2026-01-09 21:21:17
Spam and cold calls have become such a nuisance that many people simply don't answer their phone unless they recognize the number. In iOS 26, though, you can learn about who's calling before you respond, thanks to a clever feature that intercepts unknown calls and asks the caller to identify themselves before your iPhone even rings.
The "Ask Reason for Calling" feature is kind of like having your own receptionist. When someone who isn't in your Contacts calls, your iPhone automatically answers the call with a polite automated message asking for their name and reason for calling. The caller is placed on hold while their response is transcribed to text and displayed on your screen, letting you decide whether to accept, decline, or ask for more information.
It's a decent upgrade from the existing "Silence Unknown Callers" option, which simply sends all unrecognized numbers straight to voicemail. With the new approach, legitimate callers – like your doctor or a delivery service – can identify themselves, whereas robocallers and spammers are likely to hang up when greeted by the automated response.
2026-01-09 20:24:55
The Unicode Consortium has published a draft list of emoji that could come to smartphones and other devices in the future. The list shared by Emojipedia outlines 19 emoji candidates under consideration for Emoji 18.0, which is expected to be finalized in September 2026.
Among the proposed additions are a squinting face emoji, left- and right-pointing thumb gestures, a pickle, a lighthouse, a meteor, an eraser, and a net with a handle. The draft list also includes a monarch butterfly emoji, providing a more specific alternative to the existing generic butterfly.
Along with the 9 new emoji concepts, Emoji 18.0 would (if approved as currently proposed) add 10 additional skin tone variants tied to two of the base emoji. This would bring the total number of recommended emoji characters close to 4,000.
Emojipedia has shared sample artwork for many of the candidates, but Apple designers will need to create their own version of each character in the Apple style if the emoji are ultimately approved. As with previous draft lists, the proposed lineup is not final and may change during Unicode's review process.
Apple will need to roll out its own versions of the new emoji through software updates, so the new characters would likely arrive on iPhone in late 2026 or early 2027, as part of iOS 27.
Apple has consistently adopted new Unicode emoji in past software releases, and previously announced Unicode 17 additions are expected to come to Apple devices with the release of iOS 26.4, iPadOS 26.4, macOS 26.4, watchOS 26.4, and visionOS 26.4 in March or April this year.
2026-01-09 19:37:06
The iPhone Fold will be the first Apple device to adopt a Samsung-made OLED technology called CoE (Color Filter on Encapsulation), which could make the display brighter and thinner than previous panels, reports The Elec.
In a traditional OLED panel, a polarizing film sits above the display to cut reflections and improve contrast. The drawback is that this film also absorbs some of the OLED's own light, reducing brightness and efficiency. With CoE, Apple would remove the polarizer entirely and instead apply the color filter directly onto the OLED's protective encapsulation layer.
The result would be a thinner display stack that lets more light through, delivering higher brightness without requiring more power. Removing layers would also mean less thickness overall, potentially contributing to a slimmer iPhone design.
According to The Elec, Apple plans to debut CoE with its foldable iPhone, which could launch as soon as late 2026, before expanding the technology to the iPhone Air 2 in 2027. The latter's release has reportedly been pushed back following weaker-than-expected sales of the original iPhone Air.
Whether CoE will be applied and whether the iPhone Air 2 will be released will be decided by the third quarter of this year, according to industry sources cited by the Korean-language report.
2026-01-09 07:44:28
iOS 26 is showing unusually slow adoption among iPhone users months after release, according to third-party analytics.
Usage data published by StatCounter (via Cult of Mac) for January 2026 indicates that only around 15 to 16% of active iPhones worldwide are running any version of iOS 26. The breakdown shows iOS 26.1 accounting for approximately 10.6% of devices, iOS 26.2 for about 4.6%, and the original iOS 26.0 release at roughly 1.1%. In contrast, more than 60% of iPhones tracked by StatCounter remain on iOS 18, with iOS 18.7 and iOS 18.6 alone representing a majority of active devices.
Historical comparisons highlight how atypical this adoption curve appears. StatCounter data from January 2025 shows that roughly 63% of iPhones were running some version of iOS 18 about four months after its release. In January 2024, iOS 17 had reached approximately 54% adoption over a similar timeframe, while iOS 16 surpassed 60% adoption by January 2023.
Based on those figures, iOS 26 adoption appears to be running at less than one-quarter of the rate achieved by recent predecessors during the same post-release window. StatCounter derives its estimates from web traffic analytics, tracking operating system versions via page impressions across its global network of participating websites.
In the first week of January last year, 89.3% of MacRumors visitors used a version of iOS 18. This year, during the same time period, only 25.7% of MacRumors readers are running a version of iOS 26. In the absence of official numbers from Apple, the true adoption rate remains unknown, but the data suggests a level of hesitation toward iOS 26 that has not been seen in recent years.
Unlike many previous releases, iOS 26 introduces Liquid Glass as a fundamental visual overhaul, replacing large portions of the traditional opaque interface with translucent layers, blurred backgrounds, and dynamic depth effects across system elements. Upon its announcement at WWDC last year, the redesign received mixed reviews, which could be a contributing factor to hesitation around upgrading.
Likewise, Apple now continues to support older operating systems with security updates, allowing users to remain on iOS 18 without immediate pressure to update or forfeit critical patches. This makes it much easier for users to remain on older software.
2026-01-09 06:29:08
Apple CEO Tim Cook earned $74.3 million in 2025, down slightly from $74.6 million in 2024, Apple said in its annual proxy filing released today.
Cook's earnings included a $3 million base salary that has remained the same since 2016, $57.5 million in stock awards, $12 million in performance-based cash awards, and $1.76 million in other compensation, such as 401(k) contributions, life insurance premiums, vacation cash-out, security expenses, and personal air travel expenses. For efficiency and security purposes, Cook is required by Apple to use private aircraft for both business and personal travel.
Apple set a target compensation of $59 million for Cook, the same as in 2024, but Cook earned above that level through the incentive payouts that executives receive when Apple performs well.
Other key senior Apple executives, including outgoing general counsel Kate Adams, chief operating officer Sabih Khan, and retail and people chief Deirdre O'Brien each earned total compensation packages of around $27 million in 2025. Apple saw a chief financial officer transition in 2025, with former CFO Luca Maestri earning $15.5 million in 2025 and new CFO Kevan Parekh earning $22.5 million.
2026-01-09 05:54:05
Apple's 2026 shareholders meeting will be held on Tuesday, February 24, at 8:00 a.m. Pacific Time, according to an SEC filing that was released today.
Apple shareholders of record as of January 2, 2026, can attend, vote, and submit questions during the meeting by logging in to Apple's virtual meeting website 15 minutes before it kicks off. A control number included in the Notice of Internet Availability of Proxy Materials that's provided to shareholders is required to join.
At the meeting, shareholders will vote to re-elect the company's board of directors, approve executive compensation, and ratify Ernst & Young LLP as Apple's public accounting firm. There will also be votes on shareholder proposals.
Notably, both board chairman Art Levinson (age 75) and board member Ron Sugar (age 77) are up for re-election, despite a company guideline stating that directors may generally not stand for re-election once they have reached the age of 75. Apple provided the following justification in its proxy statement:
Over the past four years, the Board has added three new members, representing over one-third of its membership, and two other, long-serving members retired. In the context of this year’s Annual Meeting nominations, the Board determined that it would be in the best interests of Apple and its shareholders to ask Art Levinson, the Chair of the Board, and Ron Sugar, the Chair of the Audit Committee, to stand for re-election, and to waive for each of them its guideline under which directors generally may not stand for re-election after attaining age 75. In making this determination, the Board considered several factors, including the significant experience and expertise that each of Dr. Levinson and Dr. Sugar brings to the Board, their deep insight into the Company’s business and operations, and their individual contributions as highly engaged members of the Board. The Board also considered the benefits of continuity among the Board’s leadership positions.Levinson's re-nomination as chairman is notable due to recent speculation around Tim Cook's potential retirement as Apple CEO, a move that would likely see him shift into the board chairman position. It is possible that Levinson's continuation in the role beyond age 75 is intended to also serve as bridge to such time that Cook is ready to assume the chairman role, rather than selecting a new chairman for only a relatively brief time until Cook steps down as CEO.
