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Sonos rolls out 'Sonos 27' app update with portable surround mode and AI assistant support

Sonos has released its Sonos 27 app update for all S2-compatible hardware, adopting a new year-based naming convention similar to iOS. The update lets pairs of portable speakers like Move 2 or Sonos Play act as rear surrounds with a compatible soundbar, introduces a redesigned navigation interface with swipe gestures and pinned rooms, and adds early-access features for headphone-speaker audio handoff and third-party AI assistant integration.

Meta's Muse AI agent enters closed testing with bank and email access

Meta has moved its agentic AI assistant, Muse, into a limited closed testing phase, according to Testing Catalog, gating access through a waitlist and invite codes. An App Store listing reveals the app can connect to Gmail, Google Calendar, health apps, and even users' bank accounts and cards to track spending and suggest canceling unused subscriptions.

Apple weighs new home security service while also seeking higher App Store margins

Reports say Apple is developing a privacy-focused home security and monitoring device that uses AI rather than video footage, tied to a new subscription service. Separately, executives including Eddy Cue are reportedly exploring ways to raise App Store margins and extract more recurring revenue from developers.

Samsung to retire AR Doodle and Quick Measure apps by end of 2026

Samsung has updated changelogs for its AR Doodle and Quick Measure apps on the Galaxy App Store, confirming both will be discontinued on December 31, 2026. The company says future versions of One UI won't support the apps, and they're already missing on newer devices like the Galaxy Z Fold 8.

Phil Schiller steps back from App Store amid Apple's push for higher margins

Bloomberg's Mark Gurman reports Phil Schiller is leaving his role leading the App Store, becoming an Apple Fellow on unspecified projects. While Schiller cited wanting more time for family and philanthropy, Gurman says he also grew wary of plans by CEO John Ternus and services chief Eddy Cue to boost App Store margins and recurring revenue.

Apple weighs App Store margin push, tied to Phil Schiller's exit

Bloomberg's Mark Gurman reports Apple is exploring ways to boost App Store revenue and margins, an initiative reportedly led by new CEO John Ternus and services chief Eddy Cue. Gurman also links the effort to Phil Schiller's recent departure, noting Schiller opposed the push out of concern it would anger developers and regulators.

Judge blocks Operation Bluebird's rival 'Twitter' app over X trademark claim

A federal court granted Elon Musk's X a preliminary injunction stopping a startup called Operation Bluebird from launching a new app under the Twitter name. Chief Judge Colm Connolly found X likely to prevail on trademark infringement claims, largely because X's own App Store listing still describes itself as 'formerly known as Twitter,' showing the company hasn't abandoned the brand.

Apple patches TestFlight bug that flooded lists with hundreds of expired betas

Apple's July TestFlight update added a search feature but also introduced a bug that caused previously tested and expired betas to flood the app list, sometimes numbering in the hundreds, mixed alphabetically with active betas instead of the prior reverse-chronological order. Apple has now released a fix addressing this regression alongside the search functionality.

Apple lets App Store developers drop Intel Mac support for macOS 13+ apps

Apple emailed Mac App Store developers saying universal apps requiring macOS 13 or later can now remove Intel-based Mac support entirely and build for arm64 only. This follows Apple's completed six-year transition to its own silicon and its earlier statement that macOS 26 Tahoe would be the last major release supporting Intel Macs. Rosetta, the tool letting Apple-silicon Macs run older Intel apps, will lose general-purpose support after macOS 27.

MapQuest hits No. 1 on US App Store after refusing to rename Lake Ontario

MapQuest climbed from No. 8 to the top spot on the U.S. App Store this week after declining to comply with an executive order renaming Lake Ontario as 'Lake America,' a change Google Maps and Apple Maps both adopted. Sensor Tower estimates 632,000 U.S. downloads since the order, while MapQuest claims over 1.5 million installs across the U.S. and Canada combined.

Apple lets Mac App Store developers drop Intel support for macOS 13+ apps

Apple emailed developers announcing that universal macOS apps requiring macOS 13 or later can now be built as arm64-only, removing Intel compatibility. Developers must update build settings to arm64 and resubmit; Intel Mac users can still use the last compatible version of an app they already have.

Satirical memo imagines John Ternus's first day as Apple CEO

The piece is a fictional 'day one' briefing addressed to Apple's John Ternus, satirizing the company's ongoing struggles across hardware, services and AI. It jokes about delayed Siri upgrades, price hikes on new iPhones, rebranding an AirPods camera as a 'sensor,' low morale on the Vision Pro team, and new EU App Store commission rules taking effect in a month.