9to5Mac

Apple’s latest theft-prevention measure went live for beta testers yesterday: Activation Lock for iPhone components.

The move is likely to generate some controversy, as it introduces another barrier to DIY repairs using parts harvested from broken devices, but the company is also working on a solution to that …

The Apple Store is down, ahead of iPhone 16, iPhone 16 Plus, iPhone 16 Pro, iPhone 16 Pro Max preorders going live. (Apple Watch Series 10, and AirPods 4 are already available to order.)

If you are looking to buy Apple’s shiny new gadgets, start refreshing the Apple Store at 5 AM PT, or in about six hours time. All the new iPhones, Watches and AirPods ship to customers beginning September 20.

Earlier this year, Apple announced some changes to its repair policies. Overall, the company has made it easier for users to repair their iPhone with genuine used parts. However, at the same time, Apple also announced that it would bring Activation Lock to iPhone parts. This new feature is now available and working in iOS 18.

On the eve of pre-orders beginning, Apple has shared three new videos showcasing iPhone 16 Pro with Apple Intelligence. The latest ads, which star English actor Bella Ramsey, tout Apple Intelligence features in the Mail app, Photos app, and Siri.

If you’re planning on picking up a new iPhone 16 model during pre-order day, the key is to have the smoothest and quickest checkout experience possible. With a ton of Apple users ordering at the same time tomorrow morning at 5:00 a.m. PDT (Sept. 13), just a few minutes can make a huge difference in how long it will take to actually receive your device.

Head below for 9to5’s pre-order tips to get prepared for tomorrow’s launch.

9to5Mac’s iPhone PreOrder Hub is brought to you by Torras. 9to5 readers can get a limited time deal on the Torras Magnetic Ostand 360 Spin Case with code 925mac20 to help celebrate the launch of iPhone 16.

After discontinuing its app for the third generation Apple TV, Netflix has just confirmed that it will soon end support for some old iPhones and iPads. More specifically, the company will no longer provide updates compatible with devices running iOS 16.

Benjamin and Chance react to Apple’s September event, with full coverage of all the announcements from the keynote, including thoughts on the new iPhone 16 lineup, Apple Watch Series 10, and AirPods 4 with Active Noise Cancellation. We try to forget the AirPods Max.

And in Happy Hour Plus, of all the new products, hear what Benjamin and Chance are excited to order for day one delivery. Subscribe at 9to5mac.com/join.

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Apple just announced the brand new iPhone 16 and 16 Pro lineup. Pre-orders are almost open, which means now is the time to make a buying decision. Should you upgrade, or wait another year? Let me provide three reasons for waiting until next year’s iPhone 17 Air arrives.

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.

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Apple will release iOS 18.0 next week to the public, but the company has also been running tests with iOS 18.1 beta – which will be released in October with the first set of Apple Intelligence tools. However, it seems that Siri has suddenly stopped working on iPhones and iPads running the latest beta of iOS 18.1.

Earlier this week, Apple announced a powerful new health feature coming to AirPods Pro 2: hearing aid. But curiously, the company shared that it had not yet received FDA authorization for this ‘clinical grade’ hearing aid mode. Assuming that would happen, though, the feature would arrive later this year. As of today, however, the FDA announced it has officially authorized Apple’s new feature.

Pre-orders for the iPhone 16 and 16 Pro open tomorrow. But if you want the fastest pre-ordering experience possible, you can walk through all the necessary shopping steps in advance via the Apple Store app. Here’s the cutoff time to prep your order in advance.

iPhone 16 Pro and Pro Max are Apple’s newest, high-end smartphones. But how much have they improved beyond their pro-decessors? Here’s a detailed look at iPhone 16 Pro vs 15 Pro for everything new and a buyer’s guide.

A new report says that used iPhone sales are up 28% on the same period last year as owners liberate funds for an iPhone 16 purchase, with the peak seen on the day after the keynote.

The data suggests that the iPhone 16 is set to be a more popular upgrade than either the iPhone 14 or iPhone 15 – with one surprising twist …

Security researchers came up with a pretty wild Vision Pro exploit. Dubbed GAZEploit, it’s a method of working out the passwords of Vision Pro users by watching the eye movements of their avatars during video calls.

They’ve put together a YouTube video (below) to demonstrate how tracking the avatar’s eye movements accurately detects the virtual keys the Vision Pro user is looking at when typing …

It was May 2022 when Ikea proudly announced its Diregera hub, bringing Matter support to the company’s smart home line-up. Some two years later, and rather later than scheduled, that upgrade is finally available.

But better late than never, as Matter support means that you can now control any compatible Ikea smart home product via Apple’s Home app …

When Apple issues the firmware upgrade needed to use AirPods Pro 2 as a hearing aid, it will put the company into direct competition with existing over-the-counter (OTC) products.

Most OTC hearing aids offer Bluetooth headphone functionality, so a single device will serve both functions either way, but AirPods will offer two significant advantages …

If you’re planning on using Apple trade-in to upgrade to an iPhone 16, you’ll want to quickly book it in for repair if it has any damage.

As one of my fellow tech writers discovered, Apple doesn’t just deduct the necessary repair fee from the value of your device (which could cost as little as $29 if you have AppleCare) – the company instead declares your phone worthless in its online estimate …

Apart from some marketing materials, we have not yet seen Apple Intelligence image generation features in action. Image Playgrounds and Genmoji are not currently available in the iOS 18.1 Apple Intelligence betas; they are rumored to launch as part of the iOS 18.2 cycle later this year.

However, Apple has today shared a real-world example with WIRED magazine. Pictured above, adorned with a AI watermark applied by WIRED, it depicts Apple SVP Craig Federighi’s dog.

Apple software SVP Craig Federighi says that the Private Cloud Compute servers used for Apple Intelligence features are really basic – and with good reason.

The exec says it’s one of a number of decisions the company made to ensure that it’s AI cloud servers form a “hermetically sealed privacy bubble” with your iPhone …

According to a new certification from the China Quality Certification Centre, a regulatory body in China, all iPhone 16 models support up to 45W of wired fast charging through the USB-C port.

The iPhone 16 Pro features an upgraded modem inside courtesy of Qualcomm, bringing several notable improvements. As detailed by SpeedSmart, the new iPhone 16 Pro offers an up to 26% faster boost in 5G download speeds thanks to its new Qualcomm Snapdragon X75 modem.

When Apple introduced the M4 iPad Pro earlier this year, the company quietly added a new privacy feature to it, which is called “Secure Exclave.” Now the company is bringing the same new privacy technology to the iPhone 16 models, which are powered by the A18 chip.