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Google is rolling out a business chat feature in Google Messages that automatically texts users about new app features and updates. A poll of over 1,800 Android Authority readers found more than half consider it unwanted bloat, while roughly a fifth called it a promising addition and the rest are withholding judgment until they see how it works.
Meta AI has released Muse, a personified AI agent app for iPhone, with a companion Mac app added nine days later and web access at muse.ai. Users can customize the agent's name and avatar, and while the app is free with weekly usage limits, paying subscribers get expanded access. The Mac version can work across apps, files, calendar, notes, and messages, with user-controlled permissions.
Code strings found in version 17.59.17.sa.arm64 of the Google app reveal a feature called 'Ephemeral Video Mode' tied to Gemini's internal codename Robin. The strings describe enabling an ephemeral mode specifically for video input during Gemini Live sessions, suggesting Google is testing a way to keep certain video interactions from being saved.
Apple's macOS 27 Golden Gate update skips a visual overhaul for Photos but packs in a new Tools pane with Apple Intelligence features, including an upgraded Clean Up tool, a generative Extend tool for expanding images, and a Spatial Reframing option that builds a 3D scene model to shift camera perspective. iCloud Shared Albums also gain full-resolution sharing across all photo and video formats and now let Android and Windows users contribute via iCloud.com.
Photographer Austin Mann published his annual deep-dive into the iPhone 18 Pro camera, testing the new variable aperture, Pro manual controls, and Photographic Styles 3. He praises the camera's automatic aperture selection, showcases low-light shots enabled by the wider f/1.48 aperture, and details how to separate focus from exposure for the first time on iPhone.
Apple has agreed to revise its App Tracking Transparency consent screens for apps distributed in Germany, France, Italy, Poland, and Romania, following antitrust scrutiny led by Germany's competition regulator. The changes include full-page prompts instead of pop-ups, removal of the word 'track,' relabeled buttons reading 'Allow' and 'Reject,' new colors and formatting, and an optional link to more detailed explanations from developers.
9to5Mac's daily podcast covered ongoing iOS 27.2 beta testing and other Apple news in its September 17, 2026 episode. The episode is available across major podcast platforms including Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, TuneIn, and Google Play.
Apple has begun updating early iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max pre-orders to a 'Shipped' status in the Apple Store app and on its website, with devices set to reach customers this Friday, September 18. Buyers who opted into text alerts may also get a shipping notification directly from Apple.
Multiple Reddit users report that the YouTube mobile app is restricting their playback resolution to a maximum of 480p, even though the platform normally supports much higher quality up to 4K. The bug affects both free and Premium subscribers, ruling out a paywall restriction, and some reports date back roughly a month.
Apple's iPadOS 27.2 beta introduces a Siri icon that appears when text is selected, mirroring a feature already in macOS 27 Golden Gate. Hovering over the small icon with a connected trackpad expands it into an 'Ask Siri' text box, offering a quicker way to query Siri without leaving the selected text. Without a trackpad, users still get the standard edit menu with a Siri option, but the hover shortcut only works with pointer input.
An independent developer has released an updated version of a browser-based video conferencing tool that places participants in a navigable 3D space rather than a fixed grid layout. Users can move their avatars around a virtual room and naturally form small groups, with spatial audio adjusting volume based on proximity to other attendees.
Apple has released an early version of its redesigned Health app to developers testing iOS 27.2, ahead of a planned public rollout later in 2026. The update adds an Insights tab summarizing sleep, fitness and readiness trends, plus a Longevity tab featuring a 'Health Age' score and movement assessments for flexibility, strength and balance, with commentary from health experts tied to user data.