MacRumors

In the fourth beta of iOS 26, there's some curious wording for a HomePod setting that references a ‌HomePod‌ with a display, perhaps hinting at a future product that could come out sometime in the not too distant future.

There’s a location-related setting that has the following wording:

Your HomePod won't be able to show you the local weather, time, or respond to Siri requests about your area.

"Show" is an interesting word for Apple to choose, because right now, the ‌HomePod‌ isn't able to show anything like the weather or the time because it doesn’t have a screen to display the information.

There have been multiple rumors of a ‌HomePod‌ with a display over the last few years, and the screen-equipped ‌HomePod‌ may in fact turn out to be the home hub that Apple has in development.

Rumors suggest that the hub will have an iPad-like display, but with a square shape rather than a rectangular shape. It will be able to control all of your HomeKit and Matter devices, plus it will run Apple apps like Weather, Calendar, Apple Music, Photos, Apple News, and more.

Siri integration is expected, with ‌Siri‌ able to answer questions similar to how the ‌HomePod‌ works. In fact, Apple has reportedly delayed the launch of the home hub due to the issues that it has had developing the Apple Intelligence version of ‌Siri‌.

There's no clear word yet on when the home hub will launch due to the ‌Siri‌ delays, but we could see it late this year or early next year.

With the fourth beta of iOS 26, Apple has again made changes to the Liquid Glass design that's available across the operating system, tweaking how the menus and buttons appear in apps.

In response to criticism about too little Liquid Glass in beta 3, Apple has upped the translucency in several areas.

Navigation bars in apps like Photos, Music, the App Store, Podcasts, are slightly clearer, allowing more of the background color to show through.

Apple cut down on the frosted glass look, but the changes are small enough that text remains readable, so it appears to be more of a balance between beta 2 and beta 3.

Control Center, the Lock Screen, and the Home Screen look largely the same, so most of the transparency changes are focused on app navigation bars and buttons. On the Lock Screen, though, the background darkens as you scroll through notifications.

Apple will likely continue to make small changes to Liquid Glass based on user feedback, and we won't see the finalized version of the design until ‌iOS 26‌ is released in the fall.

With the fourth betas of iOS 26, iPadOS 26, macOS 26, visionOS 26, and watchOS 26, Apple has re-enabled Apple Intelligence Notification Summaries for apps in the News and Entertainment categories.

After installing the betas, there is a pop up for enabling notification summaries across these and other categories. Users can opt-in or opt-out of notification summaries on a per-category basis.

Apple says that it has improved notification summaries in ‌iOS 26‌, addressing issues that could cause confusion with news headlines.

All notification summaries for News and Entertainment apps that are generated with ‌Apple Intelligence‌ will be italicized and will be annotated with a "Summarized by ‌Apple Intelligence‌" notice.

Apple plans to further test and refine ‌Apple Intelligence‌ summaries for news articles during the rest of the ‌iOS 26‌ beta testing process, and there is an option for users to report a concern directly if there is an issue with a notification summary.

Notification Summaries for the News and Entertainment category were removed in the iOS 18.3 update in January, following criticism over some misleading news headlines created by ‌Apple Intelligence‌.

‌Apple Intelligence‌ Notification Summaries are available on devices that support ‌Apple Intelligence‌. The feature groups multiple notifications from the same app together, providing a one-sentence overview of the content. The short summaries were causing issues when AI pulled the wrong details from news stories, but Apple's improvements should help fix the issue.

Apple today provided developers with the fourth beta of macOS Tahoe 26 for testing purposes, with the update coming two weeks after the third beta.

Registered developers can download the new beta software through the System Settings app.

macOS Tahoe features Apple's Liquid Glass redesign, which extends across all of the new updates this year. Apple also brought the Phone and Journal apps to the Mac for the first time, and introduced a new cross-platform Games app.

With the update, Apple overhauled how Spotlight works, enabling new functionality that allows it to be used to complete all kinds of actions like sending emails without having to open up an app. There are also changes to a number of apps, including Messages, Safari, and Notes.

All of the new features that are included in macOS Tahoe are outlined in our dedicated roundup.

macOS Tahoe is set to launch this fall.

Apple today provided developers with the fourth betas of iOS 26 and iPadOS 26 for testing purposes, with the updates coming two weeks after Apple seeded the third betas.

Registered developers can download the new beta software using the Software Update section of the Settings app.

‌iOS 26‌ and ‌iPadOS 26‌ feature Apple's new Liquid Glass design aesthetic, with a focus on translucency and glass-like interface elements. The design extends to the Lock Screen, Home Screen, and Control Center, along with menus and buttons in apps.

Apple's software includes features for apps like Messages, Phone, Shortcuts, and Apple Music, along with new Apple Intelligence features, a revamp for CarPlay, and more. In ‌iPadOS 26‌, there's a whole new multitasking system that supports multiple app windows for a more Mac-like experience.

For more on the features in ‌iOS 26‌, we have a dedicated iOS 26 roundup and a separate iPadOS 26 roundup. Several new features were found in beta 2 and we rounded them up, plus we did the same thing for beta 3.

Apple today provided developers with the fourth betas of watchOS 26, tvOS 26, and visionOS 26 for testing purposes, with the betas coming two weeks after the third betas were released.

The software updates can be downloaded through the Settings app on each device. A developer account is required.

‌watchOS 26‌ and tvOS 26 adopt new Liquid Glass design changes inspired by visionOS, much like iOS 26 and macOS 26. watchOS has a new AI-powered Workout Buddy for motivation and the Smart Stack incorporates more personal context for better suggestions. There's also a new Notes app and support for Live Translation.

tvOS 26 supports karaoke using an iPhone as a microphone, improvements for using AirPlay speakers with a TV, new Aerial screen savers, and support for quicker logins to apps at setup thanks to Apple Account syncing.

visionOS 26 adds support for spatial widgets that can be placed anywhere in the space around you, along with refinements to make personas more lifelike and support for shared spatial experiences between two Vision Pro users.

The European Union is set to accept the June updates that Apple made to its App Store to comply with the Digital Markets Act, reports Reuters. As a result, Apple will not face daily fines for non-compliance.

Apple changed its ‌App Store‌ fee setup and removed its anti-steering rules to meet the demands of the European Commission. Developers can now direct customers to purchase options outside the ‌App Store‌ and even accept payments for digital goods in their apps using third-party payment options.

At the European Commission's direction Apple has split its ‌App Store‌ services options to let developers opt out of certain features for a lower fee. There are now two tiers that developers can pay for. The cheaper one eliminates ratings and reviews, ‌App Store‌ featuring and marketing, search suggestions, automatic app updates, and automatic app downloads across devices. The more expensive tier includes all current ‌App Store‌ features and functionality.

Tier 1 store services cost five percent of an app's revenue, and Tier 2 store services cost 13 percent (10 percent for Small Business Program participants). Apple also charges a two percent initial acquisition fee and a five percent Core Technology Commission (CTC). The CTC replaces the CTF, a controversial fee that charged developers €0.50 per app install after one million installs per year.

Right now, there's a split CTC and CTF system for developers who use external links and those who don't, but by January 1, 2026, Apple will have a single business model that includes the services fee, the initial acquisition fee, and the CTC. At maximum, developers will pay 20 percent, and per-install billing won't exist. Developers who choose limited ‌App Store‌ functionality will pay a 12 percent maximum fee. Small Business Program participants will pay between 10 and 15 percent.

If Apple had not changed its ‌App Store‌ fee structure and linking rules, it could have been fined up to five percent of its average daily worldwide revenue (about €50 million) each day. The European Commission is expected to accept the ‌App Store‌ updates "in the coming weeks," but timing could change.

Apple was already fined €500 million for allegedly violating the Digital Markets Act, but the company has filed an appeal. Apple is protesting both the fine and the new anti-steering rules that the European Commission required.

Note: Due to the political or social nature of the discussion regarding this topic, the discussion thread is located in our Political News forum. All forum members and site visitors are welcome to read and follow the thread, but posting is limited to forum members with at least 100 posts.

Apple could offer at least six different iPhone models in 2027, according to a proven leaker on Weibo.

According to a post from the leaker known as "Instant Digital," there may be at least six new ‌iPhone‌ models to choose from in 2027. From the unveiling of the iPhone 18 and ‌iPhone‌ 18e in the first half of 2027 until the fall announcement of the first ‌iPhone‌ 19 models, the lineup could look like this:

Earlier this year, Analyst Ming-Chi Kuo reported that Apple plans to split new ‌iPhone‌ lineups between two launch windows annually. The ‌iPhone 18‌ Pro models and the first foldable ‌iPhone‌ will arrive in the second half of 2026, while the standard ‌iPhone 18‌ and the ‌iPhone‌ 18e will follow in the first half of 2027.

Apple is also highly likely to keep some other, older ‌iPhone‌ models on sale. Today, it still offers the iPhone 15 and ‌iPhone 15‌ Plus alongside the five iPhone 16 models. Until February, it also still sold the ‌iPhone‌ 14 and ‌iPhone‌ 14 Plus. As a result, this year's iPhone 17 and iPhone 17 Air will probably stick around in 2027, meaning that there could be the biggest ever variety of new ‌iPhone‌ models available from Apple at a single time.

Setting custom ringtones on your iPhone is dramatically easier in iOS 26. Apple has eliminated the need for the cumbersome process of exporting a track from the GarageBand app, and now provides a simple four-step process that works directly from the Files app.

The new streamlined approach means you can transform any MP3 or M4A audio file that's less than 30 seconds into a personalized ringtone in a just a few taps. Whether it's a favorite song snippet, a voice memo, or a sound effect you've downloaded, the process is now as straightforward as sharing a photo. Here's how to set up your custom ringtone without opening an additional app in iOS 26 (currently in beta).

1. Open the Files app on your iPhone.
2. Long press an MP3 or M4A audio file that's less than 30 seconds long.
3. Tap Share in the pop-up menu.
4. Scroll down to the actions menu and choose Use as Ringtone.

The change will be made immediately. You'll be sent to Settings ➝ Sounds & Haptics ➝ Ringtone, where you'll see the custom ringtone selected. From here, you can delete the ringtone (swipe left, then tap Delete) or choose another one in the default ringtones that's more to your liking.

Note that the Use as Ringtone option also appears for audio files in select other apps, including Voice Memos. Unfortunately, it's not possible to set Apple Music songs as custom ringtones for free, even with a subscription. Apple still sells 30-second song ringtones for $1.29 each through the iTunes Store app.

In iOS 26, Apple is introducing several new features for its Messages app, and this one in particular is likely to make interacting with message bubbles way less frustrating.

When you tap and hold on any message bubble, a new "Select" option now appears alongside the familiar copy and reaction choices, finally solving one of Messages' most persistent frustrations.

The Select feature allows you to highlight specific portions of text within a message rather than copying the entire message. Simply tap and hold any message bubble, choose "Select" from the contextual menu, and then use the drag handles to highlight exactly the text you need. It works across all message types, including text messages and iMessages.

The new selective text feature should come in handy in a range of scenarios. For example, if someone shares a lengthy message containing multiple pieces of information – like an address, phone number, and restaurant recommendation – you can now copy just the address for pasting into the Maps app.

It's a big improvement over the previous all-or-nothing approach where tapping "Copy" would grab the entire message content, forcing you to manually edit out unwanted portions later. Apple is expected to release the first public beta of iOS 26 imminently, with a general release coming in the fall.

Apple took sixth place in India's smartphone market during the second quarter of the year, according to new data from Canalys. The country's overall market rebounded with 7% year-over-year growth, reaching a total of 39 million units shipped.

The iPhone 16 series drove Apple's performance, accounting for over 55% of the company's shipments in the quarter. The data suggests that users have been keen to upgrade to Apple's latest flagship devices, but older models like the iPhone 15 and iPhone 13 continued attracting buyers across lower price points.

However, Apple's latest entry-level edition to the lineup, the iPhone 16e, appears to have struggled to gain traction after its February launch. Canalys analyst Sanyam Chaurasia said that consumers in India questioned the device's single-camera design and the company's largely unfulfilled Apple Intelligence promises, which hampered its market appeal.

Apart from Samsung, it is Chinese brands that continue to dominate the Indian market. Apple's stiff competition was led by vivo, which took 21% market share and registered impressive 31% growth. Samsung followed at 16%, while OPPO and Xiaomi tied for third with 13% each, and realme rounded out the top five with 9% share.

Canalys (now part of Omdia) projects a modest decline for the full-year 2025, owing to an overall subdued consumer desire to upgrade phones before the festive season in Indiam when promotions and marketing campaigns ramp up. Apple's mixed sales performance figures for the quarter follow recent efforts to expand its retail presence in India, with stores opening in Mumbai and New Delhi last year.

Meanwhile, Apple is continuing to increase exports from the country to diversify its supply chain and reduce its dependence on China. The growth in iPhone manufacturing has significantly impacted India's export economy, and smartphones have become the country's top export to the United States.

An anonymous leaker with a proven track record today shared alleged build numbers for the fourth developer betas of iOS 26 and more.

The private account on X has accurately leaked build numbers for Apple software updates in the past. We do not link to the account at the owner's request.

Here are all of the build numbers shared by the account today:

• iOS 26 and iPadOS 26 beta 4 (23A5297i)
• macOS 26 beta 4 (25A5316i)
• tvOS 26 and HomePod Software 26 beta 4 (23J5316g)
• watchOS 26 beta 4 (23R5317g)
• visionOS 26 beta 4 (23M5300g)

The account often shares build numbers for betas around one day before they are released, so it is likely that the fourth developer betas of the updates listed above will be released this Tuesday, July 22. Then, the first public betas of the updates will likely follow by Wednesday, July 23, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. However, there will not be a visionOS 26 public beta, according to Apple's beta website.

Apple accidentally made the macOS 26 public beta available to some users for a brief period earlier today, and the build number for it was the same as the one listed above for the fourth developer beta of macOS 26. In other words, the first public betas will likely correspond with the fourth developer betas, as expected.

Apple previously announced that the public betas would be available in July, but it did not provide a more specific timeframe.

Apple is also planning to offer a public beta of its next major AirPods firmware update.

Anyone can sign up to be a member of the Apple Beta Software Program, for free, and gain access to the public betas when they are available. As always, we recommend backing up your devices before installing beta software, in case of issues.

Apple today announced that South Korea's Tmoney card can now be added to the Wallet app, allowing users to pay for public transportation with a tap of their iPhone or Apple Watch at subway stations and on most buses throughout the country. The card is also accepted at many major convenience stores in the country.

Express Mode allows users to simply hold their iPhone or Apple Watch near a payment reader to pay for their ride, without needing to unlock or wake the device. This mode even works for up to five hours after your iPhone runs out of battery power.

Funds can be loaded onto the card directly in Apple Wallet with Apple Pay, and there is an all-new automatic top-up option for when the card's balance drops below a set amount. Alternatively, funds can be loaded via the Tmoney app.

To add a prepaid Tmoney card to the Wallet app, tap on the plus sign in the top-right corner, select Transportation Card, and follow the on-screen instructions. Then, carrying around the physical card is no longer necessary.

Adding a Tmoney card to the Wallet app requires an iPhone XS or newer running iOS 17.2 or later, or an Apple Watch Series 6 or later with watchOS 10.2 or later.

Apple customers in Saudi Arabia are now able to purchase iPhones, iPads, Macs, and other Apple devices directly from the new Apple Store Online in the country.

The online store launched today, seven months after Apple announced that a direct online purchasing option for Saudi Arabia was in the works. Prior to now, Apple users in Saudi Arabia could only shop from Apple Authorized Resellers.

In addition to bringing online purchasing to Saudi Arabia, Apple is planning to open several retail store locations starting in 2026. One of the retail locations will be a flagship store at Diriyah, NESCO World Heritage site located just on the outskirts of Riyadh, the capital city of Saudi Arabia.

Apple CEO Tim Cook visited Saudi Arabia in December 2024, when the expansion was first announced. Cook said at the time that Apple was excited to be expanding to Saudi Arabia.

Note: Due to the political or social nature of the discussion regarding this topic, the discussion thread is located in our Political News forum. All forum members and site visitors are welcome to read and follow the thread, but posting is limited to forum members with at least 100 posts.

Google today updated its Chrome app for the iPhone and the iPad to add easier account switching for Chrome Enterprise. The functionality is designed for iOS users who need to swap between personal and managed work accounts.

When a Chrome user switches from a personal account to a managed work account using the added functionality, Chrome ensures that data for managed accounts stays separate. Work account browsing and personal account browsing remain distinct, with work-related tabs, history, passwords and other local data associated only with the managed account, and personal data limited to the personal account.

Google says that the improved account switching experience is designed to enable businesses to permit employees to use the devices of their choice in BYOD situations. The functionality is not available for switching between two standard Google accounts in Chrome on iOS.

When a user signs in to or swaps to a managed account, they will be informed about the separation for managed account browsing, and will be notified that they are using a managed experience with an on-screen confirmation.

Google is also extending Chrome Enterprise reporting capabilities to iOS devices, so organizations can send critical data related security events to the security investigation tool in the Google Admin console or Chrome logs. URL filtering is coming to iOS devices as well, so businesses can restrict employees from accessing unapproved or unsanctioned websites.

Amazon is selling the AirPods Pro 2 for $169.00 this week, a discount of $80 off of the regular $249 price tag. Prime users should be able to get overnight delivery on the AirPods Pro 2 in most areas.

Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with Amazon. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment, which helps us keep the site running.

$169 is the second lowest price that we've seen for the AirPods Pro 2 this year, so it's a good time to pick them up if you're in need of new noise cancelling earbuds.

Rumors suggest that Apple will release the AirPods Pro 3 this year, but they won't be available at a price as low as $169. Amazon's deals sometimes sell out quick, so we recommend picking up the AirPods soon if you're interested.

Want to see more sales on Apple products? Make sure to visit our Apple Deals roundup where we recap the best Apple-related bargains of the past week.

Apple appears to have accidentally distributed the macOS Tahoe public beta to some Mac users ahead of the beta's official launch.

A selection of public beta testers and developers who have opted into either the macOS Sequoia 15 developer beta or the ‌macOS Sequoia‌ 15 public beta are instead receiving the macOS Tahoe public beta. The beta that Apple is distributing has a build number of 25A5316i, which is newer than the 25A5306g build number of the third macOS Tahoe developer beta.

macOS Tahoe is showing up for Apple silicon Mac users who do not have Rosetta 2 installed. Most Apple silicon Macs do have Rosetta installed, and those Macs won't detect the mistaken beta release.

In Apple's backend, the beta is labeled "macOS26PublicBeta1," though users will see just "macOS Tahoe 26 Beta." At least one user downloaded and installed the software thinking that it was the ‌macOS Sequoia‌ 15.6 RC that came out earlier today.

Apple has not officially released the iOS 26, iPadOS 26, and macOS Tahoe public betas yet, but we are expecting them before the end of July. The accidental launch of the first public beta suggests the actual launch will happen in the near future.

Update: Apple pulled the macOS Tahoe public beta shortly after this article was published.

Amazon discounted several M4 MacBook Air models for Prime Day earlier this month, and most of the price cuts are still live. If you missed out on the lower prices earlier this year, now is a good time to check out Amazon's M4 Mac offerings.

Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with Amazon. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment, which helps us keep the site running.

The 13-inch MacBook Air models are discounted by up to $162. Pricing starts at $849.00 for the entry level 16GB/256GB model, while the 16GB/512GB model is $1,049 and the 24GB/512GB model is available for $1,239.50.

All three stock versions of the 15-inch model are also available at a discount from Amazon, with prices that vary slightly by color. The 16GB/256GB model is $1,049.00, the 16GB/512GB model is $1,245.12, and the 24GB/512GB model is on sale for $1,420.13.

Looking for more discounts? Make sure to visit our Apple Deals roundup where we highlight the best Apple-related discounts that are currently available.

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