping for more material change, you’re gonna be disappointed. I don’t think it’s worth fretting over since the iPhone 17 feels great in the hand. Not that most people will care since they’ll slap a case over it.

    Apple has stuck with an aluminum frame and gently curved sides that melt into the cover and back glass. The back has a vertically aligned pill-shaped bump for the dual cameras. What you can’t see with the naked eye is the improved scratch resistance for the screen. Apple is using Ceramic Shield 2, its second-gen cover material with increased durability, which Apple claims is 3x more scratch resistant than the iPhone 16’s first-gen Ceramic Shield screen. Apple also says Ceramic Shield 2 cuts down on glare. It doesn’t eliminate reflections from what I could see, and any reduction in glare is minimal at best. Still, I’ll take the increased scratch resistance. I asked Apple if Ceramic Shield 2 now means that keys or sand or pocket lint won’t easily scratch it, but the company clarified that its durability claims are not for a single instance where there’s unfortunate contact with some scratchy objects; it’s over time. Take that for what you will.

    Colors are subjective, but if you ask me, I think the iPhone 17 colors are dull. Besides black and white, there’s lavender, sage, and mist blue. Sage looks the best to me, but it’s still a muted green. I think it’s time for Apple to bring back red or coral or pacific blue. Give the regular iPhone some soul to stand out between the iPhone Air and iPhone Pros.

    A more “pro” display

    iPhone 17 in Sage green
    © Adriano Contreras / Gizmodo

    That 0.08 inches of extra height means Apple was able to squeeze in a slightly larger 6.3-inch screen versus the 6.1-inch display on the iPhone 16. This is the same screen as the iPhone 17 Pro, with the same resolution, same 3,000 nits of peak outdoor brightness, the same 120 Hz “ProMotion” refresh rate, and the same always-on display. At last, Apple’s regular iPhone series isn’t saddled with a 60Hz refresh rate.

    To my eyes, there’s no visible difference between the screen on the iPhone 17 and the 17 Pro. Both Super Retina XDR displays look crisp, have excellent and wide viewing angles, and get more than bright enough indoors and outdoors. I neglected to mention this in my iPhone Air and iPhone 17 Pros review, but I really wish Apple would include something akin to the “Aqua Touch 2.0 technology” in the OnePlus 13 that makes the touchscreen more responsive when there’s liquid on it or your fingers are wet. The slightest droplet of water on the iPhone 17 still confuses the screen into thinking you’re touching it when you’re not.

    Nearly pro performance

    Unlike Android phones, where performance can take a major downturn if the chipset maker (Qualcomm, Samsung, MediaTek, etc.) has architecture or production problems, Apple’s A-series silicon just steadily gets better year after year.

    I’ve long stopped putting too much emphasis on synthetic benchmarks like Geekbench 6, but just to see how much less powerful the iPhone 17’s A19 chip is compared to the A19 Pro in the iPhone Air and iPhone 17 Pros, I ran the CPU test. The results truly shocked me. Using the average of three tests taken on the iPhone 17, iPhone Air, and iPhone 17 Pro, the iPhone 17 was 1.6% more powerful than the Air and 1.3% less powerful than the 17 Pro for single-core tasks.

    iPhone 17 in Sage green, iPhone 17 Pro in Silver
    © Adriano Contreras / Gizmodo

    The A19 Pro chip pulls ahead of the A19 for multicore applications, but not by much: the Air is 5% more powerful and 17 Pro is 9.48% more powerful than the iPhone 17. I thought for sure with one less GPU core (five instead of six) that the iPhone 17 Pros would be more powerful by a larger margin, but that doesn’t seem to be the case.

    That’s great news if you’re worried about getting FOMO from not having the A19 Pro chip in the iPhone 17. But there’s another thing to consider: thermals and sustained performance. Compared to the iPhone 17 Pros, which have a vapor chamber that keeps temperatures down and spreads heat across the phone more uniformly when apps push the GPU hard, the iPhone 17 gets warmer a lot quicker. And if it gets too hot, it takes a little longer to cool down. Generally, my iPhone 17 review unit never got toasty, but if you’re planning to play 3D games like Genshin Impact or shoot a lot of 4K video with the phone or do either under the sun in hot environments, you may run into the infamous “”iPhone needs to cool down” sooner.

    The Center Stage camera is legit

    iPhone 17 in Sage green
    © Adriano Contreras / Gizmodo

    The iPhone 17 has some solid camera upgrades, too. The dual rear camera is now a “Fusion” camera consisting of a 48-megapixel main camera and now a higher-resolution 48-megapixel ultrawide (up from 12 megapixels on the iPhone 16). Photos look about the same to me compared to the same shots taken with my iPhone 16 Pro. Even the ultrawide shots look nearly identical; okay, they’re slightly brighter, but that’s nothing dialing up the brightness slider in the Photos app couldn’t easily handle. There’s no telephoto lens on the iPhone 17; if you want that, you’ll need to step up to the iPhone 17 Pros, which have a 4x telephoto lens that’s also capable of 8x “optical-quality” shots. You do get the 2x “optical-quality” lens from the main 48-megapixel image sensor, but that was already a feature on the iPhone 16.

    As I said in my iPhone Air and iPhone 17 Pros review, the Center Stage camera is the biggest upgrade for photography and video since Apple first added a front-facing camera on the iPhone 4. The 18-megapixel Center Stage camera is a square image sensor, which can capture horizontal selfies even if you’re holding the phone vertically. You can also take vertical photos if you hold the iPhone 17 horizontally. The feature also works for video recording. It’s a very cool feature that everyone is going to appreciate, not just Gen Z TikTokers. The Dual Capture mode that records from the front and rear cameras is also very fun, especially for reaction-type videos.

    Since the iPhone 17 is not a “pro” iPhone, it doesn’t have the more advanced recording features found in the iPhone 17 Pros, like ProRAW for stills, ProRes for video, Apple Log 2, or genlock. Slow-motion video recording is also limited to 1080p at 240 fps compared to 4K at 120 fps on the 17 Pros. Lastly, you don’t get the “studio-quality” microphones found in the 17 Pros. I don’t think any of these “missing” features makes the iPhone 17 a dealbreaker, but it does feel like Apple could have included them if it wanted to, other than to feature-lock them to the higher-end iPhones.

    And just like I said in my iPhone 17 Pros review, I think Camera Control is still largely wasted. It’s there, but not more useful than as a shortcut to launching the Camera app. I much prefer the camera shortcut on Android, which has been a thing for over a decade: double-clicking the power button.

    More battery to doomscroll

    iPhone 17 in Sage green
    © Adriano Contreras / Gizmodo

    No amount of battery life is ever going to be enough, but I’ll gladly take more hours gen-over-gen. In the iPhone 17’s case, battery life has increased by 8 hours compared to the iPhone 16—up to 30 hours versus 22 hours (for local video playback, which is how Apple measures battery life). It’s 3 fewer hours than the iPhone 17 Pro, which gets up to 33 hours.

    Using the iPhone 17 like a normal human being (because who is insane enough to watch local video for 30 hours straight), I found the iPhone 17 lasted about as long as my iPhone 16 Pro, which Apple says gets up to 27 hours for video playback. Give or take, I was able to go from off the charger at 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. on a single charge with around 20 to 25% left in the tank. That’s great battery life and you can easily go two days with light usage.

    More for the same money

    iPhone 17, iPhone Air, iPhone 17 Pro, iPhone 17 Pro Max
    © Adriano Contreras / Gizmodo

    If all of that doesn’t sound like a good enough value, how about double the storage (256GB versus 128GB) versus the iPhone 16—for the same $799? That’s a good deal. Yeah, inflation and all that, but that’s still a damn good deal for everything that you get.

    There’s a $300 difference between the iPhone 17 and the 17 Pro this year, which is $100 more than last year. For most people, the iPhone 17 has more than enough, and the extra $300 can be pocketed or put towards an accessory like the new $250 AirPods Pro 3.

    I truly couldn’t find much to complain about on the iPhone 17. iOS is iOS. If you don’t like the “walled” Apple garden, there’s nothing new to report here, since it’s the same deal. Apple Intelligence, unfortunately, is still underwhelming and we’ll have to wait until next year to see the new AI-powered Siri. If there’s anything to really gripe about, I wish the USB 2 transfer speeds for the USB-C port were the faster USB 3 on the iPhone 16 and 17 Pros.

    If you’ve reached this far and you’ve been nodding your head at all the new stuff and don’t feel an urge to jump up to the 17 Pros, congrats, maybe the iPhone 17 is for you. If you still have an iPhone from recent years and it’s not having any issues, just update to iOS 26 (unless you really hate Liquid Glass). The best thing about iPhones is that they last a long time and Apple supports them with annual software updates for at least five years, and security updates for a few years after. You get a lot with the new iPhone 17, but you also may not need one if yours works just fine. For people switching from Android—you’re either gonna love Apple’s ecosystem or hate it and crawl back.

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    Raymond Wong

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  • Liquid Glass on iOS 26 Is Here to Stay, Whether You Like It or Not

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    The old debate of form over function remains true with iOS 26 and the final version that launched for all iPhones today. There’s all but a faint whiff of that long-promised Apple Intelligence, though you’ll still find plenty to love and more to complain about with the switch from iOS 18 all the way to the “26” generation.

    Remember to set aside some storage on iPhone, as the update will demand a good chunk. iOS 26 showed up as 6GB for me on my iPhone 14 Pro, coming from version iOS 18.6. (Apple is also pushing out iOS 18.7 today.) Our senior editor, Raymond Wong, got the update on his iPhone 16 Pro and noted it was 14.9GB. So your mileage will vary depending on your device and software version.

    Along with iOS 26, Apple also released iPadOS 26, macOS 26, watchOS 26, tvOS 26, visionOS 26, and all the rest. The iPhone 17 lineup, from the 17 Pros to the Air, will come preinstalled with the new software update when those new phones launch on Sept. 19. Every Apple product now shares a similar design language centered on the “Liquid Glass” look. The UI is full of semi-transparent windows and bubbles that can distort and contort text and images underneath it, as if you were looking through a convex glass lens. It’s a means of separating the controls from the content itself. The changes are both subtle and overt. For instance, the “Search” button on iPhones may blend more into your background wallpaper. In apps like Apple Music, the “Now Playing” bar will display a hint of the album artwork underneath it.

    Liquid Glass everywhere, from iPhone to Mac

    © James Pero / Gizmodo

    The iOS 26 release may be the most controversial since the drastic changes made to iOS 7 back in 2013. Users didn’t appreciate having to watch short animations before getting into their apps. Many complained about the UI hiding useful buttons, making it harder for power users to find the right tools for the job. Despite the controversy, skeuomorphism—where Apple tried incorporating more familiar images and designs, such as the battery image representing battery life—still remains to this day. That brings us to now and the emphasis on “glassmorphism,” emphasizing opaque windows for a pseudo-3D effect.

    As somebody who has used multiple versions of the iPadOS 26 and macOS 26 betas extensively during the beta period this past summer, I appreciated some design changes more than others. Apple removing the opaque layer for the menu bar at the top of the Mac screen helps make the screen feel larger without sacrificing functionality. Spotlight has also been beefed up to take actions directly in apps like Messages without having to click on the icon and type out your text to a recipient. The Mac is now more connected to the iPhone than ever with Live Activities, letting you monitor iPhone notifications without unlocking and fiddling with the device. Clicking on those notifications also opens up the iPhone Mirroring, a feature that was introduced in last year’s macOS Sequoia. It’s not all great, however. There’s no more Launchpad available in the dock, and to bring it back you need to muck around in Terminal. Instead, you’re granted an “Apps” folder that is overloaded with all your iPhone apps in addition to those you installed on Mac.

    macOS 26 also sports a few more minor additions, like the largely ineffectual Game Overlay. All that functionality is now bedecked in the translucent layer of glass, from your app icons to the Control Center. The real innovation was saved for Apple’s tablets. The iPad is now far more usable as a dedicated laptop replacement for all your tasks. Apple added the ability to have multiple apps open on-screen at once. You can tile them just by flicking them to the right or left side of the screen. If you want to watch YouTube and type up your notes, it’s now easier than the previous Stage Manager or dual-screen solutions.

    iOS 26 has changed over time

    Liquid Glass iOS 26.
    The Control Center may not look so different than before, depending on what you have going on beneath. © Apple

    Apple has fine-tuned Liquid Glass from its initial dev beta into the public beta and again for the final release. The early versions were practically incoherent, especially with text layered over text. Follow-up betas dialed back some of the glass and liquid effect for a more “frosted glass” aesthetic. The latest public betas honed in on the current design, where you can catch a hint of content underneath menus, as if staring into a pool of glassy water. The effect wants to evoke something tangible, like you’re doing more than scrolling pixels on a pane of glass. After months of playing with all the various betas, I still would prefer a version of Liquid Glass that matches up to the name.

    Regular Apple users who use their iPhone for little more than accessing their camera or their TikTok feeds may not understand the hate, but the most-dedicated iPhone aficionados may grow impatient with the new design. Critics say Liquid Glass distracts you from the functions of each app. Some developers publicly lambasted the new design that sticks important functionality behind hamburger menus (those three horizontal bars that open up drop-down menus). Then again, that’s a fact of life for living in Apple’s ecosystem. The company is more concerned with devices that focus apps for specific use types.

    Inevitably, you’ll run up against a single instance where the glass garbles words or distracts you from an important part of a text or email. In that moment, you’ll wish to scrap the entire exercise, decry Apple’s hubris, and wish to switch back to iOS 18. After those fleeting moments where the raw hate overflows, you’ll just keep using your devices the way you always have.

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    Kyle Barr

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  • How to watch Apple announce the iPhone 17 | TechCrunch

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    Apple is hosting its “Awe dropping” hardware event tomorrow at 10 a.m. PT. The company is expected to announce its iPhone 17 lineup, which could include a slimmer version, as well as updates for the Apple Watch and AirPods. 

    The keynote will take place at Apple Park in Cupertino. Viewers can tune in to the livestream here or watch it on Apple’s website. As usual, TechCrunch will be covering the event, so stay tuned for news.

    There have been numerous rumors surrounding the upcoming iPhone lineup. Taking center stage is the rumored iPhone 17 Air, which could replace the Plus model and would be thinner than any previous iPhone model.

    Additionally, the iPhone 17 is expected to feature a slightly larger 6.3-inch screen and a 120Hz display, a big boost from the existing 60Hz. It’s also speculated to include a 24-megapixel front camera.

    The Pro model may receive a significant redesign on the back of the device, too. Instead of a square-shaped camera bump on the left, there could be a rectangular camera bar extending across the width of the ‌iPhone‌, with the flash and lidar sensor on the right.

    Other product announcements include third-generations of Apple Watch Ultra and SE, the Apple Watch Series 11, and enhanced active noise cancellation coming to the AirPods Pro 3.

    Apple may also provide more details about the public release of iOS 26, which introduces a Liquid Glass interface that offers a more transparent look.

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  • How to watch Apple announce the iPhone 17 | TechCrunch

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    Apple is hosting its “Awe dropping” hardware event on Tuesday at 10 a.m. PT. The company is expected to announce its iPhone 17 lineup, which could include a slimmer version, as well as updates for the Apple Watch and AirPods. 

    The keynote will take place at Apple Park in Cupertino. Viewers can tune in to the livestream here or watch it on Apple’s website. As usual, TechCrunch will be covering the event, so stay tuned for news.

    There have been numerous rumors surrounding the upcoming iPhone lineup. Taking center stage is the rumored iPhone 17 Air, which could replace the Plus model and would be notably thinner than any previous iPhone model.

    Additionally, the iPhone 17 is expected to feature a slightly larger 6.3-inch screen and a 120Hz display, a big boost from the existing 60Hz. It’s also speculated to include a 24-megapixel front camera.

    The Pro model may receive a significant redesign on the back of the device, too. Instead of a square-shaped camera bump on the left, there could be a rectangular camera bar extending across the width of the ‌iPhone‌, with the flash and lidar sensor on the right.

    Apple may also provide more details about the public release of iOS 26, which introduces a Liquid Glass interface that offers a more transparent look.

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    Lauren Forristal

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  • iPhone 17 Release September ’25: Launch Details & New Features

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    Apple enthusiasts are eagerly counting down the days to the highly anticipated iPhone 17 launch, and based on the latest reports from industry insiders and Apple’s consistent release patterns, we now have a clearer picture of when the next generation of iPhones will arrive.

    The tech giant is expected to unveil its most innovative lineup yet, featuring significant design changes and groundbreaking features that could redefine the smartphone experience.

    When Will the iPhone 17 Be Released?

    According to multiple sources including Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, Apple is expected to maintain its traditional September launch window for the iPhone 17 series. The most likely timeline includes:

    • Announcement Event: September 9 or 10, 2025 (Tuesday or Wednesday)
    • Pre-Order Start: September 12, 2025 (Friday following announcement)
    • Official Release Date: September 19, 2025 (10 days after announcement)

    Apple has maintained this consistent schedule for over a decade, with Tuesday events being the traditional preference. September 9, 2025, falls on a Tuesday, making it the most probable date for the iPhone 17 unveiling.

    The Complete iPhone 17 Lineup

    This year’s release marks a significant shift in Apple’s strategy, with four distinct models expected to launch:

    • iPhone 17: The standard model with enhanced features
    • iPhone 17 Air: An ultra-thin revolutionary design replacing the Plus model
    • iPhone 17 Pro: Premium features for power users
    • iPhone 17 Pro Max: The ultimate flagship with maximum capabilities

    Notably, Apple is discontinuing the “Plus” variant in favor of the new iPhone 17 Air, which promises to be the thinnest iPhone ever created at just 5.5mm thick.

    Revolutionary Features Coming to iPhone 17

    ProMotion for Everyone

    One of the most exciting updates is that all iPhone 17 models will feature ProMotion technology with 120Hz refresh rates. This premium feature, previously exclusive to Pro models, will deliver smoother scrolling and more responsive displays across the entire lineup.

    The implementation of LTPO OLED displays enables this advancement while potentially bringing always-on display functionality to all models.

    Design Evolution

    The iPhone 17 series represents one of the biggest design overhauls since the iPhone X. Key design changes include:

    • Aluminum frames returning to Pro models (replacing titanium)
    • Rectangular camera bumps with rounded corners on Pro models
    • Part-aluminum, part-glass back design
    • Potentially smaller Dynamic Island across all models

    Camera Innovations

    Photography enthusiasts will appreciate the significant camera upgrades:

    • 24-megapixel front camera across all models (up from 12MP)
    • 48MP camera systems on Pro models (wide, ultra-wide, and telephoto)
    • 8K video recording capability on Pro Max model
    • Enhanced computational photography features

    Color Options and Customization

    Apple is refreshing its color palette for the iPhone 17 lineup with exciting new options:

    iPhone 17 Standard Colors:

    • Black
    • White
    • Steel Gray (new)
    • Green
    • Purple
    • Light Blue

    iPhone 17 Air Colors:

    • Black
    • White
    • Light Blue (similar to Sky Blue MacBook Air)
    • Gardenia (light gold)

    iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max Colors:

    • Black
    • White
    • Gray
    • Dark Blue (new)
    • Copper/Orange (new signature color)

    Performance and Technical Specifications

    The iPhone 17 series will showcase Apple’s latest technological achievements:

    • A19 and A19 Pro chips: Built on TSMC’s advanced 3nm process for improved performance and efficiency
    • Wi-Fi 7 support: Apple-designed chips replacing Broadcom components
    • Larger batteries: Particularly in the Pro Max model with up to 5000mAh capacity
    • Faster MagSafe charging: Enhanced wireless charging speeds
    • iOS 26: Featuring the new “Liquid Glass” design language

    Pricing Expectations

    While Apple hasn’t announced official pricing, industry analysts predict the following starting prices:

    • iPhone 17: $799-$899
    • iPhone 17 Air: $999-$1,099 (positioned between standard and Pro)
    • iPhone 17 Pro: $1,199
    • iPhone 17 Pro Max: $1,399

    Future iPhone Release Strategy

    The iPhone 17 may be the last generation to follow Apple’s traditional September release pattern. Reports suggest that starting with the iPhone 18 in 2026, Apple will split its launches:

    • Fall 2026: iPhone 18 Air, Pro, Pro Max, and a foldable iPhone
    • Spring 2027: Standard iPhone 18 model

    This strategic shift would create two distinct iPhone seasons annually, potentially changing how consumers approach iPhone purchases.

    Should You Wait for the iPhone 17?

    The iPhone 17 series represents a significant leap forward with ProMotion displays becoming standard, revolutionary thin designs, and enhanced camera systems. If you’re currently using an iPhone 13 or older, the upgrade will be substantial.

    For iPhone 15 or 16 users, the decision depends on your interest in the new Air model or the expanded ProMotion technology.

    How to Prepare for Launch Day

    To ensure you secure your preferred iPhone 17 model on launch day:

    • Mark your calendar: September 9, 2025, for the announcement
    • Set pre-order reminders: September 12, 2025, at 5 AM PT/8 AM ET
    • Check upgrade eligibility: Contact your carrier about trade-in values
    • Consider Apple Card: For 0% financing options
    • Prepare your current device: Back up data and check trade-in condition

    The Bottom Line

    The iPhone 17 release on September 19, 2025, promises to deliver Apple’s most diverse and innovative smartphone lineup yet. With the introduction of the ultra-thin iPhone 17 Air, ProMotion displays across all models, and significant camera improvements, this generation could represent one of the most substantial upgrades since the iPhone X.

    Whether you’re drawn to the revolutionary Air model, need the power of the Pro variants, or prefer the balanced standard iPhone 17, September 2025 will offer something for every Apple enthusiast. Start preparing now to ensure you’re ready when pre-orders open on September 12.

    Person using iPhone showcasing modern mobile technology

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    Anita Kantar

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  • Apple’s Liquid Glass interface improves with release of iOS 26 Beta 2 | TechCrunch

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    With Monday’s release of iOS 26 Beta 2, Apple has fixed one of the more glaring issues with Liquid Glass, its divisive new user interface design for the iPhone, iPad, and other Apple devices, announced earlier this month at WWDC 2025.

    The refreshed user interface modernizes the operating system’s look and feel with a design system inspired by the optical qualities of glass, including the way it refracts light and its translucency.

    However, early iOS 26 testers, somewhat unfairly, were quick to point out the flaws with the updated look in the early developer beta. Though the beta build is not yet finished, users shared screenshots and criticized areas where Liquid Glass fell short in terms of readability and usability.

    One of the users’ larger concerns was with how Liquid Glass made the Control Center (the menu accessed by swiping down on the right side of the iPhone’s screen) nearly unreadable. Because of its semi-transparent nature, it was hard to differentiate the Control Center’s buttons and sliders from the icons and widgets on the iPhone’s Home Screen that appeared underneath.

    In the newly released beta, Apple has addressed the problem with the Control Center by adjusting the background blur, which better obscures the Home Screen content underneath.

    Notifications in the first beta were also hard to read, as many had pointed out. In the updated beta, they’re a bit sharper but still need work, especially for readability on brighter and lighter backgrounds.

    These are not likely the final adjustments, given that iOS 26 doesn’t launch publicly until the fall. However, they are indications that Apple is actively listening to early user feedback and making tweaks accordingly.

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    Also in Beta 2, Apple has added an Accessibility section to the App Store’s product pages, enabled iCloud sync for the Journaling app on iPads, added order tracking features to Apple Wallet, introduced an Apple Music Radio widget, and more.

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    Sarah Perez

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