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HomeKit Weekly: Get your Halloween and Christmas automations set up now

It’s time to get your Halloween decorations out and automate them because the gear you buy for October is the same gear you’ll use in December. Set it up once now, and all you’ll do in November is swap what’s plugged into your gear. My first real Apple Home project years ago was automating Christmas lights, and it’s still the easiest win in your entire smart home, and it’s really one of the most useful things you can do.

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Here’s the difference the variable aperture of the iPhone 18 Pro makes at night

iPhone 18 Pro night shot | Photo shows Tower Bridge shot at night using a 4-second exposure at f/4

I previously tested the difference the wider aperture of the iPhone 18 Pro makes when it comes to depth of field. The executive summary is that the difference is small, but definitely present.

I said at the time that I’d intended to test the difference it made to Night mode shots when an unmissable night video opportunity had me write about that instead. So belatedly, let me turn my attention to Night mode photos …

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Deals: New Apple TV 4K first discount, HomeView, iPhone Duo trade offers, AirPods Pro 3, more

Joining the $50 price drop on AirPods Pro 3 to pair with your new Duo, we are now tracking the very first discount on the next-generation Apple TV 4K – Amazon will also ship it to you much faster than Apple can. Those offers join ongoing HomeView deals (you’ll want to get in there quick as they are starting to sell out), the best price in months on Apple’s 24GB/1TB M5 Pro MacBook Pro at $430 off, and what might be the only iPhone Duo pre-order deals you can still lock-in. Scope it all out below.

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Security Bite: Americans are contradicting themselves around privacy

Security Bite - Arin Waichulis

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Americans have a privacy problem, and that shouldn’t surprise anyone. Between the unprecedented backlash around Flock cameras and, more quietly, data brokers selling off our identities, individual privacy is center stage right now. I would go as far as to make it the inaugural Security Bite ‘Theme of the Year.’

Yet despite all of that, a new survey from data removal service Incogni found that 45% of the 1,517 U.S. adults polled say they aren’t concerned about their online privacy. That wasn’t even the best part of this survey though…

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Apple Store is down ahead of iPhone Duo preorder rush

In keeping with tradition, Apple has taken down the Apple Store this morning ahead of the iPhone Duo going up for preorder. If you are waiting to buy the new Apple foldable, be sure to log on at 5 AM Eastern Time.

All reports point to constrained supply and relatively high demand, so everyone is anticipating that Apple will run out of launch day stock very quickly indeed. If you want a Duo for launch day, on October 23, you need to be ready to buy at 5 AM.

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9to5Mac Daily: October 15, 2026 – OpenAI vs Apple, iPhone Duo details

9to5mac daily podcast

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 HomeView unveiled, new Apple TV and HomePod mini first impressions 

Benjamin and Chance react to Apple’s smart home event, with first impressions on the new Apple HomeView smart display, the insanely priced Apple TV 4K (fourth-generation), and the HomePod mini refresh. It remains to be seen whether these new initiatives in the Apple Home Collection can help move the needle on smart home uptake at large, but it’s a good start.   

And in Happy Hour Plus, the new iOS beta brings a new Apple Music icon. Subscribe at 9to5mac.com/join.

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