We're just about due for the next-generation Apple silicon chip, which will kick off a new wave of Mac refreshes. The M5 chip is expected to make an appearance in some new products before the end of the year, but most Mac refreshes will happen in 2026.


We've rounded up current rumors on when we might see updates for Apple's notebook and desktop machines.

MacBook Pro

The MacBook Pro could be the first Mac to get an M5 chip, and an unannounced ‌MacBook Pro‌ has already shown up in an accidental FCC leak. Supplies of the 14-inch M4 MacBook Pro are also dwindling.


Since there was just one Mac model in the FCC leak, it's possible that Apple will update the 14-inch ‌M4 MacBook Pro‌ with an M5 chip this year, introducing M5 Pro and M5 Max ‌MacBook Pro‌ models in early 2026.

It's also entirely possible new M5, M5 Pro, and M5 Max ‌MacBook Pro‌ models will all come out at the same time, either in 2025 around the late October timeframe, or in early 2026.

MacBook Air

New 13-inch and 15-inch MacBook Air models with M5 chips are expected in early 2026, right around the March or April timeframe. The M4 ‌MacBook Air‌ models came out in March 2025.

iMac

Apple added an M4 chip to the iMac in October 2024, so it could be updated alongside the 14-inch ‌MacBook Pro‌ models or alongside the M5 ‌MacBook Air‌ models. There haven't been rumors about specific timing, but it's one of the Macs that will be in the late 2025 to early 2026 timeframe.


Custom configurations of the ‌iMac‌ are delayed and won't ship to customers until later in October, much like the 14-inch ‌MacBook Pro‌, which could be a sign of an imminent update.

Mac mini

The Mac mini could get a refresh as soon as early 2026. An alleged identifier for a ‌Mac mini‌ with an M5 chip was discovered in August, so it sounds like an upgrade is in the works.


Apple has not always refreshed the ‌Mac mini‌ with new chips, and it didn't end up getting the M3 and M3 Pro.

Timing isn't clear, but with no word about an update, it probably won't happen this year. Last year, the ‌Mac mini‌ got an M4 and M4 Pro update in October.

Mac Studio

Apple updated the Mac Studio with M4 Max and M3 Ultra chips in March 2025, so an update isn't expected in the near future.


The ‌Mac Studio‌ isn't likely to get another refresh until M5 Max and M5 Ultra chips are ready, and there's no word on when that might be. We could be waiting until late 2026.

Mac Pro

The Mac Pro is still using the M2 Ultra chip from 2023, so it is due for an update.


Back in November 2024, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said the ‌Mac Pro‌ would get an M4 Ultra chip with a 32-core CPU and 80-core GPU. He claimed that the ‌Mac Pro‌ would get the new chip sometime in mid-to-late 2025. We're past mid 2025 at this point, but we haven't heard much about the ‌Mac Pro‌ in recent weeks.

Earlier this year, Gurman backtracked on the M4 Ultra chip and said that Apple wasn't developing one. The M4 Max chip architecture does not have the UltraFusion functionality that allowed for prior-generation Ultra-series chips, so it's not likely that there's going to be an M4 Ultra at all.

Apple could either update the ‌Mac Pro‌ with the M3 Ultra that it added to the ‌Mac Studio‌ this year, or use an M5 Ultra chip. If Apple was going to update the ‌Mac Pro‌ with the M3 Ultra, it would have made sense to do so earlier this year with the ‌Mac Studio‌ refresh. Since that didn't happen, it looks like Apple is waiting for the M5 chips.

It often takes Apple more time to develop the Ultra versions of its M-series chips, so if the plan is an M5 Ultra chip, it's not likely going to be ready this year. Mid to late 2026 timing would make more sense for an M5 Ultra chip.

• Apple's Last M4 Mac: What's Rumored for the Mac Pro

An October Event?

While most of the M5 Mac refreshes are going to happen in 2026, there are other M5 devices slated for launch in 2025. A new iPad Pro and a refreshed version of the Vision Pro are expected to have the M5 chip, and rumors suggest they're coming soon.

Apple could hold an event to unveil the M5 Apple silicon chip and the new products, or it could announce them with press releases.

Other products that we're expecting before the end of the year include a new HomePod mini, AirTag 2, and an updated Apple TV.
This article, "When Will Apple's Macs Get M5 Chips? 2025-2026 Launch Timeline" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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Apple's upcoming foldable iPhone will have a frame that's made from a mix of titanium and aluminum, analyst Jeff Pu said today in a note shared with investors.


Pu suggested that Apple will expand its use of titanium, with the material set to be used in both the 2026 ‌iPhone‌ Fold and iPhone Air models. This isn't the first time a mixed metal chassis has been rumored for the foldable ‌iPhone‌, because Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo said earlier this year that Apple will use multiple materials.

While Pu says Apple is going to use titanium and aluminum, Kuo said that Apple will use titanium and stainless steel. He suggested that the foldable ‌iPhone‌'s hinge will be made from stainless steel and titanium, with the device's frame set to be made from titanium. Kuo also believes some hinge components will be made from Liquidmetal for further durability.

The foldable ‌iPhone‌ is rumored to be as thin as 4.5mm when opened up, which would make it even thinner than the ‌iPhone Air‌. It would need the strength of a titanium frame to prevent bending issues. Apple gave the ‌iPhone Air‌ a titanium frame, and that proved to be a good decision because multiple bend tests show that the titanium Apple used for the ‌iPhone Air‌ is resistant to bending.

Kuo did not mention aluminum as a potential material for the foldable ‌iPhone‌. Pu's wording isn't entirely clear on how Apple will use the two materials, but he's either suggesting that Apple plans to use a titanium and aluminum hybrid compound for the device's frame, or saying Apple will use titanium in some areas and aluminum in other areas.

Additionally, the metal frame will turn favorable on increasing usage of titanium, which will likely be adopted by iPhone 18 Fold (titanium + aluminum) and iPhone 18 Air.

Small amounts of aluminum are often used in titanium alloys, and the two metals can be combined in higher proportions as well. Since titanium is heavier than aluminum, Apple might also be planning to use titanium for the stress bearing parts of the frame and aluminum elsewhere to cut weight.

Apple's foldable ‌iPhone‌ is expected to be part of the iPhone 18 lineup, launching in September 2026. Rumors suggest that the display will be around 5.5 inches in size when closed, unfolding to approximately 7.8 inches when opened up.

More information about the foldable ‌iPhone‌ can be found in our guide.
This article, "Apple's 2026 Foldable iPhone Rumored to Use Titanium and Aluminum Frame" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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Apple today outlined changes that it is making to the App Store for users and developers located in Texas to comply with the state's ‌App Store‌ Accountability Act (SB2420).


Starting on January 1, 2026, Apple users located in Texas will need to confirm whether they are 18 years or older when creating an Apple account. Apple Accounts for users under 18 will be required to join a Family Sharing group, and parents will need to provide consent for all ‌App Store‌ downloads, app purchases, and in-app transactions.

Developers will also need to make changes to their apps to comply with the law. To assist developers, Apple plans to update the Declared Age Range API to provide the required age categories for new account users in Texas. Apple is also creating APIs that will let developers invoke a system experience to allow the user to request that parental consent be re-obtained. Parents will also be able to revoke consent to prevent a minor from using an app.

Apple has been fighting against age assurance requirements in Texas and other states like Utah and Louisiana, because of the data collection required to determine user age. Apple says that SB2420 will force users to share personally identifiable information to download apps.

While we share the goal of strengthening kids' online safety, we are concerned that SB2420 impacts the privacy of users by requiring the collection of sensitive, personally identifiable information to download any app, even if a user simply wants to check the weather or sports scores. Apple will continue to provide parents and developers with industry-leading tools that help enhance child safety while safeguarding privacy within the constraints of the law.

Apple CEO Tim Cook reportedly contacted Texas Governor Greg Abbott to ask him to veto the legislation, but Abbott was not persuaded and he signed the act into law in May.

In an attempt to head off child protection laws that vary from state to state, Apple introduced new child safety measures at the beginning of 2025. Apple created an updated age rating system, added a simpler way for parents to set up child accounts, made changes to what kids see on the ‌App Store‌, and developed the Declared Age Range API to provide a privacy-focused way for developers to confirm the age range of app users.

Apple's Declared Age Range API prevents apps from having specific information about children, such as their date of birth. Apple has continually said that it does not want to collect information like date of birth at the ‌App Store‌ level because all users would need to hand over that information regardless of whether they want to use an age limited app.

SB2420 requires app store platforms to "use a commercially reasonable method of verification" to determine a user's age during account creation. Texas does not define what a commercially reasonable method of verification entails, and Apple hasn't specified how age verification will work.
This article, "Apple Details App Store Changes to Comply With Texas Age Verification Law" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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Apple is currently beta testing iOS 26.1, which will be the first major update to the iOS 26 operating system. It's not going to bring the new version of Siri that we've been waiting for, but it does include useful new features and interface changes.


We've rounded up all of the features that have been in iOS 26.1 so far.

Alarms and Timers

Alarms and timers that you set up in the Clock app now have a slide to stop button rather than a tap to stop button on the Lock Screen. You can snooze an alarm with a tap, but to turn it off entirely, you need to use a slide gesture.


The change makes it much harder to dismiss an alarm when you're trying to tap on the snooze button.

New Apple Intelligence Languages

Apple Intelligence is now available in Danish, Dutch, Norwegian, Portuguese (Portugal), Swedish, Turkish, Chinese (Traditional), and Vietnamese.

AirPods Live Translation Languages

AirPods Live Translation works with additional languages in iOS 26.1, including Japanese, Korean, Italian, and Chinese (both Mandarin Traditional and Simplified).

Apple Music

You can swipe on the music player in Apple Music to switch songs. Just slide a finger over where the song title is listed, and it'll go to the next song or back to the previous song.

Fitness App

You can create custom workouts in the Fitness app on iPhone. There are options for selecting workout type, estimated Active Calories, effort, duration, and start time.



There were workout creation options before, but they were more structured than the open, custom creation options that are in iOS 26.1.

Settings App

Apple changed the alignment of icons and text in the Settings app. All settings with headers that feature text now have that text aligned to the left instead of center aligned. It's a small change that makes a big visual difference.


This includes General, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, Cellular, Personal Hotspot, Accessibility, and more.

Home Screen Folders

When you tap into a folder on the Home Screen, the name of the folder at the top is left aligned instead of center aligned, matching the changes made in the Settings app.

Phone

The Phone keypad now uses Liquid Glass for the numbers.

Photos

The slider for scrubbing through videos in the Photos app has been updated.


The navigation bar also has a slightly more frosted look that makes it easier to see on light backgrounds.


The interface for managing multiple photos that you've selected has been tweaked slightly. Play as Slideshow, Favorite, and Hide are now at the top of the menu.

Safari

The Tab Bar (Bottom) in Safari is wider with less padding around the edges. In Reduce Transparency mode, there's more padding, so it no longer looks odd.

Background Security Improvements

The Privacy and Security section of the Settings app now has a toggle to automatically download and install security improvements. It's a revamp of the prior Rapid Security Responses feature.

Display Settings

The Display section of the Settings app now has iOS 26-themed wallpaper instead of iOS 18 wallpaper.

Liquid Glass

The light refraction effect around apps is now more subtle with darker icon colors and background colors.

Wallpaper

When setting a wallpaper on the Lock Screen, instructions like Pinch to Crop show up momentarily and then disappear, rather than being shown all the time.

Display Accessibility

Under the Display and Text Size section in the Accessibility settings, there is a new "Display Borders" toggle. It adds a border to all buttons, and replaces the prior "Button Shapes" setting.

Bonus: iPadOS 26.1

Many of the changes above are in iPadOS 26.1 too, and iPadOS 26.1 also makes some changes to multitasking.

Slide Over

With iPadOS 26.1, Apple is reintroducing Slide Over. Slide Over works alongside the window-based iPadOS 26 multitasking functionality, so you can have multiple windows open and still swipe over to quickly access a Slide Over app.


You can only have one Slide Over app at a time in iPadOS 26.1, and you can use the feature by tapping on the green window resizing button and toggling on Enter Slide Over.

External Microphones on iPad

There's now an option to adjust input gain on the iPad when using an external microphone.

Download iOS 26.1

iOS 26.1 is available for both developers and public beta testers, so if you want to get your hands on the new features now, you can. It's easiest to sign up for public beta testing by visiting Apple's beta website.

Compatibility

iOS 26.1 is available on all iPhones that support ‌iOS 26‌.

Release Date

It's likely that Apple will release iOS 26.1 toward the end of October or the beginning of November.

More Features

Know of something new in iOS 26.1 that we missed? Let us know in the comments below.
This article, "5+ New Features Your iPhone Will Get in iOS 26.1" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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Alongside iOS 26, Apple introduced a new tvOS 26 update for the Apple TV. tvOS updates aren't as feature rich as iOS updates and often go under the radar, so we thought we'd highlight some of the useful new features that you should check out.

• Liquid Glass - Liquid Glass has a subtle presence in tvOS 26, with Apple adding Liquid Glass buttons, interface elements, and Control Center. It's not as extensive as Liquid Glass in ‌iOS 26‌, and it blends in well with the tvOS operating system.


• Apple TV app - The ‌Apple TV‌ app has been overhauled and it displays more TV shows and movies on the screen at one time.


• Profiles - It's much easier to switch profiles in tvOS 26, so you can keep the content that you like separate from the content that other people in the family prefer. You can choose a profile whenever you wake your ‌Apple TV‌ up from sleep. You'll get better suggestions on a per-person basis, and it's a great way to separate kid content from adult content.


• Karaoke - When using Apple Music Sing, you can use your iPhone as a microphone. The ‌iPhone‌ can show you real-time lyrics, lyric translations, and lyrics pronunciation.


• AirPlay - If you use third-party speakers with the ‌Apple TV‌, you can now set them as the default AirPlay speakers. Your ‌Apple TV‌ will then automatically use those speakers and you won't have to select your speaker each time you use the device.


• FaceTime - FaceTime has been supported on the ‌Apple TV‌ since last year with an ‌iPhone‌ as the camera, but now there's an updated, card-style interface and support for Live Translation with captions.


• Screen Savers - You can pick your favorite screen saver categories, choosing cityscape, earth, landscapes, and more. Each person can choose their own screen savers if desired.

Have a favorite tvOS 26 feature? Let us know in the comments below, and check out our video for even more tvOS tips and tricks.
This article, "Must-Try tvOS 26 Features" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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Apple today released new firmware designed for the AirPods Pro 3, prior-generation AirPods Pro 2, and the AirPods 4 models. The firmware has a build number of 8A358, up from 8A356.


There's no word on what's include in the updated firmware, but the prior 8A356 update added iOS 26 features to the AirPods Pro 2, ‌AirPods Pro 3‌, and ‌AirPods 4‌ with ANC. The software introduced better audio quality for phone calls and video calls, studio-quality audio recording for interviews, podcasts, videos, Live Translation, and more.

It's possible that the 8A358 firmware addresses a bug or brings improvements to some of the new ‌iOS 26‌ AirPods features.

To install the new firmware, make sure your AirPods are in range of your iPhone, iPad, or Mac. From there, put your AirPods in the Charging Case and connect the Charging Case to power. Keep the case closed and wait at least 30 minutes for the firmware update to install.
This article, "Apple Releases New Firmware for AirPods Pro 3, AirPods Pro 2 and AirPods 4" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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Apple plans to hold a "Mindful Month" Apple Watch Activity Challenge on Friday, October 10. Mindful Month brings awareness to mental health, self care, meditation, and mindfulness.

On October 10th, let's take some time to appreciate all the ways we can care for ourselves and each other. Record 10 minutes of mindfulness or meditation with any app that adds mindful minutes to Health to get this award.

Like all of the Apple Watch Activity Challenges, the Mindful Month event will come with animated stickers that can be used in the Messages app.








Mindful Month is a relatively new addition to the Apple Watch Activity Challenge lineup, with Apple first introducing it last year. Apple's last Activity Challenge was held in August and highlighted National Park Day.
This article, "Apple Celebrating 'Mindful Month' With October 10 Apple Watch Activity Challenge" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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Apple today provided public beta testers with the second releases of upcoming iOS 26.1, iPadOS 26.1, macOS Tahoe 26.1, tvOS 26.1 and watchOS 26.1 updates for testing purposes. Apple seeded the betas to developers yesterday.


After signing up for beta testing on Apple's beta site, public beta testers can download the updates using the Software Update section in the Settings app on each device.

iOS 26.1, iPadOS 26.1, and macOS Tahoe 26.1 expand Apple Intelligence to new languages, including Danish, Dutch, Norwegian, Portuguese (Portugal), Swedish, Turkish, Chinese (Traditional), and Vietnamese.

AirPods Live Translation is also available in Japanese, Korean, Italian, and Chinese (both Mandarin Traditional and Simplified) in iOS 26.1. The second beta adds a slide to stop feature to alarms, tweaks the design of the Settings app, and more, with details available in our features list.

There are a few other minor changes to apps like Photos, Music, and Phone, with details available in our iOS 26.1 features guide.
This article, "Apple Seeds Second Public Betas of iOS 26.1, iPadOS 26.1 and macOS Tahoe 26.1" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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