MacRumors

Apple's iCloud Mail service and its ‌iCloud‌ Web Apps are currently experiencing an outage, according to Apple's System Status page.

Impacted users are unable to use ‌iCloud‌ Mail or ‌iCloud‌ Web Apps, and the services have been down since 4:29 p.m. Eastern Time.

Apple says that only some users are affected, so not everyone will experience issues. We'll update this article when ‌iCloud‌ Mail and Apple's ‌iCloud‌ Web Apps are up and running.

Update 5:50 p.m. ET: Stocks, Game Center, and Apple News are also down.

Update 2, 5:52 p.m. ET: Apple has also added TestFlight, and iWork for ‌iCloud‌ to the list of services experiencing issues.

Update 3, 6:15 p.m. ET: The outages with ‌iCloud‌ Mail, ‌iCloud‌ Web Apps, TestFlight, and Game Center have been resolved. ‌Apple News‌ and Stocks are still experiencing issues.

Update 4, 6:30 p.m. ET: Photos and Game Center are again listed as having issues. ‌Apple News‌ and Stocks are also still down.

Update 5, 7:30 p.m. ET: Everything is operational except for Game Center.

Update 6, 8:15 p.m. ET: All of Apple's services are back up and running.

Instagram today announced support for adding text and additional images to photo and carousel posts, a new feature that will let Instagram users do more with still photos.

There is a new text button that can be used after selecting a photo to upload, and additional images can be added in sticker form by tapping on the gallery button at the top right of the screen. Stickers can be added in several shapes, including rectangle, square, circle, heart, or star.

There are new fonts, animations, and effects that can be used for reels and stories, plus a simplified text tool. Users can open the text tool and tap on the text button to see the new font options. Once a font is chosen, separate animations and effects can be added. The new font options that Instagram is adopting can also be used with photos and carousels.

Earlier this month, Instagram added support for putting up to 20 photos and videos in a carousel post, plus it introduced a feature for adding a song to an Instagram profile.

It has been nearly four years since Apple released the AirPods Max, so an update to the over-ear headphones is highly anticipated.

Below, we recap the latest rumors about the AirPods Max.

As a refresher, Apple released the AirPods Max in December 2020, after announcing them in a press release shared on the Apple Newsroom website. The headphones have not received any hardware upgrades since, leading some customers to hold off on their purchase and hope that Apple will eventually release AirPods Max 2.

Unfortunately, rumors suggest that AirPods Max 2 are not coming any time soon, with only minor revisions expected for the headphones later this year.

Bloomberg's Mark Gurman previously reported that Apple is planning to update the AirPods Max in late 2024 with a USB-C charging port, instead of the current Lightning port, and he said new color options are also a possibility for the headphones. Beyond that, Gurman said Apple is planning no other changes for the revised AirPods Max, to the point that he expects the updated headphones to still be considered first-generation AirPods Max.

If the information shared by Gurman is accurate, that means the AirPods Max would not be updated with the H2 chip that debuted in the second-generation AirPods Pro a few years ago. As a result, the AirPods Max would miss out on Adaptive Audio features, along with longer battery life afforded by the H2 chip's increased power efficiency.

In the event Apple ever does release AirPods Max 2, plausible upgrades include the H2 chip, longer battery life, improved active noise cancellation, a second-generation Ultra Wideband chip with support for Precision Finding in the Find My app, Bluetooth 5.3, and a redesigned carrying case.

Gurman said the AirPods Max would be updated in late 2024, but it is unclear exactly when. Apple recently announced that it will be holding a media event on September 9, where it is expected to unveil fourth-generation AirPods alongside new iPhones and Apple Watches, but it is unclear if the revised AirPods Max will also be introduced then.

AirPods Max are regularly $549 in the U.S., but Amazon has the headphones on sale for $399 in all color options, including Green, Pink, Silver, Sky Blue, and Space Gray.

Samsung's 27-inch ViewFinity S9 5K Monitor has hit a new record low price on Amazon this week, available for $830.10, down from $1,599.99. You can have the monitor delivered by August 29 if you're a Prime member, or by September 2 for everyone else.

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.

We typically track deals for the 27-inch ViewFinity S9 5K Monitor at around $899.99, so today's deal beats the previous all-time low by about $70. Right now only Amazon has this deal, so if you're interested be sure to lock it in before it expires.

This monitor has a matte display, modular 4K SlimFit camera, and support for Thunderbolt 4 and AirPlay. 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.

The Mac App Store and the Apple Books are both having issues at this time, according to Apple's System Status page. There are no specific details on what the outage entails, as Apple only says that some users are experiencing a problem with the services.

Apple says that the outages started at 12:15 p.m. Eastern Time. Only some users are affected, so not all users will see problems with the ‌Mac App Store‌ or Apple Books.

Update: Apple says that the outage was fixed as of 2:40 p.m. Eastern Time.

Amazon today has a big sale on the 24-inch M3 iMac, including both 256GB and 512GB models. All of these deals beat the Prime Day prices we tracked last month by about $50, and you won't need any coupon codes to see them this time around.

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.

Starting with the 8-core GPU/256GB M3 iMac, this model is available for $1,099.99 in two colors, down from $1,299.00. Amazon also has the 10-core GPU/256GB M3 iMac on sale for $1,299.00, down from $1,499.00. This one is also available in two colors.

Lastly, the 10-core GPU/512GB M3 iMac has hit $1,499.99 in two colors, down from $1,699.00. All of Amazon's deals today are all new record low prices on the M3 iMac, and right now only Amazon is offering these steep discounts.

Apple launched the M3 iMac back in October 2023, bringing significant speed and efficiency improvements with the upgrade from the M1 to the M3 chip. Otherwise, there are no major design changes to the newest iMac model. Keep up with all of this week's best discounts on Apple products and related accessories in our dedicated Apple Deals roundup.

After 13 years, Snapchat has finally rolled out an update that brings native app support to the iPad.

Snapchat's latest update allows the app to run natively on ‌iPad‌, utilizing the device's full screen for the first time. Until now, ‌iPad‌ users who wanted to use Snapchat had to run the iPhone version of the app, which was not optimized for the larger display, leaving it to run at a lower resolution with large surrounding black borders like other unoptimized apps. Snapchat for ‌iPad‌ app currently only supports portrait mode, meaning users cannot rotate the device to use the app in landscape mode. The update comes more than a decade after Snapchat's initial release on iOS back in 2011.

Snapchat now offers native support for iPad! This means that Snapchat will fill an iPad's full screen, providing you with a larger canvas when capturing Snaps and allowing you to see more friends on the 2nd and 4th tabs.

Earlier this year, Snapchat introduced several AI-powered features, including one called "My AI" that allows users to engage with an AI assistant to create reminders or start countdowns, either in a direct chat or within conversations with friends.

Snapchat continues to be available for free on the App Store and requires iOS 13 or iPadOS 13, or later.

We're just a few weeks away from the debut of the newest iPhone models in September, but you can still get great deals on iPhone 15 models at AT&T this week. The carrier is offering as much as $1,000 off select models of the iPhone 15, and great discounts on previous generation devices as well.

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.

The headliner is $1,000 off the iPhone 15 Pro Max when you trade in your current smartphone and purchase the new iPhone on an eligible unlimited plan. This offer will be applied in bill credits over 36 months, and it knocks the monthly price of the 256GB iPhone 15 Pro Max down to around $5.56/month (from $33.34/month).

For the iPhone 15 Pro, AT&T is offering the 128GB model at no cost when you trade in your current smartphone and purchase the new iPhone on an eligible unlimited plan. This offer is the same as the previous one, so you'll see up to $1,000 applied in bill credits over 36 months, knocking the price of the 128GB iPhone 15 Pro down to $0/month (from $27.78/month).

iPhone 15 models are seeing up to $700 in discounts right now at AT&T, making the iPhone 15 as low as $3.62/month and the iPhone 15 Plus as low as $6.39/month. For even steeper savings, AT&T has the iPhone SE from 2022 for $1.99/month when purchased on a qualifying unlimited plan, but you don't need to have a trade-in for this offer.

If you're shopping for an Apple Watch, AT&T is offering $300 off in bill credits over 36 months when you purchase two Apple Watches on an installment plan. This covers Apple Watch Series 9, Apple Watch Ultra 2, and Apple Watch SE.

Of course, there are also numerous deals on non-Apple smartphones, like the Google Pixel 9 Pro for free when you trade in any Pixel phone and purchase the new device on a qualifying installment plan. Additionally, AT&T has a big collection of Galaxy devices on sale, including the Galaxy Z Flip6, Galaxy S24 Ultra, Galaxy S24+, and more.

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.

While there have been many rumors about the upcoming AirPods 4, a leaker has now shared an alleged upgrade planned for the AirPods Pro 3.

In a post today on social media platform X, the previously-accurate leaker known as Kosutami claimed that the AirPods Pro 3 will feature "much better" active noise cancellation compared to the AirPods Pro 2, which launched nearly two years ago. However, the leaker did not provide any specific details about this alleged upgrade.

Apple already advertises the AirPods Pro 2 as featuring "up to twice as much" active noise cancellation compared to the original AirPods Pro, so the AirPods Pro 3 would be even more improved in this regard.

Apple is expected to announce both low-end and mid-tier AirPods 4 models during its September 9 special event. Kosutami claimed that the AirPods Pro 3 are also coming "soon," but it is unclear if this information is accurate, as Bloomberg's Mark Gurman has previously reported that Apple planned to release redesigned AirPods Pro in 2025.

Both the low-end and mid-tier AirPods 4 are rumored to feature a revised design with better fit in the ear, improved sound quality, and an updated charging case with a USB-C port. The mid-tier AirPods 4 are also said to feature active noise cancellation, and a speaker in the charging case that can play a sound for Find My location tracking.

AirPods Max are also rumored to be updated later this year, but the only change expected is a USB-C charging port instead of Lightning.

Kosutami is known as a prototype Apple product collector, but he has occasionally shared accurate information about Apple's future plans, including details about FineWoven accessories before they launched last year. Kosutami also said that iPhone 16 Pro batteries will have a metal enclosure, and this change was later corroborated by other sources.

Supplies of the sixth-generation iPad mini are dwindling at "many" Apple retail stores, which is a sign that a new model could be coming, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman.

Gurman said in a tweet that the ‌iPad mini‌ is considered "constrained" internally at Apple, and that might be an indication that a refresh is on the horizon. The sixth-generation ‌iPad mini‌ was initially introduced in September 2021, so it almost three years old at this point.

Apple has been working on a seventh-generation version of the ‌iPad mini‌, and rumors have suggested that it could come out this year. The next ‌iPad mini‌ is expected to include an A17 Pro or better chip to support Apple Intelligence, along with updated front and rear cameras. Updates that Apple has been making across its product lineup could also be included, such as Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 5.3.

Apple today announced plans to hold a fall iPhone-centric event on September 9 to introduce the iPhone 16 models, new Apple Watch models, and new AirPods. It is not clear if Apple will also refresh the ‌iPad mini‌ at that time, but Apple could hold a new version for a second fall event or announcement.

We are still counting on several M4 Macs this year, so there will likely be some kind of second announcement. Apple is rumored to be planning to refresh the MacBook Pro, Mac mini, and iMac with M4 chips, so an iPad with a similar A-series chip would fit in with those announcements.

Apple updated the iPad Pro models with M4 chips earlier this year, and introduced a two versions of the iPad Air with an M2 chip.

Apple's Chief Financial Officer Luca Maestri is stepping down from his role on January 1, 2025, Apple announced today. Maestri is not leaving the company and will lead the Corporate Services teams, including information systems and technology, information security, and real estate and development, where he will continue to report to Apple CEO Tim Cook.

Apple Vice President of Financial Planning and Analysis Kevan Parekh will take over as Chief Financial Officer, joining Apple's executive team. In a statement, Apple CEO ‌Tim Cook‌ said that Maestri has been an "instrumental" part of improving Apple's financial performance.

Luca has been an extraordinary partner in managing Apple for the long term. He has been instrumental in improving and driving the company’s financial performance, engaging with shareholders, and instilling financial discipline across every part of Apple. We’re fortunate that we will continue to benefit from the leadership and insight that have been the hallmark of his tenure at the company.

Cook also said that Parekh has been an "indispensable" member of Apple's finance team for the last decade, and he "understands the company inside and out."

Maestri has been Apple's CFO for over a decade, taking on the role in May 2014. There is no word on why Maestri has decided to step down as CFO, but in a statement he said that he is looking forward to his next period at Apple.

It is the greatest privilege of my professional life to serve the world’s most innovative and admired company, and to work side by side with a leader as inspirational as Tim Cook. I’m looking forward to the next stage of my time at Apple, and I have enormous confidence in Kevan as he prepares to take the reins as CFO. He is truly exceptional, has a deep love for Apple and its mission, and he embodies the leadership, judgment, and values that are so important to this role.

Parekh has worked at Apple for 11 years and leads Apple's financial planning and analysis, investor relations, market research, and G&A and benefits finance teams. Prior to working at Apple, he worked at Thomson Reuters and General Motors. He will take over for Maestri on earnings calls and similar events on January 1, 2025.

Apple recently announced that its retail store at the Bridge Street Town Centre in Huntsville, Alabama will be opening in a new location within the outdoor shopping complex on Saturday, August 31, at 10 a.m. local time.

As noted in Michael Steeber's weekly newsletter about Apple retail, the new store will be located just a few units down from Apple's existing store at Bridge Street Town Centre, next to Athleta. The new location will be significantly larger and have a more modern design compared to the original, which first opened its doors back in 2008.

This will be Apple's first new store opening around the world since the company opened its first store in Malaysia in late June.

Following this morning's announcement of an upcoming iPhone-centric event that's set to take place on September 9 at 10:00 a.m. Pacific Time, Apple has added an event placeholder on its YouTube channel.

Apple plans to stream the iPhone event on YouTube, on its website, and through the Apple TV app. There's also an event placeholder on the Apple Events site. For YouTube, users can click on the video placeholder and choose the "Notify me" option to get a notification when the livestream is up.

If YouTube has your location information, the notification and countdown are in local time, so it's a good way to double check when you'll need to tune in to see Apple's announcements. Apple almost always holds events at 10:00 a.m. Pacific Time, which is 1:00 p.m. Eastern Time, evening in Europe, and early morning in countries in Asia and Australia.

Apple's Events website also has an option to add the event to your calendar for a cross-platform reminder.

For those who are unable to watch, MacRumors will be providing full event coverage on MacRumors.com and the MacRumorsLive Twitter account so you can follow along with the announcements.

Apple today announced plans to hold its annual iPhone-centric event on Monday, September 9 at the Apple Park campus in Cupertino, California. The event is set to start at 10:00 a.m., and select members of the media have been invited to attend.

This year's event will see Apple unveil the iPhone 16 lineup, new Apple Watch models, and the AirPods 4, plus we'll get official launch dates for iOS 18, macOS Sequoia, and Apple's other software updates.

All four of the new iPhones are expected to have the customizable Action Button and a new Capture Button for taking photos that will have built-in gestures, such as a swipe for zooming in and out or a soft press for autofocus. The Capture Button will be on the right side of the devices below the power button.

Apple is also adding an A18 chip to all models, so the entire ‌iPhone 16‌ lineup will be capable of supporting the Apple Intelligence features that are coming in ‌iOS 18‌. No other major new features are expected for the standard ‌iPhone 16‌ models, but the Pro lineup will get an increase in display size, going from 6.1 and 6.7 inches to 6.3 and 6.9 inches, respectively, for the Pro and Pro Max. Both models will also include the 5x Telephoto zoom option that was exclusive to the Pro Max last year.

For the Apple Watch, the standard Series 10 is expected to feature a thinner design with a larger display, but the change won't be radical. Apple also plans to refresh the Apple Watch SE and the Apple Watch Ultra, and we could see new health features such as sleep apnea detection and blood pressure monitoring, but it is not yet entirely clear if Apple will have them ready in time for this year's launch.

There are two models of the ‌AirPods 4‌ coming, one that's a direct successor to the current AirPods 3 and one that's a step up with support for Active Noise Cancellation at a non-Pro price.

Apple plans to stream the fall event live on its website, on YouTube, and through the Apple TV app. For those unable to watch, MacRumors will be providing full event coverage on MacRumors.com and the MacRumorsLive Twitter account.

Apple in iOS 18 has made a wealth of customization options available for your iPhone Home Screen, one of which is the ability to add a tint to your app icons.

Essentially, the tint feature offers a unique way to customize your device's appearance by changing the color of all your icons at once. Unlike individual icon customization, tinting affects every icon on your app pages, Home Screen, and App Library, creating a unified look across your entire interface.

Tinting works by first desaturating all icons and then applying a single color overlay. This process results in a monochromatic appearance, which means you'll lose the original colors of your app icons and widgets, but what you gain is a more cohesive look. It's a powerful tool for creating a coordinated, stylish interface that reflects your personal taste, so be sure to experiment with it.

To choose a tint color, you can also use an eyedropper tool to select a shade from your wallpaper, or manually adjust hue and saturation using two slider bars. This flexibility allows you to perfectly match your icons to your background or create a contrasting color scheme.

Lastly, it's important to remember that the tint setting is universal. You can't apply different tints to different app pages or sections of your device. Whatever color you choose will be applied everywhere icons appear. Here's how to tint your icons in iOS 18:

1. Long press a space on your Home Screen.
2. Tap Edit in the top-right corner.
3. Tap Customize.
4. Select the Tinted option.
5. Adjust the sliders to change the tint. Note that you can also use the eyedropper icon to select a hue from a region of your wallpaper.
6. Tap anywhere outside of the Customize panel to finish.

The tint feature is in addition to a new Dark mode option for your app icons in iOS 18, which you can learn more about by checking out our dedicated how-to.

Amazon today has Apple's AirPods Max headphones at a near all-time low price of $399.00, down from $549.00. The last time we tracked a deal this low was earlier in August, and today's price is just about $5 higher compared to the record low price.

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.

You'll find all five colors of the AirPods Max on sale this time: Green, Pink, Silver, Sky Blue, and Space Gray. Prime members can get the headphones delivered by August 28, while regular shipping should have them arrive by September 1.

Besides the AirPods Max, Amazon also has all other models of the AirPods on sale. This includes the AirPods 2 for $89.00, down from $129.00; the AirPods 3 for $149.99, down from $169.00; and the AirPods Pro 2 for $189.99, down from $249.00. These are all second-best prices.

Be sure to visit our full Deals Roundup to shop for even more Apple-related products and accessories.

Pavel Durov, the 39-year-old Russian-born billionaire founder and CEO of Telegram, was arrested at Le Bourget airport outside Paris late Saturday evening. The arrest occurred shortly after Durov arrived on a private jet from Azerbaijan and is said to be part of a joint investigation by several agencies investigating alleged failures in content moderation on the Telegram platform that may have facilitated criminal activity.

According to sources who spoke to Reuters, French authorities had spotted Durov on the passenger list and moved to arrest him due to an existing warrant. Several French TV reports said that authorities have been investigating Telegram's alleged moderation failures, which they believe may have facilitated a range of illegal activities, including terrorism, drug trafficking, money laundering, fraud, and child exploitation.

Telegram, which is based in Dubai, responded to Durov's arrest by stating that the company "abides by EU laws, including the Digital Services Act" and that its moderation practices are "within industry standards and constantly improving." The company emphasized that Durov "has nothing to hide and travels frequently in Europe," calling it "absurd to claim that a platform or its owner are responsible for abuse of that platform."

The arrest has drawn criticism from various quarters, including X (Twitter) owner Elon Musk, who has posted the hashtag "#FreePavel" on the platform, and has previously claimed that free speech is under attack in Europe. Russian officials have also expressed their concern, with the foreign ministry demanding consular access to Durov, who holds dual French and UAE citizenship.

Durov, often referred to as the "Russian Mark Zuckerberg," founded Telegram in 2013 after leaving Russia due to conflicts with authorities over his refusal to shut down opposition communities on his previous social media platform, VK. In 2018, Russia began blocking Telegram after the app refused to grant state security services access to users' messages, but the ban was lifted in 2020 when Telegram agreed to help with "extremism investigations." Telegram has since grown to nearly 1 billion users and has become a crucial communication tool, particularly in Ukraine since Russia's invasion in 2022.

The Telegram chief's arrest has also put Telegram's encryption practices under the spotlight again. Despite being widely described as an "encrypted messaging app," Telegram's default settings for most users do not provide end-to-end encryption. Unlike WhatsApp and Signal, one-on-one chats are not encrypted by default, and group chats are never encrypted. This means that Telegram staff potentially have access to every message sent in these chats, which may be why Russia is so concerned about the arrest.

For users seeking true end-to-end encryption on Telegram, it must be manually configured as a "secret chat," a process that is not all that straightforward. Not only that, these "secret" group chats are limited to only two users, which raises questions about the platform's efforts to protect user privacy.

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.

This year, Apple will bring the Tetraprism Telephoto lens that was exclusive to the iPhone 15 Pro Max to both iPhone 16 Pro models, and a new report out of Korea claims that Apple will initially rely on the same supplier as it did in 2023 for the required folded zoom modules.

According to The Elec, LG Innotek will provide the modules for the initial stock of ‌iPhone 16 Pro‌ models, which are expected to launch on Friday, September 20. The telephoto camera has a folded glass structure below the lens, which Apple refers to as Tetraprism technology. It reflects light four times over, allowing for a longer focal length of 120mm. The ‌iPhone 16 Pro‌ and ‌iPhone 16 Pro‌ Max will both offer 5x optical zoom and 25x digital zoom.

Apple uses 3D sensor-shift optical image stabilization for the Telephoto lens in the Pro Max, and because it is able to move in three directions, it delivers twice as many micro-adjustments as before for crisp photos even when zoomed all the way in.

When initial stock is spent, which is expected to be around the fourth quarter, Apple will reportedly use its secondary vendors Foxconn and Cowell to manufacture the folded zoom module as well to drive down costs. Meanwhile, Sharp is not expected to supply any camera modules for any iPhones launching the year.