We’re just a couple of months out from September (we know, the year flown by) and if you follow the technology launch calendar, you’ll know that means a couple of things.

First, we should see some new foldable phones and potentially smartwatches from Samsung soon, with its next Galaxy Unpacked event taking place on 22 July. Second, Google should treat us to some new Pixels, probably sometime in August. And lastly, Apple’s next iPhones should follow in September, and with a little twist to the norm this year, too.

Will the iPhone Ultra launch the same time as the iPhone 18 Pro?

It is widely speculated that Apple will finally introduce a folding iPhone this year – the iPhone Ultra. However, a new report suggests the device may face delivery delays, so it could be tricky to get hold of one.

Supply chain analyst, Ming-Chi Kuo (via 9to5Mac) has claimed the folding iPhone will have very limited supply at launch.

“My latest industry survey indicates that assembly shipments for the foldable iPhone in 2H26 will be roughly 7-8 million units, with 3Q26 shipments at 0.5-1 million units, or about 10 per cent of the total," he explained in a report.

"By comparison, estimated 3Q26 shipments of the iPhone 18 Pro / Pro Max total roughly 20-22 million units, significantly higher than the foldable iPhone and already meeting the inventory requirement for an official launch.”

Based on those numbers, it’s fair to say it could be exceptionally difficult to get your hands on a folding iPhone before the end of the year. In his report, Kuo also noted that delivery times could be as much as six weeks and potentially longer.

The device is expected to thinner than the iPhone Air when unfolded, at below 5mm and it is thought to offer a similar shape to the iPad mini when open. According to rumours, the iPhone Ultra could have a 5.5-inch external display, and a 7.8-inch internal display.

For now, there is no official confirmation on whether the folding iPhone will launch this year alongside the iPhone 18 Pro models. If it does, though, it might be worth expecting Apple to take the same approach as it did with the iPhone X to avoid disappointment.

Apple has reportedly increased the number of iPhone Ultra folding phone models in manufacture, as the company expects high interest in the new device. It's said that Apple will manufacture 10 million units of the new iPhone Ultra model.

The revised figure comes from Nikkei Asia (via 9to5Mac), increasing the estimate from the original order for 7-8 million phones. That's almost a 30% increase in the expected numbers that Apple will produce, according to a source close to the company.

The new folding iPhone is expected to land with a high asking price, expected to be around $2,500 (around £1,900, but Apple often doesn't directly exchange prices in different regions).

While the estimates for these devices are increasing, the report also says that Apple is increasing iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max numbers too, while the message going out to suppliers is to forecast "up to 85 million new iPhones for the second half of 2026".

While demand for the new folding model seems to be increasing, it will be dwarfed by demand for the updated iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max.

In a change to the normal launch cycle, it's been rumoured that Apple will be launching the iPhone Ultra alongside the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max in September, with the iPhone 18 expected to follow at an event in March 2027.

That will allow Apple to focus on its premium models and drive sales of higher value phones, before the availability of more affordable models the following year. In 2026, the updates to the iPhone 17 were so good, that we said in our review that if you don't need a telephoto camera, then take the iPhone 17 over the Pro.

When the new iPhone models do launch in September, the iPhone Ultra is expected to garner most of the attention, with the iPhone 18 Pro expected to have much the same design as the iPhone 17 Pro, but introduce a few new elements like new colours, a variable aperture camera and new core hardware.

The iPhone Ultra will go head-to-head with the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8, a wider format of folding phone from Samsung who has dominated much of the book-style folding phone market outside China to date.

The switch in format has seen the iPhone Ultra likened to a folding iPad Mini and it's expected that Apple's experience from iPadOS will help usability on the larger display.

Those of you who keep up to date with your iPhone rumours will know that things are set to change from later this year. While we'd normally expect to see a full suite of new handsets every Autumn, things could be very different this time out.

According to a slew of rumours from the last year or so, the base model iPhone will be left out of the Autumn event. That will leave only the Pro models and the long-awaited iPhone Ultra – the brand's first foldable phone – launched at that event.

Instead, the base model iPhone 18, the iPhone 18e and the iPhone Air 2 are all slated to arrive early in 2027. That could give rise to one of the most phone-heavy release years the brand has ever had, with six models slated to drop.

That would see those three married with another trio in the following Autumn, with the iPhone 19 Pro models and an iPhone Ultra 2. It's a lot to take in, and it also confirms that Apple is anticipating a yearly release cycle with its Ultra device.

Some had called that into question, after the launch of the iPhone Air. That – at least according to these rumours – seems to be on a two-yearly launch cycle, and some predicted that a foldable would follow suit.

The leak also suggests that all three of the models launching in the early part of 2027 will come with no major upgrades to the screen specs. That will disappoint some users, though it is likely a necessary evil to combat price hikes in the wake of the RAMageddon crisis.

Personally, I'm more annoyed about the splitting of the model family. Having the Pro version of a device launch prior to the standard version just feels clumsy and confusing.

Anyone who has been following the Apple story and, specifically, via the technology media will remember "bargate" – the moment in 2010 when a prototype iPhone 4 was accidentally left in a bar and found its way into the hands of Gizmodo.

It ended in criminal proceedings and a lot of ill feeling. And it could be argued that the tech site has never truly been the same again.

Well, as scandalous and shocking as it was at the time (and admittedly, a little exciting), it could turn out to be nothing in comparison with the new, major Apple leak.

As revealed by Reuters, a data breach at one of Apple's main suppliers – Tata Electronics – has resulted in many thousands of files hitting the dark web and slowly winding their way onto the general internet. And many of those contain images and documents about the forthcoming iPhone 18 Pro.

Trusted leakers Evan Blass and Ice Universe have each posted videos of the alleged device, too. And while it hasn't been confirmed whether they were part of the data breach, they do seem official.

Ice Universe calls it the "biggest leak in Apple's history".

The online leaker credits Evan Blass (@evleaks) for the video, but it seems to have been taken down Blass' own feed. He's followed up with another angle instead.

If these are genuinely of the iPhone 18 Pro, it's clear to see that the phone will look almost identical to the current 17 Pro model. That's likely the case with the iPhone 18 Pro Max too.

Ice Universe does even state that the "real star" will be the foldable iPhone Ultra. And that's where Apple will be even more worried.

What else is coming from the huge Apple data leak?

Considering the stolen data dump comprises an estimated 200,000 files, how many of them relate to the iPhone Ultra?

If they start to get out more widely, Apple will have a tricky task in containing the leak – and controlling the narrative.

Some companies wouldn't care that much and embrace the "free" publicity and hype, but that's never been Apple's way. It would rather have some surprises to behold during its iPhone keynote and in many ways, we agree.

It's just becoming harder to do these days – after all, how much of the upcoming Samsung Galaxy Unpacked will truly show us something we don't know about its new foldables? And we've seen plenty of other smaller leaks and CAD renders to have a good idea of what everything looks like from both manufacturers.

But there is something to be said about the mystique of a big tech launch – so we hope Apple has at least something else up its sleeve, and doesn't have to spend the next few months firefighting its "biggest leak" in its history.

As someone who's nursing his iPhone 15 Pro through what can only be termed as an obvious battery decline, it's tempting to keep an eye on the horizon for the next generation of iPhones and get pretty excited about potentially upgrading. That is, until you start to do some research and see grim tidings about likely price hikes and component shortages – the next generation of iPhone might be a little off-putting.

So, that means it could be worth looking back rather than forward, and seeing whether iPhones already on the market could offer the best value moving forward. That's what I've been doing this Amazon Prime Day, and it's left me thinking the iPhone Air might just be the best iPhone deal hidden in plain sight right now.

When we reviewed the iPhone Air last year, we were impressed by its build quality and design, unsurprisingly, and that impression has only become more cemented over time. It's really amazing how thin and light the phone is, especially when compared with the Pro models that you might be used to.

That makes the Air really nice to carry around in a pocket or bag by comparison, and its big screen ensures you don't feel any real compromise. Crucially for future-proofing it also has the A19 Pro chip inside it, which means that all of Apple's much-anticipated Siri AI upgrades will work when they're deployed, which is far from true for every iPhone released in the last few years.

The big question for me remains around battery life, given that's my beef with my slowly ageing 15 Pro. I now have to carry a slim battery pack around with me most of the time, since navigation kills the phone pretty fast, and that's a bummer that I'd like to avoid with the Air. Since it's less than a year old, it's hard to know how the battery will hold up over time, but I'm hopeful that it could be solid for a good few years.

I'm mulling this one over, but if you've been eyeing up the Air for while, then you might want to pull the trigger more quickly – this price might not last all that long.

It seems that RAMageddon is about to claim another victim – and this one is going to hurt millions of us. Fresh rumours and reports over the price of the iPhone 18 Pro suggest it's going to hit consumers in the wallet like never before.

It comes after Tim Cook confirmed that price rises were "unavoidable" across the Apple portfolio. The reason seems clear – ongoing RAM and component shortages arising from the unprecedented needs of AI data centres.

Now, the folks over at the Wall Street Journal have taken an educated guess at the cost of the new handset. That could see a start price of US$1,399 (approx. £1,050 / €1,220 / AU$1,995) for the handset. It's worth noting that Apple often prices its devices to the same number irrespective of location, so the actual figure could be more bleak here in the UK and Europe.

Sticking with the US pricing for ease, that would represent a US$300 price hike over the current entry point for the iPhone 17 Pro. It's going to be a pretty gnarly pill to swallow for consumers, particularly after a few years of miniscule or no rises.

What's more concerning is that it's likely to shape a trend across the wider phone market. It's no secret that Apple's size and influence makes it a bit of a figurehead.

If the cost of an iPhone goes up to account for the RAM shortage, you can bet your bottom dollar that every other phone will also go up to match it. That makes the whole thing less appealing, and could have some really devastating consequences for the market at large.

It feels like an inevitability at this point – particularly as there seems to be no sign of the RAM shortage easing in the near future – but it's still a nuisance for cash-strapped tech lovers.

We've been writing about the iPhone Ultra for more than a year – previously as the "iPhone Fold" – but it's only now that we've realised what it really is. And you know what? It's not actually an iPhone at all.

Nope, while it might still be called iPhone Ultra on release (although that's not confirmed, either), at its heart it's actually a foldable iPad. A foldable iPad mini, to be precise.

Serial Apple leaker Jon Prosser has revealed a set of new renders on his FPT (FrontPageTech) YouTube channel, which show the concept more clearly.

He claims the animated renders are the "most accurate" and up-to-date yet, and they show an inner display that looks more like an iPadOS homescreen than iOS. So, is this an iPhone than opens, or actually an iPad that folds?

It's actually both, of course, but you'll only likely buy one to use that internal screen regularly – after all, why not just buy the iPhone 18 Pro Max if you want a big screen iPhone?

It's raison d'être is to be a bigger screen device that you can fold in half to more easily carry around. So, ladies and gentlemen of the jury, I put it to you that it's actually an iPad mini Ultra. Ahem.

All that aside, Prosser's new renders certainly make the device look good – with that (almost) crease-less inner display and a relatively slim build. We're not sure exactly, but it would be good to see some of the more iPad-centric features found in iPadOS creep into the iOS 27 system it is likely to employ – such as Stage Manager and Apple Pencil support.

Prosser also states that it'll only be available in white or black, although it will also be interesting to see the cases Apple could release – how much extra girth could they add?

But, perhaps the biggest question mark that still lingers is on pricing. With Tim Cook saying this week that Apple products will get more expensive due to the RAM crisis, and the iPhone 18 Pro even thought to cost $200 extra this year, will the iPhone iPad mini Ultra break the $2,000 / £2,000 barrier?

Sadly, I think it's inevitable. We'll find out for sure come September.

Tim Cook will soon step down as Apple CEO, with engineer John Ternus set to take over in September, but it seems one of his last jobs before he goes is to confirm a price hike on Apple products.

"Unfortunately, price increases are unavoidable," Cook told the Wall Street Journal on Wednesday. "We’re doing our best to mitigate the huge increases that are being passed to us, and we’ve been trying to shield our customers from the increases, but the situation has become unsustainable."

No other details were shared, including which products that are to be affected, but the move always seemed inevitable.

Component costs have risen to record highs in the last year or so, with the prices of RAM and storage in particular being three to four times more than they were previously.

And sadly, while the focus of the recent WWDC 26 was mainly dedicated to the upcoming launch of Siri AI, it and other AI systems are largely to blame.

Why is AI to blame for the RAM crisis?

The global RAM shortage – often referred to as "RAMageddon" – has been enacted by the rapid rise of AI data centres. They require vast amounts of RAM chips, and so AI companies have been snaffling them up faster than an anteater at a picnic.

It has had a knock-on affect with other components too, including SSD storage, and so many tech products have seen price increases or even cancellations this year. Analytics firm CCS Insights even believes we'll see the mobile phone market shrink by 15% by the end of 2026 as a result.

Apple was initially thought to have safe guarded itself by stockpiling chips prior to the crisis, but is clearly running out of available hardware. And as Cook has confirmed, it will now pass on its costs to consumers.

This could mean that the expected iPhone 18 Pro and 18 Pro Max models will be more expensive than their predecessors when they arrive in September. The much-rumoured foldable iPhone Ultra was already expected to be in the $2,000 - $2,500 category.

However, the price increases could start sooner, with existing devices seeing big hikes.

So, if you are after an Apple product and not waiting for its fall (autumn) releases, you should consider taking the plunge now. Or better still, wait until next week and see what the Amazon Prime Day sale has to offer.

Apple announced a new version of Siri during WWDC 26, which drags the voice assistant kicking and screaming into the AI era. And so, after a false start in 2024 following the announcement of Apple Intelligence, a more capable Siri AI will debut with the arrival of iOS 27.

It'll also spell the end of the current assistant, which has seemingly had its run.

We've already tried out Siri AI, which now has a dedicated app, and it promises much greater scope than Siri previously offered. Like Google's Gemini is to Google Assistant, Siri AI is to Siri and that experience is going to be universal across all Apple devices.

It helps Apple reset its position with AI, having struggled to deliver the experience that was originally promised – and when iOS 27 lands, phones from the iPhone 15 Pro and newer will get access to the new and improved Siri AI.

The reason that Apple has taken so long to reach this point is because it basically had to start again. The voice assistant – first announced in 2011 – has become the subject of much ridicule over the years, as rivals like Amazon's Alexa and Google Assistant outstripped its functionality.

But that now changes, with Apple's agreement with Google to use Gemini technology a part of the puzzle.

In a recent interview (via 9to5Mac), Mike Rockwell – who now leads the team developing Siri – confirmed that Apple "rebuilt Siri from the ground up, literally, tore it to the ground".

Apple had previously "built a first version of this that was sort of incremental on top of the original Siri that added tool calling, and we had it working. But we didn’t feel it was really delivering on the vision and the experience that we wanted to do".

That means the new Siri is now a completely different beast to the previous version: this isn't the old Siri with bits bolted on: "It allowed us to build a profoundly more capable Siri. So it’s a Siri that has its own application, it’s natively multimodal, it’s privacy from the ground up," said Rockwell.

While Siri will be supported on iPhone models back to iPhone 15 Pro – the same as Apple Intelligence – the very best version of Siri AI, which allows "expressive voices and more advanced dictation" will only be available on iPhone Air, iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max.

Those are the models that have 12GB RAM – something that Apple typically doesn't talk about, and doesn't include in the specifications on its product pages. Now, in the AI era, RAM becomes much more important.

It'll also be available on any new iPhone models coming later this year, of course – such as the company's first foldable, the iPhone Ultra.

For those with an iPhone older than iPhone 15 Pro, we expect that "old" Siri will keep plodding on, but a bit like Google Assistant, it will likely stay in place but get no new functionality.

Giving a child a phone or tablet is never an easy decision – the internet is wonderful, but there are many parts of it that aren’t, and it’s difficult to stay on top of our own devices, let alone constantly monitoring our children’s too.

Indeed, the UK government has just announced a ban on social media platforms for under-16s, which comes into affect next year. So the subject is clearly a concern for many.

Apple is one of the brands looking to do something about its own devices.

It already offered a number of new child safety features for its iPhones, iPads and Macs, but those are expanding with iOS 27, iPadOS 27, and macOS 27 later this year. From a new Ask to Browse feature to redesigned Screen Time controls, here’s what’s new and why they should make it easier to keep your child safe.

Set up is easier

The starting point for all of Apple's parental controls is a child account, which Apple is making easier to set up.

In my WWDC 26 demo, it took around five minutes to set up a box-fresh device for a child. You are walked through the account creation process step by step, with initial options allowing you to choose to set up a device for someone 12 or younger, a teen aged 13-17, or an adult over 18.

Once a child account is active, age-appropriate restrictions are automatically applied across the system, from blocking adult websites in Safari to filtering out age-inappropriate apps in the App Store.

You can also decide exactly which apps are available on the device from the outset, with the option to start with a minimal set, such as Phone, Messages and Photos, and add more over time as your child grows.

In addition to selecting ‘Allowed Apps’, you can determine ‘Allowed Websites’ and select the rating for what content is allowed, too, like '9+' or ‘Clean’.

Control in your hands

Building on the existing Ask to Buy feature, which requires your permission before a child downloads an app, Apple has introduced Ask to Browse for Safari.

It works in a very similar way: when a child tries to visit a website that hasn't been pre-approved, a request is sent to the parent's device via Apple’s Messages app. You, as the parent, can then approve or deny it from wherever you are. The feature works across iPhone, iPad, and Mac.

Pre-approved websites are clever too. You can make sure something like Times Table Rock Stars (TTRS) is approved, while limiting YouTube by only approving certain channels and YouTubers, for example.

It means the pre-approved website list can be as granular as you want, giving you more control over what your child can and can’t access.

There’s control over contacts, too. It was previously possible to set Communication Limits, allowing parents to select the contacts a child could talk to during specific times. However, with the new software, this feature has been extended.

If a child wants to add a new contact, they first need parental approval with the request coming through in Messages, like Ask to Buy and Ask to Browse, where the parent can then accept or decline.

There’s also a feature called Communication Safety, which already automatically blurred nudity detected in Messages and FaceTime video calls, though sadly not apps like WhatsApp at the moment.

With the new software, this feature will now detect and block gore and violent content in shared images and videos as well, and it is turned on by default for all users under 18. Again, this will work in Apple’s native apps, though there are APIs that would allow third-party apps to adopt the feature.

In the future, I’d love to see Communication Safety expand to look out for bullying or specific words that might indicate bullying in messages, but for now, these features all contribute to making it easier to keep children safer on devices, and that’s great to see.

Easier monitoring

Parental controls on Apple devices have long had Screen Time, but it was somewhat limited. With iOS 27, iPadOS 27 and macOS 27 Golden Gate, there is a new Time Allowance feature that lets parents set separate limits by app category – like Entertainment, Games, and Social Media.

Apple provides age-based starting points drawn from expert research that you can adjust to suit your family.

The redesigned Screen Time dashboard, meanwhile, gives you a cleaner, at-a-glance view of daily usage and the apps your kids are using most.

You can pause device access instantly, in case someone isn’t doing what they are told and they need a time out. On the flip side, you can also extend a limit quickly if your kid needs a few more minutes to finish something or perhaps you are giving them a reward.

Other features coming with iOS 27 include a Screen Time Passcode Notifications alert for parents if the Screen Time passcode is entered on a child's device. This might give you a heads-up if a child is attempting to change their own restrictions.

User Reporting Tools are also being expanded globally, allowing harmful content to be flagged directly to Apple from more countries and regions. And the company has also launched a dedicated website for parents, covering setup guides, recommended settings, and answers to common questions.

Determined teenagers will always find workarounds, and no features replace actual conversations with your children about how to behave online and the dangers of online. But the new tools coming with iOS 27, iPadOS 27 and macOS 27 are considered, easier to set up and maintain than those that came before.

They're certainly a step in the right direction, which I am thrilled about.

We’ve been waiting a while (since WWDC 24, if you’ve been counting), but the new, more personalised and contextualised Siri will finally arrive this year. It comes in the form of Siri AI, and was revealed at Apple’s WWDC26 alongside new Apple Intelligence features, which include new photo editing tools and Suggestions in messages.

I’ve now had a few demos of the new Siri AI, but I have also been playing with it myself on my iPhone 16 Pro Max using the iOS 27 Developer Beta. I must admit, I have been pleasantly surprised so far.

Siri AI actually does what I want

There are a few things I have asked Siri AI to do. I started with asking it to find my Swedish auntie’s marinade recipe that my mum had sent me in Messages. The recipe is in Swedish and my mum sent it as a photo back in 2023.

My prompt to Siri AI was: “Can you find the BBQ marinade recipe I was sent by Mum”. Much to my surprise, Siri summarised the conversation my mum and I had had about the marinade and highlighted a couple of messages at the bottom of the results in the "sources". Tapping one of the two listed messages took me to the photo I needed.

I also asked Siri AI to tell me which dates in July I could do a lunch meeting (turns out I am pretty free in July except a few dates, which Siri listed for me), and I asked Siri AI to create an event every Friday in July from 6pm to 8pm, which it managed without a problem.

When my friend Aaron sent me a message in the Messages app asking if I was free for dinner on a specific date, I asked Siri to check my calendar and find alternatives when it noted a clash. It then constructed a message in a similar tone to the rest of our conversation to respond to him.

Other examples I tested Siri AI with included asking it to pull a packing list from an email I received with information about WWDC, and add it to a Reminder list with a note to pack when I got back to the hotel. I didn’t tell it which hotel but Siri knew.

When I asked it to show me photos from my holiday to Sweden last year, it pulled up all the photos I took, along with ones from this year. And asking it how much I spent on train station parking last month also returned the right result (based on me prompting it with the sender to look for in my email receipts).

There are a few things Siri AI didn’t quite manage, yet

Of course, Siri AI is still very much in beta, and with this come a few dropouts and errors.

While it found the messages with the photo of the marinade I was talking about earlier, it didn’t pull out the photo in its initial response. I had to click on the message from the source, then the photo and then I was able to ask Siri to translate it, which it then did brilliantly.

When I asked it how much I spend on my window cleaning every month, it told me I had a direct debit going out (which it knew from my emails), but despite the email saying the amount, Siri didn’t give me this.

I also asked it for my driving licence number, knowing that I had a photo of it in my Photos, but it didn’t retrieve this surprisingly.

What about the new Apple Intelligence features?

As for the Apple Intelligence features, these seem to work very well. The Reframe feature for photos is very impressive, allowing you to adjust the composition of a shot after you took it.

I got it to reframe a shot of me next to a WWDC sign, and it handled my patterned dress, as well as the translucent sign. Extend also works well, expanding a photo by up to 25% on each side and I had good results with Clean Up too, especially when selecting the "High Quality" option.

Suggestions also work well, with helpful buttons like "Add to Calendar" appearing when someone suggests a date in a message, and the ability to use natural language to describe a calendar invite is much more user-friendly than filling in all the fields separately.

I enjoyed playing around with creating Shortcuts using natural language, too – my test subject Aaron is going to enjoy receiving a message when I leave the Apple Visitor Centre after I finish this story.

A couple of things worth remembering

I use Apple’s native apps, including Mail, Messages and Apple Photos, so I am probably one of the best use cases for Siri AI at the moment.

In the Developer Beta of Siri AI, it wasn’t able to use context from an open WhatsApp chat screen with Aaron to search my calendar for the new lunch date that had been suggested, instead only pulling from the initial message in Messages about dinner.

There will also no doubt be a number of other hurdles Siri and third-party developers still need to overcome.

But from my interactions so far, Siri AI is head and shoulders above the current assistant, which, is quite frankly useless in comparison. It’s taken a couple of years more than I'd have liked, but so far, Siri AI actually seems to be pretty good.

During its WWDC 26 keynote, Apple revealed that iOS 27 will work on pretty much every iPhone released in the last seven years – from the iPhone 11 and up.

However, it has now also been confirmed that the vast majority of them won't be getting all the new features. In fact, only a small handful will support the most powerful on-device Apple Intelligence and Siri AI capabilities.

That's because, as 9to5Mac explains, the more advanced features will require at least 12GB of RAM to operate, while most older iPhone models have a maximum of 8GB. Of those currently available, only the iPhone 17 Pro, 17 Pro Max and iPhone Air fit that particular bill. Even the iPhone 17 is not powerful enough.

The same is true with other Apple devices. You'll need an iPad running on at least M4 silicon and with 12GB of RAM, or a Mac on M3 with 12GB.

The better news is that most of the new features will work on other models too, although they will require data connections and are likely to return slower results, as they'll need to use Apple's remote Private Cloud Compute services to process commands.

We don't know yet which models those will be, and whether all iPhones will support the remote services. However, it is likely many of the more creative features, such as the enhanced Image Playground, will be included in that category.

When will the new Apple Intelligence and Siri AI launch?

Siri AI will arrive with the full release of iOS 27 – likely in September alongside the iPhone 18 Pro models and new, foldable iPhone Ultra.

It will be restricted to supported iPhones set to English language as default.

Unfortunately, that won't include any devices in the EU. Apple has decided to withhold Siri AI support from users in the European Union on privacy and security grounds, as it gets to grips with the ramifications of the EU's Digital Markets Act.

Many of the Apple Intelligence features unveiled during WWDC will be more widely available across multiple countries.

A developer beta of iOS 27 is available to download now, but it is highly inadvisable to do so unless you know what you're doing. The software can be bug-ridden and missing some other important phone features.

A public beta will follow in July.

Several new features are coming to iPhone when iOS 27 launches later this year, from performance improvements like faster AirDrop transfers (not that I find it particularly slow now) to new child safety features.

The new (and very long-awaited) Siri AI is unsurprisingly a highlight of the upcoming software, along with a few new Apple Intelligence features. So, here are the top five iOS 27 features that really caught my attention during my in-person demos at WWDC 26. They are the ones I'm looking forward to most.

1. A more helpful assistant in Siri AI

We’ve been waiting a long time for the new contextually aware Siri – two years in fact – but from what I was shown, it looks like it might finally be ready to be a helpful personal assistant.

Siri AI is a redesigned assistant powered by Apple Intelligence and unlike the old Siri, it handles open-ended questions, brainstorms ideas, and holds natural back-and-forth conversations.

It understands personal context, surfacing buried emails, old photos, or saved notes with a simple request. It can also take actions across apps like Messages, Music, and Reminders, and tap into the web for up-to-date answers on pretty much any topic.

A new, dedicated Siri app keeps all your conversations synced across iPhone, iPad and Mac, and it can also write drafts and match your personal tone for each recipient you reply to, as long as you have at least two messages with them for context.

2. Clever new photo editing skills

The enhanced photo-editing skills were rumoured before WWDC kicked off, but I’ve now seen them in action, and they are impressive.

A new ‘Tools’ icon appears alongside Adjust, Filters and Crop when you tap to edit a photo. From here, there’s a Reframe feature that allows you to change the composition of a photo – perhaps you got the angle slightly wrong or didn’t notice the sign in the background, for example.

Clean Up, which lets you remove unwanted objects from a photo, has also been upgraded. In the demo I saw, Clean Up was able to remove a chair and large cuddly toy from an image, place a child’s leg in its place and even match the stripy sock from the child’s other leg.

There’s also Extend, which lets you expand a photo by 25% in any direction.

3. Context-aware suggestions

Siri Suggestions bring intelligent, context-aware actions into Apple’s native apps and this is one feature I am really looking forward to see expand.

To start with, in Messages and Mail, quick actions might be suggested based on your conversation, such as adding a calendar event or opening the Photos app to send a photo.

It can also proactively surface relevant information during phone calls, such as pulling up a confirmation code from your inbox while you're on the line with an airline.

It’s taken further with the Shortcuts app, where you can simply describe a task in plain language, and Siri can build a multi-step automation that connects actions across multiple apps. I can see plenty of potential here.

4. Fixing passwords without my input

This is not one to be underestimated. If you have compromised passwords in the passwords app, you’ll have no excuse for not sorting those out with iOS 27.

The Passwords app in the new software takes the hassle out of keeping your accounts secure. It automatically alerts you to any weak or compromised passwords and can update them on your behalf with no manual effort from you required except one quick tap.

5. Personalising Liquid Glass

This one might not seem that exciting, but for those who found the Liquid Glass design of iOS 26 a little hard to read, there’s a new slider in iOS 27 that will help.

The slider can be found in the Appearance section of Settings, and will allow you to personalise how Liquid Glass looks across your iPhone.

It can be dialled anywhere from ultra clear to fully tinted, with the latter making it a little easier to see. The new software also improves the underlying Liquid Glass design itself, with more uniform refraction and better contrast.

Apple has said iOS 27 will be available from this fall (autumn), though there should be a public beta available from July if you want to try some of the new features out beforehand.

It will be compatible on iPhones from the iPhone 11 and newer, but Siri AI and Apple Intelligence features require an iPhone 15 Pro, iPhone 16 model or iPhone 17 model.

The iPhone Ultra is expected to launch alongside the iPhone 18 Pro in September 2026. That will see Apple with its first foldable phone, but thanks to WWDC 2026 a number of references to the forthcoming device might have surfaced.

The first of these cropped up in the iOS 27 developer beta, which was released immediately after the keynote. That's given some users time to dive through the code and find new references.

Highlighted by 9to5Mac, X user @samhenrigold pointed out that within the code were references to "foldState" and "angleDegrees", as well as a new MobileGestalt key to highlight the number of displays on a device.

MobileGestalt is a system library in iOS that the device can refer to – and in the past, all iPhones have had one display, so there's been no need to find out how many displays there are. In a folding phone, you'd need that information, because there are two.

That perhaps hints that iOS 27 is ready to support a new format of device.

Elsewhere, some users have spotted that iPhone mirroring on macOS can be resized to look like an iPad, with many suggesting this is preparation to support the iPhone Ultra's unfolded display.

While there might not be a need to mirror the iPhone Ultra's main display, it perhaps gives an insight into how apps might shift from the external display to the main internal display.

That's not the only place where this happens: with the introduction of Xcode's Device Hub, apps can quickly be resized, again giving us a good look at how developers might adapt apps for a different display. Of course, this could just be about making apps work better across iPhone and iPad.

Although digging through the details of code and minor references for a hint of iPhone Ultra might seem a little desperate, there's another Easter egg that some are pointing to. I wouldn't go as far as saying this is a smoking gun, but definitely looks like it's designed to get people talking.

Part of the presentation by Stacey Ford takes place in mock workshop environment, with tables filled with tools and devices in pieces.

On a quick pan we pass some of the usual suspects, like an Apple Watch in bits, there's the latest iPhone and then a tray with some thicker devices on them. Some are pointing to these as folding device prototypes.

As I said, it's hardly a smoking gun. The tray in question has a blower brush (common in photography) and what looks like a pocket magnifying glass of some type, so there's sort of a photography theme happening there and very little that looks like an iPhone Ultra.

Still, if you're looking for it, you'll find it, even if it's not actually there.

If you've been around the tech space for a while, you'll know that the near-constant back-and-forth between Apple and the European Union is almost perpetual. The two often find themselves at loggerheads, which has caused some high-profile moments over the years.

Now, it seems to be rearing its head once again. Mentioned briefly at WWDC 2026 and noted in the footnotes of its press briefing, Apple confirmed that the new Siri AI feature would "not be available initially in the EU."

Well, that's a half truth, actually. It'll be available across MacBooks, Apple Watches and Apple Vision Pro, but will be held back for iPad and iPhone users.

Why? Well, it all comes down to the EU's Digital Markets Act. That's nothing new, and is designed to ensure fair competition in digital spaces, but forcing larger technology gatekeepers to follow rules around open app stores, data sharing and more.

Now, that's not too much of an issue for Android phones, where that kind of open functionality has been a feature for years. But Apple has made a big deal of its walled garden design, so it's more of a change there.

According to a press release from the brand, Apple offered a range of solutions to effectively find a middle ground, which were rejected by the EU. That release goes on to regale horror stories about some – notably unnamed – AI agents stealing data and altering files.

Personally, I'm slightly sceptical. While I have no doubts that Apple wants to keep its users walled into its own services, I can't help but feel that these claims are somewhat embellished – particularly with other brands seemingly able to comply.

Still, there's one ray of light for those of us in the UK – it's not set to affect us. The issue only arises for those in the 27 member states of the EU, leaving the UK unaffected.

After two years of waiting, Siri AI is now here. Announced (again) at WWDC 2026, the new AI-powered assistant looks set to be the big highlight of the event, complete with the promise of some killer features.

For starters, the system is built on the brand's next-gen Apple Intelligence platform. That's built in collaboration with Google's Gemini, which should offer a more stable base than Apple's previous attempt. It's pretty recognisable, too, so anyone who has spent a long time using Gemini in the past will feel right at home.

The new Siri can use personal context, as well as context from what's on your screen, in order to provide a more natural, conversational experience. In the presentation, we see the user ask where a location in an image is, with Siri able to recognise it and share a location.

It'll also be able to recognise the people and faces in your image library, making it easier than ever to find images. You can say things like "find the picture of John from our trip to the park in April" and it should be able to do just that.

The voice has also changed, with a lot more expressiveness in its delivery. It's quite cool, if a little cringey, especially when you hear it trying to use modern slang and language. It's a bit like hearing your Granny do the same.

You can even adjust the pace and expressivity of the voice, as well as change the accent, to really tailor the assistant to exactly how you'd like them to respond.

There are lots of dedicated changes for the system on Apple Watch, Apple Vision Pro and MacBooks, too. Most notably, that includes the ability to speak to Siri from the Spotlight window on Mac, and to simply look at the Siri window and start speaking on Vision Pro.

Apple has announced that iPhones released as long as seven years ago will continue to support the latest iOS software. All handsets that can run iOS 26 will essentially run iOS 27 too.

Speaking during the WWDC 26 keynote address, the company revealed that the iPhone 11 and above will work with the next big upgrade.

The iPhone 11 was released in 2019 and so was never expected to meet the cut this time around, but it'll get many of the new features and tweaked Liquid Glass design – much like the latest devices, too.

The list also includes a couple of iPhone SE models as well.

iOS 27 iPhone compatibility list

• iPhone SE (2nd generation)
• iPhone SE (3rd generation)
• iPhone 11
• iPhone 11 Pro
• iPhone 11 Pro Max
• iPhone 12 mini
• iPhone 12
• iPhone 12 Pro
• iPhone 12 Pro Max
• iPhone 13 mini
• iPhone 13
• iPhone 13 Pro
• iPhone 13 Pro Max
• iPhone 14
• iPhone 14 Plus
• iPhone 14 Pro
• iPhone 14 Pro Max
• iPhone 15
• iPhone 15 Plus
• iPhone 15 Pro
• iPhone 15 Pro Max
• iPhone 16
• iPhone 16 Plus
• iPhone 16 Pro
• iPhone 16 Pro Max
• iPhone 16e
• iPhone 17
• iPhone 17 Pro
• iPhone 17 Pro Max
• iPhone Air
• iPhone 17e

Of course, not all of the new features will make their way onto the older devices. The current Apple Intelligence is only available on the iPhone 15 Pro and above, for example.

It would be hugely surprising for the new Siri AI and Apple Intelligence capabilities to appear on anything less.

However, there will be plenty of other new tools and features that will be available, such as the tweaked Liquid Glass design where you can adjust the translucency of the background. Or the new parental controls to limit content for youngsters.

That makes sense considering many parents hand their older iPhones down to their children.

We'll undoubtedly find out more about iOS 27, Siri AI and Apple Intelligence over the coming days, as WWDC progresses. Make sure you come back to T3 to find out exactly what's happening out in Cupertino.

While today's WWDC event is likely to showcase a lot of software from Apple, there's another event expected later this year with more significance. That's because the brand is slated to drop a bevy of hardware this Autumn, including its first attempt at a foldable phone.

That's expected to debut as the iPhone Ultra, and has been leaked once again. Notable and respected tech industry insider, Sonny Dickson, has shared a new suite of images of a dummy unit of the handset.

The images themselves show off a fairly similar design to others we've seen before, though this unit definitely looks a lot more finalised. The unit features a shorter, fatter design than other units currently on the market, which more closely resemble the aspect ratio of standard phones when folded.

Personally, I'm not such a fan of this stubbier appearance, but it does make it a better alternative to something like the iPad Mini. See, where most standard foldable phones open out to something almost square, this device will open out to a more traditional tablet aspect ratio.

That's likely to be the big sell for Apple, with a product which could feasibly replace both an iPhone and an iPad for most users. It's a marked departure from Apple sales of old, where the goal was to embed users in a multi-device ecosystem.

Elsewhere, Dickson suggests that the device will only be available in one colour – white. That's another shocking suggestion, with other devices at least offering a darker hue.

We also see the previously suggested top-mounted volume buttons, which sit atop the back panel. That also houses the power button on the side, which should ensure the placement of those buttons doesn't change when the device is folded or unfolded.

Regardless of what you think of it, this device is certain to shake up the market when it launches.

Apple's annual Worldwide Developer Conference for 2026 – WWDC 2026 for short, or 'Dub Dub' as it's lovingly known – is now over. And it was a pivotal moment for Apple.

The current CEO, Tim Cook, presented for his final time – as John Ternus will take over in September, just in time for the iPhone 18 launch. WWDC 2026 gave us a preview of the software that'll bring, though.

The show was all about iOS 27, plus Apple's other platforms – macOS, iPadOS, watchOS, tvOS, visionOS – because the next-generation of Siri, called Siri AI, will be key for the whole ecosystem. And it's powered by Google, just delivered in a very 'Apple way'.

With the 8 June keynote now behind us, you can catch the biggest headlines below, or read our musings from throughout the day, post by post. There's a lot more to come, too, as this WWDC was a major one – and the iOS 27 opinions (with the beta software imminent), backwards compatibility, and Siri AI region limits are all talking points.

WWDC 2026 biggest news headlines:

• The 5 best new features coming to iOS 27
• Apple's Siri AI is finally here – and will look familiar
• We tried out the new Siri – here are our honest thoughts
• Your older iPhone will support iOS 27 – here's what's compatible
• While iPhone owners in the EU won't get Siri AI yet, those in the UK will

What's Cookin'?

While the big news is inevitably going to be about new iOS 27 and MacOS software innovations, it's impossible to ignore that Tim Cook will be passing the baton to John Ternus – officially from this coming September.

That gives WWDC 2026 more of a 'people story' aspect than others in its recent past, with both Cook and Ternus expected to present – along with many other Apple executives in their respective roles.

It's the end of one era and the beginning of another – which means significant software announcements are a must to kick-off Ternus' leadership with a bang.

Return of the Mac

While the expectation is for lots of iOS 27 updates for the incoming iPhone 18 Ultra launch in September, don't expect any hardware reveals today.

However, 2026 has been a massive year for Apple's MacBook line-up, with the MacBook Neo shaking up the proposition entirely this year.

That's a good reason for the foundations of MacOS to get a further shake-up, therefore, with WWDC 2026 the obvious platform for such reveals.

What exactly could we expect? Rumours suggest that the Mac could get a Liquid Glass-style overhaul, for starters, tying it in with the Apple ecosystem even closer.

Apple TV surprise?

As reported last month, following Apple's update of its tvOS, there are ongoing rumours that a new Apple TV 4K box could be coming.

Could this mark a rare hardware reveal of sorts at WWDC 2026? Chances are that'll get too distracting for the core audience, when the key push will be for iOS 27 developments.

Nonetheless, the expected Siri enhancements – that true Agentic AI agency is incoming for Apple – will also affect the way you can control Apple TV.

Quiz time!

Tim's late-night post

A 3am Twitter post from Apple's CEO! Well, what's that all about? Don't worry, it's nothing untoward. Just WWDC 2026 student winners hanging out at Apple Park in the lovely sunshine.

"Coming bright up"

With just over four hours to go until WWDC kicks off proper, let's take a look back at the official event reveal – and its "Coming bright up" tag line.

It's widely thought that this play on words – 'coming right up' – will refer to second-generation Siri. An "All systems glow" alternative is what's used on Apple's Developer Portal instead, both using brightness and glowing in their language. Quite the tease!

How will this apply to Siri? It's thought that the AI Agent will live always-on in your iPhone's Dynamic Island, ready on your command, revealing in a new bright/glowing interface for interactions.

As voice will be a large part of 'Siri 2.0' – perhaps it'll be called something even grander, we'll have to wait and see – this glowing visual reference will be an ideal cue that Siri is active, ready for interaction.

Just a touch

Much as Siri 2.0's voice interaction will be the big sell of WWDC 2026, we're all used to using our iPhones with our hands. Touch-based control is a staple for iOS 27.

But it hasn't been for Mac. Ever. There's long been rumours about that changing, but at this Dub Dub there's wider expectation than ever that macOS will actually bring an update to cater for touch-screen MacBooks.

That's centred around speculation of a MacBook Ultra, rumoured to be launching towards the end of this year, with an OLED panel for the first time. And, supposedly, a touchscreen too.

That would be a huge step-change for Apple's laptop line. It's not a 100% confirmation yet, of course, and there are plenty who wouldn't want touch to be added – given the iPad's position as that go-between product.

iDroid?

So where is the Siri 2.0 intelligence coming from? Well, after Apple Intelligence didn't quite hit the mark after its iOS 18 beginnings (that being the old naming format – it was released in 2024), Google has stepped in to assist.

Google Cloud's CEO, Thomas Kurian, said earlier this year: "We’re collaborating with Apple as their preferred cloud provider to develop the next generation of Apple Foundation Models based on Gemini technology."

But this isn't 'Google Gemini for iPhone'. It's Apple utilising Google's AI expertise to apply to its own models and systems, in order to make for "a more personalised Siri". It's long been known that Apple had turned to Google to develop new Foundation Models, which are the backbone behind Apple Intelligence.

What these AI advances could mean

So we've got Google providing some expertise to make Apple Intelligence truly, y'know, intelligent – with Siri 2.0 being at the forefront of that upgrade.

But what else could this actually mean? Expect to be able to do much more! Apple's Image Playground is one aspect likely to take benefit. This AI-image-generation tool is fun, but it's fixed to a given Genmoji style.

Google's Gemini Omni (formerly Veo 3) can already create much more realistic AI results, or produce a wide variety. So you can expect Genmoji and Image Playground to deliver far more options.

Siri, meet Claude. Claude, be nice to ChatGPT.

Rumour has it that Siri 2.0 won't be a closed book either. While Apple already permits you to pass queries through ChatGPT, if Siri is going to be truly agentic – i.e. acting like an agent, so pooling from multiple sources to create actions – that's expected to expand to also include Claude.

This isn't a major surprise. Other phone-makers already do similar – Samsung's Galaxy AI utilises Google Gemini as its core model, but you can also use Perplexity (in addition to Samsung's own Bixby – not that anyone really does).

While this will enable Siri 2.0 to be more intelligent, due to its potential pool of resources, Apple does run the risk of isolating some users if there are simply too many pay-for additional options. Claude is free to use at its most basic, but there is a ceiling to volume of queries – bypassed by paying for a Pro membership.

The waiting game...

But, here's a thought: while Siri 2.0 is likely to roll out with iOS 27 beta ahead of the full software launch – anticipated to be in September, along with the new iPhone 18 models – it might not be available in every region from day one.

The UK, for example, is typically at least six months behind Google's and Apple's software rollouts. It's because US English is signed off – often alongside Korean – for launch date, with other languages/regions having extended waits for approval.

So all the fancy new tricks that Siri 2.0 will be shown to offer during WWDC might not be immediately available everywhere. At least you'll get a taste of what's to come, though, and just how much better your next iPhone might behave.

Do you need to upgrade?

There's a big question. Will Siri 2.0 be coming to all iPhone models? Short answer: no.

That's because there's not endless software support and some older hardware doesn't have the goods to deliver at the level required – despite some AI being performed off device, in the cloud.

The iPhone X series, for example, didn't get iOS 26. Granted, that device is approaching nine years old. But even more recent handsets, such as the iPhone 15, wasn't compatible with Apple Intelligence – only the Pro and Pro Max models were for that generation.

Chances are, however, that those with an iPhone 16 or iPhone 17 model – and any model in those ranges – will get full iOS 27 support with Apple Intelligence and Siri 2.0, no features missing.

Hello and Good Morning Apple

Good afternoon, it's Mat Gallagher here, taking over the live blog, ahead of the big event. It's just gone 3:30pm here in the UK which means it's 7:30am in Cupertino, where WWDC will be taking place. We've already had early posts from Tim Cook, including this Good Morning post featuring a number of Apple TV stars.

Clues in the code

While it's highly likely we won't hear any details of new hardware in today's WWDC keynote, there could be clues in some of the new features of what's to come. Could we see more touchscreen friendly operation for Mac OS, suggesting a touchscreen Mac is around the corner? Could we see bigger screen dynamics for iOS that could be the groundwork for the iPhone Fold?

Seeing is believing

One interesting area will be Apple's Vision OS and smart glasses development. The Vision Pro is believed to have now been retired but it is likely to still gain updates in this round. Could those updates also make way for a smaller screen smart glasses display, like the Android XR system?

I don't suspect we will hear anything specifically about Apple's smart glasses plans today, but Vision OS developments could be telling.

What about the iPhone Fold?

Hardware's a no-no at this WWDC right? That's likely to be the case. But there's still a question mark over the iPhone Fold.

Not it actually being revealed – perhaps that'll happen as an 'and another thing' moment in September – but any alluding to its presence through iOS 27 feature updates.

If we start seeing new ways to share between apps, any notion of split-screen, and so forth, then could provide some early clues.

There is, of course, a chance that we're still way away from a folding iPhone launch actually happening – it might all be a pipe dream.

After all, the Apple Car was shelved. Well, kinda. That Ferrari Luce sure does look kinda suspect...

1 hour to go

Tick tock, it's almost Dub Dub o'clock. One hour until the show officially kicks off. Apple hasn't started to play tunes on repeat on its official WWDC 2026 live stream YouTube video just yet, mind – but it can only be a matter of time!

How will 'Super Siri' work?

For all the talk of an upgraded Siri, however, how is that functionality going to be integrated?

The likelihood is that, just like with Google Gemini and other AI systems, it will have a dedicated Siri app as part of iOS 27.

In here you'll be able to view your history of queries and responses, while accessing settings to enable or disable various features.

Siri is likely to be an always-on option, if you provide permissions, living in the Dynamic Island and ready to roll upon your request. Outside of iPhone, however, cross-device handover will surely be a significant aspect of the delivery.

Siri 2.0 ought to have cross-app accessibility with other Apple apps and, if Apple has done the necessary groundwork – and it's had over two years to do so – then third-party tie-ins could be the big upsell that Google's Android system hasn't quite nailed yet.

With Siri semi-contained through an app, you'll be able to monitor your history – but also disable the system as and when you please, hopefully with an app-by-app based control.

Looking back to look forward...

It's worth harking back to 12 months ago and WWDC 2025 for a moment, though. How will that affect what WWDC 2026 will deliver?

There's a typical theme at Dub Dub. Without a doubt it's software focused. And last year the keynote was used to talk about the following topics:

• Apple confirms iOS 26 with huge updates and major new features
• Your iPhone will look very different after Apple's Liquid Glass update
• Apple's new Mac software brings iOS 26 benefits – and adds one thing
• Apple's AirPods to get a useful new upgrade – although not all models
• Apple just gave your workouts a personal AI coach on the Apple Watch
• Apple takes gaming seriously at last – separate Games app coming to iOS 26

Liquid Glass was the major design change and biggest takeaway from last year's event. With that now well-established, however, it gives room for more Siri at WWDC 2026.

But history does repeat – and WWDC is a time to reflect on all of Apple's platforms. So let's not forget about watchOS, as new features are likely be appear there too – likely with a Siri angle.

We'll be back

Well, well, well, Apple's beta.apple.com page has been taken offline ahead of WWDC kicking off.

"We'll be back. We're busy updating the Apple Beta Software Program website and will be back soon" reads the page.

That'll be where iOS 27 beta with Siri show their faces, then, you can bet your bottom dollar.

What's in a name?

There's a lot of chat about what macOS 27 might be called. Long-running rumours that it would be 'Big Bear' aren't convincing everyone – including Apple insider, Mark Gurman, of Bloomberg.

So what'll it be? Here are some of the most likely options, with Emerald [Lake] becoming a late front-runner.

And we're off!

Strap in everyone, as it is time. WWDC 2026 is go – sorry, "glow time".

Golden Gate

Tim opens that the "latest advancements in Apple Intelligence and Siri," are key for WWDC 2026. Setting the stage for Craig Federighi, Apple's senior vice president of Software Engineering.

And now everything's got really kinda trippy. But here's the answer to that earlier query – the next macOS will be Golden Gate. Not Emerald. Not Big Bear. Quite the unexpected result, that!

Liquid Glass personalisation

Liquid Glass was the big development for 2025, so what's next? It's all about refinement.

"Now, we're making some additional refinements. Starting with the foundations of how Liquid Glass is built."

A new slider in settings allows you to adjust how translucent Liquid Glass windows are – from completely clear to fully clouded.

App icons now have "additional layer of Liquid Glass" to add more character to apps – whether in your Dock, on your iPad or iPhone.

System animations are also smoother. A lot of things are now faster, too. iPhone and iPad apps can launch up to 30% faster – as the team found a way to pre-load data so they're ready to go. Photos appear much quicker in your camera roll, too.

iOS 27 backwards compatibility

An updated CPU scheduler "ensures the right work is executed at precisely the right time". But it's also been possible to bring enhancements to older iPhone models – all the way back to iPhone 11.

That means iOS 27 will come to iPhone models that launched in 2019 onwards. That's seven years of previous launches, which is impressive.

Search gets a much-needed update

Search across iPhone, iPad and Mac also gets improved across Spotlight, Photos and Mail.

Apple has re-architected the search index, so it knows you have and where to find it. This new infrastructure "has a complete picture of what's already there".

Child Accounts

Powerful parental controls are the next step of Apple's focus. With a Child Account, controls are there to handle what content kids can see.

"Start focused and add more over time" is the message – with the ability to take control over which apps they wish to add.

Screen Time evolves into Time Allowances – with Entertainment, Games and Social Media divided so that parents can allocate time per category. It's also possible to limit when such categories are available – being blocked during school time, for example.

Apple Intelligence – "big step forward"

"More personal and more useful" is the message for the updated Apple Intelligence.

This uses a new architecture, unlocks an entirely new Siri, and makes your apps smarter and more useful.

That's thanks to the relationship with Google Gemini, bringing many familiar features to Apple that have lacked.

From powerful image understanding and generation – so you can edit photos like never before – to even more powerful on-device speech.

Siri just got serious

"A profoundly more capable assistant."

Siri finally gets the update it has needed – and that was promised years ago.

The latest Apple Intelligence integration means Siri can do far more.

It possesses on-screen awareness – so can tailor its effectiveness depending on what you're doing in which app.

With broad world knowledge, Apple Intelligence can go to the web to then use private cloud compute to research an answer – all delivered via Siri.

Greater contextual understanding thanks to system-wide cross-over also means Siri can use your Photos, Contacts, Maps and more to thread together more personalised responses.

Siri also has a new voice – sounding a little more human – with customisation of pace and expressivity to match your preferences.

iPhone users can swipe down from Dynamic Island to activate, or you can use the side button to activate instead of voice – if you prefer.

Mac users, meanwhile, can Ctrl+click to ask Siri within an app. It's also possible to ask Siri directly in Spotlight, to create a conversation there.

Siri app

As expected: there's a new Siri app. It allows cross-device sync, too, so you can dig into your history of queries.

That means from macOS to iOS, iPadOS to watchOS, even visionOS, Siri sits across the full range of platforms.

There's also a Siri mode for the Camera app, which can prompt Visual Intelligence suggestions.

'Write with Siri' can create generative drafts, too. Be that full pieces from a prompt, or Mail suggestions based on your history.

Let's go on a Safari

Apple's browser gets updates too.

It can use Apple Intelligence to organise your tabs into topics, bringing related tabs together automatically.

Stay on top of updates you care about, without the need to constantly refresh. That's thanks to the addition of Notify Me, which automatically monitors your important pages for changes – be that concert tickets, re-stocking or similar.

Home gets a boost too

The Home app banishes multiple notifications – instead opting to update a notification as to not barrage you with excesses.

There's an update to cameras integrated into Home, too, with the ability to voice search for specific moments – such as when your kid arrives home or that parcel was delivered.

Shortcuts helps people get more done faster by automating all manner of things. By using Apple Intelligence, you can now simply describe a custom shortcut – no need to manually build one.

Image Playground

This gets an overhaul, too, as expected. No longer is image generation "cartoon only", with more powerful options at your fingertips – including photo-realistic options.

Brand new ways to modify your images are available too. Apple Intelligence can deal with multiple prompts, one step at a time, to adjust a generated image until your result is fitting to what you wanted to achieve.

Photos adds AI upgrades

Clean Up gets a big upgrade. Remove distractions with more realistic in-fills.

Extend can expand images – be that a new aspect ratio or adding extra space around a subject.

Spatial Reframing adds a suite of adjustments – available after a picture has been taken. At its core it's about reframing, but to an advanced degree – so much that you can even move a camera position to recompose a shot.

Siri AI is not for the UK... yet

While Siri AI will be available in iOS 27, that doesn't apply to Europe or China just yet. There's regulatory processes to get through – and that'll take time.

It's also worth noting that some of the more advanced iOS 27 features will only function on the most powerful current hardware.

When can you get it?

Developer beta is available today, with the public beta coming "next month". The public full release will be "this fall" – in sync with the expected iPhone 18 launch.

Tim Cook, signing off

No John Ternus to be seen anywhere for this presentation, then, as was largely expected. However, he was posing with many WWDC attendees yesterday, so is very involved.

But Tim Cook signed off in heartfelt fashion, quipping it had been the "honour of a lifetime" to work with his teams.

And that, each and everyone, is WWDC 2026 over and out.

Splitting a restaurant bill could finally become painless if a new Apple Wallet feature arrives as expected in iOS 27.

According to a report from Bloomberg, Apple is working on a tool that can scan a receipt, work out who owes what and send payment requests automatically using Apple Cash. It could end up being one of the most useful iPhone upgrades yet.

The feature is expected to live inside Apple Wallet. You would simply take a photo of a receipt, the software then identifies items and assigns them to different people before calculating exactly what everyone owes.

If it works as claimed, it could put an end to the post-meal maths session that seems to follow every group dinner.

Plenty of apps have tried to solve this problem already. Most still require us to manually enter costs or convince everyone involved to download the same app. Apple's advantage, Wallet is already on millions of iPhones.

The feature is also reportedly tied to Apple Cash, allowing payment requests to be sent automatically once the bill has been divided up. No more trying to remember who ordered the extra round of drinks then.

Apple Watch could be getting this upgrade too. The report claims payment approvals may be handled directly from the smartwatch, while Messages integration could make it easier to send and manage requests between friends.

There is one potential catch. Apple Cash is currently only available in the US, so it's not yet clear how the feature might work in other areas including the UK. Apple could expand Apple Cash, adapt the feature for other payment systems or limit some functionality outside the US.

With WWDC just around the corner, we may not have long to wait to find out if this rumoured feature makes the final cut. And if it does, splitting the bill could finally stop being the worst part of eating out with friends.

Apple could be looking at using liquid metal in the construction of the new iPhone Ultra folding phone. It's thought that it could be used for the hinge.

The details come from a leak on Weibo, but let's just clear something up before imaginations run wild: this isn't liquid metal like the T1000 in Terminator films, able to keep its form while transfiguring into different shapes a normal temperatures.

Instead, liquid metal is an amorphous alloy where the atoms form a disorganised structure rather than a crystalline grid like traditional metals. That allows it to be formed into complex shapes and it allows greater flexibility in manufacturing.

It's called liquid metal because it behaves more like a liquid and it's something that Apple has been interested in for a long time. Indeed, rumours that Apple would use liquid metal for its folding phone appeared in 2025 and was even discussed in 2010 by the likes of Cult of Mac.

The tech has also been referred to as metal glass.

The aim would be to make the hinge lighter and stronger, while being able to form the complex shapes needed and to ensure durability. Liquid metal is a good application for this and Apple won't be the first to use it: it's already used by Oppo.

While the hinge is often highlighted as a point of failure for folding phones, there are two parts to consider. There's the mechanical hinge itself and then there's the display that sits over it. In the folding phones I've owned (or rather my wife has owned) the screen has failed through delamination of the screen at the point of bending.

That could perhaps be aided by producing a stronger hinge that better supports the display from the rear. Oppo's approach here is interesting for exactly that, because it uses a 3D scanning and liquid printing technique to flatten out the hinge and produce a "no crease" hinge.

Apple's first use of liquid metal was to produce a SIM tray tool for the iPad, but since then, the company's interest in the material hasn't resulted in anything substantial – it hasn't been used in a product (that we know of).

The iPhone Ultra could change that, with a much more substantial use of the material that Apple has been interested in for more than 15 years. The iPhone Ultra is expected to be announced in September 2026.

The iPhone Ultra could feature a vapour chamber to help keep the phone cool and sustain performance over longer periods of time. That suggests Apple is positioning it with Pro level performance.

When Apple switched to aluminium in the iPhone 17 Pro models, controversially moving away from titanium, it also introduced a vapour chamber. Together, Apple said that they "efficiently move heat away from the A19 Pro chip, allowing for even higher sustained performance".

That Apple didn't use vapour chambers before might come as a surprise, as they have been common in high-end Android phones for some time.

"This breakthrough in thermal management is key to the most powerful iPhone ever created," said Apple and it looks like that's going to be repeated in the iPhone Ultra.

According to a leaker on Weibo (via 9to5Mac) Apple is going to use a vapour chamber in the iPhone Ultra, which should aid chip cooling.

This will allow the first foldable iPhone to run more intensive tasks for longer, reducing the chance of performance issues under load. It's thought that Apple will use a blend of titanium and aluminium in the device.

We've seen a flurry of leaks for the forthcoming folding phone from Apple, with dummy units starting to surface and giving us a look at the short and wide design that Apple is expected to announce.

Apple's folding phone is expected to be announced in September 2026 alongside the iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max.

Before we get to that point though, Samsung is expected to release a similar format device, with two book-style folding phones expected on 22 July – the Galaxy Z Fold 8 and the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra.

Apple's first foray into the folding phone market comes some seven years after Samsung made its debut. Samsung has subsequently dominated discussion of folding phones and is expected to supply the screen that Apple will use.

The question mark that hangs over folding phones is durability, as well as the high price they attract and questionable advantages over regular phones, often being thicker, heavier and harder to use one-handed.

Exactly how Apple tackles the durability and usability of the iPhone Ultra will be the most interesting aspect over the coming year.

Apple is expected to launch its first folding phone alongside the iPhone 18 Pro models in September 2026. While Apple's plans remain closely guarded, we've seen a number of recent leaks now joined by this video of a dummy model.

It's not the first dummy that we've seen of the iPhone Ultra, but this model looks a lot more advanced than the device shown off by Unbox Therapy.

The latest video was shared on X (via NotebookCheck) and shows the anticipated device, with a short but wide format. It generally matches previously leaks, but there's no telling what the source of the device is – it could easily be based on existing leaks.

That makes verification slightly tricky: all we can really tell is that this seems to have come from the factory that produced it.

Unlike the previous dummy we saw, which just appeared to be a machined shell, this latest model appears to have sections that look like screens.

The video shows a bit of a struggle to open the phone one-handed, but once opened it appears to be very floppy, suggesting the hinge in far from the hinge that Apple will actually use.

The crease in the screen also appears comical, but I suspect it's just a black plastic sheet that's in place to look like a display.

Otherwise we can see the locations of the USB-C charging port, the buttons and speakers, as well as a large camera bump on the rear of the phone. It's only a dual lens, but it's expected to make the phone thicker than any iPhone previously.

With dummy devices doing the rounds, it's no surprise that we're starting to see case manufacturers starting to flog their wares as the excitement continues to build.

While we're sure that Apple will produce a great quality device, Apple's biggest challenge will be to justify this device's use case. Flip phones are popular because get more compact and have that retro feel to them, but larger folding phones are very expensive and lack a definitive purpose – often it's just a larger display that's easier to view spreadsheets on, but that's about it.

We're expecting a lot more leaks – and speculation – before Apple actually launches its folding phone.

It’s been suggested a few times recently, but the more it is said, the more likely it seems.

Yet another report has claimed Apple is planning to split its iPhone launch this year with the iPhone 18 Pro and 18 Pro Max still launching as usual, while the regular iPhone 18 is delayed until “early 2027”.

The report comes from Techlusive, though it also mentions the iPhone 18e being delayed until early 2027, and given the launch of the previous iPhone 16e and iPhone 17e, the iPhone 18e wouldn’t be due until early 2027 anyway.

It has never launched alongside the standard iPhone. I’m therefore going to ignore the chat about the iPhone 18e based on this report.

Why it makes total sense to have no iPhone 18

Delaying the iPhone 18 would be a big deal, however, and one that although surprising, makes a lot of sense.

It would allow Apple to focus on the premium models during its next major launch event – not just the iPhone Pro but likely the heavily rumoured folding iPhone Ultra too, which is thought to finally be arriving this year.

The Techlusive report also talks about the iPhone Air 2 not launching until early 2027, which again would be a sensible decision. It had its limelight around the September 2025 launch so it’s only fair to give the folding phone its time to shine should it arrive.

The report says analysts believe the wider launch window is “designed to ease the manufacturing pressures and to optimise supply chain logistics”.

“By splitting the launch, Apple can dedicate its 100 per cent time to its initial launch and production capacity for its most expensive iPhones. Simultaneously, the company will be able to extend the sales life of its existing catalogue during the crucial winter holiday shopping window,” it added.

None of this is confirmed by Apple, of course, so we will need to wait until September to know for sure, but in my opinion, it’s a strategy that makes complete sense and the iPhone 17 remains superb.

We thought iOS 26 and Liquid Glass were big steps forward for iPhone last year, but iOS 27 is looking like it will be even bigger, with the new Siri set to take centre stage.

It’s expected to be fully revealed at WWDC26 in June, and we’ve already seen a number of rumours and reports surrounding the new software. However, a major new leak has given us our clearest look yet at what could be coming – and it's a lot.

What is coming in iOS 27?

Via 9to5Mac, Bloomberg has published illustrated mockups of iOS 27, giving us an excellent first glimpse at the redesigned Siri experience, Siri chatbot, and more features coming to your iPhone this year.

The Bloomberg report claims the images are based on information from sources with knowledge of Apple's internal plans, though it notes the final version revealed at WWDC in June could still differ.

The big change is a completely overhauled Siri.

Rather than the familiar colourful border around your iPhone screen, Siri will now live inside the Dynamic Island. You’ll be able to trigger it in the usual way by saying "Siri" or holding the power button, but you'll see a redesigned animation appear at the top of your screen, Bloomberg says.

There's said to be a new trick too: swiping down from the top centre of the screen anywhere in iOS 27 launches a new "Search or Ask" interface for typing or speaking queries.

"From there users can launch apps, start text messages, ask about the weather, add calendar appointments, search through notes, trigger shortcuts within apps, or search the web using Apple’s new AI-powered search system, which competes with tools like Perplexity," the Bloomberg report says.

"Results are displayed in a rich text card that pops out of the Dynamic Island. Users can swipe down further to open a chatbot-style conversation inside the Siri app."

Apple will also reportedly open iOS 27 to third-party AI agents. This will go beyond its partnership with OpenAI’s ChatGPT, with the likes of Google’s Gemini and Anthropic PBC’s Claude being offered as alternatives. There will be a choice on which one you want to use, are the claims.

Elsewhere, the iPhone’s native Camera app is getting a customisable widget panel, while Photos gains new AI editing tools including Extend and Reframe that have been rumoured previously. AI grammar checking is also said to be on the way.

Nothing is official yet, of course, but WWDC kicks off on 8 June so it’s not too much longer to wait until we should see iOS 27 in all its glory

If you want to see all the leaked pictures, you can head to the Bloomberg report.

If you're frustrated that your iPhone won't play high-quality music over Bluetooth, then there's a simple solution in the form of the Acoustune ATX001. It's a USB-C accessory that can boost the Bluetooth performance of your Apple device.

Apple's problem – despite offering lossless tracks through Apple Music – is that the iPhone is limited in its support for higher quality streaming formats. It turns to AAC for its Bluetooth music and lacks support for formats and standards, such as aptX Lossless and LDAC.

These allow for higher quality streaming over a Bluetooth connections (as long as your headphones or speakers support it), which can mean that you get closer to the quality of the original track.

While many Android phones have offered Qualcomm's aptX and/or LDAC support for years, iPhone users who want more from their audio can plug the Acoustune ATX001 into their device's USB-C port and enjoy the upgrade, according to TechRadar.

The Acoustune ATX001 contains Qualcomm's QCC5181 audio chipset which can bypass and boost the audio processing powers that your phone will offer. That will allow the use of more advanced audio codecs, as long as the headphones you're using are compatible.

It's worth noting that the AirPods Max don't support aptX or LDAC either, so you're better off using something like the Sony WH-1000X series, which have long offered LDAC for a superior listening experience.

While Acoustune ATX001 will use the USB-C on your iPhone, it contains an additional USB-C of its own, so you can plug it in for charging – or indeed use it to connect to wired headphones for a better experience, with support for 24-bit/96kHz audio, a boost over the 24-bit/48kHz native support the iPhone offers.

If you are considering using wired headphones, that's not your only option as there are a number of compact DACs that could be used as an alternative, such as the iFi Go Link Max.

If you're a typical iPhone user using a pair of AirPods on your daily commute, then the upgrade probably isn't worth the bother. But, if you've invested in a good quality pair of earbuds like the Technics AZ100 and want to make use of the higher quality that they support, then the Acoustune ATX001 could be the solution.

You'll have to use the device's app to control the quality, but beyond that, it should all be plain sailing.

The Acoustune ATX001 is listed for £57 / $75 and when I tested a UK address it came up with free delivery, so it sounds like good value too.

The iPhone Ultra might have been exposed thanks to case makers, with images leaking showing the rumoured Apple folding phone from many angles – including the screen.

This type of leak isn't rare, but it should be approached with caution. Before a device is launched, the measurements are supplied to accessory manufacturers so they can make cases and avoid the delay of not being able to support the device as soon as it launches.

Those measurements often feed into the rumour cycle to produce renders of the device before it is released – and sometimes that comes in the form of a device in a case, which is what we have here, shared by Phone Arena.

What's not always clear is whether the phone that we see is based on Apple's details, or if it comes from the same leaks that have been widely reported, with the case manufacturer – in this case iFunSmart – coming up with a few designs in advance.

With all that considered, we're left looking at a case for Apple's iPhone Ultra, the latest name associated with the folding phone.

As this phone folds, this case clips to the front and the back, providing all-round protection, but we get a good look at the two cameras on the rear and the wide aspect cover and main display.

Unlike Samsung's Galaxy Z Fold models, Apple is thought to be looking at a device that's more like a folding iPad than most folding phones that have come before.

There's no notch shown on the screen, as it's expected that Apple will use a fingerprint scanner in the power button, like the iPad. There are two buttons on the "top" of the phone, which are likely volume controls.

The case boasts that it has powerful magnets integrated, there to support the MagSafe functions that the phone is expected to offer. That's about all there is to extract from these images.

In recent leaks, it has been claimed that the device will be 9.23mm thick when folded, suggesting it will be less than 5mm thick when unfolded.

While Apple is working on this wider phone, we've already seen a similar format device announced by Huawei, while Samsung is expected to announce a wider Galaxy Z Fold model on 22 July.

Apple's entry into the folding phone segment will certainly shake things up and provide iPhone owners with a folding option to get to grips with – but what we're really excited to see is what unique functions it offers, something that's been lacking from other folding phones.

Apple’s Image Playground has been around since Apple Intelligence was first introduced in December 2024, when iOS 18.2 was released.

It’s Apple’s answer to the multiple AI-image generation apps that exist, offering users the ability to create images on-device, though the quality of the results is a little underwhelming compared to competing image-generating tools.

What improvements can we expect for Image Playground?

But, that could be about to change. According to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman in his latest Power On newsletter, Apple has significantly improved the underlying models powering both Genmoji and Image Playground. He claims quality set to receive a "big boost" when iOS 27 arrives later this year.

It will be welcome news for anyone who has created a Genmoji or played around with Image Playground over the past 18 months and thought the results could be better.

Genmoji has generally been considered passable, but Image Playground could certainly improve. In their defence, both tools run on-device models, which naturally come with limitations, though it remains to be seen whether that will still be the case after iOS 27's improvements.

Gurman also said the quality upgrade isn't the only improvement coming. It’s previously been rumoured that iOS 27 will introduce suggested Genmoji based on your photo library, which should make the feature feel a lot more personal and useful day-to-day.

And Image Playground is set to expand its support for third-party AI models. It already works with ChatGPT for image creation, so perhaps it could soon support Google's Nano Banana models and other competitors, too.

Nothing is officially confirmed as yet, of course, but with WWDC 2026 just around the corner on 8 June, we at least don’t have long to wait to see exactly what Apple has in store, not just for Image Playground but Apple Intelligence in general.

It's no secret that the camera quality of phones has gotten better and better over the years. It's a big part of the reason why many have ditched owning a 'proper' camera, with the ease of having it in your pocket worth more than the increased resolution.

But just how good are they really? Well, we're about to find out, as Apple TV is putting the iPhone 17 Pro to the test in a big way.

This weekend, the MLS fixture between LA Galaxy and Houston Dynamo will be filmed entirely using those devices, for the first time ever. That's not a typo – there won't be a professional broadcast camera hidden just out of sight, just a stack of the same iPhone you could go out and buy.

The brand has been incorporating the devices into its workflow for a few month now, kicking off with some of its baseball coverage in September 2025. However, those are normally part of a larger slew of more professional kit.

So, will it work? Well, there's only one way to find out – tune in and watch the game on Saturday at 7:30pm PT (3:30am BST).

The game is available to watch for Apple TV subscribers in over 100 countries, and I suspect this one might see higher viewing figures than most, given the interest in the technology. Anyone who isn't already subscribed can sign up for a one-week free trial, just in time to catch the game.

Personally, I'm really excited to see this. While there are all manner of examples of 'good enough' footage from phones, this is one of the first like-for-like tests with real-world significance.

If the output is up to par with professional systems – or, at the very least, not so far behind that the average Joe notices something wrong – it could make it much easier to showcase a wide variety of content without such significant overheads.

We're expecting a wave of new announcements during WWDC in a few weeks time, not least details on the new features coming to iPhone with iOS 27.

But we might not have to wait until Apple's keynote address on 8 June to find out some of them. One has leaked already, and it sounds great for existing and future iPhone owners.

For example, Apple expert Mark Gurman of Bloomberg has reported that the tech giant plans to dramatically upgrade its Camera app, with customisation options that can tune it to your own personal tastes.

At present, you can fine tune your photos, especially on Pro devices, to set different apertures, colour standards, zoom, exposure and much more. But there are so many options, available through multiple taps and button presses that it can get confusing.

The new Camera app – which will likely be part of iOS 27 when it arrives in September – will let you choose exactly which options and modes you want at your fingertips, he says.

"Users will be able to choose which features appear in the Camera app – and where they’re placed," he wrote on Bloomberg.

"That includes controls for flash, exposure, the timer and resolution, according to people with knowledge of the matter."

Will there be other changes in iOS 27?

These upgrades will be just the start, too. Gurman also revealed that there will be numerous design tweaks across the board.

There will be refinements to Liquid Glass while Siri will be completely rebuilt. It will also switch to the Dynamic Island, it is claimed, and a chatbot card can be activated simple by swiping down on the homepage.

We'll find out a lot more during WWDC 26, which promises to be one of the biggest in Apple's history – not least because it will be Tim Cook's last as CEO.

We’re just under a month away from WWDC 26, where Apple typically reveals a number of new features coming to its devices, from iPhone and iPad, through to Apple Watch and MacBooks.

But ahead of the event, which will kick off on 8 June and likely showcase iOS 27 and this year's other big software upgrades, Apple has released iOS 26.5. It still doesn’t bring the smarter and more contextualised version of Siri that we first heard about back in 2024, but there are several new features to pay attention to.

What's new in iOS 26.5?

Available to download and install now, iOS 26.5 introduces end-to-end encrypted RCS messaging in Messages with supported carriers. The rollout will continue over time and is currently in beta, but it’s there, and that’s certainly exciting.

There’s also a new Pride Luminance wallpaper that you’ll find in the wallpaper gallery, which will dynamically refract a spectrum of colours.

Meanwhile, Suggested Places has arrived in Apple Maps, serving up locations based on your recent search history and trending places nearby. Those are the main features, but there are a couple of smaller ones that some will also appreciate.

For those who use the Reminders app (if you don’t, then you really should), the snooze feature has been updated. Rather than just allowing you to snooze a reminder until the morning, afternoon or evening, iOS 26.5 will show more specific times. For example, an option might be “remind me at 3pm” rather than just “remind me this afternoon”.

Elsewhere, the Magic Mouse, Magic Trackpad and Magic Keyboard will all automatically pair with your device via Bluetooth after being connected via USB-C.

If you’re in the EU, iOS 26.5 also brings Live Activity forwarding for third-party accessories like smartwatches, which should make other devices work with iPhone as well as Apple Watch does.

The iOS 26.5 update can be installed now. If you haven’t got it, open Settings on your iPhone, head to 'General' and then 'Software Update'.

Apple has been working on an iPhone Fold for a while now, with more recent rumours referring to it as the iPhone Ultra. Now a new leak appears to point towards it also receiving a screen like no other when it comes to longevity.

A leakster on Weibo shared that the new iPhone Ultra (Fold) will feature a foldable screen that is the most easy to fix of any folding screen yet. The post suggests that when it gets released – and tear-down videos start hitting the internet – it will become clear what this leak was all about.

It calls the screen "highly modular", suggesting this could be upgraded easily.

The Apple foldable display should offer the industry's easiest flexible screen to disassemble and repair, claims the leak.

While this tech is already available with the likes of the Samsung's Galaxy Z Fold – it looks like Apple wants to differentiate itself by offering a display that's more fixable.

Legislation has been moving towards more recyclable and fixable technology for some time now. Until now Apple's fixed built-in battery has flown in the face of this. But it sounds like the company plans to offer a better aligned device in the Ultra by making it very easy to fix.

At this stage it isn't clear if this means it will be so easy to fix anyone can do it themselves. Or it may be referring to how easy the job is for professionals which, presumably, will make it more affordable to do for iPhone Ultra owners that need a screen repair.

Of course making an ultra fixable folding screen also makes you wonder about how breakable the company expects it to be.

What will the iPhone Ultra feature?

Leaks and rumours so far suggest we can expect the iPhone Ultra to arrive this coming autumn with a screen that can change between a smaller 5.3-inch form and an expanded 7.8-inch mode.

The device should measure just 4.5mm thick when unfolded, and roughly 9mm to 9.5mm when folded.

The Ultra should be a mere 0.15mm and a crease angle under 2.5 degrees. All that should mean a screen that's as close to seamless looking as they come.

Under the surface is expected to be an A20 processor, or newer, with 12GB of RAM and a 5,000mAh battery. The rear camera could be a double 48MP dual-lens setup while the front facing offering is likely to have 18MP folded and 18MP unfolded dual lenses.

How much will the iPhone Ultra cost?

The price of a totally new category of iPhone is expected to be high. Apple has introduced new models in the past and the price has been top-end, to get access to these premium new features.

So expect an iPhone Ultra to set a new bar for pricing with around a $2,000/£1,485 starting point.

For several years now, Apple has held an event in September to announce its latest iPhone models. And ever since 2019, when the company first announced the iPhone 11 Pro, the September lineup has included at least one base iPhone model as part of the range. However, a new report suggests that could change in 2026.

There have been an increasing number of rumours suggesting the standard iPhone 18 could be pushed back, with Apple instead revealing the iPhone 18 Pro models alongside an iPhone Ultra (also known as the folding iPhone) and maybe a second generation of the iPhone Air.

Why could the iPhone 18 be delayed?

Supply chain leaker Fixed Focus Digital (via 9to5Mac) claims Apple has extended production of the iPhone 17 beyond its usual schedule and increased its capacity.

Typically, production of the current iPhone models would begin to wind down as we get closer to September and the launch of the new devices, but if production has been extended as rumoured, it could be further evidence that the iPhone 18 is being delayed.

Based on a number of sources, it’s said we might not see a standard model until early 2027 instead. However, it is worth remembering that none of this has been confirmed by Apple itself yet, so if you feel disappointed by this news, there’s still a chance the base iPhone will launch as norma

If there is a delay though, then there are due to be some decent upgrades to the iPhone 18 Pro models according to recent rumours.

It’s thought the Pro models will have a smaller Dynamic Island feature on their displays, offer battery and performance upgrades, and potentially switch to an Apple modem for 5G connectivity.

And then there's the much rumoured foldable iPhone – that will surely get all the attention anyway.

When iOS 27 arrives later this year, it could bring about an important decision for iPhone users. That's because the brand will offer a suite of different AI services to power features on the device.

That would allow users to select the service of their choice to power a range of AI features on the device. That includes tasks like text and image generation, and is said to also affect iPadOS and macOS.

It's also said to work for Siri, where the current chatbot of choice is ChatGPT. Under the new format, users could switch out the AI provider, allowing integration with things like Google Gemini and Anthropic Claude.

It's set to leave users with a big decision to make over where they pledge their AI allegiance. Up to now, most devices have favoured an in-house AI – Gemini as the default on Android phones, for example, or Galaxy AI on Samsung phones – with other apps available as a third-party option.

This is different because Apple doesn't really have its own AI platform in the same way. Apple Intelligence exists, sure, but it's not on the same level as the other platforms, which is likely to be a big part of the reason why this system is being implemented in the first place.

According to the report – which comes from trusted Apple insider, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman – the brand is set to include a disclaimer over the content generated by third parties. There's also said to be a specific section within the App Store for compatible apps.

Another quirky addition is set to let users employ different voices for each of the AI models. Crucially, that does suggest that users will be able to mix it up, with different platforms working at the same time.

It's certainly going to be an interesting change if and when the new features are launched later this year.

Apple is set to pay out a collective US$250m (approx. £184m / €213m / AU$345m) to some iPhone users. The settlement is designed to settle a class action lawsuit, which accused the company of misleading people about its new artificial intelligence features.

That surrounds the brand's Apple Intelligence offering, which was first unveiled at WWDC 2024 in June of that year. That included the promise of an enhanced, AI-powered Siri, some thirteen years after it was first showcased.

The trouble is, that's still not here. Recent reports from trusted industry insiders suggest that the feature will be launched at WWDC this summer, some two years after it was first unveiled.

According to a report from the BBC, Apple did not admit any wrongdoing when agreeing the settlement deal, which will pay between US$25 (approx. £18 / €21 / AU$34.50) and US$95 (approx. £70 / €80 / AU$131) to users. The settlement specifically appeases those in the USA who bought an iPhone 15 and an iPhone 16 between June 2024 and March 2025.

That's only a very small pool in the grand scheme of things, but it represents the demographic who filed the action in this case. Still, it's not hard to see why the brand would want to put this to bed quickly.

2026 looks set to be a landmark year for the brand, with long-term CEO, Tim Cook, moving into a new role and opening the door for fresh blood in the form of John Ternus. In the same year, the brand looks set to launch its first ever foldable phone, expected to be called the iPhone Ultra.

That's said to be part of a new wave of 'Ultra' products, including a MacBook Ultra and AirPods Ultra. And that's before we get to 2027, where the 20th anniversary of the iPhone looks set to bring about a revised design.

Over the last couple of weeks, there have been a number of reports about features coming to Apple’s devices in the next set of software updates. That’s not a huge surprise given that the WWDC 26 is around the corner.

But software can’t take all the limelight, especially since those new rumoured features won’t arrive on devices until later this year – usually around the time the new iPhones launch.

Indeed, there are plenty of hardware upgrades thought to be coming around the same time, arriving on the iPhone 18 Pro models. And 9to5Mac has handily focused on a the best of them.

What upgrades can we expect from the iPhone 18 Pro models?

According to Apple-specific site, there are six upgrades rumoured for the next iPhone models that have appeared in reputable leaks.

The first is that while the screen sizes and designs of the iPhone 18 Pro models are expected to stay the same as the iPhone 17 Pro and its Max sibling, it’s been said that the Dynamic Island feature on the displays will be reduced in size.

It’s also said the two-tone rear could blend a little better, and several colour options are being tested.

A new chipset

The iPhone 18 Pro models are expected to run on the A20 Pro chip, which will apparently be built on a 2nm process and feature WMCM (Wafer-Level Multi-Chip Module) packaging for better performance, while the battery life of both models is expected to increase too.

The latter point has been assumed based on a reliable leaker who suggested the iPhone 18 Pro Max will be thicker and heavier than the iPhone 17 Pro Max, presumably to accommodate a larger battery.

iPhone camera improvements

As you might expect, camera improvements have also been touted for the new Pro models, with suggestions that the main camera could see a variable aperture for better control over depth of field, while the telephoto lens may be treated to a wider aperture.

The Camera Control button that launched on the iPhone 16 models is also rumoured to see some changes in the new models. It’s said it could remove the touch-sensitive elements to make it more user-friendly.

Last but not least, it’s suggested the iPhone 18 range will adopt Apple’s in-house built C2 modem, moving away from Qualcomm as the iPhone Air did with the C1X modem.

Of course, all of this is just speculation for now, so take everything with a little pinch of salt. But, it certainly seems like there may be some good upgrades to look forward to.

Apple is preparing to add end-to-end encryption for RCS messaging between iPhone and Android devices, so those messages will be as secure as native messages sent with iMessage or Google Messages.

The messaging situation between iPhone and Android has been a bit of a mess for years. While Apple was quick to evolve iMessage to a more complete messaging system, it was locked away for iPhone users only.

Google in the meantime adopted RCS messaging, designed to be a universal messaging protocol that supported chat functions – and moved beyond the previous SMS system. But the two didn't play nice together.

Support for RCS was long discussed between the two brands, but confirmation finally came in 2023 that it would be supported by Apple. The problem, however, was encryption, lacking the end-to-end encryption that native systems benefit from.

Now though, according to 9to5Google, that's coming with iOS 26.5, said to have appeared in beta form in the latest release candidate.

Why is encrypted RCS messaging important?

This is important, because it means that messaging using RCS between iPhone and Android will be encrypted, so only the sender and receiver will be able to read the message and no one else along the chain will be able to.

It was previously thought that this encryption would appear with iOS 26.3, but now it looks like it will finally arrive when iOS 26.5 drops.

The delay in supporting encryption is down to Apple using the default RCS profile up to this point, rather than using Google's encryption. The evolution of Universal Profile 3.0 from the GSMA has put the pieces in place so that Apple can deploy encryption using a universal standard, rather a proprietary Google solution.

For some parts of the world, the evolution of RCS messaging on iPhone came too late, with many phone owners choosing to use WhatsApp instead.

Even with this latest addition, iMessage users are still expected to see green bubbles when chatting with Android users.

With the first ever foldable phone from Apple expected to debut later this year, it's no surprise that the rumour mill has been turning furiously. In the last few weeks, it feels like fresh information has been arriving on a daily basis, giving us a good idea of what could arrive in the autumn.

Now, we've got the best look yet at the new device, with YouTuber, Unbox Therapy, posting a full hands-on video with a dummy unit of the iPhone Ultra. That shows off the design of the phone, which is certain to turn some heads.

Of course, the first thing you'll notice is the form factor. That's a shorter, stubbier design, which is described as 'passport-like' in the video.

Perhaps more of a concern for most users will be the thickness. The body of the unit – which is where the official figures will be taken – is already a little thicker than the iPhone 17 Pro Max when folded.

But the real issue comes at the camera bump. That adds a significant amount of thickness to the overall unit, similar to how it did with the iPhone Air.

In practice, that means it's unlikely to sit nicely on a desk, and is liable to get caught in your pocket when you try and stash it away. It's a shame, really, as you'd have expected Apple – arriving so late to the party here – to at least take the crown in the design stakes.

The only hope is that the chunkier footprint is a necessity to house some seriously excellent camera tech. It's a must for a phone debuting at this price point, and will be crucial for the long-term success of the range.

Elsewhere, we see slightly odd placement for the volume keys, which are mounted on the top of one panel. The speakers are also slightly peculiar, with one at the top of one panel and the other at the base of the opposite unit, presumably in a bid to offer stereo audio in as many orientations as possible.

We’re now into May, and you know what that means, don’t you? We’re a month away from WWDC 26 – Apple's annual developer conference – which will take place from 8 June. It’s always a pretty exciting time of year if you’re someone who likes to know what future features are coming to your Apple devices, whether you have an iPhone or a MacBook, but this year is set to be particularly interesting.

Apple announced its version of artificial intelligence, Apple Intelligence, back at the conference in 2024, and while many features have arrived, like Clean Up and Visual Intelligence, we have yet to see a smarter, more contextualised version of Siri on devices.

What will Siri Mode in the camera app potentially offer?

Thankfully though, it looks like that is going to change with iOS 27, out this year.

The latest report suggests the assistant won’t just appear in its own app and as a chatbot, but it might also be baked into the native Camera app, too.

According to Mark Gurman of Bloomberg (via 9to5Mac), there could be a new Siri Camera Mode added to the camera app, sitting alongside the Photo and Video modes and highlighted by a redesigned shutter button featuring the Apple Intelligence logo.

The Bloomberg report said: “Apple Inc. is planning to embed artificial intelligence more deeply into the iPhone’s camera app, adding a new Siri mode alongside the standard photo and video options in its upcoming iOS 27 operating system.”

Gurman added that Apple is planning to add the Visual Intelligence feature to the camera app itself. Currently, Visual Intelligence can be accessed via the Camera Control, Action Button, Lock Screen or Control Centre, depending on what you’ve set up.

It was also noted in Gurman’s report that Siri mode in the camera will add additional features to Visual Intelligence. Gurman said it would include “the ability to scan a nutrition label on food packaging to log dietary information”, for example.

The news comes after the Apple expert previously reported that three new features would be coming to the Photos app with iOS 27, including Expand, Enhance and Reframe.

Nothing is confirmed as yet, of course, but thankfully it’s not too long to wait until WWDC26 where we should learn more details.

This autumn, Apple will once again bring a new suite of iPhone models to market. The range looks set to be shaken up a little, with the base model reportedly pushed in favour of the brand's first foldable phone.

But we should still see the iPhone 18 Pro range. That model looks set to get a decent suite of new upgrades in the camera department, which should make it an attractive prospect for most people.

The latest report from Bloomberg's Mark Gurman suggests that the iPhone 18 Pro will "include some of the biggest camera hardware upgrades in the lineup's history."

That comes as part of a report which details a deeper integration with Visual Intelligence in the new iOS 27 camera app. That will see a dedicated 'Siri' setting alongside models like Photo, Video and Portrait, built directly into the app.

That will allow users to simply point the camera at an object and use ChatGPT or other services to gain information.

It's not just software which is expected to change, either. Previous reports have suggested that the main camera on the device will feature a variable aperture, allowing users to have better, physical control over the depth of field.

A separate report has also suggested that the telephoto camera will enjoy a wider maximum aperture. That should offer better background separation and greater light gathering potential, which would be handy for long-distance low-light shooting.

It's not yet clear if that is enough to make up the earlier claims made by Gurman. While those would certainly be decent upgrades, I'd expect the biggest upgrades in the history of the iPhone to feature a little more.

We'll be keeping our eyes peeled over the coming weeks and months to see what else comes out of the woodwork, ahead of the expected launch in the autumn.

We’re coming up to that time of year when all of Apple's new software features are due to be announced. The company will host its annual Worldwide Developer Conference over a week, starting on 8 June, with a keynote on the first day.

This is when Apple will reveal some of the features coming to iPhone, iPad, Mac and Apple Watch, along with AirPods, Apple TV and Vision Pro. Following a name change last year, the new software coming to iPhone later this year is expected to be called iOS 27 and the latest report suggests there could be some exciting new photo features included.

What new photo editing features could be coming?

According to Bloomberg, (via 9to5Mac), there will be three editing features coming to the Photos app with iOS 27 under a new “Apple Intelligence Tools” section. It’s claimed these three features will include Extend, Enhance and Reframe, and all will apparently enable you to make changes to your pictures within a “few seconds”.

The Bloomberg report claims that “Extend” will let you “generate additional image content beyond the original frame”. Going into more detail with an example, it says that "someone could take a close-up photo of a landmark and use the tool to fill in surrounding scenery".

Meanwhile, the Enhance feature will use AI to improve the quality of the image, while also focusing on lighting and colour aspects. Lastly, Reframe is claimed to allow users to “shift perspective” of spatial photos.

Before you get too excited though, the Bloomberg report also said that development of the new photo editing features “hadn’t gone entirely smoothly”, adding that the Extend and Reframe tools “don’t perform reliably during internal testing”.

The report added that this could result in Apple delaying or scaling them back.

Nothing is official for now, of course, but adding these kinds of image editing features to the Photos app will be a big win for users who don’t have access to photo editing software like Photoshop.

There has been more than enough talk about a folding iPhone to suggest it is coming. We’ve been hearing about it for years, after all, and there's plenty suggesting we'll finally see it launch later this year. And when it does, it could be thinner than previously expected.

We’ve long heard the suggestion that the folding iPhone will take on a slightly different format to current folding phones – like the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7. Rather than being tall and narrow like a traditional phone when folded, and then squarish when unfolded, the folding iPhone is expected to be wider and more like a tablet when open.

What do the leaked measurements tell us about the folding iPhone?

Now, leaked measurements further support that idea.

Picked up by Phone Arena, the iPhone Ultra as it has been dubbed in the report, could measure 167.59mm wide by 120.59mm high when unfolded. For context, the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 measures 158.4 x 143.2 x 4.2mm, while the Apple iPad mini measures 195.4 x 134.8 x 6.3mm.

The measurements also suggest that the iPhone Ultra, which has also been called the iPhone Fold, will measure 9.23mm thick when folded with a maximum thickness of around 13mm of you include the camera bump.

Previous rumours had predicted a thickness of between 9.5mm and 9.8mm, although the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 is just 8.9mm, so Apple’s folding phone would be marginally thicker if these measurements are accurate.

That said, if you are in the business of keeping tabs, the Galaxy Z Fold 7 is around 14mm thick if you include the camera bump, so it’s all swings and roundabouts really.

The leak came from Lanzuk on the Naver Blog and the numerical drawing is said to have been obtained from a casing manufacturer.

Another, separate source also posted what are claimed to be photos of dummy units – also based on schematics. In them, Vadim Yuryev also showed a comparison with the iPad mini, and if Apple manages to keep the bezel at a minimum, the iPhone Ultra could be the ideal replacement.

Of course, the iPhone Ultra will invariably be a lot more expensive than the current iPad mini. But if you're in the market for a new phone AND tablet, this could end up being the ideal solution.

How accurate either leak turns out to be remains to be seen, but they certainly tie in with previous rumours. Hopefully, we'll find out even more about Apple's plans over the coming months.

Many leaks and rumours have pointed to the debut of Apple's foldable phone journey this year. It comes after years of tidbits about different models and variants which may be in the works.

The first of those – the iPhone Fold – is rumoured to be launching later this year, as part of the brand's usual Autumn launch event. But according to the latest reports, it seems another rumoured foldable device is being canned.

That device has been known as both the folding iPad and the folding MacBook at different times, and is said to feature a 20-inch display when unfurled. The model was supposedly first in development in 2023, and has continually had the reported launch date pushed back.

Now, the latest issue of Mark Gurman's Power On newsletter suggests that it could be canned altogether. He says, "This device has been a Ternus priority but may end up being a wacky experiment that doesn’t see the light of day, according to several people who have worked on it."

There's no word on why that's happened, though many have suggested it could come down to cost. The iPhone Fold is expected to launch with a price tag in the US$2,000 range, and that's likely to have wider appeal than the foldable iPad.

It's also possible that the brand is looking to minimise the number of new frontiers it is entering. The recent launch of the Apple Vision Pro wasn't exactly a rip-roaring success, and the brand will be looking to minimise the number of products which fall into that category – especially in the first few months of a new leadership.

Regardless, it is something of a shame. While many have accused the brand of resting on its laurels in recent times, these rumours really felt like a beacon of light. I'm sure there will be more new goodies from Apple in the future, but this one doesn't sound like it's going to materialise.

2027 will mark the 20th anniversary of the iPhone, and every rumour seems to suggest a big change is coming. That's corroborated once again by new leaks, which suggest that the brand could pull from the playbook of some Android phones for its anniversary model.

That's because the brand looks set to introduce a quad-curved display on its anniversary handset, which is a stark departure from the usual right-angled designs. The news comes from trusted leaker, Digital Chat Station, who shared details on Weibo.

If you're struggling to picture what that might look like, there are a wealth of Android phones which utilise such a panel. The Oppo Find X8 Pro is an example which comes to mind, but there are lots of others which have made use of the design over the years.

Apparently those are going to be gentler than other previous iterations. It's being described as a 'micro-curve' which is said to be less intense than the waterfall designs of years gone by.

It's not just gaining some curves, either. According to the leak, the model is also attempting to remove the polarising filter layer on top of the OLED display. That would help to make things slimmer, as well as improving the brightness by removing one of the barriers between the pixels and your eyes.

The design has been reported on previously, and works by incorporating that filter directly into the encapsulation layer. It's a clever design, which should also reduce power consumption for any given brightness.

One major trade off is the reflectivity of the display, where the lack of a polarizer can make it tougher to deal with reflections. Still, Apple added an anti-reflective coating in the latest iPhone 17 range, which may well be able to assist with that issue. One thing's for sure – it looks like a very different iPhone will arrive net time out.

No sooner does one iPhone launch than rumours for the next start. In fact, sometimes, the rumours can start years before. That’s been the case for the folding iPhone, but we’ve also been hearing for some time that Apple is planning to increase the resolution of one of its rear cameras.

It was first mentioned in May last year that the iPhone could feature a 200-megapixel camera at some point in the future, matching that of the Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra.

Now, the latest report from GSM Arena has picked up on a post from a reliable leaker suggesting there may be a little bit of time still to wait.

What's the timeline for a new telephoto sensor on iPhone?

According to Digital Chat Station, Apple is testing a 200-megapixel periscope telephoto camera for its iPhone, but it could still be a few years away.

For anyone following iPhone rumours, this may not come as a huge surprise as a Morgan Stanley investor note recently said similar.

The note suggested the 200-megapixel sensor was unlikely to arrive before 2028, suggesting it wouldn’t appear before what would numerically be called the iPhone 19 Pro, though may instead be the iPhone 21 Pro.

It’s thought Apple will adopt the iPhone 20 branding next year to tie in with the 20th anniversary of the iPhone which first landed in 2007.

For now, absolutely nothing is official so this is certainly something worth taking with a pinch of salt. Apple increased the resolution of the telephoto sensor last year with the iPhone 17 Pro from 12-megapixels to 48-megapixels, too, so a further jump to 200-megapixels a year later would be quite surprising.

The iPhone 17 Pro’s telephoto lens does offer 8x zoom however, and it’s pretty good so if we have to wait a little longer for a higher resolution then that’s probably okay.

When Apple announced the iPhone Air, there were plenty of things in its favour. It was the slimmest iPhone ever at 5.6mm; it had the same power as the top-of-the-range iPhone 17 Pro; and it offered much better battery life than anyone really expected for such a slender device.

But there were a couple of criticisms – not least about the single camera sensor on the rear. For a starting price of £999, to not offer a secondary ultra-wide sensor like the standard iPhone 17 felt a little mean.

We're keeping everything crossed for these changes

It’s not surprising then that most rumours discussing the second generation of the iPhone Air talk about it offering a dual rear camera, and the most recent shows what that could look like.

Demon’s Tech has posted a video (via Yanko Design) showing some concept renders of what the iPhone Air 2 could look like with dual rear cameras. In it, the second-gen Air looks similar to its predecessor, with a slim panel spanning the width of the rear at the top.

The renders do make that panel look a little more pronounced, like the iPhone 17 Pro, but the more notable difference is the second camera lens, which is claimed to be a 48-megapixel ultra wide sensor accompanying the current 48-megapixel main lens that is found on the current model.

The video also imagines the iPhone Air 2 in various colours, including bright pink, blue and green, as well as red.

Meanwhile, it suggests the iPhone Air 2 could offer stereo sound from two speakers, upgrading the single speaker currently offered, and there is mention of the A20 Pro chip and N2 wireless chip.

Now, it’s important to note that the concept is all based on rumour rather than anything official from Apple, but if even a couple of the points are true – like the dual rear lens and extra speaker – it would certainly address a couple of the pain points of the iPhone Air.

Apple has a new CEO. From 1 September, senior vice president of Hardware Engineering, John Ternus, will take the reins of Apple as the new CEO. Tim Cook, who has been CEO since 2011, will move into the role of executive chairman.

It's the announcement that has been expected for some time. Tim Cook, now 65 will step down from his role as CEO. John Ternus was also the much-anticipated replacement. Having been with Apple since 2001 and been instrumental in the introduction of some huge products, including iPad, AirPods and the new MacBook Neo, he was a natural successor.

The transition is part of a long-term succession planning by Apple and will see Cook assist with certain aspects of the company as part of his new position. This is expected to include engaging with policymakers around the world.

Under Tim Cook's leadership, Apple has grown from a $350 billion company to a $4 trillion one, and quadrupled its revenue. While the growth of Apple Services has been a big part of his legacy, it also includes a number of landmark products.

Apple Watch, AirPods, Apple TV and Apple Music were all created under Cook's lead, while products such as the iPad, iPhone and Mac have gone from strength to strength.

John Ternus has already had his share of successes, too. Having been the company's senior vice president of Hardware Engineering since 2021, his team has been responsible for multiple generations of iPad, AirPods, iPhone, Mac and Apple Watch. The latest iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max, as well as the iPhone Air and iPhone 17 are all from his department, as is the new MacBook Neo.

In the coming months, Apple is expected to release a new folding iPhone as well as its answer to the growing smart glasses sector. It's a hugely exciting time for Apple and while he has big shoes to fill, Ternus is the one to do it.

While we're all still riding high from the excitement of the Artemis II mission, there's been another shift in the space race with Amazon and Globalstar announcing a merger agreement, expanding Amazon's satellite ambitions – while also outlining a new deal with Apple.

There's a lot to take in here: for a couple of years, Amazon has been building its low orbit satellite network, known as Amazon Leo. It's aims are to boost connectivity in areas off the grid, rivalling Elon Musk's Starlink, although currently not operating at the same scale.

The merger will see Amazon take control of Globalstar and in the process, take over and expand on the agreement that Globalstar had with Apple. For those who don't remember, Globalstar is the company that provides Apple's satellite services on iPhone and Apple Watch.

So in star wars terms, there's a lot happening. For Apple users, this sees an agreement with Amazon for current and future Apple devices to continue to use those satellites, as Globalstar gets integrated with Amazon Leo.

"We're excited to support Apple users through the Leo D2D [Direct-2-Device] system, and look forward to working with mobile network partners to help extend coverage to every corner of the planet," said Panos Panay, senior vice president of devices and services at Amazon.

Why does Apple need a satellite partner – and why not Starlink?

Apple first announced satellite connectivity in 2022 with the iPhone 14, choosing to work with Globalstar and investing in the company in the process. It reportedly rejected Starlink for the service following an ultimatum from Elon Musk, according to The Information (via 9to5Mac).

While Musk didn't get the agreement he wanted with Apple directly, Starlink and T-Mobile went on to announce their own connectivity agreement, something that Starlink has established with a range of mobile operators worldwide.

Amazon's challenge is to now grow Leo, with a mid-2026 scheduled launch date and plans to launch "a few thousand more" satellites in the coming years according to CEO Andy Jassy.

On top of that – and something that brings Amazon back into competition with Starlink – is Amazon's launch of an aviation antenna, which can supply up to gigabit download speeds for commercial aircraft. Delta has already signed, with the service expected to go live in 2028.

Starlink has agreements with airlines such as Qatar and British Airways to provide high-speed in-flight connectivity, but if nothing else, the growth of Amazon Leo is likely to lead to more colourful outbursts from Musk as various deals fall into place.

Apple tends to have a two-year cycle on the design of its phones, sticking to the previous look even if colours change. That means that the iPhone 18 Pro is likely to keep the huge camera plateau on the back, even if there are some minor changes elsewhere.

That's suggested by established leaker Digital Chat Station on Weibo, who cites supply chain sources while discussing some of the changes that might appear on the forthcoming iPhone 18 Pro.

They highlight some material changes and minor details, but the physical design of the new iPhone will remain much the same, it's claimed.

It's said that the colours will change, including the introduction of a new red model, although there could also still be changes to the Dynamic Island.

Apple's notch has been something of a hot potato. Designed to house the cameras and sensors needed to power Face ID, it's definitely better to have the notch than not, because the feature it powers is really handy.

It evolved into Dynamic Island, moving from a docked position at the top of the screen to a separated section on the iPhone 14 Pro and subsequent models. Apple used that space to good effect, wrapping features around what was essentially a black bar at the top of the screen.

Debate around the future of Dynamic Island has been raging, with rumours first saying that Apple was going to put some hardware under the display to remove the unsightly black bar, before that was rescinded, with counter claims that Dynamic Island would stay as it is.

We're back to this rumour, with Digital Chat Station saying that there's A/B testing taking place for a smaller island design, suggesting that Apple might move some of that hardware under the display to get it out of the way.

While that might result in a smaller black bar on the phone, it doesn't necessarily mean any loss of function: as long as Face ID works and retains its top-level security credentials, there's no reason why the Dynamic Island features – alerts, activity tracking, music controls and so on – can't stay as they are.

It's just that the dead space on the screen could be reduced and importantly, that could happen without any physical changes to the rest of the phone's design.

That would be a win for those who want to get the most out of the screen, including those who watch a lot of movies or play a lot of games.

As is always the case with Apple's launches, it's very unlikely we'll get any sort of confirmation until launch day, but we're sure that the small island rumour will run right up to September when the iPhone 18 Pro is expected to be announced.

When it comes to design, Apple is a company that has a good reputation for delivering. But it isn’t just known for what many of us will see on the surface of products, like the iPhone and MacBook, it’s also known for its attention to detail that many might miss or overlook.

For years, Apple has small design elements within its products, which unless are pointed out to you, you’d be forgiven for not spotting them. Back when it announced the iPhone 5C in 2013, the inside of the charging port was colour-matched to the back of the phone, for example.

Where can you find the hidden messages?

Its latest hidden design feature is a little more obvious, though – once you know what you’re looking for.

As pointed out by Tom Hitchins (@bytereview) in his Instagram Reel, some wallpapers you will find on your Apple devices spell out the name of the product category or range they belong to. The default wallpaper for the MacBook Neo for example, spells out "Mac".

The same applies for the MacBook Pro’s default wallpaper, the iPad mini (which is probably the most obvious of all of them), and both the iPad Pro and iPhone Pro.

It also applies to the Air range – both MacBook Air and iPhone Air – though I’ll be honest, I still struggle to see it in the MacBook Air, despite Hitchins drawing it out. You really do have stand back and then it's far more obvious.

The iPhone Air is particularly smart. You need to spin the super skinny phone to a landscape position and once done, you should see the words ‘Air’ screaming at you.

Meanwhile, the bubble writing on the iMac hides the words ‘iMac’ better too, but it is there and you won’t miss it now it’s been pointed out.

If you’ve changed your wallpaper to a picture of your dog or kids, then you aren’t going to see these hidden messages of course, but change it back to the default wallpaper the device launched with and you’ll find it.