The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) will now be going after more scammers after it closed a significant loophole in the law.

The agency says the expanded scope of the Telemarketing Sales Rule (TSR) will be of particular benefit to seniors, who disproportionately fall victim to fake tech support calls …

The popular Apple sci-fi drama Severance is getting an official companion podcast, alongside the release of season two. The podcast will be hosted by the show’s director Ben Stiller, and star Adam Scott (Mark). It will include appearances from other cast members like Britt Lower (Helly), Zach Cherry, as well as the show’s creator Dan Erickson.

The podcast will debut on January 7th, with daily episodes covering each episode of Severance season one. The podcast will continue in weekly instalments alongside the premiere of every new episode of season two of the show. As a reminder, Severance season two commences January 17, with new episodes each Friday.

Update: We have now updated our Black Friday collection with all of the most notable deals carrying over to Cyber Monday alongside a host of new offers across Apple’s latest releases and just about every other product category out there as well.

We are now ready to bring together all of the best Cyber Monday Apple deals into one handy collection for you. There are big-time price drop across just about all of Apple’s latest releases, from the new M4 Macs and the all-new iPad mini 7 to AirPods and more for the biggest shopping event of the season. Those offers are joining a range of discounts on various Apple gear accessories as well as just about every other product category, from smart TVs and e-bikes to gaming gear, smart home, loads of fashion brands, and a whole lot more. Head below to scope all of the best Cyber Monday deals.

This is Rumor Replay, a new weekly column at 9to5Mac that provides a quick rundown of the most recent Apple product rumors, with my analysis and commentary. Today: iOS 19 rumors point to a backloaded launch, plus iPhone 17 Pro and Air come into focus, the future of AirPods Max, and more.

Here are this week’s Apple rumors.

A heartwarming new Apple holiday video entitled Heartstrings showcases the new hearing aid feature offered by AirPods Pro 2.

It shows the experience of a father being transformed from hearing only muffled sounds as his family opens gifts, sings songs and tells him they love him to being able to clearly hear everyone …

Apple held out for a long time on switching from text messaging to RCS (rich communication services), but finally announced that it would be doing so as part of iOS 18. The move brings many iMessage-like features to text messages between iPhone and Android users.

Mobile carriers also need to support the switch, and UK telco Three has just texted customers to announce that it will be doing so from next month …

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In this week’s special edition of Security Bite, Mosyle, a leader in Apple Device Management and Security, has exclusively revealed to 9to5Mac details on a new family of Mac malware loaders. Mosyle’s Security Research team discovered these new threats are written in unconventional programming languages and use several other sneaky techniques to evade detection.

Update: Australia has now voted to ban social media use by children under the age of 16. In a 9to5Mac reader poll on the issue, the vast majority of you thought the US should do the same – see the end of the piece.

The impact of social media use by kids is perhaps one of the hottest topics in tech. There’s significant evidence that social media apps like Instagram can be harmful to the mental health of children, while others argue that it can also enable social connection.

Popular video conferencing platform Zoom agreed to pay $85M in compensation back in 2021 after it was revealed that the company lied to users about the type of encryption it offered. It has now offered to pay an $18M fine to the Securities & Exchange Commission (SEC) in order to settle an investigation into the same security and privacy issue.

Zoom disclosed the offer in a regulatory filing …

It’s been six years since Apple first introduced Screen Time in iOS 12, allowing us to see just how much time we spend using our phones, while also allowing parents to set limits for their kids. The feature was extended to Macs a year later.

Apple has also introduced additional features intended to make our devices less addictive, but a recent study suggests that our screen usage may be higher than ever …

With Apple Intelligence and Genmoji, users can now create their own emoji. Even so, the classic emoji are still available and will certainly never go out of style. The emoji are so popular that one artist has now turned Apple’s running shoe emoji into a real product.

It’s Black Friday season once again, meaning it’s the best time of year to save some money. We’ve gathered a list of our favorite indie app deals this holiday season – allowing you to try out something new on your iPhone, all while supporting small, independent app developers. There are 25 apps highlighted here, but there’s even more deals to find, linked at the bottom.

Microsoft this year teased a new feature for Windows called “Microsoft Recall,” which essentially captures snapshots of everything that happens on the PC and uses AI to let users quickly find something they’ve forgotten. After much controversy, the feature is now available in beta – and I believe Apple could do something similar on the Mac, but in the right way.

Listen to a recap of the top stories of the day from 9to5Mac. 9to5Mac Daily is available on iTunes and Apple’s Podcasts app, Stitcher, TuneIn, Google Play, or through our dedicated RSS feed for Overcast and other podcast players.

Sponsored by Roborock: Check out Roborock’s incredible Black Friday Deals now.

Wicked’s successful film adaptation has brought The Wizard of Oz back into public discourse, and some have noted its parallels found in Ted Lasso. Now, series writer and star Brett Goldstein has set the record straight about the close relationship between the Apple TV+ series and the classic film and book.

Apple silicon has led to significant advancements on the Mac, including the recent M4 models. But some of the best evidence for Apple’s advantages in silicon is found in a surprising and unconventional place: the iPad mini 7.

From now through December 31, save 20% on all 9to5Mac Daily Plus, 9to5Mac Happy Hour Plus, and 9to5Mac Pro annual subscriptions with promo code HOLIDAY! Visit 9to5mac.com/join to sign up.

Benjamin and Chance debate the appeal of the iPhone 17 Air as more details about the redesigned phone leak out. And Siri is set for more LLM-powered updates, but maybe not until spring 2026. Is that too late for Apple to ever catch up to the state of the art?

And in Happy Hour Plus, Benjamin gives his opinion on all the Apple Intelligence features available so far, and Chance is impressed by the nano-texture display on the new MacBook Pro. Subscribe at 9to5mac.com/join.

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USB-C/Thunderbolt display options have really grown in recent years. While Apple’s Pro Display XDR isn’t the best fit for most Mac users at $5,000+, it also offers the more affordable Studio Display. But there are many great choices from LG, Samsung, BenQ, and more. Here are the best USB-C/Thunderbolt displays with many available in the $400-$1,600 range.

Update 11/27/24: For a limited time grab 57% off the 5K Samsung ViewFinity S9 or get 19% off the 5K Apple Studio Display.

MAGEASY is a leader in the premium accessories market for Apple products, and will be offering some of its best prices ever for Black Friday and Cyber Monday, providing customers with the ultimate value on cases and other accessories for your Apple products.

These deals will be running through December 2nd, and you can also take advantage of some site-wide offers outside of the ones highlighted here, where you can buy any item and save 10%, buy any 2 items and save 20%, and any 3 items for 30% off. Newsletter subscribers (located at the bottom of the website) can also save 15% on one item. Don’t miss out!

Vision Pro users know that immersive video is one of the platform’s strengths, but content has been relatively scarce. Apple is reportedly working on a big project to change that: upgrading a popular sports stadium with the tech necessary for live streaming games in immersive video on Vision Pro.

The holiday season is upon us, and Apple would have you believe that its products make the perfect gifts for your loved ones. A new CIRP report reveals, however, which Apple products tend to get gifted and which ones miss out on a holiday boost.

AI was supposed to lead to a supercycle of smartphone growth, not just among iPhone users but also Android. But it turns out, that’s simply not a thing yet—at least based on global 2024 smartphone trends. Sales are trending up, but not at all for the reasons you might expect.