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Apple Makes Major Changes to App Store’s Age Ratings

Apple added 13+, 16+, and 18+ ratings to the existing 4+ and 9+ ratings, while removing the 12+ and 17+ age ranges. These changes have been applied automatically, based on developers’ previous responses to Apple’s questionnaires. But you’ll have to wait until September for the public rollout, unless you're running one of the beta versions of iOS 26, iPadOS 26, macOS Tahoe 26, tvOS 26, visionOS 26, or watchOS 26. The tech giant has also introduced new questions to help identify sensitive content within apps before they are added to the App Store, including those covering the presence of medical or wellness topics, violence, and in-app controls. Apple has asked developers to complete the updated questionnaire via App Store Connect by Jan. 31, 2026. If they fail to comply, app updates will be blocked.
https://www.pcmag.com/news/apple-makes-major-changes-to-app-stores-age-ratings

Apple Announces iOS 26 With ‘Liquid Glass’ Design, Live Translation, Overhauled Phone App, and More

Liquid Glass is a translucent material that reflects and refracts surroundings to create dynamic, responsive interface elements, according to Apple. The new design language transforms the Lock Screen, where the time fluidly adapts to available space in wallpapers, and spatial scenes add 3D effects when users move their iPhone. Meanwhile, app icons and widgets gain new customization options, including a striking clear appearance.
https://www.macrumors.com/2025/06/09/apple-announces-ios-26/

Apple will announce iOS 26 at WWDC, not iOS 19

Apple is planning a huge shakeup to its naming scheme for software updates. Bloomberg reports that this year’s iOS update won’t be called iOS 19 after all. Instead, Apple is planning to call it “iOS 26” as part of a new year-based naming strategy.
https://9to5mac.com/2025/05/28/ios-26-coming-next-month/

Epic Games Setting Up Webshops for iOS Developers to Offer Users Out-of-App Purchases

Epic Games today announced plans for ‌Epic Games‌ Store Webshops, a feature that will allow developers to launch digital storefronts that are hosted by the ‌Epic Games‌ Store. With Apple's mandated App Store rule changes in the United States, developers will soon be able to direct customers to web shops to make out-of-app purchases, bypassing the in-app purchase flow.
https://www.macrumors.com/2025/05/01/epic-games-webshops-ios-developers/

Millions of Apple Airplay-enabled devices can be hacked via Wi-Fi

Apple’s AirPlay feature enables iPhones and MacBooks to seamlessly play music or show photos and videos on other Apple devices or third-party speakers and TVs that integrate the protocol. Now newly uncovered security flaws in AirPlay mean that those same wireless connections could allow hackers to move within a network just as easily, spreading malicious code from one infected device to another. Apple products are known for regularly receiving fixes, but given how rarely some smart-home devices are patched, it’s likely that these wirelessly enabled footholds for malware, across many of the hundreds of models of AirPlay-enabled devices, will persist for years to come.
https://arstechnica.com/security/2025/04/millions-of-apple-airplay-enabled-devices-can-be-hacked-via-wi-fi/

Apple is turning its AirPods into the Babel fish from Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy

Apple (AAPL) is designing a new AirPods feature that would allow users to listen and respond to live translations of in-person conversations, according to a Bloomberg report that cites unnamed sources. The feature will reportedly work in tandem with an iPhone, which will translate speech for the user and relay it to a pair of AirPods. When the user responds, the iPhone will play a translation out loud, enabling a two-way conversation.
https://qz.com/apple-airpods-translate-ios-19-1851770018

TikTok influencers are wearing Apple Watches on their ankles

A report from The New York Times over the weekend highlights the small — but apparently growing — trend of users wearing their Apple Watches on their ankles. What’s becoming something of a viral sensation on social platforms like TikTok is the result of a pragmatic decision. Some Apple Watch owners’ wrists are simply too small to get a proper read with on-board sensors like heart-rate monitoring.
https://techcrunch.com/2025/02/10/tiktok-influencers-are-wearing-apple-watches-on-their-ankles/