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- Monday December 15
- 03:33 pmUK wants Apple and Google to block nude photos unless your age is verified
The UK will soon propose OS-level iPhone age verification to block nude images, aiming to protect children from online explicit content. (via Cult of Mac - Your source for the latest Apple news, rumors, analysis, reviews, how-tos and deals.)03:29 pmHoliday stocking stuffer special: Get 4 AirTags for $69.99 (30% off)
Amazon continues to launch last-minute Apple deals in a bid for your business, with today's AirTag discount knocking 30% off the 4-pack.Grab a holiday special on AirTags at Amazon, with the 4-pack $69.99 - Image credit: Apple, AmazonThe $69.99 price on a 4-pack of Apple AirTags is especially attractive, as it delivers a $30 discount off retail during the busy holiday travel season.Buy AirTag 4-pack for $69.99 Continue Reading on AppleInsider | Discuss on our Forums03:29 pmiRobot files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy after increased competition & tariff woes
Roomba maker iRobot has filed for bankruptcy protection and will change its ownership, but your robot vacuum cleaners will probably be fine.iRobot's Roomba, which will still work for a while at least. On Sunday, iRobot confirmed that it had commenced a pre-packaged Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection process. After warning its cash balance was running close to empty, it inevitably ran out, and has to fight for its survival.The third-quarter financial results in November confirmed the company was in trouble, with it having less than $25 million in cash and equivalents, as well as an almost $50 million drop in quarterly revenue. Continue Reading on AppleInsider | Discuss on our Forums03:18 pmvisionOS 26.2 adds big change for using Apple Vision Pro on the go
Last week Apple released feature-packed updates like iOS 26.2, iPadOS 26.2, and more. New features for visionOS 26.2 appeared minimal during the beta process, but it turns out, the update actually brought a big upgrade for using Apple Vision Pro on the go. more…03:14 pmSteve Wozniak’s quirky 30-year tradition: Paying with his own custom $2 bills
Apple co-founder Steve "Woz" Wozniak, known for his inventive spirit and playful pranks, has maintained a delightfully eccentric habit… The post appeared first on MacDailyNews.03:07 pmJason Johnson discusses his new startup, Doma Home on HomeKit Insider
On this week's episode of the HomeKit Insider podcast, August co-founder Jason Johnson joins to talk about his new startup.HomeKit Insider PodcastGuest this week on the podcast is Jason Johnson. He's most known for co-founding the August smart security company with famed designer Yves Behar.August helped Apple create the lock spec for what was then HomeKit. Eventually, August was purchased by Yale/Assa Abloy, where Johnson assisted in moving August software onto millions of Yale locks globally. Continue Reading on AppleInsider | Discuss on our Forums02:55 pmPSA: It’s not just you, Spotify is down
If Spotify is down for you this morning, you’re not alone. The streaming music service has a bit of the Monday blues. Spotify has confirmed that it is aware of problem affecting the service today and is investigating. more…02:39 pmApple Car Key support appears imminent for Toyota vehicles
Apple appears to be preparing Apple Car Key support for Toyota vehicles, based on evidence found in Apple's backend systems.It's not clear yet which Toyota models will support Apple Car KeyToyota might soon let drivers unlock and start compatible vehicles with an iPhone or Apple Watch. The company hasn't made a public announcement yet, though.Apple Car Key, introduced in 2022, stores a digital car key in the Wallet app. It uses NFC to communicate with supported vehicles. Continue Reading on AppleInsider | Discuss on our Forums02:33 pmiOS 26.2’s Home app has a new upgrade for adding accessories
Apple is rumored to launch five new Home products in the year ahead, and ahead of that renewed smart home push, iOS 26.2 has just added a key enhancement to make adding new accessories easier. more…02:10 pmNemotron 3: Nvidia’s Open-Weight Engine for the Next AI Wave
Nemotron 3 shows how Nvidia is using open models, tooling, and data to turn raw compute into deployable intelligence and reinforce its full-stack AI strategy. The post appeared first on TechNewsWorld.02:03 pm‘Pluribus’ is the most-watched show in Apple TV history
“Pluribus” is an original series in which the most miserable person on Earth must save the world from viral happiness. Rhea Seehorn stars… The post appeared first on MacDailyNews.01:50 pmUK wants iPhones to require age verification for any nude images
After it blocked adult sites, the UK government is reportedly about to ask Apple and Google to prevent any explicit images without device age verification.UK ParliamentIt is already possible for parents to safeguard their children by restricting their access to age-inappropriate material on iPhone. But now according to the Financial Times, the UK wants smartphone users to have to verify their age in just the same way it now requires verification for adult websites.If the report is correct, the aim would be to encourage Apple and Google to do this, rather than directly require it. Reportedly, the UK government considered mandating nudity-detecting algorithms, but for now is going to ask the companies to consider it. Continue Reading on AppleInsider | Discuss on our Forums01:43 pmToyota reportedly working on car key support in Apple Wallet
One of the world’s largest automakers is preparing support for Apple’s car key platform. A new report today says that Apple’s “backend has been updated to include Toyota in the list of companies that support Apple car key.” more…01:43 pmAll-screen display for 20th anniversary iPhone gets closer to production
Apple's 20th anniversary iPhone will have a bezel-less design thanks to a four-sided bending OLED panel, with LG Display pushing to perfect manufacturing processes for the 2027 model.The 20th anniversary iPhone could lose the bezels completely, and look very different to current designsThe 2027 update to the iPhone will mark its 20th anniversary, and will be a big deal for Apple to celebrate. That means creating a model with a stand-out design, which is widely believed to be bezel-free.According to industry sources of DealSite, while Apple is working with both LG Display and Samsung Display on the screen, LG Display is actively pursuing orders for equipment to manufacture it. By contrast, Samsung Display is said to be a bit more cautious on the matter. Rumor Score: 🤔 Possible Continue Reading on AppleInsider | Discuss on our Forums01:41 pmKindle Ask this Book AI-powered feature launches in iOS app
If you’ve ever resumed reading a book after a break and can’t remember who one of the characters is or what happened in the last section you read, or you simply don’t understand the significance of one of the plot developments, a new Kindle Ask This Book feature is here to help … more…01:20 pmFacebook Messenger for macOS departs the desktop
The Facebook Messenger desktop app for macOS is being axed on December 15, forcing Mac users into using the web version, for better or worse.Facebook Messenger's shutting down on macOS, but you can still use it elsewhere. On October 15, Facebook revealed it was killing off support for its desktop Messenger apps, both for Mac and Windows. It gave a 60-day warning that the app would be no more, with it ceasing to work on December 15.At the time, Facebook had already pulled the app from the Mac App Store, preventing new downloads while still allowing existing installations to work. Continue Reading on AppleInsider | Discuss on our Forums01:00 pmRob Enderle’s 2025 Tech Product of the Year
2025 delivered real-world technology that finally lived up to the promise of intelligent systems. Rob Enderle reveals the product that stood above the rest. The post appeared first on TechNewsWorld.12:56 pmPSA: Better mobile carrier deals may be yours for the asking
Competition between mobile carriers is now so intense that they are not only trying hard to poach customers from each other, but even fighting legal battles over their tactics. AT&T has sued T-Mobile over its EasySwitch tool, intended to allow customers to compare rates and receive a personalized deal from the self-proclaimed “uncarrier” … more…12:39 pmiPhone System Data and Other storage: What is it and how to get rid of it
Macworld I’m sure this sounds familiar: You’re trying to install the latest iOS release, upgrade to a new iPhone, take photos or record video, or just download that cool app everyone’s talking about, and your iPhone says the storage is full. You’ve already deleted every app you don’t think you need, and there’s still not enough space on your iPhone. So you open Settings, tap General, then iPhone Storage, and, sure enough, your iPhone is full. Worst of all, a huge chunk of it is just listed as Other (renamed System Data in iOS 15). What’s that supposed to mean? How do you get rid of it? The System Data/Other storage sections are mysterious and confusing, and there’s no one answer that works for everyone, but hopefully, this guide will help you deal with this problem. Latest iPhone release: iPhone 16e (March 2025), iPhone 17, iPhone Air, iPhone 17 Pro and 17 Pro Max (September 2025) Latest iOS release: iOS 26.2 (December 2025) Latest iOS beta: N/A How to view your iPhone storage To see how much storage all your apps and data are taking up on your iPhone’s storage, open the Settings app, select General, then iPhone Storage. At the top, you’ll see a bar graph showing your total iPhone storage and which types of data are filling it up. Beneath that, you’ll find a list of applications on your phone and how much room they take up, both for the app itself and its stored data. It may take several seconds for your iPhone to show the graph, as it takes time to scan and analyze its storage. Even after the chart first appears, you’ll want to wait several seconds more for it to stabilize, as the app list and storage sizes can change while your phone completes its analysis. You’ll find your iPhone storage details a few layers deep in the Settings app. What is System Data (or Other) on iPhone? Your iPhone Storage menu will divide that bar up top into familiar categories like Apps, Media, Photos, and Mail, but also a System Data (iOS 15 and later) or Other category that is sometimes very large. It’s common for System Data to be in the 5GB to 20GB range, but if it’s way over 20GB, it has probably grown out of control. You can scroll all the way down to the bottom of the app list where you will see iOS, which are the files required by the system and are usually around 10GB, and System Data, which are files other than apps and downloads that are collected by iOS. Tap on System Data to see how much space it is taking up. The System Data/Other category is big and varied because it’s a real catch-all category. It comprises system caches, logs, Siri voices (if you’ve downloaded more than one), updates, and so much more. One of the biggest culprits for System Data/Other growing out of hand is streaming lots of music and video. When you download video or music from the iTunes Store, TV app, or Music app, it’s indexed as Media. But streams have caches used to ensure smooth playback, and those are categorized as System Data/Other. Safari’s caches can start to grow pretty large, too. And if you send tons of texts with images or video, the caches for that can start to fill up a lot of space. Your iPhone is supposed to manage these caches to keep your storage from becoming completely full, but it doesn’t always do a great job. Clearing your Safari data might reduce the size of Other. We discuss how to delete Other storage on a Mac and how to delete System Data on a Mac separate articles. How to reduce the size of System Data/Other on an iPhone You can’t get rid of System Data/Other entirely, but you can sometimes reduce its size. First, let’s try clearing your Safari caches. Open Settings > Safari and choose Clear History and Website Data. If you have a lot of Safari tabs open on your iPhone, you might want to close most of them, too. You might also want to change Messages to save fewer old messages. Open Settings, then Messages, and scroll down to the Message History setting. By default, Keep Messages is set to Forever, but you may want to change it to 1 Year or even 30 Days to reduce the data that the Messages app caches. Just beware that doing this will mean old messages will be deleted–so if you have any messages you want to keep find a way to back them up. If you’re a heavy texter, your Messages app might be filling up your storage with a lot of data. Finally, go back to iPhone Storage and look at the apps list. Most of the apps store data that is categorized as Apps, but some will keep caches that are categorized as System Data/Other. If, say, the Podcasts app is taking up a couple of gigabytes of space, it’s likely mostly cached data. Deleting the app and re-downloading it might put a dent in the System Data/Other category. How to free up space taken up by iOS While Apple lets you delete stock iOS apps that you don’t want to free up space, the system still takes up quite a bit of room, in some cases 25GB or more. However, if you’re running an iPhone 15 Pro or later and have Apple Intelligence enabled, it’s taking up more than 10GB of space. Simply turning it off will help you reclaim it. Head over to the Apple Intelligence & Siri tab in Settings and flip the toggle. The free space won’t show up in storage immediately, but the system will be able to use that space to install updates and apps. And you can always turn it back on later. The nuclear option: Backup and reset your iPhone You can go through your iPhone trying to delete every little cache that could grow the size of System Data/Other storage, but if you really want to make it as small as possible, you need to back up your phone and reset it. This can take a little while. The best way to do this is to use your Mac or PC. On a Mac running macOS 10.15 Catalina or later: First, connect your iPhone to your Mac with the bundled USB-C-to-Lightning cable. When prompted on your iPhone, tap “Trust” and enter your passcode. In the Finder sidebar on your Mac, select your iPhone under Locations. Click the General tab. Select “Back up all of the data on your iPhone to this Mac.” To encrypt your backup data and protect it with a password, check the “Encrypt local backup” box. Click Back Up Now. Note: You can also connect your iPhone to your computer wirelessly if you set up syncing over Wi-Fi. Foundry On a Mac running macOS 10.14 Mojave or earlier, or a PC On a PC or a Mac with macOS 10.14 or earlier you can use iTunes to back up your phone. After you connect your iPhone to your Mac or PC, select your iPhone by clicking the little phone icon in the upper left, and under Backups, choose “This Computer” and check the “Encrypt local backup” box to protect your backup with a password. Then click the button to Back up now. Reset and restore When the backup is done, disconnect your iPhone, head to Settings > General > Reset, and select Erase All Content and Settings. This will return your iPhone to its factory settings, just like when you took it out of the box. When it restarts and it’s in the initial setup process, re-connect it to your computer with iTunes open, and follow the instructions on the screen to restore your device. This is the longest and most involved way to reduce the size of System Data/Other storage, but it’s also the best. There’s just no way to get it any smaller than it will be after a fresh reset and restore. Apple iPhone 14 Plus Read our review Price When Reviewed: £699 (was £799) DISCONTINUED Best Prices Today: $729.99 at Best Buy Apple iPhone 14 Pro Read our review Price When Reviewed: Was $999 DISCONTINUED Best Prices Today: $449.96 at Walmart | $999 at Visible12:34 pmCan Apple really fix Siri, or is it too far gone?
Macworld Lots of exclusives on Macworld last week, as our tireless code-breaker Filipe Esposito turned up clues to a mystery Apple smart home accessory, HomePod mini and AirTag upgrades, a new display, and much more. All the secrets of the future were laid bare. But the Esposito scoop that caught my eye concerned a rather older story. Siri, poor hapless Siri, has been the laughing stock of voice assistants for years. Some of the time it fails to hear you; other times it dives unwanted into the conversation even though nobody mentioned its name. (Surprisingly often this is triggered by dialogue on Apple TV shows; you’d think they’d check for that sort of thing.) It mishears the name of songs to an almost comical extent, it refuses to do what it’s told, and it behaves constantly with the infuriating confidence of the very stupid. Given that Siri is baked into pretty much every Apple product, you’d think that fixing it would be a top priority. Sure enough, back in June 2024, Apple announced that it was going to release a new enhanced version of Siri, powered by AI, to address all these problems. Although, of course, Apple didn’t actually acknowledge the problems, instead using vaguely positive phraseology about becoming “more natural, more contextually relevant, and more personal.” Eagle-eyed readers will have noticed that enhanced Siri still hasn’t arrived, a mere 18 months on; there are no signs of it becoming more natural, it remains blithely irrelevant, and the only personal thing about it is my choice of language when it gets a simple command wrong yet again. So it was… I won’t say pleasing, but I will say interesting to hear last week that it’s now looking likely to land in spring 2026 alongside the so-called HomePad. Which is better than nothing, as they say; at least the project hasn’t been completely cancelled, like AirPower or the slimmer and lighter version of Vision Pro. But another phrase that springs to mind is “Too little, too late.” Most obviously, Apple has squandered a great deal of trust and goodwill over the past couple of years by promising things that aren’t ready (and which may never have existed at all) and then failing to deliver them. Trust in a tech company’s honesty and competence is a vital asset. Do you trust Apple to provide worthwhile software updates for the life of your products, and to safeguard your security and privacy? If there’s a bug on your Mac, do you trust Apple to patch it in a timely fashion? Probably less so than was the case five years ago. It might seem entitled and fanboyish to take it personally when a corporation fails to launch an expected product. But in this case, it is personal: Siri’s performance, and Apple’s continued failure to address that performance, affects our daily experience with the iPhone, the Mac, the Apple Watch, and of course the HomePod. Siri 2.0 isn’t a new product we’ve been having to wait for, but a needed fix for the products we already have. And anyone who stayed inside Apple’s walled garden in hopes of the voice assistant getting better was kept there under false pretences. It all could have been so much better. Siri should be the user’s entry point to the Apple ecosystem, and the culmination of the company’s intuitive philosophy. No matter which device you’re using, no matter the operating system or the app, you simply say out loud what you want to happen. What could be more user-friendly? Almost anything, it turns out. For years now, customers have been trained to regard their Apple products with suspicion. If I use this device in the way that is theoretically the most convenient, they quickly come to understand, there is a good chance it will go wrong. Which is hardly the message Apple wants to send. And while spring could represent a new beginning for the beleaguered voice assistant, it will also mark the start of a very long and difficult process of reputational recovery. Foundry Welcome to our weekly Apple Breakfast column, which includes all the Apple news you missed last week in a handy bite-sized roundup. We call it Apple Breakfast because we think it goes great with a Monday morning cup of coffee or tea, but it’s cool if you want to give it a read during lunch or dinner hours too. Trending: Top stories Alex Blake reveals 8 Mac settings and features you’re not using but should. This test shows how bad Apple Intelligence is—and how much better it’s going to get. Hallelujah! Easier switching between iPhone and Android is on the way soon. Mahmoud Itani reveals 6 innovations in 2025 that prove Apple still has what it takes. How Matter has finally given Apple a path out of the HomeKit mess. Apple is facing its ‘biggest personnel shake-up in decades.’ But with numerous execs departing, the Macalope says good riddance. Podcast of the week What’s going on with Apple management? How will the changes affect the company? That’s all in the latest episode of the Macworld Podcast. You can catch every episode on YouTube, Spotify, Soundcloud, the Podcasts app, or our own site. Reviews corner Apple Preview: A near-perfect PDF reader with limited editing tools. Rolling Square TAU 2: A keyring-sized mini power bank. TP-Link BE3600 Wi-Fi 7: Versatile, portable Wi-Fi router. Journey ARIA 3-in-1: Chic, lightweight magnetic travel charger. The rumor mill Apple’s next HomePod mini and AirTag upgrades surface in leaked internal code. Internal Apple code hints improved Siri will land next spring with ‘HomePad’ hub. Leaked code spills details of mystery Apple smart home accessory. Code leak reveals A19 iPad, M4 Air with Apple’s N1 chip likely coming soon. Video of the week What will be Tim Cook’s legacy? We discuss the possibilities in our latest short. Enjoy our video on TikTok or Instagram. @macworld.com What will be Tim Cook’s legacy? #apple ♬ original sound – Macworld – Macworld Software updates, bugs, and problems CarPlay is getting even better with these new iOS 26.2 features. iPhone 16e named ‘Bust of the Year’ (not in a good way) in MKBHD smartphone awards. Mystery solved: Here’s how to tell when your AirPods are updating. And with that, we’re done for this week’s Apple Breakfast. If you’d like to get regular roundups, sign up for our newsletters, including our new email from The Macalope–an irreverent, humorous take on the latest news and rumors from a half-man, half-mythical Mac beast. You can also follow us on Facebook, Threads, Bluesky, or X for discussion of breaking Apple news stories. See you next Monday, and stay Appley.