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Tech News
Apple Intelligence shipped enabled by default with iOS 26, running in the background on eligible devices even for people who never use tools like Writing Tools, Image Playground or notification summaries. These features can consume up to 7GB of storage, and users can disable them individually or entirely through Settings without affecting core device functions.
Storyteller has grown from a single Python script into a full ecosystem, including web, mobile, and e-reader plugin apps, with new versions in alpha and beta testing. At its core is an alignment algorithm that automatically matches ebook text to audiobook narration and embeds this synchronization using the EPUB Media Overlays standard, enabling word-by-word highlighted narration in supported reader apps.
Apple has rolled out several updates to Apple Card ahead of its seventh anniversary, including a new 'Recurring' transactions view coming with iOS 27's Wallet app. The company also partnered with Booking.com to grant Apple Card holders automatic Genius Level 2 status plus 3% Daily Cash, building on an earlier Hertz partnership offering discounts, free roadside assistance and extra drivers for car rentals.
Apple's long-rumored Health app revamp, internally known as Project Mulberry, missed its expected debut in iOS 26.4 and again at WWDC27. Speculation now points to a possible unveiling alongside the Apple Watch Series 12 and Ultra 4 next month, given Apple's history of introducing health features outside its June keynote.
Laytr is a new iPhone app that lets users save links, screenshots, and other content via the native share sheet, then organize them into Now, Timeline, and Library tabs for later reference. Unlike most bookmarking tools, it stores everything locally on-device with no accounts or iCloud syncing involved.
Apple's iOS 27 update introduces a new AI-powered Siri, but it only runs on iPhone 15 Pro models and later, leaving older devices with the standard assistant. The feature currently supports English only and is unavailable in the EU and China due to regulatory restrictions. Users can enable it manually through Settings, though some may be placed on a waitlist lasting from minutes to days before gaining access.
A new open-source project called vphone-cli lets developers create and run a virtual iPhone on Apple Silicon Macs running macOS Sequoia, using Apple's Virtualization.framework alongside infrastructure derived from Apple's Private Cloud Compute research VM setup. The tool automates the full pipeline of downloading IPSW firmware, patching the boot chain, restoring via DFU mode, installing a custom firmware variant, and launching the resulting virtual device, with commands also available to manage, clone, export, and import VM instances.
Apple's iOS 27 update brings major improvements to iCloud Shared Albums, including support for full-resolution photos and videos, custom emoji reactions instead of just likes, and easier one-tap saving. Android and Windows users can now contribute content via the web rather than only viewing shared photos, and users gain new participant permission controls plus the option to set album expiration dates.
WhatsApp has begun rolling out five new chat theme categories on iOS: Featured, Nature, Live, Minimal, and Doodle, according to WABetaInfo. The standout is Live, which offers slowly moving animated backgrounds marked by a small icon, while the app automatically matches chat bubble colors to the chosen theme.
Dactyl has detailed how its cross-platform SwiftUI renderer works, describing it as a WebAssembly port of the iOS simulator that lets developers preview and build native apps for iOS, Android and web without a Mac. The system reimplements SwiftUI and related Apple frameworks like Charts, MapKit and ARKit in Swift, compiling apps to Wasm and linking them against Dactyl's own version of SwiftUI instead of Apple's.
Apple has unveiled several Apple Pay upgrades tied to iOS 27, including a redesigned checkout screen that lets users swipe between cards and view balances and rewards at a glance. The company also partnered with American Express to let customers redeem Membership Rewards points directly during checkout, valued at 0.7 cents per point. Additionally, a new 'Tap to Share' feature extends Tap to Pay on iPhone, letting shoppers share contact and loyalty info with merchants in-store.
Apple is adding an agentic AI feature to its Passwords app in iOS 27 that can automatically update weak or compromised passwords instead of requiring users to change them manually. The feature is part of a broader Apple Intelligence push and is currently in beta, with rollout timing uncertain between iOS 27.0 and a later 27.1 update.