Apple TV has long-delayed thriller series returning very soon
Tehran is one of Apple TV’s longest running thriller series, but you may have never heard of it because for years, the new season’s release has been delayed. Today though, Apple announced that Tehran season 3 is finally premiering next month, and there’s even a season 4 on the way. more…

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Apple cuts Night mode Portraits on iPhone 17 Pro as users look for answers
Apple removed Night mode Portraits from the iPhone 17 Pro, and while a vocal minority of users are frustrated, others never noticed the feature was gone.iPhone 17 ProCuriosity around the camera change has grown because the update landed without an explanation from Apple. Owners trying the new phones are only learning about the limitation through testing, comparisons, and scattered reports rather than official guidance.Many users remain unaffected because their shooting habits never relied on the old workflow. For years, LiDAR-equipped iPhones let people blend Night mode and Portrait mode to brighten dark scenes while still blurring the background. Continue Reading on AppleInsider | Discuss on our Forums

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Apple unveils the winners of the 2025 App Store Awards
Apple on Thursday announced the winners of the 2025 App Store Awards, recognizing 17 apps and games for their technical… The post appeared first on MacDailyNews.

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This is how long Apple supports iPhones for
Macworld If you are thinking of buying an older generation or used/refurbished iPhone, or wondering whether it’s worth upgrading your current iPhone to a new one, one important factor to consider is how long Apple will continue to offer support for that handset. The good news is that Apple supports iPhones for a long time. In general, you can get seven to eight years of security-related software updates, while battery and other repairs are often available on five to seven-year-old handsets, according to Apple’s own Vintage and Obsolete categorizations. More on that below. Read on to find out which iPhones are supported with the latest operating systems, and which are supported for servicing and repairs. Macworld’s advice: The iPhone XS and iPhone 11, and any older iPhone should be avoided as can’t run the 2025 iOS update: iOS 26. How long does Apple support iOS? As a general rule, Apple doesn’t guarantee that an iOS update will support devices for a particular length of time. However, buyers can expect at least five years of iOS updates, though Apple regularly goes beyond that. With the arrival of iOS 26 the list of supported iPhones changed again. The iPhone XS and XR, which were introduced in 2018, will not be able to install iOS 26. That doesn’t mean that those iPhones will no longer be supported by Apple though. From time to time, Apple issues important security updates for the current version of iOS as well as some preceding versions. For this reason, Apple will continue to provide security updates for iPhones running iOS 18. In this case it is unlikely that Apple will issue updates to iOS 17 because when iOS 18 arrived in late 2024 it was compatible with the same iPhones as iOS 17 had been (the iPhone XS onwards) Apple may also end support for iOS 17 in favour of iOS 18.. The last update to iOS 17 was 17.7.2 in November 2024. We don’t expect that Apple will continue to support iOS 16 or earlier, but a security update to iOS 16 (iOS 16.7.12) and iOS 15 (iOS 15.8.5) was issued on September 15, 2025, the same day as iOS 26 arrived, so it is possible that Apple will continue to support those versions for a little while longer. While iOS 15 is supported even the 2014 iPhone 6s gets security updates. So that’s more than a decade of support! You should be very cautious if using an iPhone that won’t receive these security fixes for what could be dangerous vulnerabilities. Since we can only guarantee that iOS 18 support will continue we would recommend that you should replace your iPhone if it can’t run iOS 18, which includes the iPhones X, 8 and 8 Plus and iPhones 7, 6S, 6S Plus and the 1st gen SE. Which iPhones run each version of iOS? The chart below shows each version of iOS and the iPhones it ran on. As you can see, in recent years support for new iOS versions has stretched back for around six years, while, if you include the versions that Apple supports with security updates, the cover goes back a further year. Find your iPhone here and check which versions of iOS it can run.Foundry iPhone OS history The first iPhone, which launched in 2007, was able to run iPhone OS 3, which was supported by Apple up until 2010. The iPhone is considered obsolete by Apple. The iPhone 3G, which launched in 2008, was able to run iOS 4.0, which was itself supported until 2011. The iPhone 3G and iPhone 3GS are considered obsolete by Apple. The length of support increased with the launch of the iPhone 4s in 2011. That phone was able to run operating systems all the way up to iOS 9. Apple was still supporting iOS 9 in 2019 when it issued a GPS-related update that July. The iPhones 4 and 4s are considered obsolete by Apple. The iPhone 5c runs iOS 10, which also received the GPS-related update in July 2019. The iPhones 5 and 5c are considered obsolete by Apple. The iPhone 5s and iPhone 6 both run iOS 12, for which Apple issued a security update in January 2023. This update was issued for those few devices that don’t support iOS 15. Apple is unlikely to continue support for iOS 12. These phones are considered vintage by Apple. iOS 15, which arrived in September 2021, supports all iPhones from iPhone 6s onwards, just as with iOS 14 and iOS 13. Both iOS 14 and 13 are considered obsolete by Apple because the same phones can run iOS 15. The iPhone 6s is already considered ‘vintage’ by Apple. iOS 16, which arrived in September 2022 runs on all iPhones from the iPhone 8 onwards – but do note that not all features are available on the older handsets. iOS 17 arrived in September 2023 and runs on all iPhones from the iPhone XS onwards – meaning the iPhone X and iPhone 8 are stuck with iOS 16. iOS 18 arrived on September 16, 2024, and, like iOS 17, runs on all iPhones from the iPhone XS onwards. (The same phones as iOS 17). iOS 26 arrived in September 2025 and will run on all iPhones from the iPhone 11 onwards. Leaving the iPhone Xs and iPhone XR unable to update. What is the oldest iPhone still supported by Apple? iPhone 6S is the oldest iPhone supported with security updates because it runs iOS 15, which was last updated in August 2025. But Apple is unlikely to support iOS 15 for much longer and in terms of hardware support, the iPhone 6S is already considered obsolete by Apple. At the time of writing, the oldest version of iOS supported with security updates is iOS 15, thanks to the iOS 15 update in August 2025, that means the oldest iPhones ‘supported’ by Apple is the iPhone 6s. However, that handset is already considered obsolete by Apple. Now that iOS 25 has arrived we expect that Apple will stop support for iOS 16 and iOS 15, which means the iPhone 8 and iPhone X will no longer receive emergency software updates. What that happens the oldest iPhone still supported with security updates would be the iPhone XS, which is already on Apple’s vintage list. iPhones to avoid We don’t recommend the following iPhone models because they no longer receive regular updates, though some models may occasionally get a critical security update: iPhone 11/11 Pro (2019) iPhone XR (2018) iPhone Xs/XS Max (2018) iPhone X (2017) iPhone 8/8 Plus (2017) iPhone 7/7 Plus (2016) iPhone SE (2016) iPhone 6s/6s Plus (2014) iPhone 6/6 Plus (2014) iPhone 5s (2013) iPhone 5c (2013) iPhone 5 (2012) iPhone 4s (2011) iPhone 4 (2010) iPhone 3GS (2009) iPhone 3G (2008) iPhone (2007) For more information, see our list of every version of iOS. The iPhone 5S. Remember? It’s been a while.IDG When will Apple stop supporting each iPhone? Truth is we don’t know for sure, but on the basis that Apple supports phones for five to seven years after they are removed from sale: iPhone XS (2018-2019) – Approx 2024-2026 iPhone XR (2018-2021) – Approx 2026-2028 iPhone 11 (2019-2022) – Approx 2027-2029 iPhone SE2 (2020-2022) – Approx 2027-2029 iPhone 12 (2020-2023) – Approx 2028-2030 iPhone 13 (2021) – Approx 2032 iPhone SE3 (2022) – Approx 2033 iPhone 14 (2022) – Approx 2034 iPhone 15 (2023) – Approx 2035 iPhone 16 (2024) – Approx 2036 iPhone 17 (2025) – Approx 2037 Apple Intelligence: With the arrival of Apple Intelligence AI features and their hardware requirements, the older iPhones are likely to become obsolete faster. When does Apple stop fixing iPhones? When it comes to repairs, Apple supports iPhones (and all devices it makes) for seven years from the last time it sold that particular model. So as long as your iPhone was still being sold by Apple up to seven years ago, the company or a third-party service provider will still service it. Apple states on its website that “Owners of iPhone, iPad, iPod or Mac products may obtain a service and parts from Apple or Apple service providers for five years after the product is no longer sold.” The following iPhones are considered Obsolete, which means sales were discontinued more than seven years ago and Apple has now discontinued all hardware servicing. iPhone iPhone 3G iPhone 3GS iPhone 4 (not all models are obsolete) iPhone 4s iPhone 5c (discontinued September 2013, obsolete in 2021) iPhone 5S (discontinued in 2016, vintage in 2021, obsolete in 2024) iPhone 6 (discontinued in 2016, vintage in 2021, obsolete in 2025) iPhone 6 Plus (discontinued in 2016, vintage in 2021, obsolete in 2024) iPhone 6s (32GB) (discontinued in 2018, obsolete in 2024) iPhone 6s Plus (32GB) (discontinued in 2018, obsolete in 2024) iPhone SE, 2016 (discontinued in 2018, vintage in 2023) Updated on U.S. Apple site but not U.K And the iPhones below are listed as Vintage, which means they have not been sold for more than five years (but less than seven years). Apple will still service these products as long as it has the required parts. So you could say that the oldest iPhone still supported by Apple is the 8GB iPhone 4, but we don’t expect that Apple will have the required parts. iPhone 4 8GB (discontinued in 2013, but sold in India until February 2014, likely to be obsolete very soon) iPhone 5 (discontinued September 2013, likely to become obsolete soon) iPhone 6s (16GB, 64GB, 128GB) (discontinued in 2016, vintage in 2022) iPhone 6s Plus (16GB) (discontinued in 2018, vintage in 2022) iPhone 7 (discontinued in 2019, vintage in May 2025) iPhone 7 Plus (discontinued in 2019, vintage in May 2025) iPhone 8 (discontinued in 2020, vintage in 2024) iPhone 8 Plus (discontinued in 2020, vintage in 2024) iPhone X (discontinued in 2018, vintage in 2024) iPhone XS Max (discontinued in 2018, vintage in 2024) iPhone 11 Pro Max (discontinued in 2020, vintage in September 2025) All iPhones that followed those handsets should be supported by Apple. You may also be interested to learn how long Apple supports Macs and how long Apple supports iPads. We also have guides for getting a broken iPhone fixed and how much Apple product repairs cost. Is your iPhone slipping into obscurity? Find a great deal on a new iPhone here or check the best prices below and take a look at our round-up to choose the Best iPhone for you. iPhone Air Retailer Price $999 View Deal Check Price comparison from over 24,000 stores worldwide Product Price Price comparison from Backmarket iPhone 17 Retailer Price $1,299 View Deal Price comparison from over 24,000 stores worldwide Product Price Price comparison from Backmarket iPhone 17 Pro Retailer Price $1099 View Deal $1,299 View Deal Price comparison from over 24,000 stores worldwide Product Price Price comparison from Backmarket

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Original iPhone SE declared obsolete, in blow to anyone still using one
Macworld The original iPhone SE from 2016, one of Apple’s most popular handsets of all time, has finally been declared obsolete. This is bad news for anyone who still uses the phone because it is no longer eligible to receive repairs and battery replacements from Apple Stores and authorised service partners. “Apple discontinues all hardware service for obsolete products,” the company explains, “and service providers cannot order parts for obsolete products.” The move isn’t a surprise, however, as Apple follows a simple formula when categorising products as either vintage or obsolete. Five years after a device is discontinued, it’s declared vintage, and after a total of seven years, it graduates to obsolete. The original iPhone SE was removed from sale on September 12, 2018, so the seven-year milestone was reached almost three months ago. Read more about this in our article where we discuss how long Apple supports iPhones for. The lack of official support isn’t necessarily a death sentence for the SE, since you can still take it to a non-official repair shop using non-official parts. This is slightly riskier than the official route, since the parts may not work optimally. But any worries about voiding the warranty are wildly irrelevant at this point and you haven’t got a great deal to lose other than the (hopefully not excessive) fee charged by the shop. It’s worth noting that the same page on Apple’s UK site and other countries still lists the iPhone SE as vintage rather than obsolete, but it’s unclear whether Apple is just slow to update those pages. Nevertheless, anyone still relying on a 1st-gen SE might be well advised to consider this a signal to upgrade to something newer, and considerably better. The SE runs an A9 processor with 2GB of RAM, the screen measures just 4 inches, and the cameras are 12MP and 1.2MP, respectively. It can’t even install iOS 16 from 2022, let alone this year’s iOS 26. Upgrading to the iPhone 16e, the cheapest of the current range, would get you an A18 with 8GB of RAM, a 6.1-inch display, and 48MP/12MP cameras, plus iOS 26 and the promise of many software updates to come. Better still, look for a killer refurbished deal on one of the models Apple has discontinued in the past couple of years, such as the iPhone 14 or iPhone 15, and you’ll still get a major improvement on the SE without having to spend a fortune. iPhone 15 deals Retailer Price $729 View Deal $729.99 View Deal Check Price comparison from over 24,000 stores worldwide Product Price Price comparison from Backmarket

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Apple TV renews ‘Tehran’ for season four; season three premieres January 9th
Apple TV on Thursday unveiled the premiere date and a first look at the third season of “Tehran,” and announced that the International… The post appeared first on MacDailyNews.

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Tiimo, Dredge, Cyberpunk 2077 win big at the 2025 App Store Awards
Apple has recognized 17 developers in its annual App Store Awards, celebrating apps for their technical ingenuity and cultural impact, with the winners including productivity app Focus Friend and Lovecraftian fishing game Dredge.App Store Awards - Image credit: AppleAt the end of November, Apple announced the finalists for the 2025 App Store Awards, its annual celebration of the best software from the year. On December 4, Apple announced who won the awards in their various categories.A total of 17 games are awarded, with six App of the Year winners alongside five Game of the Year awards. Another six are selected by App Store editors as Cultural Impact winners for driving meaningful change, with inclusivity and a positive impact. Continue Reading on AppleInsider | Discuss on our Forums

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My favorite wireless earbuds for less than $100
Just a few years ago, you couldn't find anything as good as our picks for best budget earbuds. They're packed with features and great sound. (via Cult of Mac - Your source for the latest Apple news, rumors, analysis, reviews, how-tos and deals.)

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Apple announces winners of the 2025 App Store Awards
After announcing the finalists last month, Apple today officially announced the winners of the 2025 App Store Awards. This year, the App Store Awards recognize 17 apps and games for their “technical ingenuity and lasting cultural impact.” The winners were selected by App Store Editors for “demonstrating exceptional innovation, user experience, and design.” more…

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E-Waste Won’t Be Solved by Disposal: It Starts With Design
Experts say the e-waste crisis won’t be solved by better disposal. Real progress depends on redesigning devices for reuse, repair, and long-term material recovery. The post appeared first on TechNewsWorld.

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Gruber: Apple employees ‘giddy’ about Alan Dye’s departure
Yesterday, Bloomberg broke the surprise news that Alan Dye, Apple’s vice president of Human Interface Design since 2015, is departing the company to lead a new design studio at Meta. Apple confirmed the departure in a statement attributed to Tim Cook, adding that 26-year Apple design veteran Steve Lemay will take over Dye’s role. In a new post on Daring Fireball, John Gruber has some inside info on the reaction inside Apple to this news. more…

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Best VPNs for iPhone and iPad in 2025: Top Picks for Privacy and Speed
Macworld If you are browsing the web using your iPad or iPhone your online activity is visible to your internet service provider (ISP), your government, and potentially others. You might think you have nothing to hide, but if you are accessing the web via a public Wi-Fi network there is a chance of interception that could put your data at risk. There is a really simple solution if you want to maintain online privacy and anonymity: a VPN. The VPN will encrypt your data and provide a secure means of surfing the web. If privacy is important to you, and why wouldn’t it be, surfing via a VPN will guard your identity. If you are surfing from a location that requires some form of identification to view certain sites, a VPN would allow you to bypass that requirement by hiding your IP address and switching it for a new IP address somewhere else in the world. PROMOTIONX-VPN: Your Best iOS VPN for Unblocking Rated 4.7/5 by over 521K users on the Apple Store, X-VPN operates from Singapore outside the 14 Eyes to give iOS users more freedom and privacy for just $34.99 a year($2.99/mo) GET X-VPN | UP TO 76% OFF You can switch to an IP address in the same country, or it could be halfway across the globe. This makes a VPN an essential tool for iPad and iPhone users wanting to access streaming services in countries where they don’t exist (such as HBO Max in the U.K. or BBC iPlayer in the U.S.) or to watch content that isn’t available where you are on services like as Disney+, Netflix, or Amazon Prime. If you’re traveling abroad and missing out on your favorite shows you can use a VPN to connect to a server in your own country and carry on watching as if you were at home. How we choose the best VPN for iPad and iPhone To select the best VPNs, the experts at Macworld conducts hands-on testing on iPhone and iPad that combines performance benchmarks with practical, real-world use. Our evaluation process is built on a foundation of quantifiable data and qualitative analysis to ensure we recommend only services we would use ourselves. You can about our methodology below. Best iPad and iPhone VPN 2025: Reviewed & Ranked We’ve tested many VPN services on Macs and we’ve tested them on iPads and iPhones. The good news is it’s never been easier to find a great VPN for your iPhone or iPad, but they’re not all created equal. Here are our picks. 1. NordVPN – Best VPN for iPhones and iPads Pros Lots of servers around the world Impressive speeds Independently audited Cons Not the cheapest option Connections aren’t unlimited 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 Up to 6 devices at once. Apps for iPhone, iPad, Android, Mac, Windows, Amazon Fire TV and tvOS. Who should buy: NordVPN is arguably the best iPad or iPhone VPN available, thanks to its impressive speeds and extensive server selection, as well as its robust geoblocking toolkit. Why Nord is a good choice for iPhone/iPad users: With one of the largest server networks in the world and impressively fast connection speeds, NordVPN delivers reliable performance for streaming, browsing or unblocking geo-restricted content on iPhone and iPad. Additionally, its audited no-logs policy and built-in kill switch provide strong privacy and security, while native iOS and iPadOS apps make it easy to use. Further considerations: NordVPN isn’t the cheapest option, and it only supports 6 devices per membership. If you’re running it across your various devices and maybe your family’s, that can soon creep up. NordVPN is easy to use and one of the fastest VPNs around and shouldn’t slow down your internet connection. It’s an excellent choice for iPad owners. The map view is fun to use on a screen larger than your phone’s, and it connects you swiftly to one of Nord’s thousands of servers (there are 5,300 in total across 60 countries, which means you can always find a server in the location you need that isn’t overloaded). It unblocks many services, including Netflix, HBO Max, Disney+ and BBC iPlayer. It also ticks the privacy box, carrying out regular audits. It features a kill switch, which is important to keep your data and location hidden if the VPN connection stops unexpectedly. Based in Panama, it’s outside of the jurisdiction of the ’14-eyes’ (a group of countries that have agreed to collect, analyze and share information).  You can connect up to six devices to NordVPN at once, and there are also apps for iPhone, Android, Mac, Windows and Amazon Fire TV. You can get great discounts by signing up for a couple of years. See the deals on NordVPN’s website. Read our full NordVPN review 2. Surfshark – Best VPN for multiple devices Pros Unlimited devices and connections. Multi-Hop servers. Security features and audited no-logs policy Cons Kill switch can’t be customised. Price doubles on renewal 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 Unlimited devices. Apps for iPhone, iPad, Android, Mac, Apple TV, Windows, Chrome, Firefox and Edge extensions. Who should buy: If six devices aren’t enough for you, then SurfShark could be ideal. It’s available on unlimited devices and offers multi-hop servers for increased anonymity while browsing. Why SurfShark is a good choice for iPhone/iPad users: Surfshark is ideal if you want to protect numerous devices, its iOS/iPadOS apps support unlimited simultaneous connections. It also includes advanced features such as Multi-Hop routing (for extra privacy) and offers a smooth, user-friendly interface, making it a great value VPN for iPhone and iPad owners who want flexibility and simplicity. Further considerations: While SurfShark isn’t too expensive, its pricing does double when it comes to renewal. That’s something to consider if you’re looking for an option that you’ll be relying on in the long term. Surfshark is an easy-to-use and intuitive VPN with a slick iPad app that has more features than you might expect given the low price. The service has more than 3,200 servers across 100+ countries but, importantly, lets you watch Netflix shows, BBC iPlayer and other streaming services that aren’t normally available in your region. We were able to flick between streaming libraries with ease, do a bit of shopping for digital goods, and there were no real issues with connectivity. The iOS version of Surfshark includes features like MultiHop, which routes your connection through two countries instead of just one, and Dedicated IP baked in. Many mobile apps are watered-down versions of their desktop VPN offerings, but there’s even an Alternative ID function here. It supports multiple protocols and excellent encryption. With WireGuard, Surfshark the slickest VPN around and we saw very little speed lost from our connection. You’ll find security features including a kill switch, which is like a like a safety net that will shut down your connection if your VPN connection falters. Surfshark is run from the Netherlands, which is privacy-friendly. It has a strict no-logs policy that’s regularly audited, uses two-factor authentication (2FA), and is one of the members of the VPN Trust Initiative. There’s also an Antivirus Scan that will run scheduled background scans if you leave the app open. Just beware that the price increases substantially on renewal–a gotcha with quite a few VPN services and one that’s easily missed when signing up. Our advice is to cancel before it renews and sign up for a new deal. It really is one of the best VPNs around, and also one of the fastest thanks to the use of the WireGuard protocol. See the current deals on Surfshark’s website and read our Surfshark review for more details. Read our full Surfshark review 3. ExpressVPN – Best VPN for ease of use Pros Simple to use on all platforms Big focus on privacy and transparency 105 countries Cons A little barebones 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 Up to 8 devices at once. Apps for iPhone, iPad, tvOS, Mac, Android, Windows, Chrome, XBox, Playstation, Switch and more. Who should buy: ExpressVPN is a fantastic service thanks to a sizeable array of server locations and the fact that it’s really easy to use means it’s a good option for the less tech savvy. Why ExpressVPN is a good choice for iPhone/iPad users: We love ExpressVPN for its simplicity and ease of use, making it especially attractive for less technical users on iPhone or iPad. Its large server footprint (105+ countries) and Lightway protocol deliver fast, reliable connections, which will be handy for streaming or secure browsing on mobile Apple devices. Further considerations: Eight devices are included per membership, but there’s no antivirus, and it costs more than SurfShark. Also among our favourite VPNs for the iPad is ExpressVPN, which has 105 country options and a network of more than three thousand servers. ExpressVPN unblocks more video services than rivals. It claims to reliably unblock over 200 streaming service and also gives you a backup option – the MediaStreamer proxy service – if you find that the VPN isn’t unblocking at the exact moment you want to watch. It bills itself as the premium option, and justifies this partly with the long list of video services it works with. There is also 24/7 live chat support and Threat Manager blocks traffic from websites known to be malicious. There’s also an ad blocker and an adult site blocker. You can expect fast speeds thanks to its proprietary Lightway protocol and privacy is good thanks to the TrustedServer setup (where the software runs entirely in RAM and doesn’t save any data to the hard drive). The company is registered in the British Virgin Islands, a self-governing territory that isn’t subject to British laws. It operates a no-logs policy. As well as using it on your iPad, there are also apps for iPhone, Android, Mac, Windows, Fire TV and more. There’s a limit of eight devices at once (up from 5 previously). While not the cheapest, ExpressVPN does run discounts, with the best deal being the one-year subscription, which is almost half-price. Read our full ExpressVPN review 4. ProtonVPN – Best free VPN plan Pros Simple to use Free plan Great speed Cons Set up is 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 Up to 8 devices at once. Apps for iPhone, iPad, tvOS, Mac, Android, Windows, and more. Who should buy: ProtonVPN is great for anyone looking for privacy online, thanks to its ‘Secure Core’ servers, and covers up to 10 devices with a single plan. It’s also packed with features on iPad, whereas some rivals go for a simpler offering on tablet devices. Why ProtonVPN is a good choice for iPhone/iPad users: ProtonVPN stands out for offering a free tier, useful for iPad/iPhone users wanting to try a VPN without commitment. The paid version brings strong privacy tools and solid performance. Its apps are polished and intuitive to use on iOS/iPadOS, and its security features (Secure Core, no-logs policy, kill switch) make it a good match for privacy-minded users. Further considerations: Proton has a solid free plan that’s better than so many of its rivals, but it’s pricier on the premium side. ProtonVPN’s free tier of membership sets Proton VPN apart from some of its rivals. It’s limited, with US, Japan, and Netherlands as the server locations and some speed drop – but it’s usable. If you subscribe, you get a sleek interface, impressive connection speeds and more than enough features, without throwing too many complex concepts at new users.  Proton VPN Plus features include 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, and a Kill Switch for disconnecting should the VPN drop out. The company offers a “no-logs” policy – meaning it doesn’t track sites, IP addresses, communications, or session lengths, nor does it track location-based information. Proton is Swiss-based, so only Swiss court orders can request data from the company, but since it doesn’t log data there’s very little it can reveal. Secure Core, routes traffic through one of the company’s ‘Secure’ servers, minimizing the potential of a data leak. There secure servers owned by Proton in more than 90 countries. Proton VPN does increase latency, but only by about 29% in our testing on a modest 60 Mbps broadband. It was only about 7% slower when downloading and 5.5% slower when uploading – one of the slicker VPNs we’ve tested. Of the included VPN protocols, Smart will be enough 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. You can sign up for Proton VPN here. Read our full ProtonVPN review 5. FastestVPN – Good VPN for streaming Pros Impressive WireGuard speeds Dedicated downloading and streaming servers Independent audit Cons No split tunneling Price doubles on renewal 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 10 devices at once. Apps for iPhone, iPad, Mac, Android, Windows, and more. Who should buy: This is a great VPN service for privacy, thanks to its Cayman Islands HQ and third-party No Logs audit, FastestVPN is, as the name suggests, a fairly nippy VPN at a budget price. Why FastestVPN is a good choice for iPhone/iPad users: FastestVPN offers a low-cost, budget-friendly option that supports iPhone, iPad, Mac and more – up to 10 devices. Its streaming-optimised servers and use of the WireGuard protocol bring decent speeds and unblocking capabilities, making this VPN appealing for cost-conscious users. Further considerations: Despite the name, it’s not the fastest on this list by some distance, and unblocking streaming services is inconsistent. FastestVPN does a great job and for a lot less than others, with the option of a one time payment of $40 (sometimes reduced to $30). It’s also 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 will help you get around geoblocks. It actually highlights certain streaming-focused servers. It boosts a number power user features like multi-hop connections, an Internet Kill Switch to shut down all traffic if your VPN drops for any reason, and you can use Smart Tunneling to ensure certain apps go via a VPN while others don’t. FastestVPN is headquartered in the Cayman islands and has undergone a third-party audit from Altius to confirm its no-logs policy. 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. 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. You can sign up for Private Internet Access here. Read our full FastestVPN review 6. hide.me VPN 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 Who should buy: Hide.me is a great choice for iPad, iPhone and Mac users who want a simple to use, privacy-focused VPN. One subscription can be used on up to 10 simultaneous devices, which is a big benefit if you have multiple devices to cover. The free tier is a great opportunity to test the VPN before you buy. Why Hide.me is a good choice for iPhone/iPad users: Hide.me works well on iOS/iPadOS and is a great all-around VPN for all Apple devices. It’s easy to install, offers a risk-free free plan, and delivers strong privacy and streaming support without noticeable speed loss. The lower server count is the only real downside, but for everyday use, including browsing, streaming and geo-unblocking, it’s a strong choice. Further considerations: There is a low number of servers compared to the alternatives on this list. Hide.me offers native apps for macOS, iOS and iPadOS (plus other platforms), so whether you’re on a Mac, iPhone or iPad you’re covered. Setting up hide.me is very simple and fast. It also provides a free plan, which makes it easy for Apple-device users to try hide.me without commitment. For those who want more than the basics, hide.me includes advanced VPN features even on paid plans: split-tunnelling, a kill switch, and multi-hop connections. These let you control which apps route through VPN, shut off traffic if VPN drops, or route through multiple servers for extra privacy. Performance is solid: in our testing, download speed drops remained below 10% across servers, so iPhone/iPad users shouldn’t notice major slowdowns when browsing or streaming. hide.me handled geo-unblocking well: streaming-friendly servers successfully bypassed geo-restrictions for various services, so iPhone or iPad users wanting to watch region-locked content should find it effective. Our only real criticisms are that the total number of servers is lower than many competitors, which might mean fewer location choices or slower speeds. Read our full hide.me VPN review 7. Mullvad – Best VPN for privacy Pros Privacy-focused Great for avoiding geoblocks Good pricing Cons Lower number of connections (just 5) 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 Available on Mac, Windows, iOS, iPadOS, and Android Who should buy: Perfect for anonymity, Mullvad won’t even store users’ payment info, so it doesn’t offer recurring plans. It’s also priced well and is a solid streaming VPN. Why Mullvad is a good choice for iPhone/iPad users: Mullvad VPN is a privacy-first choice for iOS and iPadOS users: it offers no-logs, allows anonymous payment, and includes advanced features like multihop, split tunnelling, and a kill switch. Its iPhone and iPad apps support robust privacy and security tools that are often missing on mobile VPN clients, making it ideal for users seeking maximum anonymity and control. Further considerations: There aren’t that many servers on Mullvad’s list at the time of writing, and it only allows for 5 connections per membership. With Mullvad 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. We like the fact that this means you aren’t caught up in a recurring subscription and can cancel at any time. Another bonus is that Mullvad, with its privacy-first mindset, doesn’t store your personal information. You can even pay using prepaid cards if you don’t want to log payment information. As a result, Mullvad the ideal VPN service for anyone looking to leave a minimal digital footprint. With excellent performance and plenty of features, that would be paid additions elsewhere, Mullvad is a great VPN. There is a Kill Switch to cut traffic if the VPN drops, 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. An ad blocker is also included. 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. Read our full Mullvad review 8. Private Internet Access – Good for privacy Pros Impressive WireGuard speeds Dedicated downloading and streaming servers Independent audit Cons No split tunneling Price doubles on renewal Price When Reviewed: From $2.03 a month for two years + 4 free months. Usually $11.99 a month. Unlimited devices. Best Prices Today: Retailer Price Private Internet Access (Monthly) $2.03 View Deal Price comparison from over 24,000 stores worldwide Product Price Price comparison from Backmarket Unlimited devices. Apps for iPhone, iPad, Mac, Android, Windows, and more. Who should buy: PIA is a solid pick for anyone who’s happy to dig into its app settings since it’s not ideal for newcomers. Why PIA is a good choice for iPhone/iPad users: It’s got a killswitch on iOS, which isn’t something many on this list can claim they have. It’s also very affordable at around $2 per month. Further considerations: Speeds aren’t great here, with around half the speed of some rivals. It comes in around the middle of the pack. Private Internet Access (PIA) is designed for savvy users, with power user tools and features such as custom DNS, connection rules, and split-tunneling. Despite this, it comes in at a lower cost than many competitors. The app offers servers in 91 countries. In testing, the auto setting did a good job of picking servers that balanced speed and privacy. The main window provides information on performance, download and upload speeds, and quick settings for things like Port Forwarding and LAN connections. PIA also offers customizable features like automation setup and DNS options.  While you can use PIA for getting around geoblocked content on your streaming services, PIA’s main focus is privacy, with features like the Advanced Kill Switch, Split Tunnelling, port forwarding, and Multi-Hop server obfuscation. Its zero-log policy has been verified by Deloitte Audit Romania. 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% while using the PIA VPN. Upload speeds dropped considerably – by around 25%, which may be an issue if you do a lot of uploading.  Despite inconsistent speeds, Private Internet Access is a great VPN for all budgets with a wealth of features for privacy-inclined users. You can sign up for Private Internet Access here. Read our full Private Internet Access review 9. ClearVPN – Best design Pros Nice design and easy to use. Great for getting around geo-blocks. Cons Lacks split tunneling. Not very fast. 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 Up to 6 devices at once. Apps for iPhone, iPad, Mac, Android, Windows. Who should buy: ClearVPN is super easy to use even for newcomers. Why ClearVPN is a good choice for iPhone/iPad users: ClearVPN is of the best-looking VPN services we’ve seen and it is priced competitively. Further considerations: Sadly, it’s missing a lot of features on the mobile version, while also not offering a No-Logs Audit. It’s also not one of the fastest available options. MacPaw’s ClearVPN lacks some of the advanced features offered by other services, but it’s one of the easiest VPNs to use. It’s thoughtfully designed for VPN newcomers: you need only hit a button to connect. It’s all pretty basic stuff, but we think those new to VPNs will appreciate the simplicity. There are options to block ads and a Kill Switch to automatically cut traffic from your device if the connection to the VPN is broken. ClearVPN can grant access to more than 50 servers, which sounds like a lot, but thats a fraction of what’s offered by rivals. But you only really need a server in the country you want to be surfing, so it may not matter. One common power user feature offered by VPNs is split tunneling, which lets some traffic go through the VPN while some goes around it. That’s not supported by ClearVPN.  MacPaw’s VPN speeds aren’t as good as the competition. We saw speed drops across multiple servers – even ones close to us. 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 though. Most VPN companies use external auditors to verify that they’re not recording user or session data. 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 so look out for low monthly prices that don’t lock you in for too long. There’s a six-device limit that can include Macs, iPhone and iPads.  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 sign up for ClearVPN here. Read our full ClearVPN review 10. PureVPN – Great for Netflix Pros Impressive WireGuard speeds Dedicated downloading and streaming servers Independent audit Cons No split tunneling Price doubles on renewal 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 Up to 6 devices at once. Apps for iPhone, iPad, Mac, Android, Windows. Who should buy: PureVPN is ideal for unblocking Netflix across the globe so it’s a great option for streaming. Why PureVPN is a good choice for iPhone/iPad users: It’s a sleek-looking VPN that packs additional features like a Password Manager and File Encryption. Server selection is solid, too. Further considerations: Sadly, PureVPN’s pricing can be confusing to follow, and its audit report, perhaps, isn’t as transparent as it could be. If you’re want a VPN service that will get around geoblocking and is easy to use, PureVPN is a good option. The basic plan only includes the VPN service, but the Plus plan adds a Password Manager and File Encryption tools. The Max plan adds a Digital Privacy Manager that 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 now registered in the British Virgin Islands, which is more privacy-friendly than Hong Kong where it was previously. PureVPN offers one of the more impressive no-logging policies, with an ongoing audit process that means auditors can request confirmation of the no-logs 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. You can sign up for PureVPN here. Read our full PureVPN review 11. CyberGhost – Great VPN for newcomers Pros Impressive WireGuard speeds. Dedicated downloading and streaming servers. Independent audit. Cons No split tunneling Price doubles on renewal Price When Reviewed: $2.03 a month for two years + 4 free months. Usually $12.99 a month. Best Prices Today: Retailer Price CyberGhost (Monthly) $2.03 View Deal Price comparison from over 24,000 stores worldwide Product Price Price comparison from Backmarket Up to 7 devices at once. Apps for iPhone, iPad, Apple TV, Mac, Android, Windows and more. Who should buy: Cyberghost is focused on newcomers, offering them an easy-to-use app and a whole bunch of servers across the globe. Why Cyberghost is a good choice for iPhone/iPad users: Setup and usage on iPhone or iPad straightforward, it has a very large global server network and there are streaming-optimized servers. It also has strong security and gets quarterly reports on transparency. Further considerations: There’s no multi-hop connectivity here, and only seven devices can be connected. CyberGhost is really easy to use and one of the least-expensive services when you sign up for a couple of years.  CyberGhost has more than 7,000 servers across 90 countries, so you’re bound to find a connection that suits your needs. CyberGhost allows seven simultaneous connections.  Of potentially more interest to most people is the fact it’s pretty reliable for unblocking streaming services. It unblocks Netflix, Disney+, HBOMax, Amazon Prime and others. CyberGhost even provides a streaming list so you can choose the best server to unblock specific streaming services on specific devices.  CyberGhost is based in Romania, which is good for privacy. Deloitte has audited CyberGhost’s privacy claims and found no issues. With support for WireGuard, CyberGhost offers speedy connections and one subscription allows you to use the service on up to seven devices at once. You can sign up for CyberGhost here. Read our full CyberGhost review 12. Malwarebytes Privacy VPN – Great for existing customers Pros Impressive WireGuard speeds. Dedicated downloading and streaming servers. Independent audit. Cons No split tunneling. Price doubles on renewal 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 Pay per device (up to 20 devices). Apps for iPhone, iPad, Mac, Android, Windows. Who should buy: If you’re already using MalwareBytes, this is a no-brainer offering that offers features like a killswitch and a neat Protection Score so you know how well looked after your machine (and your privacy) are. Why Malwarebytes is a good choice for iPhone/iPad users: You can easily install it on iPhone or iPad with no fuss and the VPN client is user-friendly. Further considerations: Sadly, there are only five connections per account, and there aren’t many servers either. Malwarebytes is, of course, known for it’s antivirus software, and it’s one of the options we’ve looked at in our round up of the Best Antivirus for Mac, reviewed here Malwarebytes Premium for Mac review. Malwarebytes Premium also has a VPN element to it that can also be purchased separately if you just want a VPN. 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. However, it offers a pretty compelling package of features and Malwarebytes VPN is available just about anywhere, Windows, Mac, iPad, iPhone, with Windows, iOS, iPadOS, Android, and plenty more apps. You can sign up for Malwarebytes Privacy VPN here. Read our full Malwarebytes Privacy VPN review 13. Norton Ultra VPN – Great for Norton users Pros Impressive WireGuard speeds Dedicated downloading and streaming servers Independent audit Cons No split tunneling Price doubles on renewal 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 Norton VPN Standard: 1 device. VPN Plus: 5 devices. VPN Ultimate: 10 devices. Apps for iPhone, iPad, Apple TV, Mac, Android, Windows and more. Who should buy: Already a Norton user? This option packs many of its best security features under the hood, as well as excellent antivirus. Why Norton is a good choice for iPhone/iPad users: The service isn’t just a VPN — it bundles extra security tools: a password manager, dark-web monitoring, cloud backup, email-tracking quarantine and malware/antivirus protection. Further considerations: Sadly, Norton’s offering lacks browser extensions and doesn’t have the best track record with unblocking streaming services. Norton is best known as an antivirus solution (see our review of Norton 360), but it also offers a VPN solution which can be tied to the antivirus or purchased separately. Norton’s VPN includes plenty of accoutrements that other VPNs either don’t have or charge extra for. If you’re looking for real-time protection it remains a good security-focused option, but with geoblocking being inconsistent in our testing, you might want to look elsewhere for your international Netflix fix. 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. VPNs naturally decrease your internet speeds and we found Nord’s VPN did lag behind some rivals. Norton’s Browser Protection scans sites as you browse, so you do get the benefit of real-time detection alerts if a site might be unsafe. Norton does a good job with privacy, with a 2024 VerSprite audit confirming Norton’s VPN “no logs” policy. 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. You can sign up for Norton Ultra VPN here. Read our full Norton Ultra VPN review What to consider when choosing the best VPN for iPad A VPN ideally serves two purposes for the user: obfuscating network traffic and allowing for geo-unblocking. Still, some VPN options on this list are better at one or the other, so you should lean towards what you need it to do. For example, if you’re looking to anonymise your online activity, you’ll want to find a service that puts your privacy first. If your main focus is unblocking sites and streaming services around the world, either for accessing new content libraries or because you travel regularly, many services are packed with streaming-focused servers. That brings us nicely to server count. While some streaming services have hundreds of available server locations, others have thousands, increasing your options substantially. These sometimes come at a price, though, and budget will naturally be a concern. Many VPN services will aim to tie a user into a longer-term subscription by enticing them with cheaper payments, but you should always check the renewal costs as many will climb steeply after a year or two. Above all else, it’s important that the VPN works on your device of choice, and while some iPad VPNs are lacking in features compared to their Mac counterparts, you can read our full review for each to find out. How we test VPNs for iPad and iPhone We tested every VPN in this list, and worked to check out their performance on Mac, iPhone, and iPad. We tested speeds, attempted to unblock streaming services around the world from BBC iPlayer to Amazon Prime Video and more, while also poking around the various app offerings. We focus 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. Our testing methodology focuses on several key areas: Performance and Speed: We conduct speed tests in the morning, afternoon, and evening using Ookla Speedtest. To ensure accuracy, we first measure our baseline internet speed without a VPN. Then, we connect to VPN servers in North America, the UK, Europe, Oceana, and Asia over an ethernet connection. To isolate the VPN’s performance, we use TripMode to shut down all other background internet processes on the Mac. The final scores are averaged and presented as a percentage difference from our unprotected speed, which provides a clearer picture of expected performance than raw speed numbers alone. Security and Privacy: A VPN’s privacy policy is a critical factor. We look for clear, easy-to-understand policies that detail what user information, if any, is collected and what is done with it. As part of our process, we also validate the privacy promises made by each VPN company. We research the company’s ownership, its legal jurisdiction, and its track record for any questionable business practices. A provider’s location is important, as many countries do not require VPNs to maintain user activity logs, offering a higher level of privacy. Features and Usability: We evaluate each VPN based on practical, everyday use. This includes the following:  Testing the VPN apps on Mac, iPhone, iPad, and Apple TV to ensure devolve compatibility. Considering the total number of servers and the number of countries available. Attempt to unblock popular streaming services from around the world, such as BBC iPlayer and Amazon Prime Video to identify any geo-restrictions. We use the software ourselves to assess the user experience and app interface. Cost: The monthly and annual cost is weighed against the features and performance offered. Why trust Macworld’s advice We have 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 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. FAQ 1. Do iPads and iPhones have a built-in VPN? iPads and iPhones don’t come with a VPN out of the box, but Apple does offer iCloud Private Relay which is a sort of halfway house. iCloud Private Relay sends your data to a relay server that’s owned by Apple. This can tell who you are, but not what you’re looking at in Safari, and the traffic then moves to another (third-party) relay, which assigns a temporary IP address. This means your IP address is only visible to Apple, but not to the third-party relay. You’ll need an iCloud+ subscription to use it, and it’s only available in Safari. All of the offerings on this list can be used with other browsers, though. 2. Should I put a VPN on my iPad or iPhone?  A VPN for your iPad or iPhone offers many of the same benefits to putting a VPN on your Mac. If you’re looking to protect your online activity when using iffy coffee shop or train station Wi-Fi, they’ll obfuscate your data so it’s not easy for hackers to gain access. They can also be used to ‘relocate’ your device to access streaming services from elsewhere. 3. Can I get a free VPN on my iPhone/iPad? There are free VPN options, but they tend to have limitations on server locations and speeds, or struggle to break through geoblocks. A free VPN can be a solid way to get started, letting you do some private browsing in a pinch, but if you’re using them regularly, you’ll soon want to move to a paid option. Most VPNs cost less than $3/£3 per month if you sign up for a one- or two-year deal. However, once that deal period ends the price can jump, so it’s worth setting a reminder to shop around a month before your subscription runs out so you can search for a better deal, alternatively, you might be able to cancel and sign up with another email address. You may be able to save money if you take a look at our round-up of the best VPN deals. 4. Is it safe to use a VPN on my iPhone or iPad? Yes! Since VPN apps are installed through the App Store and are therefore signed off by Apple, you should have no issues. With that said, if sideloading a VPN via a third-party app store or browser download then you forgo that safety. Everything on this list is found on the App Store. 5. When should you not use a VPN?  If you’re not looking to unblock Netflix or any other streaming services in your region, then there’s a good chance you won’t need a VPN if you’re at home or on a connection you trust. For example, if you’re on your home network, you can use your iPad or iPhone without a VPN because your network is a trusted one. If there’s a chance that your network might be compromised, however, then a VPN becomes more important. Next: learn how to use a VPN on iPhone or iPad. For more information on the legalities and whether it is safe to use a VPN read: Is a VPN safe for iPad and iPhone? If you’ve still got some questions and want to find out more, read what is a VPN and are VPNs legal?

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Is Walmart’s $499 M1 MacBook Air too good to be true?
Macworld If you’re shopping for a new MacBook or looking to buy one for a student or parent, you’ll find a few MacBook deals to save a few bucks, sometimes hundreds off MSRP. But there’s one laptop for sale by a prominent retailer that looks like a deal that’s too good to be true: a MacBook Air for sale at Walmart for $499–it was $549, but Walmart reduced the price by another $50 over Cyber Monday and kept it there. The Walmart MacBook Air isn’t a refurbished or used product–it’s a brand new laptop, the lowest-priced new Apple laptop you can find, in fact. It’s unclear what partnership it has with Apple, but Walmart has exclusively sold the M1 MacBook Air since 2024, when it first announced its $699 price tag. The price has been cut several times since then. The $499 MacBook Air at Walmart can be a great deal for some, and a lousy deal for others.Foundry The lowest-priced MacBook at the Apple Store is the $999 MacBook Air, which you can find at third-party retailers such as Amazon for $749. But at $250 less than even that sale price, that $499 price tag for a brand-new MacBook Air is unprecedented and hard to resist, especially at a time when it feels like prices are going up for everything. There’s got to be a catch, right? After all, it seems like a deal that’s too good to be true. Well, to say there’s a “catch” implies that there’s deception going on here, and that’s really not the case. (Though we take issue with the use of the label “Latest model” here.) But several compromises are made for a product at this price, compromises that you might be okay with, depending on your use case. Let’s take a look at what you’re getting in the $499 Walmart MacBook Air. See the $499 M1 MacBook Air at Walmart A five-year-old chip The Walmart MacBook Air is the 2020 MacBook Air. It has the same components, down to the heart of the laptop, the M1 chip. The M1 chip made a thunderous debut five years ago, blowing away its Intel predecessors with its huge performance gains. The most current M-series chip is the M5, but it has yet to debut in the MacBook Air–the current MacBook Air has an M4 chip. Compared to the M1, the M4 is 74 percent faster in multi-core tasks and 56 percent faster in single-core performance. MacBook Air chips: Geekbench 6

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RAM prices are out of control. What does that mean for Apple devices?
Macworld You have undoubtedly heard about the recent massive spike in RAM prices. RAM for consumer devices like desktops, laptops, graphics cards, and smartphones (DDR, GDDR, and LPDDR memory) has skyrocketed in recent weeks. Prices are 50-100 percent higher than they were back in the summer, with some premium 32GB DDR5 kits going for as much as $400 at Amazon! The problem, as it so often is, traces back to AI. The massive rush to build more AI datacenters at all costs has already increased demand for water and electricity, and previously sucked up much of the supply chain for the chips we use in consumer devices. RAM appears to be the latest culprit—AI data centers are using up a lot of the supply of DDR memory, but the GPUs they use often use a different kind of RAM called HBM—high bandwidth memory. Manufacturers have begun shifting some production to keep up with demand, making the DDR memory used in consumer devices even more scarce. It has gotten so bad that Samsung reportedly can’t even sell RAM to Samsung. The situation has caused prices to rise for PC desktops and laptops, graphics cards, and plenty of other consumer devices. But Apple products haven’t been affected—at least not yet. But will the surge in RAM pricing eventually make our iPhones and Macs more expensive? The situation is complicated. Apple’s supply contracts If nothing else, Apple is a big and popular monolithic producer of consumer goods with a locked-in supply chain. Apple doesn’t buy RAM month-to-month; it negotiates big, long-term contracts for parts in extremely high volumes. So for Apple, RAM likely hasn’t gotten more expensive yet, because they locked in prices months or even years ago for a huge long-term supply. What we don’t know is when Apple negotiates its supply contracts and how long this surge in RAM pricing will last. A Citi report published on X last year revealed that Samsung, SK Hynix, and Micron supplied DRAM for iPhone 17, but it’s unclear whether Apple negotiates contracts before each phone release or whether they are the same for Mac chips. Because the unified memory chips in Apple’s processors are soldered to the chip, there aren’t teardowns to reveal the make or model of the RAM. The M5 chip starts at 12GB of RAM in the iPad Pro and maxes out at 32GB of RAM in the MacBook Pro, but Apple hasn’t had to raise prices over the previous generationsApple There’s also the possibility that Apple’s prices go up to cover the threat of additional costs. When airlines raise ticket prices due to a surge in the price of oil, that’s usually an artificial increase. Major airlines buy fuel on long-term contracts and hedge prices by locking in rates well in advance of a price spike. Airlines are raising prices because they can, and we have seen many other industries use inflation and tariffs as cover to raise prices by a much larger amount than the increase in their actual costs. Also, prices rarely go down once costs stabilize, but that’s another issue. In other words, even if Apple isn’t paying more for RAM right now, it might have to in the near future, and it might raise prices regardless. There’s just no way to know. Apple’s big margins Historically, increases in RAM prices affect products in which RAM is a huge part of the total cost. On an inexpensive smartphone, where RAM might be 10 or 15 percent of the total bill of materials (BOM), a doubling of RAM costs can completely destroy the slim margins it sells at. Apple’s typical RAM cost is estimated to be more like 4 percent of the BOM cost, and Apple’s margins are high—in the 20-30 percent range for most products, and higher on high-end Macs. Apple also charges a lot for additional RAM in Macs—you’ll pay $200 more for 8GB, essentially $20 worth of RAM. Even if Apple’s cost for RAM doubles, it still has margin to spare. Granted, Apple is very protective of its margins and doesn’t ever want to make less profit on each sale. But it certainly has the ability to withstand a few months or even a year of a big DRAM price surge without losing money, even at current prices. The M5 iPad Pro starts with 12GB of RAM—but also has a four-figure price tag.Britta O’Boyle Apple’s steady pricing The full retail price of an Apple product rarely changes. It has been known to happen, especially in specific regions where a big swing in the exchange rate and/or taxes that must be included in the price necessitate a shift. In general, though, Apple’s pricing is incredibly steady. When the company raises prices, it does so with the introduction of a new product. For example, Apple likely wouldn’t raise the price of the iPhone 17 due cover rising component costs, but would rather just raise the iPhone 18’s price when it is introduced. One notable exception, however, was in March 2002, when it hiked the price of its new G4 iMac jus two months after its launch due to “significant increases in component costs for memory and LCD flat-panel displays.” Of course, Apple was a much different company back then. Apple just released a number of its higher-priced products: the iPhone 17 line (including an overpriced iPhone Air), M5 MacBook Pro, and M5 iPad Pro. Its next big product lineup will be higher-priced M5 MacBook Pros (which have margin to spare), M5 MacBook Air, and perhaps some real budget value products like a low-cost MacBook and iPhone 17e. The iPhone 17e is one place where Apple could recoup rising memory costs.Foundry | Alex Walker-Todd In other words, Apple’s next products are a mix of some high-end, high-margin Macs and value products that by definition have to come in well under the rest of the product line. It would surprise me if we saw higher starting prices for those products due to the current RAM situation. Nobody really knows what Apple will do with pricing, and anyone who claims differently is as trustworthy as a magic 8-ball. But our educated guess is that Apple won’t adjust its prices due to the RAM shortage in the short term. If this supply crunch lasts through the year to the fall 2026 product cycle, there’s a very good chance we’ll see some higher prices on specific SKUs to offset Apple’s increased costs and preserve its overall margins.

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Dye's departure doesn't mean Liquid Glass is going anywhere
Apple's VP of Human Interface Design is leaving Apple for Meta, but Liquid Glass is here to stay. Expect Stephen Lemay could perfect the controversial design choice.Liquid Glass is Apple's future, like it or notAlan Dye was a controversial choice as VP of Human Interface Design when he was placed in that slot by Jony Ive. His background in fashion made everyone in the Apple space cringe with worry, and the time since 2015 has shown they had only a little to worry about.Apple's design didn't stray far from the iOS 7 foundation that introduced flat minimalism all the way until Liquid Glass was introduced with iOS 26. That change was presented as the way forward for Apple's operating systems, and isn't something the company will easily back off from, regardless of who leaves. Continue Reading on AppleInsider | Discuss on our Forums

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macOS Tahoe was a nightmare of freezes on my MacBook. Here’s how I finally fixed it
Macworld Back in September, when macOS 26 Tahoe arrived for download on my MacBook, I installed it along with millions of other people. I didn’t give it a second thought—I have an M3 Max MacBook Pro with 36GB of RAM and 1TB of storage. Running Tahoe shouldn’t be an issue. But it was. Almost immediately from the first day I installed it, I experienced intermittent freezes lasting a second or two that would interrupt whatever I was doing. I couldn’t tie it down to a single app, and it was difficult to predict. Some days it would happen numerous times each hour, but other days it wouldn’t happen much at all. I tried all the usual tricks—closing apps, restarting, shutting down—and of course I immediately updated to macOS 26.0.1, all to no avail. Since I don’t run betas on my main machine, I chalked it up to an initial release bug that would be smoothed out in 26.1. Alas, when I installed that update as soon as it arrived, the problem persisted. Back when I had an M1 MacBook Pro, I had issues with memory slowing down my machine, so I checked Activity Monitor throughout the day. Memory pressure was consistently in the green safe zone. There was one instance where my computer completely seized up due to an application memory allotment issue, but again, I couldn’t find a specific cause. I have plenty of storage, plenty of RAM, and haven’t had any issues with a specific app. Yet my machine continued to freeze randomly, some days dozens of times an hour. Shining a Spotlight on the problem So after macOS 26.1 didn’t clear up the issue, I decided to investigate further. Everything seemed okay in Activity Monitor, but I noticed an abnormality in the CPU tab. While the CPU LOAD chart didn’t appear to show any persistent issues, two processes—corespotlightd and kernel_task–were regularly using over 100 percent of the CPU.  The corespotlightd process was using a ton of my available CPU percentage.Foundry I learned that each core counts as 100 percent, so technically, my MacBook could use 1,400 percent of the CPU. Still, it seemed high for a background task, so I kept an eye on it. Sure enough, corespotlightd was consistently using well over 100% of the CPU load and sometimes reaching near 200 percent. I assumed that was bad, so I went over to System Settings to check out the Spotlight tab. I don’t use Spotlight all that often, but when I did, it loaded quickly and didn’t show any obvious signs of slowing my system down.  But this particular task’s name was obviously related to Spotlight, so I headed over to the Spotlight tab in the Settings app. Inside, there are a series of toggles for each of Apple’s apps, system content, and the Clipboard. But what stood out to me was the two at the top: “Show Related Content” and “Help Apple Improve Search.”  In particular, the second one, which allows Apple to “store your Safari, Siri, Spotlight, Lookup, and #images search queries.” So I turned them off. And almost instantly, my CPU load dropped. I watched the corespotlightd process drop off my list of CPU percentage drainers, and the intermittent pauses stopped. I waited an hour or so, and it didn’t return, so I turned both toggles back on out of curiosity. It’s been about a week, and the issue hasn’t returned. I’m not sure if my issue was personal to my machine, but If it’s something you’re experiencing, try flipping those two toggles in the Spotlight settings. It might just return your MacBook to normal.

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Apple distributes macOS Tahoe 26.2 Release Candidate build to public beta and developer communities
Amidst its bevy of Release Candidate announcements, Apple on Wednesday published the Release Candidate beta of its macOS Tahoe 26.2 operating system to both developers and public beta testers alike. The RC represents the final version of macOS Tahoe 26.2 that will be provided to the public as long as no bugs are found in […] Source

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Apple distributes iOS 26.2 Release Candidate build as both a public beta and a developer beta
Just a day after the public release of its iOS 26.1 update, Apple released the first iOS 26.2 beta. Now in the Release Candidate stage, and thought to be released on December 8 or 9, the update is expected to feature the following according to Macworld’s Jason Cross: AirDrop code: A new section in the […] Source

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Macworld Podcast: The folding iPhone and what we know so far
Macworld We’re starting to hear more reports about Apple’s upcoming folding iPhone. We talk about the latest in this episode of the Macworld Podcast. This is episode 961 with Michael Simon, Jason Cross,  and Roman Loyola. Watch episode 961 on YouTube Listen to episode 961 on Apple Podcasts

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This $29.97 Mac upgrade lets you talk instead of typing
Macworld TL;DR: If you need a break from typing, start talking to your Mac with VoiceType AI, a voice-to-text tool with lifetime access on sale for $29.97 during Cyber Week (MSRP $154). If you’ve ever wished macOS dictation were faster and a whole lot more accurate, this Cyber Week deal might be your new favorite productivity hack. VoiceType AI, a wildly popular voice-to-text app used by more than 650,000 people, is offering a lifetime subscription for $29.97, its lowest price of the year, through December 7 (MSRP $154). VoiceType turns your Mac into a precision typing machine, transcribing your speech at 360 words per minute with a 99.7% accuracy score. That’s roughly 9x faster than average typing speed, and the app layers in smart perks like automatic punctuation, grammar cleanup, and tone matching depending on the app you’re using. It even handles names, jargon, and soft-spoken “whisper mode” dictation without tripping over itself. What makes this especially compelling for Apple users is that it works everywhere you type: Apple Notes, iMessage, Safari, Mail, Notion, Linear, VS Code, Slack, Gmail, GitHub, Google Docs, Figma, and dozens more apps. Whether you’re sending emails, journaling, taking meeting notes, mapping requirements, or knocking out documentation, VoiceType keeps up. Get your VoiceType AI lifetime subscription on sale during Cyber Week for $29.97 (MSRP $154). Deal ends December 7 at 11:59 p.m. PT, and no coupon is needed. VoiceType AI Voice-to-Text: Lifetime SubscriptionSee Deal StackSocial prices subject to change.

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