Finding the perfect travel charger can be challenging, but I may have one of the best. Enter the r, a 3-in-1 charging station that can fit in your back pocket. Designed with Apple users in mind, this charger is a game-changer for powering up your iPhone, Apple Watch, and AirPods.

iOS 18.2 came packed with a lot of big and small changes. One smaller update that’s flown under the radar is a faster way to message Siri or ChatGPT. Here’s how it works.

Honey is a popular browser extension owned by PayPal that’s at the center of a big new controversy. As a new investigative video outlines, the extension that’s meant to save users money not only misses key discounts, but also intentionally redirects affiliate funds away from creators.

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 reflect on Apple’s 2024 products, focused on all the product announcements from the past twelve months. From the lows of AirPods Max to the highs of M4 iPad Pro, and the mixed reception to Apple Vision Pro. We break it all down in our last episode of the year.

And in Happy Hour Plus, we talk about what we are most excited for in 2025 as rumors swirl for the iPhone 17 lineup and Apple’s deeper foray into the smart home. Subscribe at 9to5mac.com/join.

While we are coming down to the wire now for holiday shipping, Best Buy has launched a surprise 48-hour flash sale with deals still arriving by tomorrow. And one of them is the best deal ever on the most affordable M4 MacBook Pro with 24GB of RAM at $300 off the list price. That offer joins up to $169 in savings on AirPods Max, ongoing 2024 lows on AirTags, a 50% price drop on Twelve South’s metal Curve SE MacBook stand, Bose and Sony headphones, plus even more. Scope it all out down below. 

I’ve used an iPad Pro as my primary computer for years, despite occasionally testing the waters with the Mac. For various reasons, I’ve always stuck with the iPad, but one new feature Apple just shipped might finally be the thing that gets me back to the Mac in 2025.

Ray-Ban Meta have been the most successful smart glasses to date, offering an appealing mix of features in a form factor which is visually indistinguishable from normal sunglasses.

So far, all of the AI functionality, notifications, and messaging features have relied on the glasses reading things to you through integrated speakers, but a new report says a future model will get a display, and that it could launch as early as next year …

One of the key elements of Apple’s A-series and M-series chips is the System-on-a-Chip (SoC) design which tightly integrates all the components within a single package. This includes both CPU and GPU.

But a new report suggests that the M5 Pro chip may take a different approach of having more separated CPU and GPU in order to improve performance and boost production yields …

There have been consistent reports that we can expect a future iPhone to offer a variable aperture lens within a year or two, but there’s been disagreement about whether the new feature will launch in the iPhone 17 or iPhone 18.

Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo previously said the major camera upgrade was coming to the iPhone 18, while The Information pointed instead to the iPhone 17. Kuo has now doubled-down on his earlier prediction …

A report over the weekend suggested an Apple smart home doorbell with support for Face ID is in development. It follows an earlier report of an Apple smart home camera next year.

While it could be argued that both are commodity products, and that Apple’s most important contribution is the HomeKit platform rather than the hardware, there seems little doubt about the opportunity here …

Even a brief review of the App Store revealed more than 200 “risky or inappropriate” apps rated as ok for children, according to a new report. They had collectively notched up more than 550 million downloads.

Two child safety groups say that more than 25% of the child-rated apps they reviewed gave cause for concern, suggesting that the total number of problematic apps is very much higher …

Last week, The Wall Street Journal reported that the iPhone 17 Air will cost less than the iPhone Pro models, contradicting the long-standing expectation that the new ultra-thin iPhone would be even more expensive than the iPhone Pro Max models. With that being the case, the phone actually makes more sense than ever.

From now through December 24th, Apple will be offering free two-hour delivery from your local Apple Store for last minute holiday gifts. This offer went live yesterday.

According to Mark Gurman’s Power On newsletter, Apple is not working on a new version of its AirPort wireless router. However, they are working on something else that could potentially serve as a wireless access point, so don’t give up hope quite yet.

In the latest edition of the Power On newsletter, Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman laid out a couple updates on Apple’s developments on health features for . We’ve heard reports on this matter in the past, but this provides a little more insight.

According to Mark Gurman from Bloomberg, Apple is working on a new smart home doorbell, to compete with the likes of Ring. It’d offer “advanced facial recognition”, and integrate wirelessly with smart home locks.

According to MacRumors, Apple is preparing the release of iOS 18.2.1. We don’t have a known build number at the moment, but we’ll likely see this software update released in the near future.

Welcome to Indie App Spotlight. This is a weekly 9to5Mac series where we showcase the latest apps in the indie app world. If you’re a developer and would like your app featured, get in contact.

one sec aims to help people reduce mindless scrolling on social media, requiring users to make a conscious decision on whether or not they want to actually open that app every time. It’s very configurable, so you can customize one sec to meet your needs.

Brought to you by Uniq: The Lyden Collection features iPhone cases, AirPods cases, and magnetic cardholders, all crafted from premium vegan leatherette. Designed with both style and sustainability in mind, this collection adds a sophisticated touch while embodying our dedication to eco-conscious living. Check out the collection.

Flashier features like camera upgrades, faster performance, and bigger screens usually take the spotlight when it comes to iPhone. However, Apple’s smartphone has evolved with powerful safety tools over the years. Here’s a look at 6 safety features that offer real peace of mind with iPhone 16 and how you test them out or make sure thye’re enabled.

With iOS 18, Apple introduced support for RCS messaging, a new protocol that enhances the texting experience between iPhone and Android users. Unlike SMS, you can see read/delivered receipts, send larger files, and have typing indicators, features that were previously missing. At first, only the big three carriers supported RCS messaging. Since then, a lot more have joined in on the fun.