Apple shared ‘bendgate’ lessons as it helped small US manufacturers innovate
Back in the summer, a new Apple Manufacturing Academy was announced, partnering with Michigan State University. The initiative provides free training and consultancy to American businesses to help them innovate their production processes. Small businesses that received help from Apple engineers said that the company shared frank lessons about its “bendgate” experience … more…

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Not just electronics – Food packaging & medical firms are getting on-site help from Apple
Firms that attended Apple's Manufacturing Academy say the two-day training isn't all they got. It's been followed by months of Apple engineers joining their factories to solve business problems.Apple's Manufacturing Academy aims to help all kinds of US businesses — image credit: AppleOne criticism of the Apple Manufacturing Academy was that it was solely based in Detroit, although the company has since added a version online nationwide. But according to Wired, many participants are saying that Apple engineers have accompanied them back out to their factories across the country — and are making a significant difference.Then the Detroit program is also a two-day one, but this engineering on-site help has been taking place for months. For instance, three Apple employees visited ImageTek in Springfield, Vermont, to see if they could help the company's production of food labels — and then seven more joined in the effort. Continue Reading on AppleInsider | Discuss on our Forums

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iPhone 18 Pro could change Apple’s front camera design in a major way
Macworld A new report from The Information has information that, if true, will represent a huge shift in the iPhone’s iconic look. We’ve been through bezels, notches, and Dynamic Islands, but the iPhone’s front camera has always been located more or less in the center of the phone – often just to the side of the top earpiece. According to the report from Wayne Ma and Qianer Liu, Apple is going to put the Face ID sensors under the display on the iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max. This will reduce the entire front cutout to a simple punch-hole for the camera, which Apple will then move to the upper-left corner of the display. It is unclear with this will mean for the Dynamic Island software features. Will the iPhone 18 Pro simply not have them? Will they appear in the center of the screen when needed, and disappear when not? Will they move over to the corner, where the small circular cutout for the front camera will be? The report says that, otherwise, the iPhone 18 Pro models will look very much like the iPhone 17 Pro. So expect the same rear camera arrangement and wide “plateau” on the back. The report also corroborates earlier rumors that at least one iPhone 18 Pro model will have a camera with a mechanical aperture. This will allow Apple to use a larger sensor that has better low-light performance, while closing the aperture in bright light to prevent the image from being overexposed. Apple is expected to unveil the iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max in September of 2026, along with a new folding iPhone and perhaps a second-generation iPhone Air. The standard iPhone 18, however, has been rumored to be released in the spring of 2027, a significant change form Apple’s usual release cadence.

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A small but crucial detail provides a clue on iPhone Fold pricing
There’s never been any doubt that next year’s iPhone Fold is going to be an extremely expensive device, but a small detail in a report published yesterday provides a further steer on what to expect. We’ve so far seen pricing estimates in the $1,800 to $2,500 range, and yesterday’s report may be one reason to expect something closer to the higher end … more…

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I’m a GenZ dad. These are the iPhone accessories my kids (and yours) will love
Macworld I may be an old GenXer, but I’ve spent a lot of time with GenZers as a mentor, a teacher at a local college, and most importantly as a dad. I also test a lot of iPhone accessories, so I’ve always got an eye out for something my kids will love—you know, something cool and practical. Even if you’re not a twentysomething e-girl, you can still appreciate the Gen Z flair for bright and basic accessories. The gadgets I’ve picked out here all speak GenZ’s language loud and clear. They eschew the usual commercial vibe and instead focus on color, style, and simplicity. And of course, they’ve all got just the right amount of cool factor. 1. Nothing Ear 3 Nothing Ear 3 John Brandon / Foundry The Nothing Ear 3 earbuds are anything but boring, even if they are a tad expensive ($179 but usually on sale for $149) compared to the many other AirPods alternatives. A standout feature is that the case doubles as a microphone, so if you are on a Zoom or FaceTime call, the audio will sound clearer when you speak—just press the Talk button on the case. I tested the Ear 3 with a few Gen Z indie favs, and the sonic quality was in the same league as Apple’s AirPods Pro. My GenZer son Josh even picked the Nothing earbuds over the AirPods Pro, saying, “They look cleaner than the Apple AirPods, and they are more comfortable to wear. For about $100 cheaper, they don’t sound a lot worse.” 2. Sandmarc Retro Filter Sandmarc Retro Filter John Brandon / Foundry Professional photographers know there is a secret to vintage photos: you have to use an analog filter that creates a distinct brown-ish tint. Digital effects don’t quite do the same thing. The Sandmarc Retro Filter ($130) includes a clip you attach to your iPhone to hold the filter in place. The filter works best when you point your camera at the sun or a bright light. 3. OtterBox X Topo Designs OtterBox X Topo Designs John Brandon / Foundry The most interesting thing about the OtterBox X Topo Designs shoulder bag is that it can replace your iPhone case altogether. The recycled nylon material offers some great cushion and protection, plus you can store keys, glasses, and other items inside. There’s a zippered pocket for credit cards and an ID holder, while the strap adjusts for your shoulder or waist. Just ask my daughter Katie, who’d “carry that and skip the case for sure.” Plus, the Otterbox X shoulder bag only costs $45, so you’re not even paying much more. 4. Gomi Power Bank Gomi Power Bank John Brandon / Foundry Forget boring business-oriented power banks, which can recharge your iPhone when you are on the go. The Gomi Power Bank ($95) is far more unique. Each one is hand-crafted and looks unique, with a colorful design that reminded me of an oil painting. The device has a normal USB-A port as well as USB-C, and can typically charge an iPhone twice. 5. Bitti Gitti Wooden Sound System Bitti Gitti Wooden Sound System John Brandon / Foundry Another trend with Gen-Z has to do with going back to basics. This wooden speaker for $89 has no electronics at all, just a box with seven layers of carved-out rings to amplify your iPhone audio. Just slide the phone in, and that’s it. Yet, the amplification sounds organic and pure. I played a variety of artists and was impressed by the sound fidelity at higher volumes. “I’d use my iPhone with that speaker every day,” said Blake, my GenZ son-in-law, who was especially drawn to its simplistic design. 6. Satechi OntheGo USB-C Lanyard Cable Satechi OntheGo USB-C Lanyard Cable John Brandon / Foundry Crossbody straps are all the rage, and I love the ingenious design of this Satechi lanyard ($30), which you wear across your chest or around your neck. There’s a small plastic strip (one clear and one black) that you first slip into your case, then through the USB-C slot for the iPhone. Attach the lanyard to the clip, and you’re all set. When you pop your phone in the case, the strip stays tightly connected. Bonus that the lanyard is actually a USB-C cable that you can use to charge your phone. 7. Instax Mini Link 3 Printer Instax Mini Link 3 Printer John Brandon / Foundry The Instax Mini Link 3 ($116) is more than just a printer meant for instant gratification. Yes, you can print photos from your iPhone to the Polaroid-like card, but it’s also a way to carry photos in a wallet or purse and show them to friends — sans your iPhone. The device comes in white, green, or pink, and spits out a photo in just 15 seconds (though you’ll have to wait a minute and a half for it to fully appear). Katie noticed the printer in my office and immediately put it on her holiday wish list. 8. Casekoo Titanium Magic Stand Pro Case Casekoo Titanium Magic Stand Pro Case John Brandon / Foundry Making a TikTok video is much easier with this unique case from Casekoo (around $40) that has a built-in titanium stand. You can see your phone on a table, and it won’t tip over during a recording. The new twilight orange color to match the iPhone 17 Pro is also attention-grabbing and functional at the same time—perfect for recording quick videos in a snap.

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Baseus Nomos Mac Air NU1 Spacemate 12-in-1 Docking Station review: Portable DisplayLink dock
Macworld At a glanceExpert's Rating Pros 12 ports Compact and portable Built-in USB-C cable Affordable Cons Have to provide your own power supply No charging from USB ports Dual displays 2.5K not 4K No card reader or audio jack Windows version much cheaper Our Verdict If you don’t require 4K screens or any power to connected devices (but do need a super tidy and compact DisplayLink hub to enable your M1 or M2 MacBook to support more than one monitor and some low-powered USB devices) the Spacemate may fulfil your requirements better than other portable DisplayLink hubs on the market. Price When Reviewed This value will show the geolocated pricing text for product undefined Best Pricing Today Price When Reviewed$199.99 Best Prices Today: Baseus Nomos NU1 Spacemate Air 12-in-1 (Mac) Docking Station Retailer Price $139.99 View Deal Baseus $199.99 View Deal Price comparison from over 24,000 stores worldwide Product Price Price comparison from Backmarket The Baseus Nomos Mac Air NU1 Spacemate 12-in-1 Docking Station has a long name but a decent set of ports at affordable price. It’s a DisplayLink dock, meaning that it offers a simple(ish) solution to Apple’s frustrating multiple-display limitations for its lesser-powered Macs such as the M1 and M2 MacBooks. These excellent but non-Pro laptops are restricted to just one external monitor without help from third-party software such as DisplayLink. Using the Baseus Spacemate dock after installing the free software enables these MacBooks to run two external displays, albeit here at a 2.5K QHD rather than 4K resolution. The Spacemate seems to offer a lot but on closer inspection it lacks some functions that we’d expect of a dock. Although it seems quite limited as a full ‘dock’, it can be quite a versatile DisplayLink ‘hub’, especially when connected to a wall charger. Even without one, it’s an attractive portable dock but first study its limitations before being hooked by the price. Baseus Specs and features USB-C upstream connector to laptop (90W PD 3.0) 2x USB-C (10Gbps) 2x USB-A (5Gbps) 2x USB-A (480Mbps, 4.5W) 2x DisplayPort 1.4 ports 2x HDMI 2.0 ports Gigabit Ethernet 100W power via USB-C port (no supply) In some ways this dock is more of a high-powered hub. Although its specs let it down in places, it comes into its own as a portable hub with docking station aspirations. It connects to the laptop via its built-in braided USB-C 2.6ft cable that can carry data at 10Gbps and power at 90W to the MacBook when connected to a wall charger. You need to supply the wall charger yourself, although the MacBook’s own should suffice. The Spacemate is not the dock for you if you require data transfer at the highest bandwidth. A Mac with Thunderbolt 3 or 4 ports support 40Gbps and the most recent Thunderbolt 5 Macs can handle 80Gbps, so 10Gbps USB-C is not for the professional data warrior. For most of us Mac mortals, however, 10Gbps should be fine. Power can be supplied to the dock itself using a USB-C charger and cable (note that neither is included so use your MacBooks or one of the other best USB-C chargers we recommend). Most desk-bound docks are weighed down by an external power brick, but the Baseus Spacemate is nimbler and can even draw enough power from the laptop to operate with power coming in, but with caveats. Simon Jary There are a further six USB ports: two 5Gbps USB-A and two 480Mbps USB-A ports for legacy devices, but just two 10Gbps USB-C ports. None can output any real power to the connected devices, which might put you off but it is unlikely to bother people who choose this dock for its portability rather than wanting it to sit permanently on their desk as the center of their computing setup. Four USB-A ports seem too many these days when most devices should be using USB-C, and two of the Type A ports are very limited in data transfer (USB 2.0’s 480Mbps) so good only for input devices such as a keyboard and mouse if you haven’t yet converted to wireless versions or basic memory sticks. When hooked up to a wall charger, the Baseus Spacemate can carry enough power (90W) for all but the 16-inch MacBook Pro (which prefers 140W to fast charge), but some of the things you might want to connect to the dock require power too and this dock doesn’t deliver in that way. Wired network access is standard Gigabit Ethernet, which will be fine for most people but underpowered for those users on faster 2.5GbE or faster networks, which we are seeing catered for on many modern docks. Again, the lack of the very latest and fastest ports shouldn’t put you off if Gigabit Ethernet is all you need. There is no SD card reader, which again feels like something missing compared to most docks but might not bother most users. Strangely/frustratingly the Windows version has both SD and MicroSD card readers and is cheaper! That feels like a bit of a slap in the face for Mac users who believed that the days of paying a Mac premium for accessories were over. Simon Jary Monitor options You buy a DisplayLink dock for its ability to connect to multiple external displays, and the Baseus Spacemate Air NU1 has a generous choice of dedicated HDMI or DisplayLink video ports. Connecting two displays to a non-Pro or -Max M1 or M2 MacBook is highly beneficial, but when connecting two monitors via the Spacemate the resolution is limited to QHD (2560×1440 pixels) that is also called 2.5K to distinguish it from 4K (3840×2160) which most dual-screen DisplayLink docks offer. Again, if HD or QHD is all you require of screen resolution—and it’s fine for basic productivity tasks rather than graphics or video—then this dock will give you what you need. The choice of HDMI or DisplayLink gives you options but the ability to connect monitors via USB-C isn’t possible using this dock, so you must use either video format. Simon Jary Design The Baseus Spacemate Air NU1 is a good-looking and very compact, super lightweight dock that is about the size of some vertical desktop chargers. It really can fit in one hand, and lacking an external power brick means it is way more portable than most docking stations. You can slip it in your bag and not notice it’s there on your travels. It measures 4.7 x 2.6 x 2.5 inches (6.5 x 6.5 x 12cm) and weighs just 14.2oz (402g). Most of the ports are neatly hidden away at the back, but there are a USB-C and USB-A port at the front for easy access. It’s a shame that neither can output enough power to charge a connected phone but that’s the compromise from this dock’s portability and lack of power supply. At the top of the dock is an energy-saving button that can also lock the screen. Click this button to immediately put your laptop into standby. Price The MSRP of the Baseus Nomos Mac Air NU1 Spacemate 12-in-1 Docking Station is $199.99. At the time of writing it was selling on Amazon for $139, which is an affordable price for a dual-monitor DisplayLink dock with so many ports. That said, Mac users can feel put out that the more able Windows version costs just $99.99, has two SD card readers and supports two 4K monitors, although there are two HDMI and no DIsplayPort options. At that price and with those features it’s a bargain for Windows users but in comparison the Mac version looks significantly overpriced and underpowered. Take a look at other higher-spec best DisplayLink docks but for portability focus on the hubs rather than more deskbound docks. Somewhere in that list you should find whether the Baseus Spacemate or another hub has exactly what you are after. If you just need the dual screens look at the Plugable USB-C Dual 4K HDMI Adapter (USBC-6950M), although it lacks the Spacemate’s multiple USB ports and Ethernet. The Hyperdrive Dual 4K HDMI 10-in-1 USB-C Hub has dual-4K and USB ports but has a lower 5Gbps bandwidth than the 10Gbps Spacemate. The closest match we can find that beats the Spacemate by boasting dual-4K and card readers is the 10Gbps Alogic CH2 dock. Its weakness, however, is that the USB ports don’t work when there’s no power connected. Should you buy the Baseus Nomos Mac Air NU1 Spacemate 12-in-1 Docking Station? As a portable dock, the lightweight Baseus Mac Air NU1 Spacemate has a lot going for it, but its port line-up is a little lacking for Mac users and is more a hub in dock’s clothing. There are too many USB-A ports (four) and just two USB-C data ports, and none but the integrated cable can deliver any real power to devices except your laptop. There is no card reader or audio jack, both staples on your average docking station, and crucially the maximum display resolution for two screens is 2.5K rather than 4K. If you don’t require truly high-resolution (4K) screens or any power to connected devices but do need a super tidy and compact DisplayLink hub to enable your M1 or M2 MacBook to support more than one monitor and some low-powered USB devices then the Spacemate may fulfil your requirements better than other portable DisplayLink hubs on the market.

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I used AirPods Live Translation for a real conversation, and all I have to say is ‘Wow’
Macworld This fall, Apple gave its new iOS 26 Live Translation feature an instant upgrade: AirPods support. Like a real-life version of the Babel fish, compatible AirPods paired with an up-to-date iPhone can now be inserted in the ear to provide instant fluency across nine languages. The earbuds listen to conversation in Spanish, for example, use AI to translate it in real time, and speak the English equivalent directly into your ear. You then reply in English, and your iPhone will translate this back to Spanish. (The translation is displayed on screen, but there’s a button to make it read it out loud.) It’s a beguiling concept. But it’s not a new one. Earbuds paired with Google Translate, such as the Pixel Buds, were capable of this function way back in 2017. They just weren’t all that great at it. As so often in the past, Apple is trying to take something that other companies have done before, and do it better. Has it succeeded? Now that Live Translation has expanded to the EU with iOS 26.2, I set up a video call with a German-speaking colleague from Macwelt and popped in my AirPods Pro 3 to test the Live Translation feature (which is still officially in beta, I should note) for myself. I was pleasantly surprised. Setup: Better in person Let’s get started. First things first. Before doing any translating, you need to download your choice of language. This takes a few minutes, so try to plan ahead rather than waiting until you’re mid-conversation with an angry French policeman. Open the Settings app on your connected iPhone and open the AirPods menu. Scroll down to the Translation (Beta) section and tap on Languages. At the top, you’ll see any you’ve already downloaded, while those that are available will be listed below. Pick one (or more) and tap to download. Once this is sorted, activating translation is relatively easy. Press and hold on both earbud stems at once, and they’ll automatically switch to Live Translation mode. The only potential hiccup is if you’ve got several languages downloaded, particularly if your last translation was to or from a different language than the one you want now. You can change these in the Translate app by going to Live and then selecting either Their Language or Your Language to switch languages. (There isn’t yet an option, as there is for the written and visual–but not conversational–functions of Google Translate, to say “Detect language” and thereby cover all bases.) David Price / Foundry So far, so good–and for face-to-face translation, activating the feature is simple and intuitive. You may, however, run into issues when trying to use the feature over an online video chat, as I did. The problem was that the AirPods were desperately keen to auto-pair with whichever device they thought I was using. I needed them connected to the iPhone for the translation. But as soon as I started up a FaceTime call on my Mac, they jumped to that. As soon as I opened Notes on my iPad to check the script, they jumped to that. So I was constantly having to apologise and fiddle with Bluetooth settings to make sure the AirPods stayed on point. It should be said, in Apple’s defence, that the company has given Live Translation direct integration with the FaceTime and Phone apps, as well as providing APIs that will let third parties do the same for Zoom, Teams and the like. So this sort of multi-device juggling shouldn’t be necessary–you can just open FaceTime on the iPhone and manage the whole thing, conversation and translation alike, from there. I simply found this integration unintuitive–and besides, wanted to recreate the experience of talking to someone on the street, which seemed best simulated by holding up my phone to words coming from a different source. Which is a long-winded way of saying that, if you really are just speaking to someone on the street, and if you’ve taken the time to set things up and test them out in advance, it should be a breeze. Just anticipate a few tech hiccups when you involve multiple devices. Understanding what was said to me With the setup finally sorted, we were able to begin our conversation. This was more exhausting than I had expected. I had prepared four scenarios: at a hotel, in a restaurant, on a plane, and in a bar, with a secret bonus round where we were going to spontaneously talk politics. But the conversations took longer than I anticipated—so long that we ran out of time and energy for the restaurant and politics chats. Why were the conversations so slow and tiring? Because of the delays. My colleague would say a sentence in German, and the AirPods would generally wait until well into the sentence, often to the end, before starting to give me the translation. In written form, we are encouraged to be punchy, but conversational sentences can have numerous subclauses, so the delay can be substantial. AirPods Pro 3’s Live translation is like having a little dictionary in your ear.Foundry I wondered if this delay might have something to do with the grammatical character of the German language and its habit of shunting crucial verbs to the end of the sentence. But a similar test with a Spanish speaker confirmed that the feature simply cannot turn around a translation in true real time, so there will be no fluency in your conversation, regardless of the language. The good news is that Live Translation’s accuracy, at least from German to English, is astonishingly good. In his role as hotelier, my colleague told me about rooms and breakfast arrangements and a special event involving 237 Christmas tree sellers, and it all came through clear and comprehensible. As a flight steward, he explained landing times and delays and a situation with a man in my seat; and, finally switching careers to bartending, he told me all the ingredients in a delicious local cocktail and named the total I would need to pay for a selection of drinks. In every scenario, I understood the overall gist with ease and virtually all the specifics. That’s not to say that the translation was flawless. The software was confused by the German term for a boarding pass, which it translated as simply a “card.” The name of a cocktail, my colleague told me, was mangled. But these were very minor quibbles that never derailed the conversation in any serious way. Making myself understood Ideally, both you and your conversational partner would be wearing compatible AirPods so that your English is translated live by their Babel fish just as their non-English is translated by yours. For planned business meetings this may be possible. But it’s unlikely to be the case in the average tourist context, so we stuck to the asymmetric approach. Having waited for a translation of my colleague’s words, I replied in English, and a German translation appeared on my iPhone’s screen. When speaking face to face, it’s probably easiest to simply show this to the doctor/barber/policeman you’re speaking to. There’s another small delay while your words are translated, but it appears quickly enough. And again, my colleague confirmed that the accuracy was excellent. Next to each chunk of translated text you’ll see a little play button, and if you tap this it’ll be read out loud. This is a nice option, and the accent was convincing in our test, but it adds yet another delay to what is already a long-winded process. Foundry Having said his piece, my colleague had to wait for this to be translated, for me to reply, for this to be translated, for me to press the button, and for the words to be read out. Understandably, he several times began replying before my official translated response had been read out, although this should only be an issue when your partner actually does speak English, in which case you could just dispense with the AirPods altogether. Again, the translation, while sometimes slow, was very reliable. I was able to reserve rooms, request a sea view (and be denied, on the flimsy pretext that Munich isn’t anywhere near the sea), order a wide range of drinks, navigate a variety of social situations and never really have to repeat myself. My colleague was in the position to hear both English and German renditions of each comment I made, and professed himself impressed by the accuracy. Conclusion: Far better than I expected, flaws and all Okay, final quibbles. The translations are split into little chunks, and sometimes these seem quite arbitrary. I found myself tapping play on one bit, and it spat out the end of one thing and the beginning of another, rather than a coherent remark. It also annoyed me that the software deleted the chat history the second I took out my headphones. That’s particularly annoying for a journalist who would like screenshots to post in this feature, but also takes away a potentially useful note of details you may subsequently forget. (Could this be a privacy-based decision? I’m not sure.) Add in those delays, and I’m the first to concede that my tests with Live Translation weren’t painless by any means. In fact, I found the whole thing draining. But the whole thing was thoroughly impressive nonetheless. However, I was astounded by the software’s ability to translate with a very high degree of accuracy and comprehensibility in nearly real time. While you shouldn’t expect a fluent or socially comfortable conversation while using your AirPods, you can expect an extremely functional one. That’s a win, in my book.

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Apple simplifies battery swaps on the M5 MacBook Pro
Apple has simplified self-service battery replacement on the M5 MacBook Pro, allowing for direct battery replacement. (via Cult of Mac - Your source for the latest Apple news, rumors, analysis, reviews, how-tos and deals.)

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Best VPN for Mac 2026: Trustworthy Mac VPNs tested by experts
Macworld If, like many web users, you are concerned about your privacy and security online and want to ensure that the connection between your Mac and the internet is protected, you need a VPN. While Apple provides various measures in macOS that make Macs more secure, using a VPN can protect your privacy and security online, which could give you some extra reassurance. A VPN essentially makes you invisible on the web–your data is encrypted, your IP address is hidden, and you can even make it look like you are surfing from another country. This latter reason is another reason many people use a VPN: they want to access streaming services that are locked to a particular region, or, if you are based somewhere that requires age-related identification in order to use certain websites, it can enable you to surf as if you were based elsewhere. How we test VPNs We test each VPN service at three times of the day (morning, afternoon, evening) using Ookla Speedtest. We measure our internet speed before testing the upload/download speeds of the VPN service on various servers around the world over a 100Mbps ethernet connection. We also consider the number of countries a VPN offers servers in, the total number of servers worldwide, and the monthly or annual cost to connect. Additionally, because privacy is such a crucial aspect of what makes a good VPN, we research the providers to find out who owns them, their location, how they handle subscriber information, and their business practices. Best VPNs for Mac: Reviewed & Ranked There are a lot of VPN providers vying for your business, which can make finding the best one to suit your needs difficult. To help you sort out the right provider for you, we’ve committed to extensive research and testing of VPN services that cater to Mac owners in our guide to the top VPN services for Mac. Our top choice right now is NordVPN, which we feel stands out in many areas, from speed and privacy to unblocking and ease of use. Get NordVPN here However, there are other VPNs to consider and below you will find reviews of all the VPN services for Mac that we recommend based on our tests. All of these VPNs will also work on your iPhone and iPad as well, and many with Apple TV, but you might want to check out our separate guide to the best VPNs for iPad and iPhone. At a glance: Feature comparison VPNmacOS App QualityNo-Logs PolicySpeed & PerformanceStreaming SupportSimultaneous ConnectionsFree / TrialBest ForNordVPNExcellent (native, polished)Yes (audited)Very fastVery strong~10 devices30-day refundBest overall Mac VPNSurfsharkVery goodYes (audited)FastStrongUnlimited30-day refundBest value & familiesExpressVPNExcellent (very simple UI)Yes (audited)Very fastExcellent~8 devices30-day refundBest ease of useProton VPNGood (privacy-focused)Yes (audited)GoodModerateVaries by planFree tier availableBest for privacy & free useCyberGhostVery easy to useYesGoodVery strong~7 devices45-day refundBest for streaming beginnersPrivate Internet Access (PIA)Good (advanced options)YesGoodModerate~10 devices30-day refundPower users & customizationhide.meGoodYesGoodGood~10 devicesFree tierPrivacy-focused free optionFastestVPNBasicLimitedDecentGoodVariesTrial / lifetime plansBudget users 1. NordVPN – Fast, fully featured VPN Pros Easy to use Impressive WireGuard speeds Lots of servers Cons Two separate apps can be confusing Price When Reviewed: Basic plan from $2.99 a month for two years. Usually $12.99 a month Best Prices Today: Retailer Price NordVPN (Monthly) $2.99 View Deal Check Price comparison from over 24,000 stores worldwide Product Price Price comparison from Backmarket 5,300 servers 10 simultaneous connections NordVPN is one of the biggest and best-known VPN services. It’s a fully featured VPN option that’s secure, easy to use, and unbelievably fast compared to its competitors. There are cheaper options, with unlimited connections and more in-depth VPN features, but NordVPN is our top choice right now because it stands out in so many areas, from speed and privacy to unblocking and ease of use. There are more than 5,300 servers (none of which are virtual) available across 60 countries, which sounds great. You probably only care about the servers where you want to unblock content, but the more servers the better as it means you have a better chance of finding one that’s not overloaded. You won’t have to figure out which one to choose thanks to the handy ‘Quick connect’ feature that picks the server best suited to your needs. Connections are fast and reliable, and NordVPN unblocks popular streaming services around the world including Netflix and BBC iPlayer. You can connect up to six devices simultaneously including your Apple TV. Nord has added support for the faster WireGuard protocol in NordLynx, making it one of the fastest VPN services out there. However, it’s only available on the ‘IKE’ version of the app, which only offers a permanently enabled kill switch. To have more control, you’ll need to download the ‘OpenVPN’ version, albeit with slightly slower speeds. Nord has an up-to-date independent audit. It also has specialty servers for specific purposes. Nord frequently has deals on offer that save money on the usual monthly price if you take advantage of the two-year plan. NordVPN offers three tiers: Standard, Plus and Ultimate. You can get Plus features (data breach scanner and password manager) or the Ultimate tier adds cloud storage and insurance options. Prices change all the time, so take a look at the prices and plans at NordVPN.com. Read our full NordVPN review 2. Surfshark – Easy to use, secure VPN Pros Simple to use No device limits Great for streaming services Cons Expensive to renew Price When Reviewed: Starter plan from $1.99 a month for two years + 3 free months. Usually $15.45 a month. Best Prices Today: Retailer Price Surfshark (Monthly) $1.99 View Deal Check Price comparison from over 24,000 stores worldwide Product Price Price comparison from Backmarket 3,200 servers in 100 countries Unlimited simultaneous connections Surfshark is a reliable, affordable option with more than 3000 servers spread across 100 countries. Surfshark’s network is one of the widest and most varied of any VPN. Its apps, which work with Macs, iPhones, and even Apple TV, as well as other devices, are easy to use. The macOS app offers light and dark modes, and you can opt to have it shown in the dock or the menu bar. The iOS version of SurfShark offers features like MultiHop and Dedicated IP – it’s not a watered-down versions of their desktop VPN. SurfShark offers three tiers of features at varying price points. SurfShark Starter offers VPN functionality as well as an ad blocker and the option to generate a proxy email address and personal details. SurfShark One adds email and payment detail breach alerts, as well as personal data security reports, antivirus and other malware protection. And the One+ plan adds data removal from company databases and people search sites. When we reviewed Surfshark previously we had some performance issues, but this time around things were a lot better. With WireGuard, SurfShark is the slickest VPN around, removing very little speed from my connection. OpenVPN, where we had problems previously, was much swifter this time around. Whichever protocol we used, we were able to flick between streaming libraries with ease. Those protocols also offer varying degrees of encryption to keep your data secure. The Kill Switch feature is billed as a “safety net”, It’ll shut down your connection if your VPN connection falters, preventing personal data from sneaking out to bad actors. Surfshark is is headquartered in the Netherlands and has a privacy-minded no-logs policy that’s regularly audited. Surfshark’s process means it logs a small amount of data that’s then scrubbed from its servers with 15 minutes of closing the connection. Surfshark confirmed to us in June 2025 that they had their no-logs policy independently verified again and Deloitte confirmed that they don’t monitor what our users do online and do not keep logs of their activities. For even more security, the Antivirus Scan feature (available with Surfshark One and One+) can run scheduled background scans if you leave the app open. Ransomware Shield and Webcam Protection can stop your personal folders and hardware camera from falling into the wrong hands respectively, and the app will constantly look to update its database of viruses to cross-reference files. Sign up to Surfshark here. Read our full Surfshark review 3. ExpressVPN – Fast, privacy-focused VPN Pros Easy-to-use Broad device support Excellent speeds Cons Illusive ExpressVPN team Expensive Price When Reviewed: From $4.99 a month for 2 years + 4 free months Best Prices Today: Retailer Price ExpressVPN (Monthly) $3.49 View Deal Price comparison from over 24,000 stores worldwide Product Price Price comparison from Backmarket 2,000 servers 8 simultaneous connections If you want to circumnavigate geoblocking to get access to content not available where you live, protect your data while browsing the web from a public network, and keep your web browsing habits private, ExpressVPN, with its server locations across 105 countries, can do just about all of this with two or three clicks. ExpressVPN is remarkably easy to use, but if you have any difficulties the 24-hour live chat means you can be connected to a real human to discuss issues within minutes. There are native apps on iPhone, iPad, Apple TV, Mac, Android and Windows. Plus you can use it on eight devices at once (the limit was five previously). Like all VPNs there is some speed loss because you are routing via a server in another country, but ExpressVPN does well to mitigate this, dropping less than 13% of download speed in our testing. NordVPN remains faster with a 12% loss in our tests, but ExpressVPN’s 13% is still better than most. ExpressVPN offers no fewer than six different choices for protocol. Lightway, the company’s own option, is rapid. For improved compatibility you can switch to another version of Lightway or OpenVPN – things slowed down with  24% of speed loss with the latter. There’s no Malware protection with ExpressVPN, but you can install a password manager called ExpressVPN Keys. The company is headquartered in the British Virgin Islands, so it’s free from the majority of intelligence-sharing agencies’ jurisdiction. While it also operates a no-log policy, it doesn’t have PureVPN’s “always-on” audit process, but it undergoes audits each year. ExpressVPN’s more expensive than many of its contemporaries and doesn’t allow access from unlimited devices (just eight). But you get a solid, speedy connection with minimal fuss, and you don’t have to tie-in for a two-year deal to get the best value. That latter point is important because VPN legislation can change regularly. See ExpressVPN subscription plans here. Read our full ExpressVPN review 4. ProtonVPN – Good free version available Pros Simple to use Free plan Great speed Cons Setup on macOS was a little fiddly Price When Reviewed: Proton Free; VPN Plus from $2.99 a month for two years. Usually $9.99 a month. Best Prices Today: Retailer Price Proton Technologies (Monthly) $2.99 View Deal Check Price comparison from over 24,000 stores worldwide Product Price Price comparison from Backmarket 6,500+ servers in 100+ countries (access servers in 5 countries on free plan, on one device) 10 simultaneous connections ProtonVPN’s free tier of membership helps to set Proton VPN apart from some of its rivals. It’s naturally limited, with US, Japan, and Netherlands as the server locations and some speed drop – but it’s still pretty usable If you pay for the service it offers a sleek interface, impressive connection speeds and just about enough features to improve your day-to-day web experience without throwing too many complex concepts at new users.  Proton VPN Plus offers a host of features, including an ad and tracker blocker and speed of up to 10 Gbps, as well as a 10-device limit. There’s Port Forwarding for downloads and gaming, too, as well as a Kill Switch for disconnecting should the VPN drop out. Some VPN services offer features like dark web data notifications. Proton VPN sticks to the basics – and does so very well. The company’s “no-logs” policy confirms it doesn’t track sites, IP addresses, communications, or session lengths, nor does it track location-based information. Proton is Swiss-based, and only Swiss court orders can request data from the company, but since it doesn’t log data there’s very little it can offer to law enforcement. For the privacy-minded, Secure Core, routes traffic through one of the company’s ‘Secure’ servers, minimizing the potential of a data leak. These secure servers are owned by Proton and are located in more than 90 countries. Proton VPN does increase latency, but only by about 29% in our testing on a modest 60 Mbps broadband. In fact, it’s only about 7% slower when downloading and 5.5% slower when uploading, making it one of the slicker VPNs we’ve tested. In terms of included VPN protocols, Smart will be ideal for most users, automatically setting the right protocol for your current usage, but WireGuard, WireGuard (TCP), IKEv2 and Stealth are also offered. Proton VPN is an easy recommendation both for new and experienced users. Sign up for Proton’s subscription plans here. Read our full ProtonVPN review 5. FastestVPN – Good for VPN newbies Pros Great pricing, including lifetime plan Impressive speeds and features Cons Fewer servers than some rivals Price When Reviewed: Lifetime special deal: $30, usually $600 Best Prices Today: Retailer Price FastestVPN (Lifetime payment) $30 View Deal Price comparison from over 24,000 stores worldwide Product Price Price comparison from Backmarket 800+ servers in 49+ countries 10 simultaneous connections FastestVPN packs impressive VPN performance, but that’s only one facet of what makes it worth a look. It’s also relatively cheap compared to many rivals, and has seen a bunch of improvements since we took a look in 2021. The app is sleek and easy to use and offers 10 simultaneous connections. FastestVPN is headquartered in the Cayman islands and has undergone a third-party audit from Altius to confirm its no-logs policy. Since the last time we looked at it it’s gained a number power user features like multi-hop connections. It also now features an Internet Kill Switch to shut down all traffic if your VPN drops for any reason. You can also use Smart Tunneling to ensure certain apps go via a VPN while others don’t. Will FastestVPN help you get around geoblocks? Yes, in fact, FastestVPN highlights certain streaming-focused servers to help get around geoblocking. You’ll find a variety of VPN protocols to choose from, with Wireguard, OpenVPN (TCP and UDP options) and IKEv2 available, and Servers have recently been updated to 10 Gbps options, but despite the name, it’s not the fastest around. However, it’s so affordable that it’s hard not to recommend, with a lifetime price of $40 (normally $600), which we’ve even seen reduced to just $30! FastestVPN does a great job and for a lot less than others. FastestVPN has more than 800 servers, which is a lot – but in context, that’s dramatically less than NordVPN or ExpressVPN. Rivals do offer a larger server count, but the ease of use, and low barrier of entry, make FastestVPN one of our best VPN picks in 2025. FastestVPN is available on Mac as well as Windows, iOS, iPadOS, Android, and plenty more apps. See FastestVPNs plans here. Read our full FastestVPN review 6. Mullvad VPN – Great privacy credentials Pros Privacy-focused sign-up Great for getting around geoblocks Great pricing Cons 5 connections is lower than some rivals Price When Reviewed: $5.26 a month (€5) Best Prices Today: Retailer Price Mullvad $5.26 View Deal Check Price comparison from over 24,000 stores worldwide Product Price Price comparison from Backmarket 700+ servers 5 connections Mullvad doesn’t offer recurring plans, you pay €5 a month whether you sign up for a month, a year or longer. The only price change will be dependent on the exchange rate from euros at that time. This way you aren’t caught up in a recurring subscription and Mullvad doesn’t store your personal information – a great example of its privacy-first mindset. You can even buy prepaid cards if you don’t want to log payment information, which makes Mullvad the ideal VPN service for anyone looking to leave a minimal digital footprint. Split Tunnelling, multihop connections and even an AI-focused defence mechanism called DAITA are included. Performance is excellent and there are plenty of features that would be paid additions elsewhere. For example, the Kill Switch to cut traffic if the VPN drops, and a Lockdown Mode that forces the user to reconnect via Mullvad if the connection drops. Multihop will bounce your connection via multiple servers, and split tunnelling is available so you can send some traffic via the VPN and ignore it for others. There is also an ad blocker. It’s available on Mac, Windows, iOS, iPadOS, and Android. It’s accessed exclusively from the menu bar on Mac. The iPhone and iPad apps pack plenty of power user features that in some services are limited to desktop, like multihop connections and the DAITA protection. DAITA (Defence against AI-guided Traffic Analysis) will add ‘network noise’ so data packets are all the same size. The main disadvantages are the five device limit, which is lower than many VPNs, and. a lower server count. It has 700, but this is still lower than the likes of NordVPN with over 7,000. Mullvad’s servers are all real, not virtual, servers though. Connection speeds are impressive. Mullvad is a fantastic VPN service that’s about as privacy-minded as can be. It might not have the most servers, but that’s a small price to pay for the service on offer. Sign up to Mullvad here. Read our full Mullvad review 7. Hide.me Pros Free tier Streaming-focused servers included Advanced features Cons Fewer servers than other options Price When Reviewed: From $2.49 per month for two years (+4 months extra) Best Prices Today: Retailer Price Hide.Me (Monthly) $2.49 View Deal Price comparison from over 24,000 stores worldwide Product Price Price comparison from Backmarket 2,600+ servers in 90 countries 10 simultaneous connections Hide Me is a versatile VPN with a free plan (though limited). It unblocks Netflix libraries globally and keeps data secure. Hide Me is available on various devices, with native apps for Windows, Mac, iPad, Android, and iOS. The Mac app has a main window and a Menu bar icon for quick access. The initial setup is straightforward, focusing on quick app usage. Want to quickly connect to a server? Open it and click the Enable VPN button. It’s great to see 10 simultaneous connections available, so one plan can cover a family’s devices. You can choose where you’re connecting from a list of locations or a list of streaming-friendly options. While it offers advanced features like Split Tunnelling and multi-hop servers, these are easily accessible. Split-tunnelling lets you send traffic via the VPN on a per-app basis, while a Kill Switch can stop all traffic when your VPN connection wavers. Multi-Hop connectivity is included in the price, which means your data bounces between servers, further hiding it and making it harder to trace, though it does slow down connectivity. OpenVPN is supported, as expected, but IKEv2, SoftEther, and SSTP are also available, so you can easily switch to an alternative protocol if needed. We found sub-10% download speed drops across multiple servers, making it one of the slicker VPNs we’ve tested. Geo-unblocking is great, as Hide Me switches your location to various streaming-friendly servers. Privacy-wise, Hide Me is an ‘Offshore VPN’ with its headquarters in Labuan, Malaysia, giving it anonymity from the Five Eyes intelligence coalition and other countries. The company has a strict no-logs policy, preventing it from keeping any data from users and their sessions.  There’s a free plan with basic features, but it lacks multihop functionality and streaming support. Easy to use, Hide Me is a great service with many features, such as split tunnelling and multihop connections, a device limit of 10 (double some rivals), and excellent streaming support. The only downside is the limited server count.  See full Hide.me pricing here Read our full hide.me VPN review 8. Private Internet Access Pros Lots of servers Fast WireGuard speeds Split tunneling works well Unblocks BBC iPlayer Cons Clunky Mac app Based within 14-eyes Price When Reviewed: From $2.19 a month for two years + 2 free months. Usually $11.99 a month. Unlimited devices. Best Prices Today: Retailer Price Private Internet Access (Monthly) $2.19 View Deal Price comparison from over 24,000 stores worldwide Product Price Price comparison from Backmarket 35,000+ servers, 91 countries Unlimited connections Private Internet Access (PIA) is a powerful VPN designed for savvy users, offering “power user” tools and features such as custom DNS, connection rules, split tunnelling, and more at a lower cost than many competitors. The PIA Mac app offers pretty much everything its Microsoft counterpart does.  The app can be used on any device and offers servers in 91 countries. In my testing, the “auto” setting did a good job of picking servers that balanced speed and privacy. The main window provides information on performance graphs, download and upload speeds, and quick settings for tools like Light Mode, Port Forwarding, and LAN connections. While you can use PIA for getting around geoblocked content on your streaming services, PIA is more privacy-focused than other VPNs, with features like the Advanced Kill Switch, Split Tunnelling, port forwarding, and Multi-Hop server obfuscation. PIA also offers customizable features like automation setup and DNS options.  Private Internet Access can’t beat the speeds of NordVPN and Surfshark, and its stablemate CyberGhost VPN offers more impressive speeds, but at the cost of some power features. In our testing, we saw a reasonable drop of around 8% on Mac while using the PIA VPN. Upload speeds dropped considerably– by around 25%, which may be an issue if you do a lot of uploading.  Its zero-log policy has been verified by Deloitte Audit Romania. Despite inconsistent speeds, Private Internet Access is a great VPN for all budgets with a wealth of features for privacy-inclined users. Subscribe to Private Internet Access here. Read our full Private Internet Access review 9. ClearVPN Pros Nice design. Great for getting around geo-blocks. Cons Lacks some features like split tunneling. Not the fastest. Price When Reviewed: Three day trial. Currently $44.99 a year, usually $119.88 a year ($9.99 a month). Best Prices Today: Retailer Price MacPaw (first year, 6 devices) $44.99 View Deal Price comparison from over 24,000 stores worldwide Product Price Price comparison from Backmarket More than 50 servers Six device limit MacPaw’s ClearVPN service is a VPN that lacks many more advanced features offered by its rivals, but on the other hand, it’s one of the easiest to use. With a nice UI and easy-to-use features it’s thoughtfully designed for VPN newcomers. It really is as simple as hitting a button to connect. In the settings are options to block ads, keep ClearVPN in the dock, and a Kill Switch so that you can cut traffic from your device if the connection to the VPN is broken. It’s all pretty basic stuff, but it’s offered in such an easy-to-use way that it’s hard not to appreciate the simplicity. There are also handy keyboard shortcuts to move around the app. There are more than 50 servers, which sounds like a lot, but it’s dwarfed rivals who have thousands of servers. That means your choices are limited, but at least ClearVPN lets you filter between Optimal Location or jumping straight to something like Disney Plus US or UK. One of the more common power user features for VPNs is split tunneling, which lets some traffic go through the VPN while some goes around it. That’s not supported here. Sadly, MacPaw’s VPN speeds also need some work. We saw considerable speed drops across multiple servers – even closer ones. We saw drops of around 20 to 30 percent in download speed, and around 50 percent for upload speed. It’s still fast enough to use Netflix, but it’s slower than the majority of alternatives out there. Most VPN companies use external auditors to verify that they’re not recording user or session data, but ClearVPN hasn’t undergone one at the time of writing. This shouldn’t mean anything untoward as the company is headquartered in Ukraine, which falls outside of various surveillance alliances, so it can’t be asked to share your data. ClearVPN is priced affordably, but prices and the deals on offer change all the time with VPNs. Look out for low monthly prices that don’t lock you in for too long. There’s a six-device limit. If you’re new to using a VPN service, ClearVPN makes a compelling case to be your first choice, and stress-free access to Netflix around the globe, it’s a great starter option. Still, the speed drop and lack of common features like split tunneling likely mean power users should look elsewhere. You can save money by paying for the first year up front, but you can also pay monthly. See full ClearVPN pricing here. Read our full ClearVPN review 10. PureVPN Pros Easy to use Works on multiple devices Additional power user features Cons Obtuse pricing model. Caused many websites to question whether we were “human” Price When Reviewed: From $1.49 per month ( + 3 months extra) Best Prices Today: Retailer Price PureVPN (Monthly for first year) $1.49 View Deal Price comparison from over 24,000 stores worldwide Product Price Price comparison from Backmarket 6,500 servers, 78 countries 10 simultaneous connections If you’re looking for a flexible VPN service that will get around geoblocking and is easy to use, PureVPN is well worth a look. The basic plan includes the VPN service and nothing more, but you can add a Password Manager and File Encryption tools in the Plus plan. The Max plan adds a Digital Privacy Manager that requests your records be scrubbed by data brokers, blocks web trackers, and recommends ways to maximize your privacy. Whichever plan you opt for you’ll be able to connect 10 devices at once. PureVPN will run on your iPhone, iPad, Mac and Apple TV, and is easy to use on each to let you connect to over six thousand servers. As far as getting around geo-blocks, we found PureVPN to be as easy as any other service to use. Select a location, load your streaming service or app of choice, and you’re off. PureVPN is registered in the British Virgin Islands, which is more privacy-friendly than Hong Kong where it operated previously. PureVPN offers one of the more impressive no-logging policies, with an ongoing “always-on” audit process whereby an auditor can request confirmation of that policy at any time. PureVPN has been winding down its virtual servers, of which it has less control. There are still 23 such servers, but PureVPN is transparent about which servers are virtual and which are physical – you can see a small ‘v’ next to each virtual server on the PureVPN website. At the time of writing PureVPN is offering more than a whopping 80% off its plans if you sign up for 24 months. Two years is a long time in the world of VPNs, but at least means the full monthly pricing won’t kick in twelve months time. See PureVPN offers here. Read our full PureVPN review 11. Malwarebytes Privacy VPN Pros Killswitch and other advanced features Decent speeds Cons Fewer servers than some rivals Inconsistent geoblocking Price When Reviewed: $39.99 a year for one device Best Prices Today: Retailer Price Malwarebytes (first year, 1 device) $39.99 View Deal Price comparison from over 24,000 stores worldwide Product Price Price comparison from Backmarket More than 245 servers 32 countries Malwarebytes is probably best known for antivirus software and advice (see our review of Malwarebytes Premium for Mac), but it also offers a standalone VPN service called Malwarebytes Privacy VPN. It’s an easy to use app with the right kind of privacy promises – as you’d expect. Malwarebytes Privacy VPN is easy to use and offers speeds that are better than many of its rivals for both downloads and uploads. It also has split-tunnelling via its ‘Connection rules’, and a Kill Switch to cut all traffic if the VPN drops out. There are some caveats — namely that it features fewer server locations than its rivals, and getting around geoblocks for different versions of streaming services can be a tad inconsistent. There’s no multi-hop server jumping, but the company does have a verified no-logs policy in place which means information isn’t held about a user’s activity. See full Maywarebytes pricing here Read our full Malwarebytes Privacy VPN review 12. CyberGhost Pros Simple to use Decent speeds Plenty of servers Cons Two-year plans are much cheaper Lacking some power user features Price When Reviewed: $2.19 a month for two years + 4 free months. Usually $12.99 a month. Best Prices Today: Retailer Price CyberGhost (Monthly) $2.19 View Deal Price comparison from over 24,000 stores worldwide Product Price Price comparison from Backmarket 11,000+ servers in 100 countries 7 simultaneous connections CyberGhost is a user-friendly app that connects to numerous servers worldwide, making it ideal for streaming Netflix from different countries and routing traffic away from untrustworthy open Wi-Fi networks.  It offers core features like kill switch support, split tunnelling, and no bandwidth restrictions. CyberGhost’s no-logging audit history is thorough, and there is a 45-day free trial available. CyberGhost apps can be downloaded for various platforms, including Chrome extension and game consoles (we tested on Mac and iPhone). The app offers a simple “click and go” connection process, with a list of server nations and multiple locations. Encryption is standard across servers, and split tunnelling prioritizes traffic where needed. An automated kill switch can cut connections if the VPN drops out, while ‘Block content’ blocks DNS domains for ads, trackers, and malware. The app does not offer anything like Proton VPN’s Secure Core or additional features like a Password Manager, but subscription tiers are based on adding a dedicated IP address. The VPN has over 9,000 servers located in over 100 countries, with plans to expand in South America and Asia in late 2023. CyberGhost VPN has an impressive no-logs policy, meaning no one can access records of your activity while connected to the VPN. The app does not offer the Dark Web monitor offered by NordVPN, but it does have an automated kill switch to cut connections if the VPN drops out. The DNS blocking feature is easy to use but doesn’t allow you to choose what to block. CyberGhost offers a compelling package with just one main plan and a 45-day money-back guarantee. It’s an excellent VPN for newcomers, with impressive audits, an array of servers, decent speeds, and easy-to-use apps. See CyberGhost pricing here. Read our full CyberGhost review 13. Norton Ultra VPN Pros Antivirus protections Cloud Backup and Password Manager Email tracking quarantine Cons Slower than rival VPNs Inflexible payment options Price When Reviewed: First year is from $39.99 Norton Secure VPN; $49.99 Norton Ultra VPN; $59.99 Norton Ultra VPN Plus. Renews at a higher price of $79.99/$109.99/$129.99. Best Prices Today: Retailer Price Norton (first year) $49.99 View Deal Price comparison from over 24,000 stores worldwide Product Price Price comparison from Backmarket Servers in 32 countries Norton has decades of experience protecting devices from cyber threats (read our review of Norton 360), but what or its VPN? Norton’s VPN plans are, outside of the basic tier, tied into its security software. It also comes with a password manager, dark web monitor, and cloud storage, but the VPN side of things is a little lacking. Perhaps it’s from testing so many of the best VPN services that we’ve grown used to a certain set of non-negotiables. Chief among them is browser extension options to allow for quick switching, but at the time of writing, there’s no such offering from Norton. Norton’s VPN does include plenty of accoutrements that other VPNs either don’t have or charge extra for. You can install the app on your iPhone, iPad, and Mac, and all three platforms have apps that work well and run nicely in the background. Norton offers Browser Protection, which scans sites as you browse. Norton also scans files before they land on your device. This worked well in testing, with barely added any additional time to the length of downloads. There’s a password manager, but it’s tied to the middle subscription tier and above. VPNs naturally decrease your internet speeds as your signal is fired across the globe, and Norton has servers in 32 countries – a steep drop from the 111 in NordVPN’s portfolio – but it does offer four protocols to choose from. IKEv2, OpenVPN and WireGuard are pretty commonly found across the board of rivals, but Norton has its own Mimic protocol which is intended to be ideal for unblocking international streaming services. Sadly, testing on a 70 Mbps connection saw a consistent speed drop-off. As for Mimic, Norton’s own VPN protocol, I was disappointed to find some international streaming services simply weren’t able to be unblocked with it. Norton clarified that Mimic is specifically designed for customers with special use cases who are unable to use WireGuard. We did have more luck with the more standardized protocols. VPNs worth their salt should always focus on privacy as their primary concern, and Norton does a good job, having undergone an audit from VerSprite, a security firm. It’s not a bad VPN, and if you’re looking for an option that packs a whole host of cyber-security tools into one easy-to-use package, it’s a great option. It’s disappointing that there is only a pay yearly option, where other VPNs have the option to pay monthly. Added to that is a steep jump in price for the second year.  See full Norton Ultra VPN pricing here Read our full Norton Ultra VPN review 14. VyprVPN Pros Fast WireGuard speeds Very easy to use Unblocks Netflix and BBC iPlayer Low starting price Cons Comparatively few servers Not clear which servers are virtual Patchy support experience Price When Reviewed: From $3 a month for two years. Usually $10 a month. Best Prices Today: Retailer Price VyprVPN (Monthly) $3 View Deal Price comparison from over 24,000 stores worldwide Product Price Price comparison from Backmarket 70 servers 5 simultaneous connection VyprVPN offers everything most people are looking for in a VPN, without needing to spend much money. You get fast WireGuard speeds, alongside separate protocols focused on reliability, anti-censorship and ease of use. It’s also excellent at unblocking geo-restricted content, whether that’s local versions of Netflix or BBC iPlayer & ITV Hub from outside the UK. Premium features such as split tunneling and a kill switch are here too, even if the latter can’t be customised.  VyprVPN’s no-logs policy has been independently audited, and the service adheres to a strict Privacy Policy from parent company Golden Frog. More than 700 servers in over 70 countries should be plenty for most people, although there’s often only one per country. It’s also not clear which of these are physical and virtual. Nonetheless, it’s still speedy, reliable and affordable. See full VyprVPN pricing here Read our full VyprVPN review How we test VPNs For each VPN service we review, we conduct tests at three different times of the day: morning, afternoon, and evening, using Ookla Speedtest. We start by measuring the speed of our unprotected internet connection before testing the upload/download speeds of the VPN service. These tests are conducted to servers located in North America, the UK, Europe, Oceana, and Asia over an ethernet connection with a service provision of 100Mbps. To test upload and download speeds, we close down all background internet processes on the Mac, using TripMode. The only traffic on the system able to upload or download any data is Ookla. We use this setup to ensure that the numbers that Ookla produced were not stymied by anything else that the computer may have been doing at the time. The speeds Ookla captured were then averaged, providing us with a final numeric score. We then use those scores to calculate a percentage of difference in speeds, which is what you’ll see in our reviews. Since internet speeds change constantly based on server load, how fast your connection is, and a gazillion other factors, we feel this provides a better picture of what you can expect from a service, on the whole, than merely quoting the exact upload/download speeds we encountered during testing. Speed isn’t the only quantifiable metric that we look at. The number of countries that a VPN offers servers in, total number of servers worldwide, and how much it’ll cost you to connect to those servers on a monthly or annual basis are also taken into consideration when recommending a VPN service to you. Additionally, we conduct hours of research into the VPN providers to find out who owns them, where they’re based, what they do with subscriber information, and whether the provider has a track record of questionable business practices. Why you can trust Macworld’s advice The team at Macworld has been testing Mac hardware, software, and services since the 1980s. We put every product through its paces using rigorous benchmarking and hands-on evaluation. We’d never recommend something we wouldn’t use ourselves. We conduct through testing of VPNs, focusing on the practicalities of device compatibility (iPad, iPhone, Apple TV, and Mac), the number of devices supported, geo-restrictions and ease of use. We also pay attention to security – and validate the privacy promises made by each VPN company. We use the software ourselves so our reviews are based on our own experience with the software and include our own insights and unbiassed opinions. Macworld’s VPN specialist Lloyd Coombes has made it his aim to assess every VPN going. What to look for in a VPN A clear privacy policy. A good VPN should offer an easy-to-understand privacy policy that outlines what, if any, information the company collects from its users. It’s important that this policy details what they do with this information. Some VPN providers, especially those that offer their services for free, sell their user information to advertisers and other interested parties, just like an ISP does. Choose a provider that offers a level of privacy that suits you. Know where the provider is based. Many countries have no laws demanding that VPN providers maintain logs of their users’ activity. This makes maintaining your privacy more assurable than it would be if you use a VPN located in a country that requires that user-activity records be maintained. Some companies, in an effort to make their network of servers look bigger or more varied than it actually is, spoof the locations of their servers. The more servers, the merrier. Choosing a VPN provider with a ton of servers around the world is important for a couple of reasons. First, having a multitude of servers to choose from means that you won’t be forced to connect to an overpopulated server where the data flows like mud. Second, having a wealth of servers to choose from both at home and internationally means more opportunities for spoofing your location, allowing you to hide where you are or access region-locked content with ease. Multiple payment options. It’s a vicious circle. Paying for a VPN with a credit card online before you have access to a VPN could allow your financial information to fall into the wrong hands. Look for providers that offer alternative payment options such as PayPal, Bitcoin, AliPay, or via the Mac App Store. An easy-to-use interface. It takes a lot of digital wizardry to connect to a VPN. Some people want to see how their VPN operates, behind the scenes. Using an open source VPN client like Tunnelblick is great for this. Most folks, however, just want their VPN to work with minimal frustration. Look for a VPN service that offers a Mac client with an easy-to-use interface. Protection for all of your devices. A good VPN service will offer licenses for multiple devices to protect your loved ones’ computers as well as your personal smartphone and tablet. To this end, before investing in a VPN subscription, make sure that it provides software clients for all of the devices you own. What to avoid when choosing a VPN The price of a VPN might look attractive, but the price can rise over time. Most VPNs will cost less than $3/£3 per month if you sign up for a one- or two-year deal. However, once the deal period ends the price often jumps significantly. By the time your deal is up you may not notice the extra cash leaving your bank account so our advice is to set a reminder to shop around a month before your subscription runs out so you can search for a better deal. Best Free VPNs for Mac You may be able to save money if you take a look at our round-up of VPN deals. But, if you were hoping to spend nothing, there are also a number of free VPNs available, just beware that some severely restrict which servers (and therefore countries) you can connect to and the amount of data you can download through those servers. Our recommendation is ProtonVPN, which has a free tier that may be sufficient for your needs. It’s important to read the terms and conditions before using a free VPN, as in rare cases they sell your data to third parties to offset the cost of you using it without paying. It’s a bigger problem on iPhones and Android where unscrupulous companies try to cash in on the VPN ‘gold rush’ and offer up poorly put together apps. Stick with our recommendations and you’ll be safe from these, though. FAQ 1. Do Macs have a built-in VPN? There is a big question. Do Mac users even need a VPN? Since Apple introduced iOS 15 and macOS Monterey in 2021 the company has offered a handy private relay service. iCloud Private Relay acts a bit like a VPN because it encrypts your web-browsing traffic and sends it through a relay to hide your location, IP, and any information about what you were browsing. iCloud Private Relay solves part of the problem that Mac users have used VPNs for in the past–it means that companies cannot build a clear picture of you on the web, thereby protecting your privacy. iCloud Private Relay has some disadvantages: it only works when you are using Safari, you have to be a subscriber to iCloud, and you can’t use it to pretend to be surfing from another country in order to access content that is locked to a particular region. Read more here: iCloud+ Private Relay explained. If you are a subscriber to iCloud, and only use Safari, then iCloud Private Relay will provide you with some anonymity when you are surfing the web. You may therefore be thinking that this means you don’t need a VPN to hide your location and identity. However, iCloud Private Relay does not allow you to choose an IP address or a region, and you won’t be able to make it look like you’re coming from another location. So you can’t watch geographically locked Netflix content, for example. 2. What is a VPN? VPN stands for virtual private network. If you’re not using a VPN, when your computer connects to the internet, it does so through the local gateway provided by your internet service provider (ISP). Doing this allows you to connect to all of the online services you use everyday. However, connecting this way also allows an ISP to know your physical location based on where you access the internet—be it at home, at work, in a cafe, or at a public Wi-Fi hotspot. This information is often sold to marketers and other parties interested in getting to know more about you and your browsing habits. Worse still, if you connect to the internet through an access point with weak security, such as at an airport, mall, or local library, hackers connected to the same network could intercept personal information like your social media passwords or banking credentials through what’s called a man-in-the-middle attack. A VPN service can help prevent all of that. A VPN creates an encrypted digital tunnel between your computer and the server of the VPN service you choose to use. Once this tunnel has been established, your web searches, the sites you access, and the information you submit online will be hidden from prying eyes. This means that your ISP can’t log or sell your information and hackers using the same network as you will find it difficult to initiate an attack on you. Almost no one will have any idea of what information you’re accessing. For our recommendations of Mac Antivirus Software that we have tested see: Best Antivirus for Mac 2024: Top Security Software Compared. VPN apps are very easy to install and use but for a step-by-step guide, read how to set up a VPN on a Mac. 3. What a VPN can’t do A VPN can’t protect you from viruses, malware, or ransomware attacks if you choose to download an infected file, or a visit site designed to inject your computer with malignant code. It won’t keep spoofed sites from stealing your personal information, if you happen to visit one. So, you’ll want to bone up on online security best practices. You should know that while using a VPN will allow you to anonymously engage in peer-to-peer file-sharing/torrenting, some service providers may cancel your VPN subscription or turn over your information to the authorities if they catch you trading copyrighted material with others. 4. Should you use a VPN? Is it legal? While accessing locked content is a bit of a gray area, due to licensing agreements, we don’t blame anyone who is desperate to watch the latest season of their favorite program when it airs in the U.S. rather than waiting for it to come to their country. Paying to watch a streaming service that’s not available in your country has to be less morally wrong than actual piracy! For more information on the legalities and whether it is safe to use a VPN read: Is a VPN safe for Mac? 5. What is the difference between a VPN and a Proxy? VPNs and proxies can both mask your IP address and bypass geo-restrictions, but they differ significantly in their scope, security features, and the level of privacy provided. For example, VPNs offer encryption between your device and the VPN server, while a proxy server is likely to forward unencrypted data. VPNs also offer a broader range of security and privacy benefits beyond just IP masking. VPNs will function on the operating system level while proxies only conceal your IP address for certain applications, such as a web browser. 6. Are VPNs safe to use Reputable providers of VPNs that prioritize user privacy through features like no-log policies and strong encryption. Users should exercise caution with unknown free VPNs, as some may compromise data security 7. Can a VPN help me access Netflix and other streaming services? VPNs (Virtual Private Networks) can be a valuable tool for accessing Netflix and other streaming services that are geographically restricted, enabling access to content libraries that would otherwise be unavailable. However, streaming services are constantly working to detect and block VPN usage. 8. Will a VPN slow down my internet Because a VPN encrypts data and routes it through external servers, there can be a degree of internet speed reduction. The extent of this will depend on your location, your internet speed, and the choice of VPN server. 9. Should I use a free VPN Free is appealing, but it is important to exercise caution. Some free VPNs have security vulnerabilities and even contain malware. They may also capture your activities. Other disadvantages include data caps, less encryption, and fewer servers on offer. We do recommend Proton VPN because it’s free-tier combines with a strong privacy track record. 10. Can a VPN really hide my address? VPNs are effective in obscuring a user’s location and online activities from various entities, but they do not offer absolute anonymity. While it’s not possible to completely hide your digital presence, a VPN provider with a strict “no-logs” policy will at least mean your traffic or online activity is not recorded.

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Give your devices tons of breathing room with this 10TB lifetime cloud upgrade for $279.97
Macworld TL;DR: Lock in 10TB of lifetime cloud storage before discounted codes sell out! Pay $279.97 once and never worry about renewals again. Black Friday came, went, and probably left your inbox in shambles, but don’t worry — you didn’t miss every great deal. Internxt is still offering a deep discount on lifetime cloud storage, and it’s exactly the kind of tech upgrade that’s worth grabbing after the rush. The 10TB plan is perfect for most users who never want to run out of space, and it’s 90% off right now for $279.97 until December 21. (2TB-100TB plans are also available!) For Apple users who care about privacy as much as convenience, Internxt checks all the boxes. It’s built around end-to-end encryption, zero-knowledge storage, and 100% open-source transparency, meaning your files stay yours — not scanned, not analyzed, not viewed. And because the cloud storage works on macOS, iOS, Windows, Android, Linux, and any browser, you can keep your files synced across every device you rely on. Upload photos, back up projects, move documents between your Mac and iPhone, or share files securely with just a few clicks. Internxt even includes post-quantum encryption to protect against future-proof hacking. Get your Internxt lifetime cloud storage now for $279.97 through December 21 (MSRP $2,900). No coupon is needed. Internxt Cloud Storage Lifetime Subscription: 10TB PlanSee Deal StackSocial prices subject to change.

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iPhone 18 Pro may bring a stealthy Face ID redesign
A new report hints at under-display Face ID for the iPhone 18 Pro, alongside an upgraded rear camera hardware with variable aperture. (via Cult of Mac - Your source for the latest Apple news, rumors, analysis, reviews, how-tos and deals.)

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How to stop your iPhone alarm from going off without sound in iOS 26
A resurfacing iPhone bug is leaving alarms technically "on" but functionally silent, catching users off guard at the worst possible time. Here's how you can (usually) avoid the same fate.iPhone alarm bug resurfaces with silent alarmsImagine if you will a familiar scene: it's late, you're tired, and so you head to bed. You throw your iPhone on your nightstand, pull the covers up, and fall asleep.The next morning, where there should be sound, there's only silence. You check your phone and realize you're now running late. Continue Reading on AppleInsider | Discuss on our Forums

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Apple in early talks to assemble and package iPhone chips in India: report
Apple is reportedly in exploratory conversations with at least one partner to potentially handle iPhone chip assembly and packaging in India for the first time. Here are the details. more…

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Apple has made it much easier to replace the battery in a 14-inch MacBook Pro
On Tuesday, Apple acknowledged the 14-inch MacBook Pro with M5 has an easier-to-remove battery, added the battery to the Self Service Repair Store, and introduced a manual for the process.Replacing the MacBook Pro battery is easier. Image source: AppleApple's commitment to improving reparability of its various devices has shown amid increased regulatory pressure and user demands in recent years. The Self Service Repair Program isn't exactly the most accessible or affordable, but it exists for more enterprising users.While tear downs already revealed that the 14-inch MacBook Pro with M5 doesn't require users to remove the trackpad to remove the battery, Apple has officially acknowledged it. The Self Service Repair Store now offers the necessary parts and tools to perform the task, and a manual was also made available. Continue Reading on AppleInsider | Discuss on our Forums

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The best ways to upgrade a Mac setup: Gift guide
Optimizing and perfecting my Mac setup is one of my favorite things to do. I love my M4 MacBook Pro, and surrounding it with accessories that improve my productivity is key to my workflow. If you’re shopping for a Mac user this holiday season, here are some things they will love. In fact, almost all of these products are on my desk as I write this story. more…

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New Apple repair process allows battery-only replacements on the M5 14-inch MacBook Pro
Apple has simplified the battery replacement process and is selling the battery through its Self Service Repair Store, complete with an updated step-by-step guide. Here are the details. more…

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Perplexity’s revamped iPad app doubles down on research tools and a more native experience
The AI-powered answer engine startup has rebuilt its iPad app, in an attempt to broaden its appeal to students and professionals who rely on the iPad for their daily tasks. Here are the details. more…

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Apple’s folding iPhone: Everything we know so far
Macworld We’ve been reporting on the supposedly imminent launch of a foldable iPhone for years. There have been strong and reliable rumors of a foldable iPhone being just two years away, dating as far back as 2018, at least. Back then, reliable reports from the likes of CNBC said Apple was going to have a folding iPhone on the market in 2020. That became 2021, 2022, 2024, 2025… and now it’s expected to land in 2026 at the earliest. So, while the rumors and reports from parts suppliers and analysts are heating up and seem to be more solid than ever, we would advise even more caution and skepticism than usual with Apple speculation. With that said, here’s what current rumors suggest about the release of a folding iPhone. Update December 12, 2025: A new report from The Information says the iPhone fold will have an inside display of 7.7 inches and an outer display of 5.3 inches. Folding iPhone: What will it be called? Many fans and pundits have got into the habit of referring to the rumored device as the iFold, which has at least the advantage of brevity. But there doesn’t seem to be any reason to believe this will be the official title. A more plausible theory, proposed by a UDN report in November 2025, is that it will be called the iPhone Fold. @macworld.com i-P-h-o-l-d #iphonefold ♬ original sound – Macworld – Macworld Folding iPhone: Release date According to a series of reports, the major design and specs of Apple’s first folding phone were due to be finalized in the middle of 2025, with production targeted for late 2026. That would mean a launch in late 2026 or early 2027. So far, this timeline has been suggested by several sources in 2024 and 2025, including The Information, The Wall Street Journal, and analysts Ming-Chi Kuo and Mark Gurman. A November 2025 report citing supply-chain sources also supported this timeline, claiming the iPhone Fold was about to enter mass production and was on track for a launch in 2026. The phone is expected to be complex and expensive to manufacture, so production volume will likely be very limited at first. A second model in late 2027 should see higher production numbers. Gurman reported in July 2025 that Apple will focus on features for the folding iPhone in iOS 27, which will be released in the fall of 2026. In a report by ChosunBiz in South Korea, Samsung Display president Lee Cheong announced that it is making “preparations for mass production of OLED for foldable phones to be supplied to a North American client.” Later on in the article, the reporter states that “Samsung Display is known to be the exclusive supplier of OLED to be installed in Apple’s foldable phone to be released next year.” Folding iPhone: Design In 2024, The Information reported that Apple had made a couple of prototype “clamshell” flip-phone designs, where the top and bottom of the phone fold to meet. More recent rumors in 2025 from Digital Chat Station on Weibo and analyst Ming-Chi Kuo suggest a “book” style fold, with a vertical fold as the left and right sides come together. This is a similar style to the Google Pixel 9 Pro Fold and Samsung Galaxy Z Fold. The folding iPhone could be a similar size to the Pixel 9 Pro Fold.Luke Baker The hinge is expected to be one of its most unique features. Some reports have suggested it will be made of a titanium alloy, while analyst Ming-Chi Kuo reported in March 2025 that Apple is exploring the use of LiquidMetal for “durability, enhancing screen flatness, and minimizing crease marks” in the screen. Apple has received several patents for hinge designs, and it’s unclear which the company will use in the final design. On July 14, Kuo reported that Apple had figured out how to get rid of the fold crease by using metal plates to help “distribute and control bending stress.” Folding iPhone: Size and dimensions Ming-Chi Kuo has also reported on the folding iPhone’s set of proposed design details. He says the book-style iPhone will have a 7.8-inch inside display when unfolded, and a 5.5-inch outer display. Kuo says Apple won’t be satisfied until the phone’s display is completely crease-free when opened. In July, TrendForce made the same prediction, reporting that the folding iPhone would feature a 7.8-inch internal and 5.5-inch external display. A later report from The Information put the screen sizes at 7.7 inches inside and 5.3 inches outside. The folding phone is said to be at most 9.5mm thick when folded and 4.5mm when unfolded. For comparison, an iPhone 16 Pro Max is 8.5mm thick, and the thinnest iPhone of all time is the iPhone Air at 5.6mm. Folding iPhone: Specs and features We don’t know what processor the folding iPhone will contain, but if it launches in 2026 as rumored, it will probably feature an A20 or A20 Pro—some variant of the processor found in the iPhone 18. We expect most iPhones to use Apple’s own cellular modem and Wi-Fi/Bluetooth chips by that time as well. They may even be integrated into the main system-on-chip. The folding iPhone will reportedly have a Touch ID-enabled power button rather than Face ID.IDG Due to the very thin nature of the foldable iPhone, and the need for different front-facing cameras when folded up or unfolded, it will reportedly lack Face ID. Instead, Touch ID will be incorporated into the side button much as it is on the iPad Air’s power button. There will reportedly be two rear cameras (likely a standard wide and ultrawide) and two front-facing cameras, one for when the iPhone is closed and one for when it’s open. Folding iPhone: Price Expect the folding iPhone to be a very high-end, ultra-premium model. The very first release is said to cost $2,000 or more… maybe even as much as $2,399, more than twice the highest-end iPhone Pro Max. That’s the latest prediction from analyst Arthur Liao, who bases his eye-watering estimate on material costs (particularly the panel and hinge) and Apple’s high-margin business model.

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iOS 26.2 will turn on automatic updates if you’re not careful
Macworld Apple really wants you to enable automatic updates for your iPhone. So much so that they’re employing a sketchy dark pattern in the iOS 26.2 update to trick you into turning it on. If you have automatic updates turned off you’ll see the above screen after updating to iOS 26.2. If you don’t read it carefully, you won’t notice that the blue button simply labeled “Continue” will actually enable automatic updates. You can always go turn it back off in Settings, but Apple is enabling it by default and giving you a deceptive “Continue” button instead of making it clear that it wants to make a change. You need to tap the clearly-not-default “Only Download Automatically” button if you want to continue manually installing iOS at your leisure. Apple could have made the buttons look the same so one is not visibly preferred over the other. Or they could have changed the label to “Enable Automatic Updates and Continue.” As designed, this is a deliberate attempt to use interface design conventions to push users into making a choice they otherwise wouldn’t necessarily make–a concept known as “dark patterns.” If you already updated to iOS 26.2 and missed this screen, or tapped Continue without realizing it, you can turn Automatic Updates off, should you desire, in Settings > General > Software Update.

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Apple Music renames ‘Favorites Mix’ playlist to ‘Your Essentials’
If you woke up today eagerly looking for the weekly refresh of your “Favorites Mix” in Apple Music, you were probably disappointed when you couldn’t find it. However, it turns out Apple is just rebranding the “Favorites Mix.” It’s now simply called “Your Essentials” in your Apple Music library. more…

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