GoKawiil
Tech News
Bloomberg's Mark Gurman reports Apple is widely testing a home hub smart display powered by Siri AI, which could debut as early as next month. The device reportedly uses Face ID for user recognition and will come in both stand-mounted and wall-mounted versions, with its own home screen, widgets and StandBy-like clock faces.
Apple's iPhone 18 Pro physically shrinks the Dynamic Island by moving some Face ID components under the display, freeing up extra screen space. That space is now used to show more detail in a second Live Activity, such as a timer's remaining time instead of just an icon, while the device can also run three Live Activities at once, up from two.
Some iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max users are reporting that their phones freeze and reboot when a Face ID scan fails while unlocking app-level protections like Passwords or private Safari tabs. 9to5Mac says it reproduced the issue on a European unit, though the bug doesn't appear to affect every device or trigger from the standard lock screen.
iFixit's teardown of the iPhone 18 Pro examined the new variable aperture system, an under-display Face ID infrared camera, and a larger vapor chamber. During disassembly, a tiny aperture blade popped loose, suggesting that any malfunction in the mechanism would likely force a full replacement of the main camera assembly rather than a simple fix.
Digital wallets like Apple Pay require device authentication—Face ID, Touch ID, or a passcode—before any purchase can be confirmed, unlike many physical cards that skip verification for small transactions. They also use tokenization, replacing your actual card number with a unique, single-use code so merchants never see real card details, and they sidestep skimming devices since no card is physically inserted.
Apple's Wallet app allows iPhone and Apple Watch owners to add a digital version of their driver's license alongside other IDs like passports. The feature uses encryption and biometric authentication via Face ID or Touch ID, letting users control exactly what information is revealed—for example, only confirming legal drinking age rather than sharing a full birthdate. Adoption remains limited, as only some businesses, venues, and airport checkpoints currently accept these digital credentials.
Apple Wallet is the iPhone (and Apple Watch) app that stores digital cards, IDs, boarding passes, tickets and loyalty cards, while Apple Pay is the payment service that actually processes transactions using cards saved in Wallet. Making a purchase in-store involves tapping an NFC terminal and double-pressing the side button, then confirming identity via Face ID, Touch ID or a PIN, whereas online purchases work much like PayPal by selecting a stored card and authenticating.
trinamiX, a sensor technology spin-off of BASF, has filed a lawsuit accusing Apple of infringing seven patents covering skin-detection methods used to defeat spoofing attempts against Face ID. The suit targets recent iPhone models from the 15 through 17 lineup, the iPhone Air, and several iPad Pro generations, arguing Apple copied technology that distinguishes real human skin from masks or photos using reflected light patterns.
Apple offers a built-in Quick Start feature that lets users move data from an old iPhone to a new one by placing the devices near each other and scanning an on-screen animation. Users can then choose to restore from their latest iCloud backup or perform a direct transfer straight from the old device during setup.
Apple's Find My iPhone can be turned off manually via Settings, but only after disabling Stolen Device Protection, a security feature enabled by default since iOS 26.4. Users are advised to do this at home to avoid built-in delays meant to deter thieves who know a device's passcode. Location sharing with specific contacts can also be stopped individually through the Find My app without disabling the entire feature.