This upcoming change could end up breaking iCloud+ Hide My Email
Macworld One of the great features of Apple’s iCloud+ online storage service is Hide My Email, a feature that allows users to create and use an anonymous email address when signing up for something online. It currently creates an email address using @icloud.com; since the email domain is the same as the one for your actual iCloud email address, a site can’t block you for using a “fake” address. But Apple announced some news to developers about Hide My Email, and it’s not the best. Apple said that “later this summer,” it is changing Hide My Email so that the email address created uses @private.icloud.com instead. That’s a distinct difference from @icloud.com and could allow services to filter the two domains and reject @private.icloud.com from being accepted when an email address is demanded. That could be bad news for users who depend on the service and want to keep their personal email free from spam. On the bright side, existing Hide My Email addresses that you’ve already created will continue to work and will remain @icloud.com addresses. But at some point this summer, any new addresses you create will have the new domain, so be prepared for the possibility that Hide My Email address will be rejected. Apple did not offer an explanation for the change in its news release. Our friends at TechCrunch contacted Apple for a comment, but did not receive a response either. If, after this new policy goes into effect, you find that Hide My Email isn’t effective anymore, you could do what I used to do (and will probably go back to doing) and create an account at a free online email service for the specific purpose of non-critical logins. It’s not as convenient as Hide My Email–you need to log into the email account to confirm and complete any registration. But it’s better than exposing your actual email address to a service that will likely use it for marketing purposes.

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This Deal Days Babbel offer gets you linguist-built language lessons for less
Macworld TL;DR: New U.S. users can get a Babbel Lifetime Subscription for $159 (reg. $299) with code LEARN through June 22 and unlock all 14 languages, 10,000+ hours of lessons, and lifetime access. Learning a new language sounds like a great idea—right up until you’re staring at a 300-day streak requirement and another monthly subscription charge. Babbel completely shakes up language-learning. As part of the Deal Days savings event, new U.S. users can get a Babbel Language Learning Lifetime Subscription for just $159 with code LEARN. Babbel’s library includes more than 10,000 hours of language education covering Spanish, French, Italian, German, Portuguese, Dutch, Swedish, Polish, Norwegian, Danish, Turkish, Indonesian, Russian, and English. You don’t have to pick just one, either—you can explore as many languages as you like. Most sessions take just 10 to 15 minutes, making it easy to practice during a coffee break, commute, or while waiting for your flight to board. Babbel also includes speech recognition technology, personalized review sessions, offline learning, and an AI conversation partner. Whether you’re planning a trip abroad, expanding your professional skills, or reconnecting with family heritage, Babbel offers a flexible way to do it. Get lifetime access to all of Babbel’s languages for a one-time $159 (reg. $299) through June 22 with code LEARN. Click here to view more of the Deal Days collection. Babbel Language Learning: Lifetime Subscription (All Languages)See Deal StackSocial prices are subject to change.

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Tim Cook warns of ‘unavoidable’ price hikes as iPhone launch looms
Macworld Tim Cook is just a couple of months away from stepping down as CEO, but he’s still very much involved in Apple’s day-to-day business. And according to his comments in an interview this week, it’s getting harder with each passing day. In no uncertain terms, Cook told the Wall Street Journal that prices will be going up, an ominous sign with barely three months to go until the launch of the iPhone 18 Pro and folding iPhone Ultra. He declined to share specifics, but he didn’t mince words when asked about future price hikes:  Unfortunately, price increases are unavoidable. We’re doing our best to mitigate the huge increases that are being passed to us, and we’ve been trying to shield our customers from the increases, but the situation has become unsustainable. Apple has already taken some significant steps to mitigate rising component costs. In March, Apple discontinued the Mac Pro as well as some higher-end configurations of the Mac Studio. It also eliminated the 256GB Mac mini and the 512GB MacBook Pro from the lineup, effectively increasing prices across the board. It’s not yet clear which products will receive price increases. But Apple is launching several new products this fall, including the iPhone 18 Pro (the baseline iPhone 18 isn’t expected to arrive until the spring), the Apple Watch Series 12, and its first folding phone, the iPhone Ultra. Reports have claimed the folding phone could cost as much as $2,499. Cook said the current situation is like “a hundred-year flood” and unlike anything he’s seen in 40 years. Several companies, including Microsoft, Sony, and Nintendo, have increased prices due to rising memory costs. Reports claim that RAM prices doubled earlier this year and the situation has only gotten worse.

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Macworld Podcast: What to know about watchOS 27
Macworld Apple unveiled watchOS 27 at WWDC last week, and there wasn’t much to see—at least that’s the impression you’re left with after the presentation. So, on this week’s Macworld Podcast, we’re talking about what you’ll find in watchOS 27.  This is episode 988 with Michael Simon, Jason Cross, and Roman Loyola.  Watch episode 988 on YouTube Listen to episode 988 on Apple Podcasts

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Apple products are about to get more expensive
Tim Cook confirmed that Apple can no longer absorb soaring memory costs forever, making future price hikes inevitable. (via Cult of Mac - Your source for the latest Apple news, rumors, analysis, reviews, how-tos and deals.)

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How to update an iPad through the Mac's Finder when Software Update fails
A Mac can update an iPad using the same iPadOS software Apple delivers through Software Update. Here's how Finder can help recover failed installs, fix update problems, and restore devices that won't start properly.Updating an iPad via macOSUpdating your iPad directly through Settings remains the easiest way to keep the device current. Apple can automatically download and install new software overnight while the iPad is charging and connected to Wi-Fi if Automatic Updates is enabled.The seamless background process handles everything for the vast majority of users. But sometimes an update refuses to install or leaves the iPad stuck on a recovery screen.Finder offers a reliable recovery path when these software failures occur. Apple built this utility to manually install iPadOS when the on-device update process fails. Continue Reading on AppleInsider | Discuss on our Forums

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Apple to raise prices due to memory chip crunch, says outgoing CEO Tim Cook
Apple's outgoing CEO Tim Cook confirmed that price hikes across Apple’s product lineup are now “unavoidable” due to skyrocketing costs… The post appeared first on MacDailyNews.

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Pressure mounts for Apple to give unionized workers better options as Towson store closes
The Mayor of Baltimore has added his voice to the many telling Apple it needs to reconsider either closing the Towson store or at least giving its employees better opportunities in the region.Apple Towson is closing. Image source: AppleOn June 20, Apple's first unionized Apple Store will close alongside two other stores in other regions. They're all stores in failing malls, but the problem with Towson in particular is the lack of options employees are getting.An official statement from the mayor of Baltimore was shared to social media, first seen by 9to5Mac, charging Apple to do better by the Apple Towson employees. As with previous statements from Congress and an Unfair Labor Practice charge, the demands are for Apple to take one of three approaches. Continue Reading on AppleInsider | Discuss on our Forums

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iPhone 18 Pro’s smaller Dynamic Island might let Siri AI assume its true shape
The pill-shaped Siri AI that shows up on iPhone 17 models isn’t what Apple had in mind. A hardware upgrade could fix that. (via Cult of Mac - Your source for the latest Apple news, rumors, analysis, reviews, how-tos and deals.)

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Baltimore Mayor voices support for Apple Towson workers amid store closure controversy
Baltimore Mayor Brandon M. Scott has joined the list of elected officials calling on Apple to change how it is handling the closure of its Towson Town Center store. Here are the details.

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Apple's AI agents in Xcode 27 make vibe coding easier
Making an app with Xcode may soon become easier than ever with AI, as an Apple presentation highlights the different use cases and capabilities of agentic coding.Xcode 27 can build entire apps for you with the help of AI. Image Credit: AppleWhile WWDC 2026 saw all eyes on Siri AI, as Apple rolled out features that were supposed to arrive two years ago, the company also unveiled AI-focused developer tools. Game Porting Toolkit 4 includes support for agentic coding, and the same is true for Xcode 27.In a nearly 90-minute video, recorded at the Steve Jobs Theater, Apple detailed the capabilities of Xcode 27 and its AI integration. In an era where even Apple executives acknowledged people's fears about being replaced by artificial intelligence, Apple sought to portray Xcode's agentic coding capabilities as a powerful extension. Continue Reading on AppleInsider | Discuss on our Forums

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Apple TV adds Grace Gummer to untitled thriller series also starring Dakota Fanning
Grace Gummer (The Newsroom) has joined Dakota Fanning (All Her Fault) in an untitled thriller series created by Alex Cary. Here are the details.

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iOS 26’s Confusing Hidden Folder Drag Behavior
A TidBITS reader thought he had found a bug in iOS 26 that made apps inaccessible. After investigation, the real culprit turned out to be misleading visual feedback when dragging apps to the App Library’s Hidden folder.

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AI-driven chip shortages to cause Apple product price increase, says Cook
Apple has attempted to shield customers from memory and storage chip price increases, but it has "become unsustainable." Price change timing hasn't been shared.Chip shortages could affect iPhone pricing in the fallOne of the most predictable parts of Apple is its price structure. It's basically a feature of the product, so price changes are very rare and heavily considered.In an interview with The Wall Street Journal, Apple CEO Tim Cook says that product prices will have to increase to account for chip shortages. While the company has worked its usual supply chain magic to mitigate costs, things have exceeded its ability to shield customers. Continue Reading on AppleInsider | Discuss on our Forums

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Apple showcases its new developer AI tools in impressive 90-minute presentation
Apple today shared a 90-minute WWDC26 presentation recorded live at a packed Steve Jobs Theater, featuring impressive demos of its latest AI tools for developers and an entire app built from just a few prompts. Watch it below

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Apple confirms price increases are coming to its products due to RAM shortage
Apple has confirmed that its products will see price increases in the future due to ongoing memory supply constraints. Apple CEO Tim Cook delivered the bad news in an interview with The Wall Street Journal on Wednesday.

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iPhone 18 to sport 12GB of unified memory to support Siri AI and Apple Intelligence features
The standard iPhone 18 launching next year will include 12GB of unified memory to power Apple’s on-device AI model and its new Siri AI… The post appeared first on MacDailyNews.

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9to5Mac Daily: June 17, 2026 – Siri overhaul, Messages fixes
Listen to a recap of the top stories of the day from 9to5Mac. 9to5Mac Daily is available on iTunes and Apple’s Podcasts app, Stitcher, TuneIn, Google Play, or through our dedicated RSS feed for Overcast and other podcast players. Sponsored by Backblaze: Backup you can rely on. Save 20% with code 9to5daily.

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Apple Watch Ultra 4: Four rumored new features coming this fall
Apple has a packed lineup of 15+ new products launching this fall, including the Apple Watch Ultra 4—here are four rumored new features.

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iPhone Air successor rumored for spring 2027 with two cameras
A new rumor suggests that the iPhone Air 2 is being tested and is expected to launch in early 2027 with improved battery life and an ultra-wide camera. Though, these aren't groundbreaking claims.iPhone Air 2 is expected to add an ultrawide rear cameraThe iPhone Air debuted in September 2025 alongside the iPhone 17 lineup as a separate device. It seemed clear at the time that Apple wouldn't be upgrading it annually, at least not at first.The latest rumor places the second-generation iPhone Air in the spring alongside the iPhone 18 and iPhone 18e. Speculation already picked that timeframe due to the previously known shift in iPhone release schedule. Rumor Score: 🤯 Likely Continue Reading on AppleInsider | Discuss on our Forums

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