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macOS Tahoe 26.4 Adds Slow Charger Indicator for MacBooks

2026-03-25 19:31:47

macOS Tahoe 26.4 includes a new slow charger indicator that tells MacBook users when their charging setup isn't delivering full power.


As described in an updated Apple support document, a "Slow Charger" label now appears in orange text in the battery status menu and above the Battery Level graph in Battery settings. The indicator is accompanied by an info button for more details.

Apple says that to charge more quickly, users should use a power adapter and cable that deliver at least the minimum wattage recommended for their MacBook model.

The feature is similar to one Apple added to iPhone with iOS 18, where periods of slow charging appear as an orange bar in the Battery section of the Settings app.

The slow charger indicator is one of two battery-related changes in macOS 26.4. The update also adds a Charge Limit feature that lets MacBook users set a maximum charge level anywhere from 80 to 100 percent, with the aim of preserving long-term battery health.

macOS Tahoe 26.4 is available now via System Settings ➝ General ➝ Software Update.

Related Roundup: macOS Tahoe
Related Forum: macOS Tahoe

This article, "macOS Tahoe 26.4 Adds Slow Charger Indicator for MacBooks" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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Apple Releases watchOS 5 and watchOS 8 Updates to Keep FaceTime and iMessage Running on Older Apple Watches

2026-03-25 06:30:31

Apple today released watchOS 5.3.10 and watchOS 8.8.2 for older Apple Watch models that are not able to run the current watchOS 26 update. watchOS 5.3.10 is available for the Apple Watch Series 1, Series 2, Series 3, and Series 4, while watchOS 8.8.2 is available for the Apple Watch Series 3, Series 4, Series 5, Series 6, Series 7, and original Apple Watch SE.


According to Apple's release notes, the updates extend the certificate that features like device activation, iMessage, and FaceTime need to function. The certificate update ensures that these apps and features will continue to work after January 2027, which is when the existing certificate was set to expire.

watchOS 8 is the final version of watchOS that's supported on the Apple Watch Series 3.

watchOS 5 is the final version of watchOS able to be installed on an Apple Watch Series 1 or Series 2 using an iPhone 5s, iPhone 6, or iPhone 6 Plus. The Series 1 and Series 2 do support watchOS 6, but installing watchOS 6 requires an iPhone 6s or later.

Related Roundup: watchOS 26
Tag: FaceTime
Related Forum: Apple Watch

This article, "Apple Releases watchOS 5 and watchOS 8 Updates to Keep FaceTime and iMessage Running on Older Apple Watches" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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iOS 26.4 Features: Everything New in iOS 26.4

2026-03-25 05:39:33

The latest version of iOS 26, iOS 26.4, is now available for download. The update doesn't have the Siri feature set we were hoping for, but there are quite a few new additions like new emoji and an AI music feature.


Playlist Playground


Apple Music has a new Playlist Playground feature that lets users create a playlist with a text-based prompt.


In the ‌Apple Music‌ app, there's an option to type in an idea and get automatic song suggestions for a playlist. Apple has some pre-set suggestions that include "morning coffee music," "hip-hop party songs," and "disco songs that defined the 1970s," but you can type in any idea, mood, or feeling.

From there, the Playlist Playground feature will automatically generate a list of 25 songs, along with a custom title. Playlists that you create can be customized further with additional text prompts, and you can select a cover and a description.

Playlist Playground is limited to the United States.

New Emoji


iOS 26.4 adds eight new emoji characters, including trombone, treasure chest, distorted face, hairy creature (Sasquatch), fight cloud, orca, landslide, and ballet dancer.


There are also new skin tone modifiers for people wrestling and dancers with bunny ears.

Apple Music


‌Apple Music‌ features a "Concerts Near You" feature that helps you find shows in your area and tour dates for artists that you're a fan of. Apple is partnering with companies like Ticketmaster to provide local concert info.


Apple has redesigned albums and playlists, adding full-page artwork.

A song can be added to multiple playlists at the same time in the ‌Apple Music‌ app. In the add to playlist interface, there is a list button, and tapping it allows you to select multiple playlists at the same time.



Offline Music Recognition


In Control Center, the song recognition feature is now able to identify songs without an internet connection, providing results when you're back online.

Purchase Sharing Changes


Adult members in a Family Sharing group can now use separate payment methods for purchases, rather than having to share a single payment method.



Apple Podcasts


With iOS 26.4, Apple added video podcast capabilities to the Apple Podcasts app. The feature uses HTTP Live Streaming (HLS) to provide podcast creators with "unprecedented control and monetization opportunities" while also providing a high-quality viewing experience.


The iOS 26.4 Podcasts app will let users switch between watching and listening to shows, with videos able to be downloaded for offline viewing. HLS ensures smooth playback regardless of network connection, so videos will work on Wi-Fi or cellular. Apple says that the new video episodes will integrate with existing ‌Apple Podcasts‌ features, including personalized recommendations and editorial suggestions in the New and Category sections.

Stolen Device Protection


Stolen Device Protection is now enabled by default for all iPhone users, rather than being an opt-in feature.


Apple implemented Stolen Device Protection in iOS 17.3 after reports about a new iPhone theft method. Thieves would spy on an intended victim to learn their passcode, then steal the target's iPhone. With the passcode, criminals were able to empty bank accounts, access passwords, and turn off Find My.

Stolen Device Protection requires additional authentication through Face ID or Touch ID to access certain iPhone features like the Passwords app, Lost mode in ‌Find My‌, Safari purchases, and more. Some features are disabled entirely without authentication, while others have a one-hour security delay.

Messages App


There are new animations in the Messages app for actions like launching a new conversation.

Apple Account Unified Design


In the App Store, ‌Apple Music‌, and other apps that have user settings, there is a new unified Apple Account hub that replaces the existing profile feature.


It offers largely the same functionality as the prior profile settings for each app, but there is a new unified design.

The ‌App Store‌ merges apps and purchase history, and has a dedicated section for app updates. It now takes two taps to get to app updates rather than having them available at the bottom of the profile page.

The ‌App Store‌'s navigation bar also no longer features Search as a separate button, and the search bar itself is at the top when tapped rather than the bottom.

Ambient Music Widget


There is a new Ambient Music widget for the Home and Lock Screen. It supports playing different built-in ambient music options for sleep, productivity, wellbeing, and more.


Wallpaper and Watch Face Gallery


The Wallpaper Gallery has an updated design that allows Wallpapers from each category like Weather, Astronomy, Emoji, Colors and More to be downloaded to the iPhone.


The Watch Face Gallery in the Apple Watch app also features the same design change.

Captions


Subtitle and caption customization settings are available from the captions icon when viewing media, which makes them easier to access and change.

Freeform Creator Studio


Freeform Creator Studio is live in iOS 26.4, allowing Creator Studio subscribers to access new Freeform features. Creator Studio for Freeform adds a dedicated Content Hub that houses the Freeform shape options.


Creator Studio users will be able to access free, high-quality content like graphics, photos, and illustrations that are not available to non-subscribers, plus there are AI capabilities for creating and editing images.

When Creator Studio launched, Apple said the premium content and features in Freeform would be coming to the Apple Creator Studio subscription later this year.

Freeform also has a new icon.

Reminders


The Reminders app has a new "Urgent" section. Reminders that have Urgent toggled on during creation will show up here. Urgent ensures that reminders have an accompanying alarm so you get a clear warning when a reminder is due.


Reminders can also be marked as urgent from the Quick Toolbar or by touching and holding.

iCloud Web Settings


In the iCloud section of the Settings app, there's now an "iCloud.com" option if you scroll all the way to the bottom of the interface. It replaces the simple "Access ‌iCloud‌ Data on the Web" toggle that was previously available.


The setting includes a new "Allow Search" toggle that lets trusted Apple devices provide search results to iCloud.com.

Health App


iOS 26.4 includes a new Average Bedtime metric for the sleep section of the Health app, providing a better idea of how bedtime can impact sleep quality.



Apple also updated the Vitals section of the Health app in the U.S., and now includes blood oxygen level on the line graph overview that's available each day. In iOS 26.3 and earlier versions of ‌iOS 26‌, there was a section for the blood oxygen level, but the graph did not include a blood oxygen measurement.


Reduce Motion and Bright Effects


There's a new Reduce Bright Effects option that minimizes bright flashes when tapping on interface elements like buttons. The Reduce Motion setting also more reliably reduces the animations of Liquid Glass for those who prefer less movement.

Camera


In the Settings section of the Camera app, there is a new "Audio Zoom" option. The feature causes recorded audio to focus on the subject when the camera is zoomed while recording a video. It can be turned on or off, depending on the audio settings you prefer.


CarPlay


With iOS 26.4, AI services like Claude, Gemini, and ChatGPT are accessible through the CarPlay system for the first time.

The new integration lets ‌CarPlay‌ users access voice-based apps like ChatGPT to ask questions hands-free, but the apps will not be able to control vehicle or iPhone functions. There also won't be a wake word option to activate a third-party app, so users will still need to open the app to use the chatbot. After an app is launched, the customizable voice control screen will give users vehicle-optimized chatbot experiences.

Third-party apps need to implement support for the feature, so it may take some time for the functionality to be available.

We also found mentions of Apple TV support for CarPlay during the beta period, indicating that Apple will eventually allow users to watch Apple TV content through their car's dashboard when the vehicle is not in motion.



At WWDC 2025, Apple said that it would add support for AirPlaying video content to a ‌CarPlay‌ display.

Hotspot Data


Apple moved the location of hotspot data usage. Rather than having data usage metrics tucked away under Cellular, you'll see how much data you've used right in the Personal Hotspot section.



Live Captions


Chinese (Taiwan) is a new language option for Live Captions in the Accessibility section.



Passcode Settings


In the ‌Face ID‌ and Passcode section of the Settings app, when you enter a passcode to access your options, the text is now center aligned instead of left aligned.


Shortcuts


Apple added a Set Charge Limit action to the Shortcuts app. It sets a battery charge limit for the iPhone.



Keyboard Bug Fix


iOS 26.4 offers improved keyboard accuracy when typing quickly, addressing a bug in iOS that caused some characters to be missed when a user was typing rapidly. The missed characters could impact how autocorrect worked, causing the feature to be unable to predict what the user meant to type.



Carrier Updates


The iOS 26.4 beta has a Voice Over New Radio (VoNR) feature for Telus iPhone users. The feature lets compatible devices remain on the 5G Standalone network during voice calls instead of 4G LTE.

Security Updates


iOS 26.4 fixes more than 35 security vulnerabilities impacting everything from Safari to Messages, and multiple underlying services.

There were no actively exploited vulnerabilities that Apple encountered, but it is still a good idea to update to iOS 26.4 to get the latest patches.

Now that Apple has publicized the vulnerabilities, they might be taken advantage of by bad actors.

How to Get iOS 26.4


You can install iOS 26.4 by opening up the Settings app, tapping into the General section, and navigating to Software Update.

Compatibility


iOS 26.4 runs on all iPhones that support ‌iOS 26‌, which includes the iPhone 11 and later.

What's Coming Next


We could get the first beta of iOS 26.5 as soon as this week now that iOS 26.4 is publicly available.
Related Roundups: iOS 26, iPadOS 26
Related Forum: iOS 26

This article, "iOS 26.4 Features: Everything New in iOS 26.4" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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OpenAI Discontinuing Sora AI Video App

2026-03-25 05:12:44

OpenAI today said that it is ending support for its Sora AI video app just six months after it initially launched.


We're saying goodbye to Sora. To everyone who created with Sora, shared it, and built community around it: thank you. What you made with Sora mattered, and we know this news is disappointing.

OpenAI did not provide more detail into why Sora is being discontinued, but the company said that it plans to share more soon, including specific information on when the app and API will be shut down. OpenAI CEO Sam Altman told employees that ending Sora will free up resources for OpenAI's next-generation AI models, according to The Information.

Sora generates AI videos of real people, with each user uploading a "cameo" or short video of themselves that's used as the basis for AI prompts. Users are able to share their cameos with others, allowing anyone on the app to generate AI video with their likeness.

When it launched at the end of September 2025, Sora gained viral popularity. It was downloaded more than a million times just a week and a half after launch, reaching the milestone faster than ChatGPT, and for a period of time, it was the top free app on the App Store.

OpenAI received criticism for deepfake videos featuring celebrities both dead and alive, and the company stopped allowing users to create videos featuring celebrity likenesses or voices without express consent. The guardrails that OpenAI put in place killed some of the interest in the app, and its popularity died down.
Tag: OpenAI

This article, "OpenAI Discontinuing Sora AI Video App" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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iOS 27 Siri Overhaul: Standalone App, New Design, Dynamic Island Integration and Ask Siri Button

2026-03-25 05:00:03

Apple is testing a standalone Siri chatbot app for iOS 27, reports Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. Apple plans to debut a chatbot version of ‌Siri‌ that will compete with Claude and ChatGPT, and the new ‌Siri‌ could be accessible through a dedicated app.


Gurman previously said that Apple was not going to develop a standalone ‌Siri‌ app, but it appears plans have changed. It was not clear how the rumored chatbot version of ‌Siri‌ was going to work without an app, because people often have multiple back-and-forth text-based conversations with chatbots, and not having a dedicated space would have been confusing.

Like ChatGPT and Claude, ‌Siri‌ will support both text and voice-based conversations. The app will display either a list or grid of past conversations, with options to favorite chats, search through chats, initiate new chats, and save chats. Conversations with ‌Siri‌ will resemble iMessage conversations, with Apple using chat bubbles. New conversations will start with suggested prompts on what to ask.

‌Siri‌ will be able to do much of what current chatbots can do, such as searching the web with visually rich results, providing summaries, and evaluating uploaded documents, and the personal assistant will still be integrated into Apple devices. Pressing the side button on an iPhone or using the ‌Siri‌ wake word will activate ‌Siri‌. ‌Siri‌ integration will replace the current Spotlight search functionality, but Apple plans to keep and expand on ‌Siri‌ Suggestions. ‌Siri‌ Suggestions will have more access to user data to provide more relevant prompts.

Chatbot ‌Siri‌ will have an updated look to go along with the dedicated app. Activating ‌Siri‌ will have a new animation that prompts the user to search or ask a question, and Gurman says Apple is testing a version of ‌Siri‌ integrated into the Dynamic Island. Apple's test interface includes a glowing ‌Siri‌ icon and a "searching" label in the ‌Dynamic Island‌ while ‌Siri‌ is processing a request, and once done, ‌Siri‌ expands into a larger translucent panel with the results. Pulling down on the menu initiates an interface for a conversation.

It's also possible Apple will integrate an "Ask ‌Siri‌" button into the menus of other apps, giving users a way to send content directly to ‌Siri‌ alongside a request. The iOS keyboard could get a Write with ‌Siri‌ option that surfaces Writing Tools.

Apple Intelligence ‌Siri‌ features that were originally planned for iOS 18 will be introduced in ‌iOS 27‌, with ‌Siri‌ able to use personal data and context to answer queries. ‌Siri‌ will also be able to do more in and between apps, and will be able to see what's on the user's screen. Apple promised that those features would appear before the end of 2026.

Apple is planning to introduce the new version of ‌Siri‌ at the June WWDC keynote. Dates for WWDC were announced yesterday, and the keynote event is set to take place on Monday, June 8.

Related Roundup: iOS 27

This article, "iOS 27 Siri Overhaul: Standalone App, New Design, Dynamic Island Integration and Ask Siri Button" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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iOS 26.4 Adds Two New Features to CarPlay

2026-03-25 04:55:13

iOS 26.4 was released today, and it includes a couple of new features for CarPlay: an Ambient Music widget and support for voice-based chatbot apps.


To update your iPhone 11 or newer to iOS 26.4, open the Settings app and tap on General → Software Update. CarPlay will automatically offer the new features so long as the iPhone connected to your vehicle is running iOS 26.4 or later.

Below, we have outlined the two new CarPlay features.

Ambient Music Widget


CarPlay gained support for widgets on iOS 26. To view them, swipe right on CarPlay's interface until you reach the Dashboard screen, shown below.


Starting with iOS 26.4, both the iPhone and CarPlay now have an Ambient Music widget option.

Apple introduced the Ambient Music feature on iOS 18.4 last year. It offers curated playlists based on themes such as Sleep, Chill, Productivity, and Wellbeing, with no Apple Music subscription required to listen to the songs.

To add the Ambient Music widget to a CarPlay widget stack, open the Settings app on your iPhone and tap on General → CarPlay → [Your Vehicle] → Widgets → Add Widget, select the Ambient Music option, and tap on the Add Widget button.

Chatbot Apps


Starting with iOS 26.4, CarPlay supports voice-based conversational apps, according to Apple's CarPlay Developer Guide. This means that chatbots like OpenAI's ChatGPT, Google's Gemini, and Anthropic's Claude will be able to extend their iPhone apps to CarPlay for voice-based conversations, should any of them choose to do so.


Of course, Apple's own assistant Siri remains available on CarPlay, without needing to open an app. It was recently reported that Apple is testing a new Siri app for iOS 27 with chatbot-like functionality and conversation history, so it will be interesting to see if that Siri app is available on CarPlay in a voice-only state later this year.
Related Roundups: CarPlay, iOS 26, iPadOS 26

This article, "iOS 26.4 Adds Two New Features to CarPlay" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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