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Apple's WWDC 2026 keynote broke from a longstanding format tradition, abandoning the platform-by-platform structure that has defined the annual developer conference for years in favor of a theme-driven presentation. Previous WWDC keynotes were organized by operating system. Last year's event walked through iOS, watchOS, tvOS, macOS, visionOS, and iPadOS in sequence before closing with a developer-focused segment. This year, Apple scrapped that structure entirely, dividing the keynote into three broad themes instead: Platform improvements, trust and safety, and Apple Intelligence and Siri. The change appears to reflect the degree of cross-platform integration Apple has achieved this cycle, which has been growing for years. When the same features land simultaneously across iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Apple Watch, addressing each platform individually no longer makes obvious sense. While Apple has promoted tight ecosystem integration for years, 2026 seems to be the first year that integration is deep enough to make the old format feel arbitrary. The restructuring was not the only departure from form. Apple devoted more than ten minutes of keynote time to child safety and screen time, an unusually prominent segment that could be seen as a direct response to growing regulatory pressure on tech companies. The new parental controls include mandatory child accounts for users under 13, granular app access permissions, and an Ask to Browse feature requiring children to request parental approval before visiting new websites in Safari. The AI demonstrations in the keynote itself also felt markedly different from their initial look in 2024. Two years ago, Apple did not allow press or attendees to try the new Siri after the event, and The Information later reported that what Apple showed on stage was not a functional demo but an elaborate concept video. This year, the Siri AI demonstrations appeared to run in real time, with presenters visibly waiting for responses and navigating results as they came in. Apple also held live, in-person hands-on demos for media after the keynote, a format that has not featured at WWDC for years, giving the event something of a pre-pandemic feel that stood in stark contrast to the slick, wholly pre-recorded presentations the conference has leaned on since 2020. Following the keynote, Apple held a post-keynote "Tech Talk" session with Craig Federighi, where members of the media could put questions to him directly in a more conversational setting. The visual style of the keynote also differed noticeably from previous years. Apple appeared to move away from the heavily stabilized steadicam footage, with much of this year's presentation visibly shot handheld, giving the keynote a more natural look. Did you prefer the format of this year's WWDC? Let us know in the comments. Related Roundup: WWDC 2026Tag: WWDC 2026Related Forum: Apple, Inc and Tech Industry This article, "WWDC 2026 Keynote Marked a Major Departure From Previous Years" first appeared on MacRumors.com Discuss this article in our forums View the full article

Apple Maps is getting a range of new features in iOS 27, headlined by an upgraded Flyover experience that uses AI to improve the realism and detail of its aerial imagery. Flyover is a longstanding feature of ‌Apple Maps‌ and lets users explore more than 350 cities in 3D with detailed landmarks, roads, parks, and buildings. Apple described the enhanced Flyover in ‌iOS 27‌ as combining aerial imagery with AI models to produce sharper, more lifelike visuals of cities around the world. In its press release, Apple said the update will make details clearer, from the shapes of individual trees to the way light reflects off the glass of skyscrapers. A new Local Lists feature is also coming to ‌Apple Maps‌ users in the U.S. The feature surfaces curated collections of nearby places based on what's trending locally, including dining spots and places to take kids. Apple says all insights are derived with privacy in mind and are never tied to individual users. ‌iOS 27‌ also expands the Suggested Places feature that arrived in iOS 26.5, allowing users to swipe through more recommendations rather than being limited to two. A Trending Restaurants section will appear in the search screen, and natural language search is expanding to cover routing specifics. A Parked Car widget is coming to the Smart Stack, making it easier to locate a parked vehicle, and Offline Maps is said to be getting update improvements, though Apple has not detailed exactly what those entail. Existing features including Visited Places and Guides are expanding to more countries in ‌iOS 27‌. The Maps app icon has also been refreshed with a new, multi-layered Liquid Glass design.Related Roundups: iOS 27, iPadOS 27Tag: Apple Maps This article, "Apple Maps to Get These 10 New Features in iOS 27" first appeared on MacRumors.com Discuss this article in our forums View the full article

Apple has filed a 12-page response to Epic Games' attempt to have its Supreme Court petition dismissed, arguing that Epic's own filing "confirms the need for review." Epic filed a 35-page opposition on June 4, 2026, urging the Supreme Court to reject Apple's appeal. Apple's response takes aim at two central arguments Epic made in that filing. On the question of anti-steering, Apple says Epic is mischaracterizing the scope of the injunction against it. According to Apple, the order only restricted specific anti-steering practices and did not address App Store commissions, making Epic's framing an attempt to rewrite the ruling rather than an accurate description of it. The second dispute involves a 2025 Supreme Court precedent, "Trump v. CASA, Inc." Epic says Apple is wrongly claiming an exemption from it. Apple responds that the earlier ruling explicitly states CASA "has no bearing" on antitrust cases, which this is, making Epic's argument moot. The filing is the latest exchange in a dispute dating back to 2020, when Epic deliberately triggered a conflict with Apple over ‌App Store‌ payment rules. Apple won the vast majority of the original case in 2021, but lost on anti-steering, with Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers ordering Apple to allow developers to link to external payment options. Apple complied, but charged a 27% commission on link-out transactions, leading few developers to adopt it. In April 2025, Gonzalez Rogers found Apple in willful violation and barred it from charging any commission on external links. The judge also accused Apple VP of finance Alex Roman of giving testimony "replete with misdirection and outright lies" about when Apple decided on the 27% fee, and referred both Roman and Apple to federal prosecutors for a potential criminal contempt investigation. Apple dropped link fees and appealed. In December 2025, the Ninth Circuit agreed Apple had violated the injunction but sent the case back to district court to determine a reasonable commission rate. Apple petitioned the Supreme Court in May, questioning whether the contempt finding was proper and whether the injunction should apply to all developers nationwide rather than just Epic. An attempt to pause fee proceedings during that process was later reversed after Epic challenged it. Fortnite also returned to the App Store worldwide in May, with Epic CEO Tim Sweeney declaring the start of the "final battle" of the dispute. The Supreme Court has indicated it could decide whether to accept Apple's appeal as early as June, though a final ruling remains many months away regardless.Tags: Epic Games, Epic Games vs. Apple, United States This article, "Apple Fights Back Against Epic's Bid to Kill Supreme Court Appeal" first appeared on MacRumors.com Discuss this article in our forums View the full article

Aikido now scans Docker Hardened Images (DHI) with built-in VEX support. Vulnerabilities that Docker has verified as non-exploitable drop out of the queue automatically, so developers spend their time on findings that actually matter. This post walks through what changed, why it matters, and how users can benefit from the new integration. Why teams are drowning in CVEs Modern application teams drown in CVEs. And the volume is climbing fast. AI coding agents now generate and assemble software far faster than any team can review it, pulling in dependencies by the hundreds and spinning up new services on demand. Every base image they reach for is another stack of CVEs landing in someone’s queue. The faster code ships, the more it matters that it starts from a foundation that’s already minimal, already patched, and already vetted — which is exactly why hardened images matter more now than they ever have. Docker Hardened Images addresses this problem at the source. DHI images are purpose-built, often distroless, and ship with only the software the workload needs. The attack surface is smaller by construction. Patches land faster than upstream in many cases. A smaller attack surface only helps if your scanner can see it. Distroless images break tools that expect a package manager or a shell. Naive scanning produces false positives against components that are not actually present, or flags CVEs in code paths that cannot be reached. Teams end up triaging noise that the image author already knew was not a problem. The new integration closes this gap. DHI publishes signed VEX attestations alongside each image. Aikido reads those attestations and applies them during triage. The CVEs Docker has already cleared get filtered out, with a clear reason attached. Before you begin You need three things to scan DHI with Aikido: An active Aikido account. Access to Docker Hardened Images. A Docker Hub Personal Access Token with read-only scope. If your Docker Hub registry is already connected to Aikido, skip the next section. Connect Docker Hub to Aikido In Aikido, go to Settings > Containers and click Connect Registry. Select Docker Hub. Enter your organization namespace, username, and Personal Access Token. Aikido discovers your repositories and lists them for scanning. Scan a Docker Hardened Image Once the registry is connected, open the registry action menu and click Scan repos in registry. There is no extra configuration for DHI. Aikido detects hardened images automatically and applies the right data sources in the background. Under the hood, the workflow follows the DHI technical spec: Detection. Aikido identifies the DHI base image from the image reference and registry metadata. Cataloging. The scanner pulls the signed SPDX 2.3 SBOM published with the image. SBOMs are retrieved through OCI 1.1 referrer lookup against the registry, or from /opt/docker/sbom/ when present. Reading the vetted SBOM produces complete, accurate component data, where indexing a distroless filesystem would not. Matching. Components are matched by PURL against the Docker OSV feed and upstream advisory feeds. Applying VEX. Aikido overlays the OpenVEX statements Docker publishes for the image, and suppresses any finding marked as resolved by the attestation. How VEX status shows up VEX status What it means Fixed The vulnerability is patched in this image. Not Affected Docker has verified the CVE is a false positive or non-exploitable in context. Aikido suppresses these by default. Under Investigation Impact is still being assessed by Docker. Affected The vulnerability applies, and a fix is not yet available. What you see in Aikido Aikido keeps the UI focused on a single question: is this image vulnerable or not. When Docker’s VEX attestation indicates a CVE doesn’t require triage (for example, it’s been fixed or marked not affected), Aikido filters it out of the active queue automatically. You don’t have to triage it, tag it, or click through anything. Findings that remain in the queue are the ones that genuinely apply to the image, so your team spends time only on what matters. Behind the scenes, Aikido still consumes the full OpenVEX statement (status, justification, image digest) for audit and compliance purposes. It just isn’t surfaced as a status drill-down in the UI, because in practice nobody triaging vulnerabilities wants to dig through VEX metadata. What the result looks like On a typical DHI workload, the active queue shrinks dramatically once VEX is applied. A scan that returns several hundred CVEs against a generic base image collapses to the handful of findings the image actually carries. A concrete example: a CVE in a parser library shows up across most base images. Docker marks it not_affected in the DHI build because the vulnerable code path cannot be reached by an adversary. Aikido reads that statement, files the CVE under “VEX indicates not affected,” and your team never sees it in triage. The justification stays attached if an auditor asks. For teams pursuing FedRAMP, SOC 2, or other compliance regimes, this matters twice. The findings list is honest. The exceptions are signed, attributable to the image publisher, and traceable back to a public attestation. You are not handing auditors a wall of red. Recap The integration is based on the following information provided by Docker Hardened Images: Signed SBOMs give Aikido complete component data without trying to index a distroless filesystem. OpenVEX attestations carry Docker’s exploitability verdict, with justification, directly into the scanner. The outcome is a triage queue that reflects real exploitability in your image, not a flat dump of every CVE that ever touched an upstream package.If you have not started with hardened images yet, the Docker Hardened Images documentation is the place to begin. Learn more about the integration: On June 26th, Aikido is hosting a webinar for those interested in learning more about the integration. Register for Aikido x Docker: Less Noise, More Signal in Container Security Resources Review our Docker Hardened Images documentation. Set up Docker Hub registry on Aikido View the full article

French music platform Deezer has launched a free online tool that can detect AI-generated tracks in Apple Music playlists, as well as playlists created on other streaming platforms. "No other company has followed our lead yet, so we decided to make it possible for everyone to check if their playlists include synthetic music, no matter which streaming platform they use," Deezer CEO Alexis Lanternier said in a press release. "A vast majority of people want to know if AI music is being recommended to them and our data show that nearly half of the users joining Deezer from another platform have AI tracks in their playlists. We're expecting our AI music detector to be an eye-opening experience for listeners around the world."The tool works with 20 different platforms including Spotify, SoundCloud, and YouTube Music. To use it, visit Deezer's AI music detector site, select your streaming service, then grant Deezer permission to access it. The tool will import your playlists, scan them for AI content, and alert you of any suspicious-sounding tracks. Apple in March rolled out a metadata system called Transparency Tags, which indicates when AI has been used in the creation of music hosted on the platform. The only problem is that the tags are optional, so Apple is basically asking artists and record labels to voluntarily label songs that were made using AI. Deezer reports that it receives over 60,000 fully AI-generated tracks per day, with synthetic content now accounting for roughly 39% of all music delivered to the platform. Up to 85% of streams on AI-generated music were fraudulent in 2025, according to Deezer's data.Tags: Apple Music, Spotify This article, "Deezer Launches AI Music Detector for Apple Music, Spotify, and More" first appeared on MacRumors.com Discuss this article in our forums View the full article

Some older iPhone models will need a software update to keep running WhatsApp from the end of November 2026, after Meta confirmed it is raising the app's minimum system requirements. From November 30, WhatsApp will require iOS 15.5 or later, up from the current requirement of iOS 15.1. The models affected are the iPhone 6s, iPhone 6s Plus, iPhone SE (1st generation), iPhone 7, and iPhone 7 Plus. iOS 15.8.8 is the last update these models can install, so owners just need to make sure their device is updated before the deadline. To be clear, no iPhone is being dropped outright. Every model that can run iOS 15.1 can also be updated to 15.5, so a trip into Settings ➝ General ➝ Software Update will be all it takes to stay compatible. Happily, the new requirements aren't as harsh as last year. In June 2025, WhatsApp cut off the iPhone 5s, iPhone 6, and iPhone 6 Plus entirely, since none of the devices could be updated past iOS 15.0. Affected users were left with web.whatsapp.com as their only option. Meta says it reviews supported operating systems each year, dropping those with the fewest users and the ones least likely to carry current security updates. Anyone on an affected version will be notified inside WhatsApp and reminded to upgrade before support ends.Tag: WhatsApp This article, "These Older iPhones Will Need an Update to Keep Running WhatsApp" first appeared on MacRumors.com Discuss this article in our forums View the full article

If you installed the macOS 27 Golden Gate developer beta and have signed up to the Siri AI waitlist but are still waiting to be accepted, there's a Terminal command workaround that enables the new virtual assistant on your Mac immediately. If you're still reading, since you're on the first macOS 27 developer beta, we're assuming you are running it on a test machine, and not on your primary Mac. We're also assuming you're comfortable with using the Terminal app. MacRumors cannot take responsibility for lost data. You should always have a backup. With that said, early reports indicate the workaround is safe, and you won't need to reverse it once officially off the waitlist. Note that Siri AI is not available in the EU and China. Here's how it's done. Open Terminal on your Mac running the macOS 27 beta. Input the following command at the prompt and press Enter: sudo defaults write "/Library/Preferences/FeatureFlags/Domain/GenerativeModels.plist" "EnhancedSiriWaitlist" -dict-add Enabled -bool NO Restart your Mac to apply the change.After restarting, you can try it out right away. In the dedicated Siri app, for example, you can have back-and-forth conversations with Siri in text or voice modes, and your conversation history is synced across your devices via iCloud. Siri AI can draw on personal context understanding to search across messages, emails, photos, and more, and get things done across apps with even more system-wide app actions. On Mac, ‌Siri‌ is now also integrated into Spotlight and available via right-click context menus on any file or window. Note that Siri AI is initially only available in English. Let us know how you get on in the comments.Tags: Siri, Siri AI This article, "Bypass Siri AI Waitlist on macOS 27 Golden Gate Beta: Here's How" first appeared on MacRumors.com Discuss this article in our forums View the full article

Introduction In the world of software engineering, we often talk about speed. We talk about CI/CD pipelines, containerization, and the race to production. However, speed without direction is dangerous. If you are shipping code quickly but failing to understand the impact of that code, you are not doing DevOps; you are simply creating problems faster. This is where feedback loops become the most important component of your engineering culture. Software teams cannot improve without knowing how their systems behave in the real world. When you push a commit, your work does not end there. In fact, it is just beginning. Understanding the performance, stability, and security of your application once it is live is the only way to ensure reliability. DevOps depends on quick, continuous feedback cycles to bridge the gap between development and operations. For those looking to deepen their practical knowledge, resources like DevOpsSchool offer comprehensive training on how these feedback mechanisms integrate into real-world workflows. By mastering these loops, teams improve reliability, shorten the mean time to recovery, and foster a culture of shared responsibility. This guide explores why feedback loops are the heartbeat of successful DevOps and how you can implement them effectively. What Are Feedback Loops in DevOps? At its core, a feedback loop in DevOps is a mechanism that captures data from a system and feeds it back to the creators, maintainers, and operators. It is the process of learning from what you have built. Think of it like driving a car. When you steer, you receive immediate feedback from the road through the steering wheel. If the car pulls to the left, you correct your steering to the right. You do not wait until you hit a guardrail to realize you were off-course. In DevOps, the “car” is your application, and the “road” is the production environment. Feedback loops are your steering system. They are the automated checks, the logs, the metrics, and the alerts that tell you if your application is healthy, secure, and performant. Without these loops, you are driving blind, guessing at whether your code changes are helping or hurting your users. Why Feedback Loops Matter in DevOps In a traditional waterfall model, feedback usually arrived weeks or months after development—often from customers complaining about bugs. This is far too late. DevOps flips this model by bringing feedback as close to the developer as possible. Faster Problem Detection If a developer breaks a feature and finds out five minutes later, they can fix it immediately because the context is fresh in their mind. If they find out three weeks later, they have to spend hours re-learning their own code. Feedback loops ensure that issues are caught when they are cheap and easy to fix. Better Collaboration Feedback loops break down silos. When developers, operations, and QA engineers all look at the same dashboard or the same error report, they stop pointing fingers. They start solving problems together. Faster Fixes When a production outage occurs, you do not want to hunt through five different servers to find a log file. A well-designed feedback loop tells you exactly what failed, where it failed, and why it failed, allowing for rapid recovery. Better Customer Experience Customers do not care about your release cadence. They care about uptime and functionality. Feedback loops ensure that you catch performance regressions before your customers do, keeping the user experience seamless. Types of Feedback Loops in DevOps Feedback is not a single entity; it exists at every stage of the software development lifecycle. Feedback TypePurposeDeveloper FeedbackNotifies developers of linting errors, unit test failures, or build issues immediately upon commit.CI/CD FeedbackAlerts the team if an automated deployment fails or if integration tests do not pass in the staging environment.Monitoring FeedbackProvides real-time data on CPU, memory, latency, and error rates in production.Customer FeedbackCaptures direct user reports, support tickets, and usage patterns to inform product direction.Security FeedbackScans code and infrastructure for vulnerabilities, alerting teams to compliance issues or threats before exploitation. How Feedback Loops Work in DevOps The workflow of a feedback loop is a continuous cycle of observation and response. It follows a predictable pattern: Code Changes: A developer commits code. Automated Testing: The CI pipeline runs. If tests fail, the developer receives instant feedback. This is the first loop. Deployment: If tests pass, the code is deployed to an environment. Monitoring: Once live, observability tools track the application’s behavior. Data Analysis: Metrics, logs, and traces are collected. If an anomaly is detected, an alert is triggered. Response: The team reviews the alert, performs a root cause analysis, and pushes a fix, starting the loop over. For example, consider a payment processing service. If a developer deploys a change that increases transaction latency by 200 milliseconds, the monitoring tool detects the deviation from the baseline. It sends an alert. The developer sees the specific trace showing the slow database query, fixes the query, and pushes an update. The loop is closed. Role of Feedback in CI/CD Pipelines The CI/CD pipeline is the primary engine of DevOps, and feedback is its fuel. If you remove feedback, you are essentially “shipping and praying.” Build Failures A build process should fail fast. If your dependencies are broken or your code does not compile, you should know within seconds. This is the shortest feedback loop in the chain. Test Failures Unit and integration tests are your safety net. If a test fails during the CI process, the pipeline should stop immediately. This prevents bad code from ever reaching the deployment stage. Deployment Monitoring Deployment is not the end of the process. You must monitor the health of the application immediately after the code hits production. Did the deployment cause a spike in 500-level errors? If yes, the pipeline should ideally trigger an automated rollback. Monitoring and Observability in Feedback Loops Monitoring and observability are often used interchangeably, but they serve distinct roles in your feedback strategy. Monitoring tells you that something is wrong (the “what”). Observability tells you why it is wrong (the “why”). Logs Logs are the narrative of your application. They record events as they happen. Effective feedback requires structured logging so that you can search and filter for specific error types across thousands of microservices. Metrics Metrics are the numerical data points—CPU usage, request rates, error counts. They are excellent for setting thresholds. If your error rate crosses 1%, you need an alert. Alerts and Dashboards Alerts are the “active” part of feedback. Dashboards are the “passive” part. You need both. Dashboards allow you to see trends over time, while alerts cut through the noise to tell you what needs immediate attention. Example: An e-commerce site experiences a spike in traffic during a sale. Your dashboard shows that while traffic is high, the checkout service latency remains low. This is a “good” feedback signal. However, if the payment gateway service metrics show an increase in connection timeouts, that is a feedback signal requiring intervention. Real-World Example: Team Without Feedback Loops Imagine “Team A,” an organization that treats feedback as an afterthought. They push code to production on Friday afternoons. They do not have automated testing, and their monitoring is limited to a server status light that stays green unless the entire box crashes. When a customer complains that they cannot log in, the support team creates a ticket. Three hours later, a developer picks it up. They spend an hour trying to reproduce the issue because they have no logs to look at. They spend another two hours guessing which recent code change caused the problem. Finally, they roll back the entire system, causing three hours of downtime and significant revenue loss. This team is trapped in a cycle of reactive firefighting. They are not improving; they are merely surviving. Real-World Example: Team Using Effective Feedback Loops Now, consider “Team B.” They have invested in a comprehensive feedback loop system. They push code multiple times a day. Their CI/CD pipeline runs a suite of automated tests. If a developer introduces a bug that breaks the login flow, the pipeline fails, and the developer is notified in the Slack channel within five minutes. Even if a bug slips through to production, their observability stack catches it immediately. The system triggers an alert because the error rate for the login service spiked. The developer opens their dashboard, sees the exact line of code causing the exception, and applies a patch within 15 minutes. The customer never even notices the issue. Team B is faster, more reliable, and—critically—less stressed. Benefits of Feedback Loops in DevOps BenefitImpactFaster Issue DetectionBugs are caught in development or staging, not by angry customers.Better Software QualityContinuous testing ensures that new features do not break existing functionality.Reduced DowntimeFast detection leads to fast recovery, maintaining high availability.Improved CollaborationShared data creates a “single source of truth” between teams.Faster InnovationDevelopers spend less time fixing old bugs and more time building new features. Common Mistakes Teams Make Even with good intentions, many organizations fail to implement feedback loops correctly. Ignoring Monitoring Data: You have the dashboards, but nobody checks them until something breaks. Monitoring should be part of the daily routine. Slow Response to Alerts: If an alert fires, someone needs to address it. If you ignore alerts, they eventually become background noise. Too Many Alerts (Alert Fatigue): If your team receives 100 alerts a day, they will stop paying attention. Feedback must be actionable and high-signal. Lack of Collaboration: One team manages the dashboard, but another team writes the code. Feedback must be transparent and shared across all stakeholders. Measuring the Wrong Things: Tracking “server up-time” is useless if your application is throwing errors for every user. Track business-critical metrics like transaction success rates. Best Practices for Strong Feedback Loops To build a culture of continuous improvement, follow this checklist: Automate Monitoring: Do not rely on manual checks. Configure your system to alert you the moment a threshold is crossed. Review Incidents Regularly: After every outage, conduct a “blameless post-mortem.” What feedback did we miss? How can we catch this earlier next time? Share Feedback Across Teams: Create transparency. Developers should see production logs, and SREs should see development deployment pipelines. Reduce Alert Noise: Fine-tune your alerts. Only alert on conditions that require immediate human intervention. Measure Improvements: Track your metrics over time. Are you seeing fewer errors this month than last month? Use data to prove the value of your efforts. Role of DevOpsSchool in Learning DevOps Feedback Systems Understanding these feedback loops requires a mix of theoretical knowledge and hands-on practice. It is not enough to read about them; you have to build them. Platforms like DevOpsSchool emphasize this practical approach. By focusing on real-world DevOps workflow understanding, such platforms help learners connect the dots between CI/CD pipeline configuration and production monitoring. Whether you are a student or an IT professional, gaining exposure to these feedback mechanisms is essential for career growth. Understanding how to integrate various tools—from monitoring agents to automated testing frameworks—is a core competency that separates effective engineers from the rest. Career Importance of Understanding Feedback Loops The job market for DevOps and Site Reliability Engineering (SRE) is highly competitive. Employers are not looking for people who can just run commands. They are looking for engineers who understand systems thinking. DevOps Engineer: You are responsible for the CI/CD pipeline, which is the primary source of early feedback. Site Reliability Engineer (SRE): You own the production feedback loops. Your success depends on your ability to use logs, metrics, and traces to keep the system running. Cloud Engineer: You must understand how cloud-native tools provide feedback on resource utilization and costs. Platform Engineer: You build the internal developer platforms that provide feedback to other developers, making their lives easier. Automation Engineer: You write the scripts that automate the detection and remediation of issues, closing the feedback loop programmatically. In all these roles, the ability to interpret feedback and turn it into actionable improvements is what drives career advancement. Industries Using DevOps Feedback Systems Feedback loops are not limited to tech startups. They are critical in any industry that relies on software. SaaS Companies: They rely on rapid feature releases and high uptime. Feedback loops are their lifeblood. Banking & Finance: Here, compliance and security are paramount. Feedback loops ensure that security vulnerabilities are detected and patched in real-time. Healthcare: Systems must be highly reliable. Feedback loops monitor critical patient data platforms to ensure 100% availability. E-Commerce: During peak events, systems must scale. Feedback loops allow teams to monitor performance and adjust capacity dynamically. Telecom: Managing massive networks requires real-time feedback to handle traffic spikes and hardware failures. Future of Feedback Loops in DevOps The future of feedback is moving toward automation and intelligence. AI-Powered Observability: AI models will soon be able to identify “normal” behavior patterns and automatically detect anomalies that humans might miss. Predictive Monitoring: Instead of telling you what happened, systems will predict what is going to happen. “This service will run out of memory in 2 hours based on current trends.” Automated Remediation: The ultimate feedback loop is one that fixes itself. If a service becomes unresponsive, the system will restart it, scale it, or rollback the last change without human intervention. Smarter Feedback Systems: Systems will begin to correlate data from disparate sources, telling you that “The spike in errors is related to the database migration that happened 30 minutes ago.” FAQs 1. What are feedback loops in DevOps? Feedback loops are processes that capture data from your software’s performance and behavior and return that information to the development and operations teams to guide improvement. 2. Why are feedback loops important? They allow teams to detect issues early, reduce downtime, improve software quality, and ensure that the team is always learning and iterating. 3. What tools support feedback loops? Tools include CI/CD platforms like Jenkins or GitLab CI, monitoring tools like Prometheus, and observability platforms like ELK Stack or Datadog. 4. How does CI/CD use feedback? CI/CD uses feedback to determine if a code change is safe. If tests fail or builds crash, the pipeline provides immediate feedback to the developer. 5. What is observability? Observability is the ability to understand the internal state of a system by examining its output (logs, metrics, and traces). 6. Can small teams use feedback loops? Yes. Even a team of two can benefit from simple automated testing and basic server monitoring. It is about the culture of checking data, not the complexity of the tools. 7. Do feedback loops reduce downtime? Absolutely. By detecting errors faster, you can resolve them before they impact users, or roll back quickly if a deployment goes wrong. 8. Are feedback loops hard to implement? They require effort to set up initially, but they pay for themselves by saving time on troubleshooting and reducing manual toil. 9. How do I start creating a feedback loop? Start with CI/CD. Automate your testing. If you do not have that, start with monitoring your production logs. Pick one area and improve it. 10. What is the difference between monitoring and feedback? Monitoring is the collection of data; feedback is the action you take based on that data. 11. Does DevOps require specific tools? No, DevOps is a methodology. You can build feedback loops with open-source tools or proprietary platforms depending on your needs. 12. How often should we review feedback? Constantly. Your dashboards should be part of your daily workflow, not just checked when things go wrong. 13. What is alert fatigue? Alert fatigue occurs when a team is bombarded with so many non-critical alerts that they start ignoring all of them, leading to missed critical issues. 14. How do I improve my feedback loops? Regularly conduct post-mortems after incidents to identify where your feedback failed you. 15. Can AI help with feedback loops? Yes, modern observability platforms use AI to filter out noise and identify meaningful patterns in your data. Final Thoughts DevOps is not a destination; it is a journey of continuous improvement. The most successful engineering teams are those that embrace the reality that things will break. They do not aim for perfection; they aim for faster learning. Feedback loops are the tools that allow you to learn. When you treat every failure as a data point, you stop fearing bugs and start viewing them as opportunities to strengthen your systems. Whether you are setting up your first automated test or configuring complex observability for a microservices architecture, remember that the goal is always the same: make the system more resilient, make the process more efficient, and make the team more informed. Small, incremental improvements—driven by the data you collect from your feedback loops—will compound over time, leading to significant, long-term stability and reliability. View the full article

Fifty years ago, The Damned were lying to pub owners just to get booked. Now they’re playing the Sydney Opera House. If that doesn’t tell you everything you need to know about the weird, glorious trajectory of punk rock, nothing will. The Damned – ‘New Rose’ This September, one of the most important and enduring bands in alternative music history will return to Australia for their Final Damnation 50th anniversary tour – celebrating half a century of chaos, classics and refusing to do things the normal way. And if you ask Captain Sensible – aka co-founder, guitarist, singer, songwriter and owner of one of the greatest stage names in music – the whole thing still feels faintly ridiculous. “Back in the day, you’re not really the sort of band they need in their establishment,” he laughs. Now? “We’re playing places like Wembley, the Albert Hall… and Sydney Opera House. It’s kind of revenge of the yobbos.” That phrase alone might honestly deserve framing, tbh. Because before ‘New Rose’, before Damned Damned Damned, before becoming one of the foundational bands of British punk, there was… considerably less glamour. Captain remembers working jobs as a toilet cleaner and typewriter mechanic before music offered an escape route. “I had 14 toilets to clean every day,” he says. “Talk about shit jobs.” But that punchline quickly became pure motivation. “I would sit in my bedroom practising and practising because it was the only way out for me.” And when original guitarist Brian James invited him into The Damned? That changed everything. “People Would Chase You Down The Street With Billiard Cues” The funny thing about being punk pioneers is nobody tells you that at the time. According to Captain, early punk wasn’t some grand revolution with a mission statement. It mostly came from boredom. By the mid-70s, glam had faded, stadium rock was ballooning into excess and disco was everywhere. “The music just wasn’t talking to us,” he says. “As a working-class bloke, the lyrics just didn’t make any sense.” So they built the band they wanted to hear. Zero expectations. No five-year plan. No idea anybody else would even give a fuck. “We weren’t thinking anyone else would ever like it. We were doing it for ourselves.” Of course… not everybody appreciated that. Getting gigs often meant disguising themselves as something more acceptable. “You wouldn’t say, ‘we’re a punk group’ or you wouldn’t get the gig,” he explains. Then once they started playing? “The manager would be having a fit,” he laughs. Sometimes venues pulled curtains across the stage mid-song. Sometimes they pulled the power entirely. And outside the venues wasn’t always friendlier. “The newspapers would write anti-punk pieces saying this is the end of civilisation.” Captain remembers walking down the street in full punk gear only for pub patrons to spot him. “The whole pub would turn out and chase you down the road with billiard cues.” Not exactly the romanticised punk mythology Instagram might sell you. But somehow, he still says: “I’d go back and relive it in a heartbeat. It was glorious.” The Secret To Lasting 50 Years? Never Repeat Yourself Most bands spend decades trying to preserve a version of themselves. The Damned did the exact opposite. After Brian James exited following the band’s first two albums, Captain says they were widely written off. But instead, they evolved. “We had to really quickly learn how to write songs,” he chuckles. And suddenly The Damned transformed from a pioneering punk band into something much harder to pin down – darker records, theatrical turns, early goth influences and albums that deliberately refused to repeat themselves. “We always tried to keep things interesting by pushing the limits.” And that philosophy still defines the live show now. So if you’re expecting tightly scripted arena precision on this anniversary run… think again. Captain practically recoils at the idea: “We treat the live experience as sacred.” “There’s no choreography. No same old banter. Everything is whatever happens on the night.” Apparently even drummer Rat Scabies refuses to play songs the same way twice. Which means nobody – including the band – fully knows what’s going to happen. “A choice bit of banter from a member of the audience can run through the whole show,” he says. “It’s rock and roll with all the rough edges left on.” Captain Sensible’s One Big Piece Of Advice For Young Bands You probably won’t be shocked to learn Captain isn’t huge on modern production trends. His music collection apparently stops somewhere around 1980. And his assessment of contemporary recording culture is… extremely Captain Sensible. “Nowadays everybody’s got a laptop with every sound ever created in it,” he eye-rolls. His advice? Limit yourself. Create rules. Build identity through restriction. “Limit your sonic palette,” he says, “Before you start a project, decide on eight or nine sounds and stick to them.” Then comes the line that honestly feels like the thesis statement of The Damned’s entire existence: “Try and be as different as possible.” “Follow your own muse,” he imparts. “Don’t copy anyone.” After fifty years, sold-out tours, surviving changing scenes, and somehow ending up inside the venues punk was never invited into… it’s hard to argue with that. The Damned’s Final Damnation 50th anniversary Australian tour kicks off this September and you can suss all the details down below. The Damned – 2026 ‘Final Damnation’ Australian Tour Dates Thursday 10th September SYDNEY, The Opera House Friday 11th September BRISBANE, The Tivoli Sunday 13th September MELBOURNE, The Forum Tickets on sale now via https://thephoenix.au/the-damned-2026/ Further Reading The Damned Announce 50th Anniversary ‘Final Damnation’ Aussie Tour NEWS FLASHBACK: Algy Ward of Tank, The Saints and The Damned Has Died Aged 63 Swedish Metallers Avatar Announce 2026 Australian Tour Dates The post From Getting Chased Out Of Venues With Billiard Cues To Playing The Sydney Opera House: The Damned Reflect On 50 Years Of Punk appeared first on Music Feeds. View the full article

Australia’s next breakout band might still be finishing their homework. Newcastle three-piece Trophy Wyfe have officially been crowned triple j Unearthed High winners for 2026, taking out one of Australia’s most influential youth music competitions with their high-energy indie-meets-post-punk track ‘Spiders’. Trophy Wyfe – ‘Spiders’ And if this feels like an early “remember where you heard them first” moment… history suggests that instinct might be bang-on. This year’s Unearthed High attracted more than 1000 entries from high school-aged artists around the country, with the Unearthed team listening through every submission before narrowing down a stacked finalist pool featuring Alli Kate, Lithu, TwoSeventy and Zoevi. Emerging victorious, Trophy Wyfe now join an alumni list that includes names like Genesis Owusu, The Kid LAROI, Ninajirachi, Gretta Ray, Hockey Dad and Mia Wray (not bad company for a band still navigating their final years of school). Musically, Trophy Wyfe are carving out a lane that feels simultaneously familiar and fresh, blending sharp indie-rock instincts with post-punk urgency, sticky riffs and the kind of energy that feels tailor-made for sweaty rooms. And they’re already thinking beyond the win. The band have just confirmed their debut album is set to arrive later this year, making this feel like the start of something potentially mega. As part of the prize, Trophy Wyfe also scored a mentorship session with Genesis Owusu – a particularly full-circle pick given his own Unearthed High history – with the pair set to head into the studio together for a special songwriting session. Elsewhere, TooLa, the project of 16-year-old Biripi student Tyler Saunders, took home this year’s Indigenous Initiative for his self-produced trap hybrid ‘Float’, earning the opportunity to have his next release mixed by acclaimed producer and engineer Eric J Dubowsky. Meanwhile, rather than a polite phone call or low-key email, triple j Breakfast’s Concetta and Luka crashed the Trophy Wyfe’s school assembly, pulling off a full confetti cannon surprise seconds after they’d just performed their winning track on stage. Watch how it all unfolded below. Further Reading WATCH: 13yo Inkabee Becomes The Youngest Artist In ‘Like A Version’ History triple j’s 100 Best Unearthed Discoveries: The Complete List 16 YO Mariae Cassandra Has Taken Out Unearthed High 2024 The post Meet Trophy Wyfe: The Newcastle Teens Crowned triple j Unearthed High Winners For 2026 appeared first on Music Feeds. View the full article

Fresh off making her late-night TV debut on Jimmy Kimmel Live! and tearing through Coachella, Ecca Vandal is officially bringing the chaos back home. The genre-mutating Australian powerhouse has announced a run of intimate headline shows this November, hitting Brisbane, Melbourne and Sydney in celebration of her acclaimed new album LOOKING FOR PEOPLE TO UNFOLLOW. Ecca Vandal – ‘VERTICAL WORLDS’ And tbh this feels less like a victory lap and more like a homecoming. Over the past year, Vandal has been operating in full beast mode – making her Coachella debut, supporting Deftones nationally, conquering UK and European stages and unveiling what might be her boldest, most fully realised body of work to date. Released via Loma Vista Recordings, LOOKING FOR PEOPLE TO UNFOLLOW sees Vandal doubling down on everything that’s always made her impossible to neatly categorise: punk, alt-hip hop, hardcore, electronic textures, South Asian influences and complete creative fearlessness. But ironically, the album itself came from stepping away. Recorded and produced by Ecca alongside longtime collaborator Richie Buxton in a makeshift bedroom studio, the record was built during a period of intentional disconnection from algorithm culture and the endless pressure to stay visible online. “We cut out everything that didn’t serve us – the timelines, the metrics, the pressure to stay visible online,” Vandal explained. “In Richie’s childhood bedroom, we built a tiny home studio… we wanted to celebrate long-form, the idea of an album as a whole body of work, while the world was chasing 15-second snippets and algorithm-friendly noise.” That ethos runs all the way through the record. It’s loud, messy, fearless and deeply human. At its core, LOOKING FOR PEOPLE TO UNFOLLOW feels like an artist refusing to shrink herself to fit whatever version of the internet is trending that week. Which makes these upcoming headline rooms feel like they could get pretty special. Suss the dates and details down below. ECCA VANDAL – AUSTRALIAN TOUR 2026 Friday 6 November – The Brightside, Magandjin / Brisbane Saturday 7 November – Howler, Naarm / Melbourne Friday 13 November – Oxford Art Factory, Eora / Sydney General on sale: Fri Jun 12 at 11am via eccavandal.com Further Reading Ecca Vandal Announces New Album ‘LOOKING FOR PEOPLE TO UNFOLLOW’ Ecca Vandal Returns With Comeback Single ‘Bleed But Never Die’ Watch Ecca Vandal Take On Rihanna, Dizzee Rascal & Kelis For ‘Like A Version’ The post Ecca Vandal Is Bringing Her New Era Home With Australian Headline Shows This November appeared first on Music Feeds. View the full article

If you somehow survived the chokehold that ‘Hide Away’, ‘Sit Still, Look Pretty’ and ‘Don’t Let Me Down’ had on the internet in the mid-2010s… first of all, congrats. Second of all: Daya is officially heading back to Australia for her debut headline tour, and she’s bringing one of Australia’s rising pop voices along for the ride. STREAM: Daya – ‘Til Every Petal Drops Full Album Fresh off her huge local resurgence via ‘Dreamin’’ with Australian dance heavyweight Dom Dolla, ARIA and GRAMMY-winning pop star Daya has announced that Australian singer-songwriter Darcie Haven will join her across all dates of the upcoming ‘Til Every Petal Drops Australian Tour this July and August. Daya’s relationship with Australian audiences has quietly become stronger than ever in recent years. While plenty still remember her breakout era; when ‘Hide Away’ launched her into global stardom at just 16 before debut album Sit Still, Look Pretty landed not long after – a whole new wave of listeners found their way to her through electronic collaborations and more emotionally expansive recent material. Her collaboration with The Chainsmokers, ‘Don’t Let Me Down’, became one of the defining pop records of its era, earning Diamond certification and a GRAMMY before Daya had even turned 20. Since then she’s continued evolving far beyond pop’s neat little boxes – linking with producers including Gryffin, RL Grime, Illenium, Anyma, and contributing music to cultural juggernauts like 13 Reasons Why. Now she’s bringing that next chapter to Aussie stages. The tour will showcase material from sophomore album ‘Til Every Petal Drops – her first major album cycle in nearly a decade – with fans able to expect a live show that leans equally into emotional vulnerability and euphoric pop release. And joining her each night will be Darcie Haven, one of Australia’s most exciting emerging singer-songwriters, adding some local flavour to what’s shaping up to be a very stacked run of intimate rooms. Peep all the dates and details down below. DAYA – ‘TIL EVERY PETAL DROPS’ AUSTRALIAN TOUR 2026 Tuesday 28 July – Rosemount Hotel, Boorloo / Perth WA Thursday 30 July – Corner Hotel, Naarm / Melbourne VIC Friday 31 July – Factory Theatre, Eora / Sydney NSW Saturday 1 August – The Triffid, Meanjin / Brisbane QLD Tickets available at dayaofficial.com/#TOUR Further Reading Darcie Haven Reflects On Letting Go On New Single ‘A Good Man’ triple j’s Hottest 200 Of Australian Songs: The Complete List Massive Attack Are Finally Returning To Australia For Their First Shows In 16 Years The post Daya Is Finally Bringing Her Headline Tour To Australia (And She’s Bringing Darcie Haven With Her) appeared first on Music Feeds. View the full article

Close your eyes. You’re 14 years old. You’ve just discovered eyeliner. Someone has handed you an iPod loaded with Bring Me To Life and suddenly life feels dramatically more cinematic. Well… prepare to relive that feeling in extremely high def. Evanescence – ‘Bring Me To Life’ Alt-rock icons Evanescence have officially announced their return to Australia for a huge run of arena headline shows in March 2027, bringing one of the most recognisable catalogues of the 21st century back to local stages alongside material from their brand new album, Sanctuary. Presented by Triple M, the Australian run will hit Perth, Adelaide, Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane before heading across the ditch to New Zealand. More than twenty years after Amy Lee and co changed the trajectory of every dramatic teenager with Fallen, Evanescence somehow remain both a legacy act and a band still actively evolving. Their debut remains one of the defining rock records of the 2000s, spawning monster singles like Bring Me To Life, Going Under and My Immortal – songs that somehow still feel capable of activating sleeper-agent-level emotions in people who haven’t opened iTunes since 2008. But this isn’t purely a nostalgia lap. Their latest album Sanctuary launches them into another chapter entirely, featuring recent hits Afterlife and Who Will You Follow and arriving off the back of one of the biggest recent periods of momentum in the band’s career. Last year saw Evanescence land their first-ever #1 on Billboard’s Mainstream Rock Airplay chart with Afterlife – written for Netflix’s Devil May Cry adaptation – while collaborations tied to the John Wick universe and projects alongside K.Flay, Halsey, Poppy and Courtney LaPlante proved the band’s influence stretches well beyond the era that made them famous. Suss all the dates and details of their 2027 Aussie return down below. EVANESCENCE Australia 2027 Tour Dates Friday 5 March – RAC Arena, Perth Sunday 7 March – AEC Arena – Adelaide Tuesday 9 March – Rod Laver Arena, Melbourne Friday 12 March – Qudos Bank Arena, Sydney Tuesday 16 March – Brisbane Entertainment Centre – Brisbane Live Nation Presale: Thu 11 Jun, 1pm – Fri 12 Jun, 11pm Spotify Presale: Thu 11 Jun, 3pm – Fri 12 Jun, 11pm GP tickets on sale: Fri 12 Jun, 1pm local time For complete tour & ticket information, visit: livenation.com.au Further Reading South Arcade Are Coming Back To Australia For Their First Headline Tour Delilah Bon Announces Debut Australian Tour For 2026 The Beautiful Monument Return With Long-Awaited New Album ‘Euphoric Thriller’ The post Evanescence Are Returning To Australia To Deliver 20+ Years Of Hits appeared first on Music Feeds. View the full article

During its WWDC 2026 keynote on Monday, Apple briefly showed a slide with hundreds of new features and enhancements coming across iOS 27, macOS 27 Golden Gate, watchOS 27, tvOS 27, and visionOS 27. All of the software updates are currently available as developer betas, and they are expected to be released to all users in September. We already highlighted some of the key new features from the slide, and now we have shared a categorized list of all of the more than 250 changes shown. iPhone & iOS 27 & iPadOS 27 Switch between two iPhone devices with the same phone number More seamless transitions between Wi-Fi and cellular networks Live Activities in Dynamic Island in landscape Enhanced power efficiency for Safari in iOS Faster Voice Control response in iOS Extra-large widgets in iOS Streamlined setup for Touch Accommodations in iOS and iPadOS Live Activity for Precision Finding with Friends Smoother scrolling in App Library Smoother unlocking on iPhone Undo and redo Home Screen edits in iPadOS Extra-large widgets in Today View in iPadOS Faster window closing in iPadOS Faster browsing and transfers in Files in iPadOS Faster menu bar access in iPadOS iPhone app resizing in iPadOS Apple News+ audio support in iPadOS Faster window switching in iPadOS Optional persistent menu bar on iPad App names in iPad status bar Dual camera in FaceTime Faster Lock Screen switching Lock Screen consistently stays awake while scrolling notifications More power-efficient Personal Hotspot on N1 devices Expanded touch support in Sidecar Independent alarm volumes Smoother camera switching when zooming in video Smoother paging between Home Screen pages Smoother scrolling in Control Center and Control Gallery Easier-to-reach Camera experience More accurate photo orientation Faster and more reliable NFC reading Quick Start with a recovery contact Pairing and handoff improvements for Made for iPhone hearing devices Faster entry and exit from Assistive Access and Guided Access modes Proactive car key setup macOS 27 More relevant Spotlight search suggestions Faster shortcuts and actions indexing in Spotlight Drawing in Notes in macOS Updated video podcasts experience in macOS Enhanced power efficiency for Safari in macOS Edge-to-edge sidebars Colorful sidebar icons Updated menu bar icons Uniform toolbars Consistent corner radii Faster user account creation in macOS Ethernet status in menu bar in macOS Improved RDMA over Thunderbolt Support for Mac mirroring in 5K resolution More high-resolution and high-refresh-rate display modes for external displays Swipe down to refresh in macOS Smoother scrolling in Safari in macOS App resizing in iPhone Mirroring DRM video support in iPhone Mirroring Drawing in Freeform in macOS Smoother animations in Mission Control and Spaces Show Borders for macOS accessibility HDR for macOS system UI Apple TV & tvOS 27 Faster AirPlay connections to Apple TV Smart downloads on Apple TV AppleCare coverage details in Settings in tvOS More responsive Control Center in tvOS Redesigned Podcasts app for tvOS Larger text sizes in tvOS Smoother animations and app launches in tvOS Apple Watch & watchOS 27 Better battery efficiency on Apple Watch More accurate step tracking on Apple Watch More efficient water detection on Apple Watch Improved Wi-Fi connectivity in watchOS Apple Wallet guest keys in watchOS Consolidated Find My app in watchOS Faster app extension launch in watchOS Tap gesture on Apple Watch Faster media playback in watchOS Dynamic app grid in watchOS Maps Parked Car widget in Smart Stack Redesigned settings in the Apple Watch app Support for time zone changes in Sleep View card balance in Wallet in watchOS Transit cards and IDs in Smart Stack in watchOS New Smart Stack suggestions in watchOS Vision Pro & visionOS 27 Use your panoramas for Environments in visionOS Extra-small widget option in visionOS New windows with curvature in visionOS Improved Control Center in visionOS Look and tap to view and respond to notifications in visionOS Spatial scene support for panoramas in visionOS Faster boot and connect to Wi-Fi in visionOS Widget for Mac Virtual Display in visionOS Multiple tab views in Safari in visionOS Home & HomePod Faster AirPlay connections to HomePod Improved connectivity for Thread home accessories Faster smart home accessory updates Faster HomeKit accessory pairing More reliable HomeKit camera storage CarPlay Audio scrubbing on CarPlay's Now Playing screen Improved navigation heading and GPS accuracy in CarPlay Improved wireless CarPlay reliability Audio MiniPlayer in CarPlay Photos Filter photos and videos in Shared Albums Add keywords to photos and videos in Photos Album organization improvements in Photos Customize slideshows in Photos Captured by Me collection in Photos Save any slideshow as a video in Photos Choose a specific pet in Photo Shuffle Search for photos and videos using additional metadata Search returns more pleasing photos of people and pets in Photos Option to prioritize syncing to iCloud Photos Easier to save photos from Shared Albums Option to include photos of yourself in Photo Shuffle Faster rendering of Collections tab in Photos Selection view in Photos Identity Documents collection in Photos Faster loading of new captures in Photos Save a video frame as a photo Star rings in Photos Full-resolution photos and videos in iCloud Shared Albums Additional participant permissions in Shared Albums Expire your Shared Albums Recent activity in Shared Albums React with any emoji in Shared Albums Participate in iCloud Shared Albums from Android and Windows Easier to invite others in Shared Albums Messages Drawing app in Messages Find offloaded media in Messages Failed messages automatically retry sending in Messages Continuous sending of photos, videos, and texts in Messages Consolidated notifications for multiple Tapbacks in Messages Thumbnails displayed for offloaded media in Messages Search for conversations in Messages by phone number or a contact's nickname Faster to add recent camera captures in Messages Improved Messages syncing across devices Apple Music & Podcasts Improved reliability of Apple Music streaming New AutoMix transitions Refreshed album pages in Apple Music Faster Now Playing view loading in Music Refreshed artist pages in Apple Music Search within shows in Podcasts AirPods Custom EQ Faster Apple Music playback start Mail Improved Top Results in Mail Faster message loading in Mail More reliable search indexing in Mail Improved list formatting in Mail Improved unread badge accuracy in Mail Maps More accurate Visited Places in Maps Guides in Maps available in more places Enhanced Flyover in Maps Offline Maps update improvements Natural language search for routing in Maps Health & Fitness & Journal Sort by completed Fitness+ workouts Faster data updates in the Health app Perimenopause and menopause support in the Health app Perimenopause and menopause symptom logging in the Health app Increased attachment limits in Journal More accurate route maps in the Fitness app after workouts iCloud sync status for Journal entries Improved distance accuracy during treadmill workouts Synced step count in the Health and Fitness apps Faster workout start in the Workout app Time stamps for Journal entries Fitness+ workouts for perimenopause and menopause More intuitive journaling streaks GymKit on iPhone and AirPods Pro 3 Notes Section links in Notes Stylized notes from third-party Calendar accounts Copy and paste as Markdown in Notes Divider lines in Notes Shortcuts Else if support in Shortcuts Group conversation support in Shortcuts Expanded Get What's on Screen capabilities in Shortcuts Store data in Shortcuts Redesigned Shortcuts editor Screenshot and notification automations in Shortcuts Freeform Faster board previews in Freeform More reliable right-to-left text editing in Freeform Smoother Freeform board performance Dark Mode adaptive canvas in Freeform Collaborative folders in Freeform Safari Faster start page content loading in Safari Faster web application performance in Safari Smoother animations and graphics in Safari Faster handling of JavaScript in Safari Smoother start page resizing in Safari Apple Wallet & Apple Pay Easier card selection and payment management with Apple Pay Wallet order tracking support in Australia and Canada Find My More flexible sharing options in Find My Find My UI enhancements Home Support for 4K camera recordings in the Home app View streams from compatible cameras simultaneously in the Home app Calendar Modify multiple Calendar events Streamlined Calendar event details Smoother Calendar scrolling Accessibility Easier reading and editing of PDFs using VoiceOver Improved PlayStation Access controller support Streamlined Assistive Access setup System & Performance & Miscellaneous Updated Liquid Glass Customize Liquid Glass Faster app launches Web audio no longer interrupts system audio Faster PDF saving Faster AirDrop transfers Faster AirDrop recipient discovery Improved Bluetooth power management Improved FaceTime quality on poor connections Faster network file browsing Support for media sharing from third-party apps More document formats in Preview More efficient emergency alert monitoring More consistent window positioning persistence across external displays Improved game controller settings Improved battery insights Improved navigation in Game Overlay Improved performance in Apple News All options displayed in Camera settings Password help accessible from the Lock Screen Camera uses less power in Low Power Mode Faster Camera launch in Low Power Mode Richer iCloud collaboration link previews Access requests for items shared via iCloud Faster Text Recognition in photos and documents Updated app icons Optimized CPU scheduler Autosize and reset columns Faster to open full-screen view from Photos widget Faster access to shared content on iCloud.com Smoother animations in News and Stocks articles More easily accessible share link for iCloud collaboration More distinct active windows Real-time updates for widgets when app is open Faster Rapid Return to Service Updated hourly and 10-day views in Weather Faster to start uploading to iCloud Photos Option-click to secondary sort Content-based recipient suggestions for sharing photos and links Faster loading of emoji and sticker keyboards Smoother scrolling in the widget gallery Easier to access recovery codes for Apple Accounts Languages & Regional New UI language for English (Canada) and English (Philippines) New keyboard layout for Slovenian and Estonian Automatic punctuation when typing on multilingual keyboards Natural language time formats for Chinese and Hindi Call Recording transcriptions support for Traditional Chinese, Japanese, and Brazilian Portuguese New keyboards for languages including Afrikaans, Basque, Baybayin, English (Philippines), Galician, Guarani, Luxembourgish, Xhosa, and Zulu New keyboards for Indigenous languages, including Blackfoot, Comanche, Cree, Kiowa, and Tsuu'tina Faster multilingual text processing for handwriting in multiple languages Chāizì typing Smart language and keyboard configuration suggestions QuickPath and typing suggestions for Vietnamese VNI keyboard Multilingual grammar checking Holiday-aware alarms in China Punctuation suggestions as you type in Chinese Alternate calendars for India to support the current time zone while traveling Grocery List in Reminders language expansion Improved conversion from phonetic scripts like Pinyin and Kana when typing in Simplified Chinese and Japanese Live Voicemail transcription for English (Singapore) and Japanese Visited Places in Maps available in more markets Scribble support for Hindi and Marathi with Apple Pencil On-screen context for more relevant typing suggestions for Chinese and Japanese Expanded language support for auto-categorization in Reminders FaceTime Live Captions for Traditional Chinese Related Roundups: iOS 27, macOS Golden Gate This article, "Apple Shares Massive List of Over 250 Changes Across iOS 27, macOS Golden Gate, and More" first appeared on MacRumors.com Discuss this article in our forums View the full article

The smarter, more capable version of Siri is finally here, available in iOS 27, iPadOS 27, and macOS Golden Gate. The updates are limited to developers right now, but there's a lot to look forward to this fall. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. Personal Context is a ‌Siri‌ capability that distinguishes ‌Siri‌ AI from other chatbots like Claude and OpenAI. ‌Siri‌ has access to the data on your iPhone, from emails and messages to photos and files. ‌Siri‌ can find anything you're looking for. Apple rebuilt its search index for ‌Siri‌ AI, and it's more comprehensive for a better search experience. ‌Siri‌ can see what's on your screen with onscreen awareness, and answer questions about what you're looking at. If there's an image on Instagram and you want to know where it was taken, you can just ask ‌Siri‌ where it was taken and get a response. Visual Intelligence is now part of the Camera app, and ‌Siri‌ can answer questions about anything you take a picture of. Like other chatbots, ‌Siri‌ can search the web and access general world knowledge, so it can provide responses to any questions you might have. It can evaluate documents, solve math problems, craft recipes, walk you through DIY tasks, help you plan a party, and more. ‌Siri‌ can take action in and across apps, getting detailed maps directions with multiple stops, editing and sharing photos, or writing an email from scratch in your own writing style. It can do multiple tasks that are included in the same request. ‌Siri‌ is located in the iPhone's Dynamic Island, and there's a glassy new ‌Siri‌ bubble with bright colors that pops up when ‌Siri‌ is activated. You can use Hey ‌Siri‌ or hold down the side button, but ‌Siri‌ also comes up with a swipe down from the top center of the display. Responses show up in that same area, and if you swipe on a response, you can get more information and ask follow-up questions. Apple also created a full ‌Siri‌ app where you can revisit past conversations and start a new conversation. The ‌Siri‌ app syncs across devices, so you can start a conversation on your iPhone and wrap it up on your Mac. ‌Siri‌ AI is available in ‌iOS 27‌, iPadOS 27, ‌macOS Golden Gate‌, watchOS 27, and visionOS 27, plus it works on AirPods and CarPlay. ‌Siri‌ AI has the same device requirements as Apple Intelligence, so you'll need an iPhone 15 Pro or later to use it. ‌Siri‌ AI is available in beta right now, and Apple is still refining. ‌iOS 27‌ is limited to developers, with a public beta set to come out in July. ‌iOS 27‌ with ‌Siri‌ AI will launch in September.Related Roundup: iOS 27Tag: Siri This article, "Hands-On With iOS 27's Siri AI" first appeared on MacRumors.com Discuss this article in our forums View the full article

iOS 27 has a new "Tap to Share" feature that lets merchants use their iPhone to connect to a customer's device with an NFC tap for the purpose of data exchange. This is useful for small business owners, vendors at local markets, and so forth. Tap to Share is an extension of the existing Tap to Pay on iPhone feature, which lets merchants accept contactless payments on an iPhone, with no point-of-sale hardware required. The latter feature allows customers to pay by simply tapping their iPhone or Apple Watch, contactless credit card or debit card, or other contactless payment option on the merchant's iPhone. Payment is securely completed using NFC, like Apple Pay. During an active Tap to Pay on iPhone session, iOS 27 users can now share contact details for membership sign-up, provide a shipping address or email for receipts, add or share Apple Wallet passes, view their cart, and pay with Apple Pay. Tap to Share requires an iPhone 12 or newer, and the feature is not currently available in the European Economic Area (EEA), which consists of all of the countries in the EU plus Iceland, Liechtenstein, and Norway. Apple did not explain why the feature is not immediately launching in the EEA or provide a timeframe for future availability there.Related Roundup: iOS 27Tag: European Union This article, "iOS 27 Introduces New 'Tap to Share' Feature, But Not Available in EU" first appeared on MacRumors.com Discuss this article in our forums View the full article

Sonos this week kicked off a new summer sale, with big discounts aimed at dads and anyone else shopping ahead of Father's Day. This sale includes deals on Sonos smart speakers, sound bars, subwoofers, and more. Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with Sonos. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment, which helps us keep the site running. One highlight of the event is the Sonos Arc Ultra Soundbar at the record low price of $899, down from $1,099, which is being matched at Amazon. For a cheaper soundbar, you can get the second generation Beam for $369, down from $499. UP TO 25% OFFSonos Summer Sale Additionally, the new Sonos sale has a few bundle deals, which combine a few different home audio devices at one discounted price. This includes the 2 Room Set with Era 100 for $378 ($60 off), Premium Entertainment Set with Arc Ultra for $1,658 ($340 off), and more. Arc Ultra Soundbar - $899, down from $1,099 Beam (Gen 2) Soundbar - $369, down from $499 Roam 2 Speaker - $134, down from $179 Ace Headphones - $299, down from $399 Era 100 Speaker - $189, down from $219 Era 300 Speaker - $379, down from $479 Sub Mini - $399, down from $499 Sub 4 - $759, down from $899 If you're on the hunt for more discounts, be sure to visit our Apple Deals roundup where we recap the best Apple-related bargains of the past week. Deals Newsletter Interested in hearing more about the best deals you can find in 2026? Sign up for our Deals Newsletter and we'll keep you updated so you don't miss the biggest deals of the season! Related Roundup: Apple Deals This article, "Sonos Summer Sale Takes Up to 25% Off Speakers, Headphones, and More" first appeared on MacRumors.com Discuss this article in our forums View the full article

On this week's special episode of The MacRumors Show, we talk through all of the major announcements Apple unveiled at WWDC 2026, including Siri AI, new Apple Intelligence features in apps, and system-wide performance and design improvements. Subscribe to The MacRumors Show YouTube channel for more videos Apple framed the keynote around three areas: platform improvements, Trust and Safety, and a sweeping overhaul of ‌Apple Intelligence‌ and ‌Siri‌. Developer betas of all six operating systems are available now, with a public beta expected in July and a general release in September. Liquid Glass received a series of improvements in response to user feedback, with Apple reworking the foundations of how the translucent design language is constructed to deliver more uniform refraction and improved contrast. A new system-wide opacity slider lets users dial transparency anywhere from completely clear to fully tinted. App icons also gain sharper definition with additional layering. macOS Golden Gate receives the same Liquid Glass refinements with particular attention to the transparency and shadow issues most pronounced on the Mac. A significant chunk of the keynote was devoted to performance improvements across all platforms. iPhone and iPad apps launch up to 30% faster, new photos appear in iCloud Photos up to 70% faster after capture, AirDropped photos transfer up to 80% faster, and file transfers in Files are up to 50% faster. A redesigned CPU scheduler reportedly makes older iPhones feel more meaningfully responsive, and iOS 27 supports every iPhone compatible with iOS 26, going back to the iPhone 11. The search index has been rearchitected to be more stable and comprehensive, with new content indexed almost immediately and a new ranking system in Mail to surface more relevant results. iCloud Shared Albums also gain support for contributions from Android and Windows users. Apple announced an expanded set of parental controls and Screen Time tools, giving parents more granular ability to monitor and approve what children are doing on-device and within apps, with changes the company said are grounded in expert research. The centerpiece of the keynote was Siri AI, a ground-up rebuild of Apple's personal assistant built on new Foundation Models co-developed with Google using Gemini technologies. Apple described the result as a profoundly more capable assistant supporting natural back-and-forth conversation, personal context understanding across all on-device content, onscreen awareness, image understanding, and broad world knowledge via web access. ‌Siri‌ now has a dedicated app for browsing and continuing conversations, which sync across devices via ‌iCloud‌. On the iPhone, ‌Siri‌ is embedded in the Dynamic Island and on the Mac it lives inside Spotlight. A new customizable voice model is available at setup. ‌Siri‌ AI extends to CarPlay and AirPods as well. Visual Intelligence has been folded into a dedicated ‌Siri‌ mode in the Camera app, with new capabilities including nutritional information from a photo of food and bill-splitting from a receipt snap. ‌Siri‌ can now write anywhere text input is available, generate first drafts from natural language descriptions, give feedback on existing writing, and ‌Apple Intelligence‌ adds automatic proofreading system-wide. Apple said ‌Siri‌ AI uses on-device processing and Private Cloud Compute, with cloud processing running on Apple's servers using Google's infrastructure, but handled such that data remains inaccessible to Apple or third parties. ‌Siri‌ AI is free, with some features such as image generation carrying daily usage limits and expanded access available through most ‌iCloud‌+ plans. Users must join a waitlist to access the new ‌Siri‌. ‌Siri‌ AI will not be available in the EU or China at launch and launches in English only. Safari gains tab grouping, with ‌Apple Intelligence‌ analyzing pages and organizing open tabs without manual intervention, and a new webpage monitoring feature that notifies users when a page is updated. Safari will also let users describe what they want a browser extension to do in natural language, with ‌Apple Intelligence‌ generating one accordingly, and can automatically change compromised passwords, updating them in the Passwords app. Shortcuts gains natural language creation, so users can describe a workflow and have ‌Apple Intelligence‌ build it automatically. Messages and Mail both gain contextual one-tap suggestions for actions such as creating a reminder or inserting a photo. Calendar adds natural language event creation and can automatically update recurring events when their pattern changes. Photos gains an improved Clean Up tool with more realistic infill, a new Extend tool that adds breathing room around images or straightens a crooked horizon without cropping, and Reframe, which uses on-device spatial models to adjust perspective. Image Playground is updated with a new generative model capable of photorealistic output, support for editing existing photos, and the ability to circle specific areas for targeted changes. The Home app now aggregates notifications to reduce noise, and uses ‌Apple Intelligence‌ to generate summaries of recorded footage, linking content from multiple cameras together. Maps Flyover has been overhauled with significantly more detail, combining aerial imagery with vision intelligence models. CarPlay gains new features including video app support, AirPods gain custom EQ settings, Apple Vision Pro gains the ability to turn panorama photos into spatial scenes, and the Health app adds perimenopause and menopause tracking. watchOS 27 brings a dynamic app grid, new gesture controls, and a ‌Siri‌ app to the Apple Watch. Developer betas of iOS 27, iPadOS 27, macOS Golden Gate, watchOS 27, tvOS 27, and visionOS 27 are available now, with a public beta to follow in July. All of the updates are expected to release to the public in September alongside the new iPhone lineup. The MacRumors Show has its own YouTube channel, so make sure you're subscribed to keep up with new episodes and clips. Subscribe to The MacRumors Show YouTube channel! You can also listen to ‌The MacRumors Show‌ on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Overcast, or other podcast apps. You can also copy our RSS feed directly into your player. If you haven't already listened to the previous episode of The MacRumors Show, catch up to hear our discussion about all of the major rumors surrounding Apple's announcements at WWDC 2026. Subscribe to ‌The MacRumors Show‌ for new episodes every week, where we discuss some of the topical news breaking here on MacRumors, often joined by interesting guests such as Kayci Lacob, Kevin Nether, John Gruber, Mark Gurman, Jon Prosser, Luke Miani, Matthew Cassinelli, Brian Tong, Quinn Nelson, Jared Nelson, Eli Hodapp, Mike Bell, Sara Dietschy, iJustine, Jon Rettinger, Andru Edwards, Arnold Kim, Ben Sullins, Marcus Kane, Christopher Lawley, Frank McShan, David Lewis, Tyler Stalman, Sam Kohl, Federico Viticci, Thomas Frank, Jonathan Morrison, Ross Young, Ian Zelbo, and Rene Ritchie. ‌The MacRumors Show‌ is on X @MacRumorsShow, so be sure to give us a follow to keep up with the podcast. You can also email us at [email protected] or head over to The MacRumors Show forum thread. Remember to rate and review the podcast, and let us know what subjects and guests you would like to see in the future.Related Roundup: WWDC 2026Tags: Apple Intelligence, Siri, The MacRumors Show, WWDC 2026Related Forum: Apple, Inc and Tech Industry This article, "The MacRumors Show: Siri AI, Apple Intelligence in Apps, and More at WWDC 2026" first appeared on MacRumors.com Discuss this article in our forums View the full article

Apple this week detailed a broad set of improvements to Liquid Glass, the translucent design language it introduced last year, spanning readability, personalization, sidebar behavior, and app icons. Announced at the WWDC 2026 keynote and elaborated on further at the Platforms State of the Union, the changes address feedback that followed last year's rollout by making adjustments to the underlying foundations of how Liquid Glass is constructed. At the core of the updates is a tuning of how the material handles content behind it. Apple has adjusted Liquid Glass so it more effectively diffuses complex content, improving readability throughout the system. To add greater depth and visual separation, Apple has also introduced a darkened edge around Liquid Glass elements, along with brighter specular highlights. The headline change for users is a new transparency slider in Settings, which allows the look of Liquid Glass to be adjusted anywhere from ultra clear to fully tinted. The control goes considerably further than a binary toggle, giving users granular control over how much the glass effect appears across the system. Apps already using Liquid Glass will gain many of these improvements automatically when running on iOS 27, without needing to be recompiled. Liquid Glass also adapts to accessibility settings such as Reduce Transparency and Increase Contrast. Apple has also addressed behavior when content scrolls under floating bars. A uniform toolbar now appears across the top in these situations, keeping text legible while improving contrast. The effect is applied automatically for standard toolbars and can be further adjusted using the existing scroll edge effect APIs. Icon rendering has been updated substantially. Apple says icons will now appear sharper and more defined, with new refraction features that can be selectively applied for added character. On macOS and iPadOS, developers also now have access to an API to surface icons for key app actions in menus, which are hidden by default. Icon Composer, Apple's dedicated tool for designing app icons, has been updated to support building icons from multiple layers of Liquid Glass. New annotation features allow developers to add refraction or dial in content effects, while an interactive preview shows how a designed icon will look on earlier operating system releases. Apple has also made a number of changes specific to macOS 27 Golden Gate, including further sidebar refinements and window corner radius updates. For a full breakdown of how Liquid Glass is evolving on the Mac, see our dedicated article.Related Roundup: iOS 27Tag: Liquid Glass This article, "Here's How Liquid Glass Is Changing in iOS 27" first appeared on MacRumors.com Discuss this article in our forums View the full article

Apple this week unveiled macOS 27 Golden Gate, and the upcoming software update hints at the rumored "MacBook Ultra" in at least three ways. "MacBook Ultra" is the rumored name for a new high-end model above the MacBook Pro. The laptop is rumored to feature an OLED display, touch-screen capabilities, a Dynamic Island, a thinner design, and M6 Pro and M6 Max chips. macOS 27 includes a trio of hints about touch-screen support and a Dynamic Island in particular. First, the update adds direct touch input to Sidecar, the feature that allows you to use an iPad as a second display for a Mac. This enhancement allows users to tap and interact with macOS elements with a finger on their iPad. This strongly hints at Apple preparing to bring touch-screen support to macOS after years of resisting. Second, macOS 27 adds iPhone-like pull-to-refresh support to the Mac. This allows you to swipe down on the trackpad to refresh the page or visible content in apps such as Safari, Mail, News, Podcasts, and Calendar. Apple may have finally expanded this functionality to the Mac in preparation for a "MacBook Ultra" with a touch screen. Third, the new "Search or Ask" feature powered by the revamped version of Siri is built into Spotlight on macOS 27, resulting in a dark, pill-shaped interface that would be very fitting for a MacBook screen with a Dynamic Island. On the MacBook Ultra, the "Search or Ask" interface would likely be positioned higher so that it surrounds the Dynamic Island when visible. macOS 27 is currently available in developer beta, with a public beta to follow in July. The update is expected to be released in September. Apple reportedly plans to launch the "MacBook Ultra" in early 2027.Related Roundup: macOS Golden GateTag: MacBook Ultra This article, "macOS 27 Hints at 'MacBook Ultra' in Three Ways" first appeared on MacRumors.com Discuss this article in our forums View the full article

We started tracking early Prime Day deals last week, and today Amazon expanded its selection of items on sale ahead of Prime Day, which will begin on June 23. New deals include UGREEN's best desktop NAS systems, the Sonos Arc Ultra soundbar at a record low price, and more. Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with some of these vendors. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment, which helps us keep the site running. These new deals join ongoing highlights of early Prime Day deals, including Anker's Prime 3-in-1 Wireless Charging Station, available for $109.99 on Amazon this week, down from $149.99. This is one of Anker's newest accessories, and Amazon's sale today is a solid second-best price on the device. $39 OFFAnker Prime 3-in-1 Wireless Charging Station for $109.99 The Prime 3-in-1 Wireless Charging Station features Qi2.2 support, which lets a compatible MagSafe ‌iPhone‌ charge at up to 25W. It's the same speed as Apple's ‌MagSafe‌ charger, and it is 10W faster than the standard Qi2 ‌MagSafe‌ chargers. You can also simultaneously charge an Apple Watch and AirPods with the device. We're also tracking big discounts from brands like Sony, Samsung, Sonos, and more in the lists below. Accessories on sale include USB-C wall chargers, MagSafe-compatible wireless chargers, portable batteries, headphones, and soundbars. UGREEN 2-Bay Desktop NASync - $186.99, down from $219.99 2-Bay Desktop NAS - $369.99, down from $439.99 4-Bay Desktop NAS - $619.99, down from $729.99 4-Bay Desktop NAS Pro - $679.99, down from $799.99 Docks iVANKY 23-in-1 Thunderbolt 5 FusionDock Max 2 - $399.99, down from $499.99 Wall Chargers Anker Nano USB-C Wall Charger - $29.99, down from $39.99 UGREEN 100W GaN 4-Port Charger - $33.23, down from $54.99 Anker 140W 4-Port GaN USB-C Charger - $79.99, down from $99.99 Anker 3-Port Prime Charger - $115.99, down from $149.99 Wireless Chargers Anker 3-in-1 MagSafe-Compatible UFO Charger - $69.99, down from $89.99 Anker 3-in-1 MagSafe-Compatible Foldable Charging Station - $79.99, down from $109.99 Anker 3-in-1 MagSafe-Compatible Charging Cube - $89.99, down from $129.99 Anker 3-in-1 Prime Wireless Charging Station - $109.99, down from $149.99 Anker Prime MagSafe-Compatible 3-in-1 Charging Station - $159.99, down from $229.99 Portable Chargers Anker MagGo Power Bank 10,000 mAh - $69.99, down from $79.99 Anker Prime Power Bank 20,100 mAh - $149.99, down from $179.99 Anker SOLIX C300 Power Station with Lantern - $169.99, down from $249.00 Anker Prime Power Bank 26,250 mAh - $199.99, down from $229.99 Anker SOLIX C1000 Gen 2 Portable Power Station - $449.99, down from $799.00 Jackery Explorer 1000 v2 Portable Power Station - $449.00, down from $799.00 Anker SOLIX C2000 Gen 2 Portable Power Station - $799.00, down from $1,499.00 Audio Sonos Beam Gen 2 - $369.00, down from $499.00 Sony WH-1000XM6 Noise Canceling Wireless Headphones - $398.00, down from $459.00 Sonos Arc Ultra Soundbar - $899.00, down from $1,099.00 If you're on the hunt for more discounts, be sure to visit our Apple Deals roundup where we recap the best Apple-related bargains of the past week. Deals Newsletter Interested in hearing more about the best deals you can find in 2026? Sign up for our Deals Newsletter and we'll keep you updated so you don't miss the biggest deals of the season! Related Roundup: Apple Deals This article, "Amazon's Early Prime Day Deals Expand With New Sales on Desktop NAS and More" first appeared on MacRumors.com Discuss this article in our forums View the full article

Apple appears to be quietly discontinuing the Vision Pro Travel Case in international markets, with the $199 accessory removed from storefronts across much of the world. MacRumors can confirm that the Apple Vision Pro Travel Case is no longer listed on Apple's online storefronts around the world, including the UK, Japan, Germany, France, Ireland, and Hong Kong. The Apple Vision Pro accessories page in these countries no longer list the Travel Case at all, and the product web pages that once contained it have been completely removed, which would indicate discontinuation with no plans to revive the product, at least in these countries. In China and Australia, the listings remain live and visible but the product is grayed out and unavailable to purchase. The case continues to be sold as usual in the U.S., Canada, and the UAE. It is unclear when the changes were made, but they appear to have taken place recently. The Belkin Travel Bag for Apple Vision Pro remains available for customers in international markets as an alternative. Apple has not announced any changes to the original product's availability. The move comes as Apple appears to have scaled back its Vision Pro ambitions. The headset's October 2025 M5 refresh reportedly failed to revive meaningful consumer interest, with the $3,499 price tag remaining unchanged despite the chip upgrade. Apple is believed to have sold around 600,000 Vision Pro units in total, and sources have noted an unusually high rate of returns compared to any other recent Apple product. Following the M5 model's weak reception, the Vision Pro team was reportedly disbanded and its members redistributed across other projects. Vision Products Group chief Mike Rockwell has been leading Apple's Siri team since March 2025. Plans for a cheaper, lighter "Vision Air" were reportedly scrapped in October 2025, and Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said that if a new headset does eventually materialize, he would not expect it for "around two more years at least," given that the bulk of Apple's mixed-reality hardware talent have been moved to other projects. Supply chain analyst Ming-Chi Kuo reported this month that incoming Apple CEO John Ternus signed off on canceling both a second Vision Pro and the Vision Air, with Apple's focus now shifted to smart glasses. Kuo says two products remain in development: AI-equipped glasses to rival Meta's Ray-Bans, expected in 2027, and a display-equipped set of AR glasses unlikely to arrive before 2029. Gurman separately indicated that a slimmer, cheaper Vision Pro remains a possibility in the long term, but is unlikely to arrive before late 2028 or 2029 at the earliest. Whether it signals a complete discontinuation or simply a quiet inventory wind-down, it is difficult to not see the apparent phasing out of the Vision Pro Travel Case as part of the device's uncertain future. Thanks, Ben!Related Roundup: Apple Vision ProBuyer's Guide: Vision Pro (Neutral)Related Forum: Apple Vision Pro This article, "Apple Seemingly Discontinuing Vision Pro Travel Case Around the World" first appeared on MacRumors.com Discuss this article in our forums View the full article

The upcoming iOS 27 update that Apple unveiled this week includes many new features and enhancements for Apple's Wallet app on the iPhone. Below, we have outlined six additions to the Apple Wallet app on iOS 27. New Features Enhanced Passes iOS 26 introduced enhanced Apple Wallet boarding passes, and iOS 27 will gradually expand this improved experience to all other types of passes in the app, including for loyalty, rewards, membership, and gift cards. The newer passes have an elevated design with more detailed background images, and there are tiles below them that provide relevant information. Apple has introduced a new macOS app called Pass Designer for creating and previewing passes. Pass Designer is available in beta on macOS 27. Enhanced Hotel Keys iOS 27 supports enhanced Apple Wallet digital keys at participating hotels and resorts. You can view more details about your trips, receive updates about booked activities, access services available during your stay, and more. Apple did not share a list of hotel brands or locations that will be offering these upgraded keys. Create Passes You can now create custom passes in Apple Wallet by scanning physical cards, like loyalty or membership cards. With the new Siri mode in the Camera app, you can simply point your iPhone at any physical card with a barcode and save it to Apple Wallet. Once added, passes are ready to present as a barcode or QR code right from the iPhone. New Barcode Types Apple Wallet passes can display four new barcode types: EAN-13, Code 39, Codabar, and ITF. Split Bills With Apple Cash In the U.S. only, iOS 27 allows you to split bills with a new feature powered by Apple Cash and Apple Intelligence. This capability is available in the Apple Wallet and Messages apps, or by using the new Siri mode in the Camera app. "When users point their iPhone at a receipt using Siri mode, it can surface the relevant action to split a bill with Apple Cash and identify the items on the receipt," said Apple. "As users select their items, their total payment is calculated, including their share of tax and tip, so they can pay back exactly what they owe with Apple Cash." Wallet Order Tracking in More Countries Starting with iOS 27, Apple Wallet's order tracking feature is available in Australia and Canada. The feature was limited to the U.S. and the U.K. previously. Learn More Apple shared a WWDC 2026 video outlining new features coming to the Wallet app this year, and it has a page on its developer website with more details. iOS 27 Availability iOS 27 is currently available as a developer beta, with a public beta to follow in July. The update is expected to be released to all users in September. How to Install the iOS 27 Beta iOS 27 is compatible with the iPhone 11 series and newer.Related Roundup: iOS 27Tag: Apple Wallet This article, "iOS 27 Adds Six New Features to Apple Wallet on Your iPhone" first appeared on MacRumors.com Discuss this article in our forums View the full article

Apple unveiled iOS 27 at WWDC this week, and while the headline-grabbing Siri overhaul has received the most attention, the Lock Screen has picked up several refinements that you may have missed. Some are brand-new additions, while others are tweaks to features Apple introduced in iOS 26, but together they give you more control over how your Lock Screen looks and behaves. Here are five to try if you plan to install the public beta next month, or when iOS 27 becomes generally available in the fall. Extend Your Wallpaper A new wallpaper extension feature in iOS 27 uses Apple Intelligence to automatically expand a photo beyond its original boundaries so it fills the entire Lock Screen more naturally. If a photo is cropped too tightly, doesn't match your iPhone's aspect ratio, or it leaves empty space when positioned on the Lock Screen, iOS 27 can generate additional image content around the edges with the "Extend" option. It will analyze the existing image and create matching background details that blend with the original photo, so there's no need for aggressive cropping. The Extend option can also be found in the Photos app. Make the Clock Tiny A new compact clock mode is available as a new Lock Screen layout option in iOS 27. Found in the top-right corner of the Font & Color panel, the option moves the time from its traditional large, centered position to a much smaller format alongside the date and widgets at the top of the screen. It's a nice option to have if you like a cleaner Lock Screen look that shows off your wallpaper more fully, and it's the complete opposite effect introduced in iOS 26 that stretches the clock down the screen. Generate Wallpapers With AI iOS 27 also expands Image Playground with support for AI-generated Lock Screen wallpapers. You can create custom backgrounds using text descriptions, and the app will generate entirely new images tailored to your preferred style, subject matter, or aesthetic, allowing you to set it directly as your Lock Screen wallpaper. Change Liquid Glass Opacity In iOS 27, Apple added a full Liquid Glass slider under Settings ➝ Appearance ➝ Liquid Glass. It changes the translucency of Liquid Glass elements, and you can choose a clear version of Liquid Glass that allows some of the background to show through, select a more opaque, tinted version that improves the legibility of text, or choose something in between. Granted, it's more of a system-wide customization feature than a Lock Screen-exclusive feature, but it directly impacts the look of your clock setup, buttons, widgets, and notifications. New Siri Interface To go with Apple's tentpole "Siri AI" chatbot-style overhaul, iOS 27 introduces a redesigned Siri experience. Instead of the glowing light effect that previously traced the edges of the display, a swirling Siri orb now expands and animates within the Dynamic Island. Siri requests and responses are also now presented in a more compact interface surrounding the Dynamic Island, so interactions should feel more focused rather than completely taking over your Lock Screen.Related Roundup: iOS 27 This article, "iOS 27 Brings These Five New Features to Your iPhone Lock Screen" first appeared on MacRumors.com Discuss this article in our forums View the full article

Walmart today has the AirPods Pro 3 available for $179.00, down from $249.00. This is a new all-time low price on the AirPods Pro 3, and it's a deal that we're only tracking at Walmart as of writing. Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with some of these vendors. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment, which helps us keep the site running. This model of the AirPods Pro launched in September 2025 and has 2x better Active Noise Cancellation than the previous generation, better audio quality, a revised fit that's meant to improve comfort and stability, Live Translation for in-person conversations, and heart rate sensing for workouts. $70 OFFAirPods Pro 3 for $179.00 This deal beats the current Amazon discount by about $20, although Amazon does typically follow suit and match all-time low prices from other retailers so there is a chance we'll see this deal on Amazon soon. If it appears, we'll update this article. Head to our full Deals Roundup to get caught up with all of the latest deals and discounts that we've been tracking over the past week. Deals Newsletter Interested in hearing more about the best deals you can find in 2026? Sign up for our Deals Newsletter and we'll keep you updated so you don't miss the biggest deals of the season! Related Roundup: Apple Deals This article, "AirPods Pro 3 Hit New Low Price of $179" first appeared on MacRumors.com Discuss this article in our forums View the full article