Chance Miller

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 the first beta of iOS 26.3, new details on the iPhone 18 and iPhone Fold, and more changes to the App Store. Plus, our usual slate of new podcast episodes, opinion pieces, and much more. Read on for all of this week’s top stories.

Crafting a smart home ecosystem can be tricky. There are a lot of product categories, and it can be hard to know which ones to prioritize. Here are some of my go-to smart home recommendations for outfitting a smart home — and they all make great gifts this holiday season.

While it was somewhat overshadowed by the release of iOS 26.2, Apple also released macOS 26.2 last week. This update introduces one of the most clever video calling features I’ve seen in years: Edge Light.

Here’s how it works.

Apple released iOS 26.2 last week with important security fixes. At the same time, it also shipped iOS 18.7.3 for users who haven’t upgraded yet — at least in theory.

In practice, Jason Snell at Six Colors reports that some iPhone owners aren’t being offered the iOS 18 security update at all, and are instead being pushed straight to iOS 26.

Update: Here is a support document on Apple’s website with more details about its software update rollouts.

If you’ve noticed odd screen flickering since installing macOS Tahoe, you’re not alone. A growing number of users are reporting brief but distracting display flickers, particularly when using Apple’s Studio Display.

One of my favorite Apple Watch features introduced this year is Sleep Score. Sleep is a crucial part of life, and this feature gives you a look at three different facets of it: duration, bedtime, and interruptions.

With this week’s launch of iOS 26.2 and watchOS 26.2, it just got even more useful.

Benjamin and Chance discuss the late-in-the-year public launch of iOS 26.2, and the beginning of the 26.3 beta cycle. The Information has some juicy new details about the forthcoming iPhone roadmap, ChatGPT adds a clever Apple Music integration, and Chance tried using the PSVR2 spatial controllers with his Vision Pro.

And in Happy Hour Plus, there’s more tantalizing evidence of a higher-end iMac in the works. Subscribe at 9to5mac.com/join. 

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Last year, X (formerly known as Twitter) killed its dedicated Mac app and removed it from the Mac App Store. At the time, the company pointed users to the iPad version of the app, which remained available on the Mac App Store for Apple Silicon users to install.

Now, however, X is blocking users from installing the iPad version of the app on macOS. The essentially means the company has ditched the Mac entirely.

Apple is expanding the number of ads that appear in App Store search results. In an update on its Apple Ads website today, the company detailed that it will introduce more ads “to increase opportunity in search results” starting next year.

To comply with the Mobile Software Competition Act (MSCA), Apple has announced a set of major changes to the App Store and iPhone in Japan. The changes include new app distribution options for developers and new alternative payment rules for the App Store.

There’s a robust ecosystem of Find My accessories on the market nowadays. All of these accessories would make great stocking stuffers this holiday season. After all, what’s a better investment than a way to keep track of their most important possessions?

The Apple Watch lineup is available in a number of different options and configurations, ranging from different case materials, colors, sizes, and more. One of the most important things to consider, however, is whether or not you should buy an Apple Watch with cellular connectivity.

An Apple Watch with cellular lets you go out in the world without your iPhone while still remaining connected. It’s a useful feature but one that comes at a cost.

If you woke up today eagerly looking for the weekly refresh of your “Favorites Mix” in Apple Music, you were probably disappointed when you couldn’t find it.

However, it turns out Apple is just rebranding the “Favorites Mix.” It’s now simply called “Your Essentials” in your Apple Music library.

As holiday shopping enters the final stretch, it’s not too late to secure your favorite Apple gear. Whether you’re looking to score a new pair of AirPods Pro 3, new Apple accessories, or a MacBook Air, time is running out but you can still act quick.

Head below for the official 9to5Mac last-minute gift guide.

Apple has announced its annual “Ring in the New Year” challenge for Apple Watch users. A new Apple Watch Activity Challenge is set for January, encouraging you to begin 2026 on the right foot by closing all three rings for seven days in a row.

It’s going to be an exciting two years for iPhone users. A new report from The Information details the eight new iPhones in the works inside Apple, including the highly-anticipated iPhone Fold and iPhone 20.

We’re nearing three years since GM started its transition away from CarPlay. The company started by ditching CarPlay in its EVs, but recently confirmed that it will “gradually” abandon the platform on more cars in the future. Needless to say, this hasn’t gone over well with the general public.

Now, GM has one bit of good news for its owners: a new Apple Music app rolling out for select cars starting today.

Update December 15, 2025 10:35am ET: Spotify says the outage is fixed.

If Spotify is down for you this morning, you’re not alone. The streaming music service has a bit of the Monday blues. Spotify has confirmed that it is aware of problem affecting the service today and is investigating.

One of the world’s largest automakers is preparing support for Apple’s car key platform. A new report today says that Apple’s “backend has been updated to include Toyota in the list of companies that support Apple car key.”

After several weeks of beta testing, iOS 26.2 is now available for all iPhone users. The update brings new features for Apple Podcasts and Apple Music, more Liquid Glass design updates, and more.

Head below for our full guide on all the new iOS 26.2 features.

Apple today released iOS 26.2 for iPhone users, and the update brings several key changes for Apple Music. There’s also a fix for a viral bug that impacted the release of new albums on the service …