Chance Miller

The year is 2026 and Walmart still doesn’t accept Apple Pay at any of its stores in the United States. This makes it one of the last remaining major retailers to not support Apple’s contactless payment platform. It’s a limitation that’s once again going viral on social media.

Here are a few reasons why Walmart doesn’t support Apple Pay …

Welcome to 9to5Mac’s top stories of the week, where we recap the biggest news in the Apple world every Saturday. This week, we have Apple’s new Creator Studio subscription, Apple’s deal with Google for Gemini, and iPhone Fold specs. Plus, our usual slate of new podcast episodes, opinion pieces, and much more. Read on for all of this week’s top stories.

After a tumultuous relationship with Goldman Sachs, Apple reached a deal with JPMorgan Chase to take over Apple Card.

I have a lot of questions about what this means for Apple Card. I’ve laid some of them out below so we can speculate together…

OpenAI has announced several important changes to ChatGPT. First, the company says it is rolling out its more affordable ChatGPT Go plan in the United States for $8 per month. OpenAI also confirmed it will soon start testing ads in ChatGPT …

The first rumors about what to expect from this year’s iOS 27 update are here. The update will reportedly bring a focus on stability improvements and bug fixes, with some big new Apple Intelligence features sprinkled in. Here’s everything we know so far about new iOS 27 features, the update’s release date, and more.

Apple is widely expected to release a major overhaul of the MacBook Pro later this year or in early 2027. Among the many changes expected with this refresh is new OLED display technology.

A new rumor today indicates that Apple’s partner Samsung Display has kicked off mass production of the OLED screen destined for the new MacBook Pro ahead of schedule.

Benjamin and Chance discuss the implications for Siri and the wider Apple ecosystem now that the Gemini deal is officially signed, and guess when we’ll start seeing the first new features ship. Also, they weigh up the appeal of the new Apple Creator Studio bundle, and Chance got to watch basketball courtside through his Vision Pro.

And in Happy Hour Plus, the duo discuss the dependability of iCloud as a backup of your data, and what other backup strategies they recommend to use. Join now and save 26% on annual plans with code HAPPY26.

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A new Apple monitor has reportedly appeared in a Chinese regulatory database. This comes as rumors suggest Apple will update at least one of its external displays, either the Studio Display or Pro Display XDR, at some point in 2026.

If you’re having problems with your cellular connection today, you’re not alone. Verizon, appears to be experiencing a major outage. The carrier says its teams are “fully deployed and are focused on the issue.”

Verizon has also now promised credits for affected users … here’s the latest.

Update, 10:24pm ET

Verizon says the outage is resolved:

The outage has been resolved. If customers are still having an issue, we encourage them to restart their devices to reconnect to the network. For those affected, we will provide account credits. Details will be shared directly with customers. We sincerely apologize for the disruption.

Last week, Apple officially announced that Chase is set to take over Apple Card, ending its deal with Goldman Sachs.

A new report from The Wall Street Journal, based on conversations with “20 people familiar with the matter,” goes in-depth on what Apple told people was an “unhappy marriage.”

For years, John Hancock has offered Vitality Plus life insurance program members a way to earn an Apple Watch for (almost) free with regular exercise.

Recently, the Vitality program expanded to include the newest Apple Watch Series 11 and Apple Watch Ultra 3. Here’s how it works and how to take advantage if you’re hoping an Apple Watch will help with your new year’s resolutions.

Apple has announced Apple Creator Studio, which it describes as a “groundbreaking collection of powerful creative apps designed to put studio-grade power into the hands of everyone.”

Apple Creator Studio will launch on the App Store on Wednesday, January 28, and will cost $12.99 per month or $129 per year. There will also be a one-month free trial offer. College students and educators can subscribe for $2.99 per month or $29.99 per year.

When I tried Apple Vision Pro for the first time at WWDC 2023, one part of the demo immediately stood out: sports in Apple Immersive Video. During a sizzle reel, I watched immersive clips from NBA and MLB games. As a sports fan, I knew right away that Vision Pro had the potential to change the game.

It took a while for that promise to fully materialize, but this weekend I finally watched a full NBA game in Immersive Video: the Los Angeles Lakers vs. the Milwaukee Bucks.

Apple has confirmed that it is teaming up with Google to use Gemini models to power future Siri and Apple Intelligence features.

In a new press release today, Apple is celebrating the success of its services division throughout 2025. The company says that 2025 was a “record-breaking year for Apple services,” with milestones for Apple Music, Apple TV, and more.

Apple generally adds new emojis to the iPhone with iOS updates in spring. As spotted by the folks at Emojipedia this week, the Unicode Consortium recently published the full list of draft emojis that could debut next year.

Among the list of new additions are a smiley face with squinting eyes, a pickle, an eraser, and more.

In today’s annual proxy filing, Apple revealed full details on executive compensation for 2025. This includes on how much Apple CEO Tim Cook was paid during the year, as well as other senior executives including Kevan Parekh, Kate Adams, Sabih Khan, Luca Maestri, and Deirdre O’Brien.

In total, Apple says Tim Cook’s compensation was $74,294,811 in 2025, a very small decrease year-over-year.

Apple today filed its annual proxy report for shareholders, announcing that its annual shareholders meeting will take place virtually on February 24, 2026, at 8:00 a.m. PT. Apple shareholders of record as of January 2, 2026 are permitted to attend the meeting as well as vote and submit questions.

During the meeting, shareholders will also vote on re-election for Apple’s board of directors.

Benjamin and Chance cover this week in Apple news, including the long-awaited announcement that the Apple Card will be switching from Goldman Sachs to Chase, in about . Also, Fitness+ doesn’t quite live up to its own new year marketing hype, NBA live-streaming kicks off on Vision Pro, and Apple makes App Store changes to satisfy Japan regulators.

And in Happy Hour Plus, the pair make their annual prediction for 2026, with three relatively risky picks each, about what Apple might do this year. Join now and save 26% on annual plans with code HAPPY26.

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Apple has confirmed that Chase will become the new issuer of Apple Card, taking over for Goldman Sachs. Apple says the transition will occur “in approximately 24 months.”

“During this transition, Apple Card users can continue to use their card as they normally do,” Apple says. “Additional details regarding the transition will be shared with all Apple Card users as the transition date approaches.”

Apple is set to release a consistent stream of new iPhone software updates this year. There are major changes still to come with iOS 26, as well as iOS 27 coming at WWDC in June. Here’s the full timeline on when to expect these updates.