MacRumors

Starting today, April 24, Apple Stores around the world are giving away a special pin for free to customers who request one, while supplies last.

The enamel pin's design is inspired by the Global Close Your Rings Day award in the Activity app, which Apple Watch users can receive by closing all three Activity rings today. The limited-edition pin is the physical counterpart to that digital award.

To receive the pin, simply visit an Apple Store and ask an employee about it. We were able to receive the pin without having our Activity rings closed yet today, so that does not appear to be a requirement, but your mileage may vary.

Given that Apple says the pin is only available while supplies last, keep in mind that some stores might already be out of them.

Here is what Apple said about the pin in a press release:

To celebrate Global Close Your Rings Day, customers can obtain a special pin inspired by the award. Customers can pick up a pin at Apple Store locations worldwide starting April 24, while supplies last.

The original Apple Watch launched 10 years ago today, on April 24, 2015, so the pin is a tiny momento of the anniversary.

Here is what Apple Watch chief Jeff Williams said about the 10-year anniversary:

Apple Watch has changed the way people think about, monitor, and engage with their fitness and health. A decade ago, we introduced Activity rings — and since then, Apple Watch has grown to offer an extensive set of features designed to empower every user. People write to us almost every day sharing how Apple Watch has made a difference in their life, from motivating them to move more throughout the day, to changing the trajectory of their health.

If you received the pin, feel free to share a photo in our forums.

Apple today shared a new ad that highlights a key advantage that iPhone 16 models have over Android smartphones: the Ceramic Shield.

Apple says the iPhone 16, iPhone 16 Plus, iPhone 16 Pro, and iPhone 16 Pro Max displays are all protected by the latest-generation Ceramic Shield material, which is advertised as being "2x tougher than glass on any other smartphone."

In the new "Trust Issues" ad, a father hands his iPhone to a stranger and asks them to take a photo of his family at a carnival. Unfortunately, the stranger drops the iPhone, leading to a moment of suspense given the device might have been damaged. However, the display glass remains intact due to the Ceramic Shield.

"Relax, it's iPhone 16," the video description concludes.

Of course, your mileage may vary.

Apple introduced the Ceramic Shield on all iPhone 12 models, and it has continued to improve the glass-ceramic material's formulation over the years.

While the so-called "iPhone 17 Air" is not expected to launch until September, there are already plenty of rumors about the ultra-thin device.

Overall, the iPhone 17 Air sounds like a mixed bag. While the device is expected to have an impressively thin and light design, rumors indicate it will have some compromises compared to iPhone 17 Pro models, including only a single rear camera, a single speaker, and an A19 chip instead of a more powerful A19 Pro chip.

While there have been some concerns that the iPhone 17 Air's thin design could result in limited battery life, the device might end up beating expectations. There are three rumored features for the iPhone 17 Air that could contribute to longer battery life than one might imagine, including a higher-density battery, Apple's power-efficient C1 modem, and the lack of an Ultra Wide camera providing more internal space for a larger battery.

Below, we recap 16 key rumors for the iPhone 17 Air as of April 2025:

• The thinnest iPhone ever, measuring just 5.5mm at its thinnest point, but possibly up to 9.5mm with the rear camera bump included
• 6.6-inch OLED display with Face ID and a Dynamic Island
• ProMotion support for up to a 120Hz refresh rate
• A19 chip instead of A19 Pro chip
• A single 48-megapixel rear camera on an all-new elongated camera bar
• A 24-megapixel front camera
• A single speaker in the earpiece, no bottom speaker
• Apple-designed Wi-Fi 7 chip
• Apple-designed C1 modem for cellular connectivity
• eSIM only, no physical SIM card slot worldwide
• USB-C port
• High-density battery
• Camera Control button
• Action button
• MagSafe
• Newly reported today: 12GB of RAM, exceeding the minimum for Apple Intelligence

Bookmark our iPhone 17 Air roundup to stay up to date with more rumors in the coming months.

The rumored ultra-thin "iPhone 17 Air" model will be equipped with 12GB of RAM, according to the latest word from Ming-Chi Kuo.

In a blog post today, the well-known Apple supply chain analyst said that the iPhone 17 Air, iPhone 17 Pro, and iPhone 17 Pro Max will all be equipped with 12GB of RAM. He previously only expected the iPhone 17 Pro Max to have 12GB of RAM, so this is good news for customers who will be purchasing the other models.

Kuo said even the base-model iPhone 17 might be equipped with 12GB of RAM, but only if supply chain shortages can be overcome. He said that Apple will make a final decision on the amount of RAM it will offer in this device by May.

All of the models in the iPhone 16 lineup are equipped with 8GB of RAM, so the jump to 12GB would be a significant increase. Increased RAM can contribute to improved performance for Apple Intelligence and multitasking.

Even if the base-model iPhone 17 sticks with 8GB of RAM, Kuo said he expects all models in the iPhone 18 lineup to have 12GB of RAM.

Kuo said the increased RAM will primarily benefit Apple suppliers Micron and SK Hynix.

Apple should announce the iPhone 17 series in September.

Amazon is discounting the 40mm GPS Apple Watch SE to $169.97 today, down from $249.00. This is just a few cents away from the best price we've tracked so far in 2025, and it's available in Starlight, Silver, and Midnight Aluminum color options.

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.

Amazon has four 40mm GPS Apple Watch SE at this price, including multiple sizes of the Sport Band model. Most are in stock and available to be delivered by the end of April.

Additionally, you can get the 44mm GPS Apple Watch SE at the low price of $199.97 today on Amazon, down from $279.00. This one is available in Midnight and Starlight Aluminum colors, and in both Sport Loop and Sport Band options.

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.

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Today marks the 10-year anniversary of the original Apple Watch launching in the United States and eight other countries around the world.

The original Apple Watch launched in stores and began arriving to customers on April 24, 2015, after being announced in September 2014.

"Apple Watch begins a new chapter in the way we relate to technology and we think our customers are going to love it," said Apple CEO Tim Cook, in a press release announcing availability of the device. "We can't wait for people to start wearing Apple Watch to easily access information that matters, to interact with the world, and to live a better day by being more aware of their daily activity than ever before," he added.

"Apple Watch merges hardware and software like never before," said Apple's former design chief, Jony Ive, in the same press release.

Impressively, the Apple Watch has helped to save countless lives over the past decade, thanks to health and safety features like heart rate measuring, the ECG app, fall detection, sleep apnea notifications, Emergency SOS, crash detection, and more. These features have alerted many people to conditions like atrial fibrillation, sleep apnea, and even cancer, allowing them to seek medical attention earlier than they would have otherwise.

In several interviews over the years, Cook has said that Apple's greatest contribution to the world will be in the health space, and the Apple Watch is a testament to that. Over the next decade, we can expect even more health features on the Apple Watch, such as blood pressure measuring and potentially even non-invasive blood glucose monitoring.

It is not marketing hype to say that the Apple Watch has made a profound impact on humankind, and it is exciting to see what the next decade holds.

Apple's $570 million fine from the EU has triggered a sharp rebuke from the White House, which called the fine a form of economic extortion, Reuters reports.

The fine was announced on Wednesday by the European Commission, following a formal investigation into Apple's compliance with the bloc's Digital Markets Act (DMA), a landmark piece of legislation aimed at curbing the market dominance of so-called "gatekeeper" companies. According to the Commission, Apple violated the DMA by restricting developers from informing users about alternative payment options outside the App Store and by preventing the distribution of iOS apps through competing app marketplaces.

Speaking to Reuters, a spokesperson for the White House condemned the EU's actions, signaling growing transatlantic tensions over regulation of U.S. technology firms:

This novel form of economic extortion will not be tolerated by the United States. Extraterritorial regulations that specifically target and undermine American companies, stifle innovation, and enable censorship will be recognized as barriers to trade and a direct threat to free civil society.

Apple said it plans to appeal the decision. The company called it "another example of the commission unfairly targeting the company" with actions that are "bad for the privacy and security of our users." The penalties represent approximately 0.1% of each company's annual revenue, which is significantly below the potential maximum fine of 10% allowed under the DMA.

The ruling comes amid ongoing trade negotiations between the EU and the U.S., which could potentially add another layer of complexity to transatlantic tech regulations.

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.

New data from Consumer Intelligence Research Partners (CIRP) suggests Apple's iPhone 16e is off to a strong start, capturing 7% of U.S. iPhone sales in its first partial quarter of availability. The new mid-range offering outperformed the iPhone SE's share from the same quarter last year.

The entire iPhone 16 lineup, now consisting of five models with the addition of the 16e, accounted for 74% of total U.S. iPhone sales in the March 2025 quarter. It's a marked increase from the 68% share held by the four iPhone 15 models during the same period in 2024.

While the 16e drove much of this growth, CIRP's data shows some surprising shifts across the lineup. The standard iPhone 16 saw a decent boost, climbing to 20% of sales compared to just 14% for the iPhone 15 in the previous year's quarter.

Meanwhile, Apple's high-end models had an unexpected decline. The iPhone 16 Pro and Pro Max together accounted for 38% of iPhone sales, down from 45% for the iPhone 15 Pro models a year earlier. The iPhone 16 Pro specifically dropped from 22% to 17% market share.

The numbers suggest Apple's strengthening of its mid-range offerings may be working overall, with more buyers choosing the standard iPhone 16 over the pricier Pro models. At the same time, the 16e appears to be wooing customers who previously might have opted for older models.

Legacy iPhones – defined as models more than a year old – fell to 26% of U.S. sales, down from 32% the year before. The decline coincides with Apple's streamlining of its iPhone lineup, which included discontinuing the iPhone SE and the iPhone 14 and 14 Plus during the quarter.

Apple chipmaker TSMC at the North America Technology Symposium has teased its next-generation A14 process node that will enter planned production in 2028.

The cutting-edge A14 node will allow for highly advanced 1.4nm chips that are likely to be utilized for future generations of Apple silicon. Compared to TSMC's N2 node, A14 promises up to 15% faster performance at the same power or up to 30% power savings at the same performance. A14 also boasts over 20% logic density improvement.

TSMC said it is also evolving its TSMC NanoFlex standard cell architecture to NanoFlex Pro, enabling greater performance, power efficiency, and design flexibility. From the company's press release:

"Our customers constantly look to the future, and TSMC's technology leadership and manufacturing excellence provides them with a dependable roadmap for their innovations," said TSMC Chairman and CEO Dr. C.C. Wei. "TSMC's cutting-edge logic technologies like A14 are part of a comprehensive suite of solutions that connect the physical and digital worlds to unleash our customers' innovation for advancing the AI future."

It's not known which of TSMC's clients will stand to benefit first from the new 1.4nm chips, but given the close partnership between the company and Apple, it's a good bet that the latter will be at the front of the queue to place orders.

TSMC's industry-leading 2nm process is set to enter volume production later this year. Apple is not expected to introduce devices using TSMC's 2nm (N2) process node until 2026, suggesting that the iPhone 18 series will be first to adopt the technology in Apple's A20 chip.

Both the iPhone 17 and the upcoming M5 chip for Macs and iPads are expected to continue to utilize TSMC's 3nm process, specifically the third-generation N3P node. This decision is primarily due to the high costs and limited production capacity associated with the 2nm process at this time.

Perplexity has updated its iOS app with a new Voice Assistant feature, bringing conversational AI capabilities to Apple devices, including older iPhones and iPads that don't support Apple Intelligence. The update allows iPhone users to interact with Perplexity's AI assistant through voice commands even when navigating away from the app.

The Voice Assistant can perform various tasks such as the following, given the requisite user permissions:

• Drafting and sending emails
• Sending messages and making calls
• Controlling smart home devices
• Providing Apple Maps directions and traffic updates
• Setting reminders
• Booking Ubers
• Scheduling and editing Calendar events
• Playing Podcasts, including search and subscribe
• Playing music and videos
• Answering general knowledge questions
• Making reservations via booking sites

Voice Assistant can browse the web and perform multi-app actions to complete these functions directly from the Perplexity iOS app.

The update includes a shortcut for Voice Assistant that can be added to the Lock Screen or assigned to an iPhone's Action button, making Perplexity a viable substitute for some of Apple Intelligence's delayed conversational AI enhancements for Siri, which are still likely months away from release.

Perplexity leverages the power of large language models like OpenAI's GPT-4.1, Google's Gemini 2.5 Pro, Anthropic's Claude 3.7 Sonnet, and xAi's Grok-2. The iOS app currently lacks the screen sharing capability found in the Android version of Perplexity, where the assistant can see and interact with content on the user's screen. Perplexity syncs across devices and is a free download with in-app subscriptions from the App Store. [Direct Link]

If you missed the video showing dummy models of Apple's all-new super thin iPhone 17 Air that's expected later this year, Sonny Dickson this morning shared some further images of the device in close alignment with the other dummy models in the iPhone 17 lineup, indicating just how thin it is likely to be in comparison.

The iPhone 17 Air is expected to be around 5.5mm thick – with a thicker camera bar area – making it the thinnest ‌iPhone‌ to date. The ‌iPhone 17 Pro‌ models are rumored to be around 8.725mm thick, and as you can see, it's really noticeable up close.

Impressively, the slimmer device is almost as thin as the buttons on the sides. Rumors suggest that Apple will use a titanium and aluminum chassis for the ‌iPhone‌ to ensure it's strong enough not to bend. No-one wants another iPhone 6 Plus "bendgate" scenario – least of all Apple.

Initially, Apple had designs on making the iPhone 17 Air bigger than its expected 6.6-inch size, but reportedly decided against it because the larger display would make it prone to bending. It suggests Apple has really gone the extra mile in terms of the device's durability.

To achieve this level of thinness, Apple is believed to have settled on a single rear camera to preserve space for the battery, and it is embracing eSIM worldwide to do away with the sim slot. The handset will also use Apple's ultra-efficient custom-designed C1 modem that recently debuted in the iPhone 16e. Altogether, we're expected battery life to equal that of current iPhone models.

Apple is expected to launch the iPhone 17 series around its usual mid-September timeframe, likely alongside new AirPods Pro 3 earbuds.

Apple is testing an iOS 18.5 update with developers and public beta testers, and we've had three betas so far. There aren't any notable changes so far, but the update will still bring important bug fixes and security improvements. So when can we expect it?

Based on historical release timelines for x.5 updates, iOS 18.5 and its sister updates are likely to launch in May. Here's when we saw updates in prior years:

• iOS 17.5 - May 13
• iOS 16.5 - May 18
• iOS 15.5 - May 16
• iOS 14.5 - April 26
• iOS 13.5 - May 20

Many of Apple's x.5 updates are released around the middle of the month, so the week of May 12 is a solid guess, though the week of May 19 is also a possibility.

Though we've only had three betas so far, there are so few new features in iOS 18.5 that we probably won't need too many more betas for it to be ready to launch.

Apple's x.5 updates have historically had fewer features than earlier releases, because Apple is often already transitioning much of its new development to the next-generation version of iOS. We're just a couple of months way from when iOS 19 will be introduced at WWDC, so Apple is working to get it ready to go.

iOS 18.5 won't be the last update to iOS 18, and we'll likely see at least one more major point update before ‌iOS 19‌ rolls out this fall.

Following in the footsteps of Netflix and Disney+, streaming service Max is starting to crack down on password sharing between multiple households.

Max this week debuted a new Extra Member Add-On feature, which is designed to allow users to pay a fee to share a Max subscription with someone who does not live in the same home. Extra Member Add-On is priced at $7.99 per month, on top of the base subscription price. Max with ads is $9.99 per month, while the Standard plan is $16.99 per month and the Premium plan with 4K streaming is $20.99 per month.

Extra members are provided with their own account, password, and single profile, and add-on members can only watch Max on one device at a time. Max subscribers are only able to add one additional member to an account.

Only those who subscribe to Max through WarnerMedia are able to access the Extra Member Add-On feature, and it is not available to those who have the Disney+, Hulu and Max bundle, or those who subscribe through third-party providers like app stores and TV providers.

$7.99 per month for the Extra Member Add-On is only $2 cheaper than an ad-supported plan, but the Extra Member feature has the benefit of sharing the plan of the main subscriber. So if the main subscription is the 4K Premium plan, the Extra Member can access 4K streaming and other Premium benefits for the $7.99 price.

Max will likely prohibit password sharing between multiple households in the near future, and will prompt users who attempt to use an account from more than one location to sign up for the Extra Member feature or to pay for a separate subscription.

Apple is no longer signing iOS 18.4, a little over a week after releasing the iOS 18.4.1 update. Since iOS 18.4 is not signed anymore, iPhone users who have upgraded to iOS 18.4.1 are not able to downgrade to iOS 18.4.

It is not unusual for Apple to stop signing an older version of iOS after releasing an update, and the process keeps ‌iPhone‌ users from installing outdated versions of iOS. "Signing" refers to a server-side verification check that's done when versions of iOS are downloaded onto an ‌iPhone‌. Only software that passes the verification check is able to be installed.

Preventing downgrading ensures that customers have the latest security improvements and are not vulnerable to known attacks or security holes.

The iOS 18.4.1 update addresses an issue with wireless CarPlay and fixes several security updates, including one known to be actively exploited, so it is a good idea to install the software if you have not done so already.

To celebrate YouTube's 20th anniversary, the YouTube team today announced that YouTube TV is getting an interface update in the near future.

Starting in the next few weeks, YouTube TV members will be able to build their own multiview with select non-sports content. A small group of popular channels will be available to begin with, though access will be expanding in the coming months.

Later this year, the YouTube app for TVs will be redesigned, with YouTube aiming to introduce easier navigation, playback, quality tweaks, and streamlined access to comments, channel info, and subscribing. The YouTube app for TV sets hasn't seen notable updates for several years now, but a sneak peek suggests that YouTube is aiming for a more Netflix-like design with rows of shows and content from paid services.

YouTube says the YouTube app for TVs will be updated sometime this summer.

Other YouTube changes available as part of YouTube's 20th anniversary celebration include 4x playback speed for YouTube Premium members, a new temporary YouTube logo, and birthday-themed animations.

Meta today announced that it is rolling out a new live translation feature to all Ray-Ban Meta glasses users, providing wide access to functionality that was previously only available to early access users in a beta capacity.

Live translation supports English, French, Italian, and Spanish, allowing users to translate between those languages in real-time while having a conversation. As long as a particular language pack has been downloaded in advance, no Wi-Fi or cellular connection is required to use the feature.

When you're speaking to someone in one of those languages, you'll hear what they say in your preferred language through the glasses in real time, and they can view a translated transcript of the conversation on your phone. To get started, just say, "Hey Meta, start live translation."

Live translate will translate what the person speaking in another language is saying, while responses can be seen on a connected smartphone.

In the near future, Meta plans to introduce live AI, a feature where the Meta smart glasses can see whatever the wearer sees through the built-in camera, allowing for real-time AI conversations.

Meta says the glasses will be able to provide hands-free help with meal prep, gardening, exploring, and more. Questions can be asked without the need to say a wake word, and the AI can understand context between requests for referencing prior queries.

Meta's smart glasses should be of interest to Apple users because they provide some insight into what we might see from Apple in the future. Rumors suggest that Apple is considering developing smart glasses that are similar to Meta's Ray-Bans. Apple glasses could feature AI, microphones, and cameras, though there wouldn't be augmented reality capabilities.

Apple engineers have offered to contribute Vision Pro support to the Godot engine, which is a free, open source game engine that's available to game creators as an alternative to Unity and Unreal. Godot is cross-platform and supports PCs, mobile devices, the web, and more at the current time, but with Apple's contributions, games made with Godot could run natively on the Vision Pro.

On GitHub, a member of the visionOS engineering team said that Apple wants to help bring Vision Pro integration to Godot, with the aim of developing a visionOS VR plugin. Apple engineers have already started contributing to the project, and have pledged to continue development based on community feedback.

First, I'd like to mention that we're really excited to be working with the Godot community on adding visionOS support. We've attempted to follow Godot's coding standards and a high-quality bar for our contributions. We hope that our contributions align with Godot's goals. Lastly, even though we have tried to split the changes into smaller self-contained PRs, we acknowledge that some of these PRs can be of considerable size.

We're very happy to iterate on our PRs after receiving feedback and suggestions from the community.

The Vision Pro has so far seen lackluster sales and waning interest from Apple users, both due to the high cost and the lack of content. By providing free tools that would let Godot developers create immersive visionOS experiences, Apple could grow the number of games on the platform.

Apple is working on future versions of the Vision Pro, so laying the groundwork for development early will benefit the headset's longer term prospects.

Threads users in more than 30 countries will start seeing ads on the social network as of today, according to Instagram lead Adam Mosseri. Threads parent company Meta is rolling ads out to additional locations after testing them with a limited number of users in the United States.

On Threads, Mosseri said that ads are expanding more broadly, and that the company's goal is for them to "enhance your overall experience."

Ads will show up in the Threads feed between posts on Threads, and will be delivered in select markets to begin with, before rolling out to additional markets in the future. Meta has so far tested ads with a limited number of advertisers, but now all advertisers globally will be able to display ads on Threads.

"People come to Meta's apps for a personalized experience that helps them discover businesses and content they love—ads are an essential part of enabling this. To help people deepen connections with businesses they love, we are expanding ads in Threads to all eligible advertisers globally," reads Meta's blog post on the ad expansion.