Macworld

Macworld Unfortunately in recent years, the number of great games for Mac has declined because many are no longer supported. Every new version of macOS tends to break a few games, but macOS Catalina in 2019 meant that lot of games that used 32-bit code were no longer Mac compatible. At the same time that Apple went 64-bit only it also introduced Metal for 3D graphics, which left a lot of games developers with a decision: make new Mac versions of their games or stop making them. Unfortunately many chose the latter. This has started to change with the arrival of macOS Sonoma is here. With Sonoma, Apple provides two things: a new Game Porting Toolkit to make it easier for game developers to bring their games to the Mac, and a new Game Mode to ensure a game gets the highest priority on GPU and CPU, for better playability. Read: How to use Game Mode to boost performance. Following these changes we’ve seen more games coming to the Mac. Including Resident Evil 7: Biohazard and World of Warcraft: The War Within. Many more A-list games are coming to the Mac, including Assassins Creed: Shadows (November 2024), Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown (December 2024), and Resident Evil 2 (date TBC). Just check out our roundup of the best Mac games for some of the highlights, we also have a round-up of the best free Mac games.  Even before the changes that Sonoma brought, and contrary to popular belief, Mac gamers already have plenty of top games titles to choose from – indeed, the most difficult part is narrowing down the options, and then finding the money to buy and time to play them. We can’t help with the latter, but the first problem is right up our alley. In this article, we’ve collected the best Mac games for your delectation – including some of the best new games. Below you will find what we believe are the greatest Mac games out there, together with links to the Mac App Store, Steam and other reputable vendors, so you can buy them right away. These are the very best games for Mac. They are in alphabetical order, not in order of preference (because everyone likes different things). You may also like to take a look at our Best Mac for gaming guide. Plus we have an in-depth look at using an M1 MacBook Pro as a gaming laptop. And if you want some free games to try out on your Mac take a look at our round-up of the Best free Mac games. Updated January 2025 with The Witcher: Enhanced Edition and The Witcher 2: Enhanced Edition – now available on modern Macs. Best Mac Games 2025 Before we run through our list of all the best games we’ve played on the Mac, here are games that we strongly recommend you play on the Mac in 2025. 1. Resident Evil 7: Biohazard (Mac) Apple Silicon, with Resident Evil: Village at the end of last year, quickly followed by Resident Evil 4 earlier this year. The latest addition to the range is Resident Evil 7 Biohazard. Biohazard requires a Mac with an M1 or later, running macOS 13.0 or later. Biohazard also runs on the iPad, as long as it has an M1 processor and iPadOS 17, and even the iPhone, with iOS 17 and an A17 processor. It is cheaper than other games in the series, costing just $19.99/£15.99 on the Mac App Store. The game can be downloaded for free and run in demo mode, called ‘The Beginning Hour’, as an introduction to the main game. If you like the demo, you can buy the full game as an in-app purchase, and there’s an expansion pack available for another $19.99/£15.99. The game introduces Ethan Winters (who also appeared in Village), who searches for his wife, Mia, who vanished mysteriously three years ago. He receives an email from Mia asking for his help and gives him an address in a swampy backwater town in Louisiana. The game switches to an isolated first-person view, making every shadowy corridor seem even more oppressive and creepy. The game also makes clever use of the found-footage genre of horror movies, with Ethan finding old VHS tapes around the house that help fill in some of the background. There’s also a time-travel effect, where you can take actions during video segments in the past that impact on the present. Capcom recommends a game controller, but it’s possible to play with a keyboard and mouse if you prefer. Read our full Resident Evil 7: Biohazard (Mac) review 2. Death Stranding: Directors Cut (Mac) Apple is currently attempting to make up for around 40 years of neglecting the Mac games scene – probably because it thinks that a few good games might help to boost sales of the new Vision Pro headset (cynical, moi? You betcha!). It hasn’t exactly catapulted the Mac games scene into the stratosphere, but there are a few high-profile games now starting to arrive on the Mac, and 2024 gets off to a good start with the arrival of Death Stranding, the idiosyncratic and sometimes downright bizarre game from Hideo Kojima, the renowned developer behind the long-running Metal Gear series. The game is set in a near-future version of the United States, in the aftermath of a mysterious apocalyptic event known as the Death Stranding, which has caused the collapse of society. All that’s left are a few scattered communities, which rely on ‘porters’ to deliver supplies and help set up a communications system called the Chiral network. That’s where you come in, playing Sam ‘Porter’ Bridges – who is voiced by, and modeled on the actor Norman Reedus of Walking Dead fame – as he trudges across the country delivering his supplies. Along the way, you’ll encounter terrorists and creepy invisible monsters called BTs (‘beached things’), but your real foe for much of the game is simply the environment around you. There is some combat in Death Stranding, but your main task as a porter is to struggle across the rocky, ruinous countryside as you embark on a series of missions to deliver your cargo of medicines and other supplies. The game is sometimes described as a ‘walking simulator ’ as you spend much of your time clambering over rocks, up hills, or wading across rushing rivers and streams. That may not sound terribly exciting, but there’s a lot of satisfaction as you struggle to slowly inch your way towards the peak of a craggy hill with your cargo intact. The game also has a dramatic cinematic flair – possibly a little too cinematic, as the first 45 minutes or so is really just a series of very long cut-scenes, interspersed only by a few brief sequences where you learn how to control Sam as he walks, jumps and wades across the rocky terrain. The long cut-scenes can try your patience in the early stages of the game, but they do look terrific – the landscapes have a cinematic scope, and the 3D graphics are tremendously detailed and realistic. And the feeling that this is the gaming equivalent of a blockbuster Hollywood production is further emphasized by cameos from a number of other Hollywood big names, including Mads Mikkelsen, Guillermo Del Toro, and Lindsay Wagner. The graphics do require a bit of horsepower though. The game will only run on Macs and iPads that have an Apple Silicon processor (M1 or later), and running macOS 13.3 or iPadOS 17.0. We were pleased to find that the game ran well even on an iMac with an M1 processor, although we did have to lower the resolution to 1920×1080. You might need an M2 or M3 to really enjoy the game’s sweeping vistas and eerie special effects, but seeing a game like Death Stranding running on an M1 iMac gives us some hope for the future of games on the Mac. 3. Resident Evil 4 – Jump scares galore It can be a little tricky following the sequence of the Resident Evil games – especially as most of them have never been released on the Mac. Last year’s Resident Evil: Village was the eighth game in the long-running series, although it was the first ever to arrive on the Mac, and also one of the first games written specifically to run on Macs with Apple Silicon. However, Resident Evil 4 is actually a newer game (sort of) as it’s a remake of the original Resident Evil 4, which was first released back in 2005. Being a newer game means that it’s considerably more expensive, though, weighing in at a rather hefty $59.99/£57.99. However, it works hard to earn its keep with “juiced-up visuals and a reimagined story” as well as improved controls for combat and other character actions. And, thankfully, you can actually download the game for free and play through the opening section, before deciding if you want to go ahead and buy the full version of the game as an in-app purchase (along with some rather pricey DLC packs too). This installment follows the adventures of special agent Leon S. Kennedy – a floppy-haired special agent from an earlier game in the series – who has now been recruited to rescue the kidnapped daughter of the US President. Tracking her down to a village in Spain, Leon encounters a spooky cult called Los Iluminados, who have turned the villagers into crazed killers. You have to fight your way past the villagers and confront various

Macworld At a glanceExpert's Rating Pros Two integrated charging cables Equal performance on all USB-C ports Rubberized base Smart display Cons Our Verdict This compact power bank might be Anker’s best-ever power bank. And since the price is right, we give it an unreserved recommendation. Price When Reviewed This value will show the geolocated pricing text for product undefined Best Pricing Today Best Prices Today: Anker Power Bank (25K, 165W) with Cables Retailer Price $99.99 View Deal Price comparison from over 24,000 stores worldwide Product Price Price comparison from Backmarket We have become accustomed to the brick format of power banks. Anker has rounded the edges with its new power bank, which not only looks more appealing but also feels better in the hand. The official name of the high-capacity battery pack is the rather plain “Anker Power Bank (25K, 165W, Built-In and Retractable Cables)”. Although it is not part of Anker’s high-end Prime line, the technical data is impressive: the 25000mAh battery capacity is very high but still approved for use in aircraft; 165W maximum output power; and four connections. The four connections are divided into three USB-C and one USB-A. Of these, one connection is on a retractable cable, one on a fixed cable that becomes a carrying strap, and two classic ports. Simon Jary / Foundry The retractable cable pulls from the top of the power bank body and measures a respectable 2.3 feet (0.7m). Thomas Bergbold The maximum power of each USB-C connection is 100W. This refers to both the power output and the input power with which the power bank can be charged. The best thing about it: you don’t have to pay attention to the connection, the power applies equally to all ports. The maximum output at USB-A is 33W. If you want to charge more than one device, the devices must share the maximum output of 165W between them. However, 165W can only be supplied by two devices; with three and four devices, the maximum output is limited to 133W. In practice, however, this is more than enough for most mobile Apple devices, drones and cameras. As you would expect, the charging power is high. The power bank charges an iPhone 15 by 53% in 30 minutes, an 11-inch iPad Pro by 36% and a MacBook Air M3 by 51%. We got it to power an M2 Pro MacBook Pro to a near full (92%) recharge. Thomas Bergbold The informative display—which shows the capacity, the current power in watts and the health status, among other things—is very well done. When charging an iPhone, it displayed a maximum of 21W, 25W for the iPad Pro and 69W for the Macbook Air M3. You can also see the current power consumption at all times when charging. For example, with an Anker Prime 200W desktop charger, the maximum is 90W. We were unable to measure the promised 100W. Nevertheless, the power bank recharges quickly. The extrapolation on the display showed 1:27 hours, in the end it was just under 1:35 hours. An excellent score for a power bank. The power bank measures 6.2 × 2.1 × 1.9 inches (15.7 × 5.4 × 4.9cm) and weighs 21oz (595g). Thomas Bergbold Price The Anker Power Bank (25K, 165W, Built-In and Retractable Cables) is priced at $99.99 / £89.99. For a high-capacity battery pack boasting two built-in USB-C cables as well as two ports, this is an affordable price. It is available in either Silver or Space Black colors. Space Black is shown in our own pictures here. Thomas Bergbold Should you buy the Anker Power Bank (25K, 165W, Built-In and Retractable Cables)? There are no real negative points about this power bank. It offers great performance at a good price. In particular, the charging time and the form factor are pleasing in detail. But that’s no longer enough to score points with customers. It is therefore the little things that make the new power bank our top recommendation among Anker power banks. For some it will be the informative display, others will be pleased that there is finally a rubberized base. But what nobody will want to be without after a short time are the two permanently attached charging cables. All in all, this is Anker’s best power bank, with one of the best price-performance ratios on the market.

Macworld At a glanceExpert's Rating Pros Fast charging times Large display Folding kickstand Cons No wattage display Our Verdict If you are looking for an inexpensive, powerful Qi2 power bank, the ESR power bank matches price and performance just right. Price When Reviewed This value will show the geolocated pricing text for product undefined Best Pricing Today Best Prices Today: ESR Qi2 Kickstand Power Bank 10K Retailer Price $54.99 View Deal Price comparison from over 24,000 stores worldwide Product Price Price comparison from Backmarket The ESR Qi2 MagSlim Kickstand Power Bank uses fast 15W magnetic wireless charging—the same speed you find with Apple’s MagSafe. It also has a USB-C port that can simultaneously charge another device with a maximum of 27W and is used to charge the power bank itself. The charging performance meets expectations for a modern wireless power bank. An iPhone 15 is charged to 50 percent within 30 minutes using USB-C and 32 percent via the Qi2 charging pad. The 11-inch iPad Pro and MacBook Air M3 both charged to 36 percent using a USB-C cable, in line with expectations. The fold-out stand offers an adjustable angle of 45 to 70 degrees. A stand is always handy if you want to charge your iPhone at the same time as using it to watch or participate in a video. Thomas Bergbold The integrated LED display shows the charging process and battery status. Some power banks show you the wattage that the power is being output at, but this bit of information is lacking with the ESR. A built-in NTC sensor, which monitors the temperature in conjunction with an AI algorithm and a graph layer, protects the technology. This is designed to prevent overcharging and overheating. A case is not included, but a 24-month guarantee is. If black is too plain for you, you can choose from other colors including white, sky blue, titanium, and lavender via Amazon or direct from ESR. Thomas Bergbold Price The ESR Qi2 MagSlim Kickstand Power Bank is priced at $59.99 / £64.99, which we think is reasonable for this high-capacity battery pack. Check out all our reviews of the best magnetic and MagSafe power banks. A 60cm USB-C charging cable is included in the box. Thomas Bergbold If you don’t need the high 10K capacity, the 5K Qi2 Kickstand Power Bank is a cheaper alternative. There is also available another model without the kickstand, which is therefore thinner and cheaper. If you need it for just one device and short hops, the 5K makes more sense, but it is always reassuring to know even more power is available to you with the 10K version. Thomas Bergbold Should you buy the ESR Qi2 MagSlim Kickstand Power Bank? You quickly learn to appreciate it when a wireless power bank not only charges the connected devices quickly but also has additional features such as a stand or display. An integrated stand is no longer a rarity these days, and ESR realizes this in a simple but functional way. However, the highlight is the large display, which provides clear information about the remaining capacity. The strong magnetic holding force and the attractive price are also convincing—a harmonious combination.

Macworld Fans on both sides have long debated: Which came first—the Samsung or the Apple? Although only one of the tech giants has been taken to court for copying the other’s iconic design, the two parties have been inspiring each other for years. Notably, Apple tends to be more subtle with its reproduction. Samsung, on the other hand, well… just blatantly ripped off over a dozen Apple features and designs during its Galaxy S25 launch. Appropriated intelligence It’s no secret that Apple is lagging behind in the artificial intelligence race. While the latest Android phones are now equipped with advanced AI tools, the Apple Intelligence rollout has been drawn out, and its tools, comparatively, are somewhat basic. Nevertheless, the iPhone’s AI suite has clearly caught Samsung’s attention. Apple Intelligence offers built-in ChatGPT integration with others, including Google Gemini, coming down the road. One of Samsung’s marquee AI features is that its AI infrastructure is designed to accommodate third-party chatbots, starting with Google Gemini over its own Bixby AI assistant. The Galaxy S25 has borrowed more than a few Apple Intelligence features.Luke Baker / Foundry When you trigger Gemini, you get a text box featuring a colorful glowing border—just like Siri. Samsung also showed off how the chatbot supports both text and voice input. Meanwhile, selecting text brings up a UI that is almost identical to Apple’s Writing Tools, letting users proofread the selection, turn it into a table, etc. Samsung then announced how its Phone app can now record, transcribe, and summarize calls, a perk familiar to iOS 18 users. Similarly, Galaxy S25 users will get to search for photos using natural language, summarize online articles, and turn photos into illustrations— Image Playground style. Finally, the Galaxy S25 series will offer cross-app actions, letting AI agents search for and fetch information from multiple sources just like Siri App Intents. The approach similarly highlights the company’s commitment to users’ privacy, offering a mode that limits cloud processing. That’s One familiar UI Beyond AI-centric perks, Samsung previewed One UI 7 during the Galaxy S25 keynote. Perhaps this OS version’s signature feature is the Now Bar, which surfaces ongoing events—or, one could say, Live Activities. Like its iOS counterpart, it’ll not-so-originally highlight real-time sports scores, timers, and other similar tasks. Samsung then proceeded to boast about the S25’s camera features, which include a few tricks your iPhone learned months ago. Notably, Galaxy users will finally get to record log video and edit audio to focus on the speaker’s voice or their surroundings. The company even revealed its own take on Apple’s second-gen Photographic Styles, which lets our fellow green-bubbled folks apply advanced filters to their shots and control their tones. That’s not an iPhone—it’s the “new” Galaxy S25.Luke Baker / Foundry Uniform design While the similarities between the two operating systems’ features may be more prominent, Apple-like hardware also made it to Samsung’s party. The Galaxy S25 Ultra, like the iPhone 16 Pro, now offers flat edges and rounded corners. For those unfamiliar, the flagship’s Galaxy predecessors had sharp corners and a curved body. Samsung, like Apple, also continues to preserve titanium for its highest-end model, while the entry-level ones settle for aluminum. A slim iPhone 17 Air has been rumored for a September 2025 debut for some time. Samsung beat Apple to the punch, teasing a similar concept dubbed the Galaxy S25 Edge. Like the rumored iPhone 17 Air, the S25 Edge will miss out on certain premium components, like a triple camera system, in favor of a sleeker design that prioritizes aesthetics over performance. Samsung then showed media personnel its all-new, Qi2-compatible protective covers, which are quite literally identical to Apple’s transparent MagSafe cases. While the magnets’ shape and alignment are dictated by the wireless charging standard, Samsung could’ve at least opted for an original color and design that better aligns with its Galaxy design language. Last but not least, journalists also got to check out Samsung’s upcoming Project Moohan VR headset, which looks like a cheaper mockup of the Apple Vision Pro. If you accidentally put it on at some point in the future, you’ll also notice that it’s powered by Android VR, which has also borrowed elements from visionOS’s glassy, translucent user interface—but that’s not Samsung’s fault. It’s not hard to see the Vision Pro influence on Samsung’s new Project Moohan headset.Samsung Good artists copy, great artists steal  Many Apple fans may be reading this and shaking their heads. But while Samsung might have gotten a good amount of inspiration from Apple and the iPhone, the S25’s features aren’t straight copies. For example, the Photographic Styles clone lets users copy another image’s composition and create a filter based on its hues. Similarly, the audio studio in the video editor is more comprehensive, allowing users to amplify or mute more sound types. The Now Bar will offer a briefing feature that “provides a personalized briefing of selected content that updates throughout the day.” And so on. In the smartphone industry, competition revolves around the way handsets and features are perfected and presented. iOS and Android have matured to the point where they both can perform the same main tasks in a nearly identical way. So, whenever one of them innovates, the other tends to build upon that foundation when releasing its own variation on the same theme. As a result, both Apple and Samsung users continue to receive upgraded tools that elevate the mobile computing experience. But, come on, Samsung, maybe next time let’s try to be a little more subtle.

Macworld At a glanceExpert's Rating Pros Estimated 10-year lifespan versus 6 to 12 months for an AirTag-compatible lithium coin battery Waterproof against steam cleaning and high-pressure jets (IP69) Low cost relative to standard rugged waterproof AirTag cases Uses standard AA batteries Screws use standard hex-head style (hex wrench included) Cons Larger form factor compared to AirTag Our Verdict The waterproof case design and use of standard AA batteries lets an AirTage in the TimeCapsule 10-Year Battery Case keep tracking stuff for extended periods. Price When Reviewed This value will show the geolocated pricing text for product undefined Best Pricing Today Best Prices Today: TimeCapsule 10-Year Battery Case Retailer Price $19.99 View Deal Price comparison from over 24,000 stores worldwide Product Price Price comparison from Backmarket Apple’s AirTag has proved an invaluable tool in tracking down baggage lost or delayed by airlines, misplaced items you’ve left behind, or stuff stolen from you, whether a bag containing a camera or your car or bike. Its biggest failing? The CR2032 lithium coin battery required to power it lasts about 6 to 12 months. (Apple claims it can last over a year, but I and many others see a more typical shorter life using brand-name batteries.) Some companies offer Find My network compatible items certified by Apple that have non-replaceable batteries with longer lives, like the 2-year warrantied promise of the Chipolo Card Spot (review), after which they offer a discounted replacement. Others, like Pebblebee with its Card Universal (Apple or Google network support) (review) or Knog’s Scout Bike Alarm & Finder (review) let you recharge an internal battery via external contacts or a port. Apple AirTag Read our review Best Prices Today: $36.99 at Amazon Now, there’s something new: not a new Find My device, but a new case that incorporates external batteries. With an estimated 10-year lifespan using two extended-use lithium AA batteries, the Elevation Lab TimeCapsule 10-Year Battery Case may be an inexpensive answer for certain use cases where you want to go huge periods between changing batteries. A clever case adds external batteries The AirTag gave rise to a huge number of cases (now numbering in the hundreds) from dozens of companies. But only one has risen to the challenge of long life. Elevation Lab, an early maker of rugged AirTag cases for bikes, pet collars, and other uses, has released the TimeCapsule 10-Year Battery Case. (Yes, it’s called a “TimeCapsule,” one word, and has nothing to do with Apple’s discontinued networked Time Machine/AirPort Base Station product, the Time Capsule.) The TimeCapsule 10-Year Battery Case is shown here disassembled (left, right) and put together (bottom). The AirTag (top) fits securely on top of the CR2032 battery adapter in the case. This case uses a clever internal adapter to power an AirTag with two AA batteries instead of the small coin battery. The case is also highly waterproof, with an IP69 rating versus the AirTag’s native IP67 rating. The company achieves its life-extending trick by having you remove the plastic backing of an AirTag as if to replace the coin battery. The interior of the TimeCapsule case has a metal raised area the exact dimensions of a CR2032 battery. You place the open side of the AirTag onto it, add two AA batteries, and use the included screws–apparently milled to precision instead of stamped–to firmly seal the case. Why might you want an AirTag that lasts ten years between battery changes? Apple prompts you in the Find My app and through notifications as the battery life of an AirTag or other item starts to get low. If you ignore these notifications long enough, they disappear when the battery dies. Elevation Lab’s founder said in announcing the product that he was inspired by just this when he discovered he’d failed to replace the battery in an AirTag inside a camera bag after it was stolen, and the last location was tracked three months previously. You might also want to place an AirTag in a location that’s difficult to reach or requires disassembly to get to, and you’d ordinarily avoid with the knowledge you would need to get to it every several months to replace the battery. That could be useful if you want to put an AirTag somewhere that a thief couldn’t remove it without substantial effort, taking minutes or even hours, but where the AirTag’s Bluetooth signal will still penetrate to reach nearby devices. An AirTag will keep broadcasting unless its battery is removed or it’s removed from the paired user’s account. If the AirTag (or third-party item) is not within Bluetooth range when removed from an account, it has to be reset by hand in addition to the account removal. Pick a battery that is rated for long usage. Pick the right AA battery On the battery front, don’t use standard alkaline batteries, which the company warns against. Alkalines won’t last long enough and can degrade in the voltage they produce or even leak battery chemicals. You may have seem this leakage before when you’ve spotted a white crust on the terminals inside a device that hasn’t had its batteries changed for a while. ElevationLab recommends the Energizer Ultimate Lithium battery, which is highly rated in independent testing, such as this exhaustive examination at Cinema Sound. They’re about $2 to $4 each depending on the quantity purchased in a package. The Energizer batteries shouldn’t need replacement under conditions measured by ElevationLab for as long as ten years. (There’s no way for us to review that particular aspect, so check back on this review in the year 2035.) You could use rechargeable lithium batteries, such as those from Pale Blue Earth, but they cost two to five times as much each, last for hundreds of recharges, and are better suited for heavy continuous power usage, like with a battery-powered doorbell camera Assembling and deploying a case You receive a TimeCapsule in disassembled form with a set of four hex screws and a small hex wrench. You can also use a standard H2.5 (2.5mm) hex bit or screwdriver in a standard tool set. Assembly takes a minute or less. Once screwed shut, the case has an IP69 rating. The IP67 rating of the AirTag makes it resistant to 30 minutes of submersion at a depth of a meter (3.3 ft). IP69 allows for prolonged immersion at up to a meter plus provides protection against jet sprays. The assembled TimeCapsule 10-Year Battery Case provides a high level of waterproofing. The case is large compared to an AirTag due to housing two AA batteries and requisite circuitry. It measures 4.45 by 1.57 by 0.75 inches (11.3 by 4 by 1.9 cm). Make sure the place you want to use it can accommodate the bulk. The product doesn’t come with a mounting bracket, screw holes for mounting, or an adhesive. You’ll have to figure that out for locations where it can’t float, as in a bag. The only downside I can see of this ten-year battery case is that Apple may improve its AirTag enough in the meantime that you’ll want to swap in a fresher one with newer features, or a third party will develop a longer-live, rechargeable battery with a bigger form factor. Apple could also change the size and shape of an AirTag, requiring a case redesign to use newer ones. However, you have years to think about that while your TimeCapsule-encased AirTag keeps on pinging. Check out Macworld’s guide to the best AirTag key rings, luggage tags, wallets & accessories.

Macworld Given the price of high-end gadgets, it can sometimes feel like you’re choosing between a quality product and your savings account. However, you don’t have to. A terrific option that not many people consider is a refurbished model. This 2020 Apple MacBook Air with M1 is yours for just $579.99—better than Amazon and Walmart’s prices. It has been cleaned and inspected and has a grade-A refurb rating, which means it’s in near-mint condition.  It’s powered by Apple’s revolutionary M1 chip. This means it’s up to 3.5x faster than its Intel-based predecessors, with an 8-core CPU that breezes through tasks like photo editing, coding, and multitasking. Gamers and creatives will love the 8-core GPU, which delivers graphics up to 5x faster, making your favorite apps and games run like a dream. The gorgeous 13.3″ Retina display gives you a crisp, vibrant screen. Its fanless build also gives you a silent, cooler computing experience. And with up to 18 hours of battery life, this MacBook Air is built to keep up with your busiest days, whether working, creating, or just streaming your favorite shows in bed. Don’t miss this near-mint refurbished MacBook Air with an M1 chip while it’s just $579.99 (reg. $1,499). StackSocial prices subject to change.

Macworld We love the Apple Watch Ultra 2, so we were rather happy to see it on sale for $739 at Amazon. That’s a $60 discount for one of the best-featured smartwatches around. At $739, this isn’t the best price we’ve seen for the Ultra 2, but then again, it’s only $20 away. Unless you want to wait a few months to get it at its all-time low of $719, now’s a good time to add it to your cart. In our review of the Apple Watch Ultra 2, we gave it a four-star rating, appreciating the bright screen and the slick operating system, as well as how great it is for tracking sports and random workouts. “Ultimately, the Watch Ultra 2 is the best smartwatch Apple has made yet,” we wrote. The rugged build will survive any of your outdoorsy activities, even withstanding long swimming sessions and dives. The watch will keep track of your location, help you get to your destination, and tell you how your workout went, whether you’re at the gym, cycling, or hiking. It also comes with advanced sensors that can detect irregular heart rhythms, know when you take a fall, and more. Thankfully, the battery life on this model is vastly better than on the first model, which is obviously something you’ll need when you’re off the grid. So go ahead and order your very own Apple Watch Ultra 2 for $739 while you still can. Go on adventures with the Ultra 2Buy now at Amazon

Macworld Remembering the numerous passwords we use on a daily basis can be a real pain. Whether it’s logging into Amazon to order a new book, checking your online banking or settling down to watch something on Netflix, seeing the log-in box appear can make your heart sink. Then there’s the fact that each site seems to require a different length or combination of certain characters, meaning you need different ones for nearly every site or service (which, sadly, is also a good idea). How are our limited human brains supposed to store all these weird strings of letters, numbers and special characters? All I want to do is stream Star Trek: The Next Generation for the 50th time, not prove my intellectual prowess! Password managers can help you manage all your passwords and login information across your Mac, iPhone, iPad and other Apple devices. Apple offers iCloud Keychain, but is that the best password manager for Mac and iPhone, or is there another password manager for Apple devices that would do a better job. PROMOTIONRoboForm Premium: Just $0.99/Month! Secure your passwords with RoboForm Premium—now only $0.99/month, a massive 60% off! Exclusive to Macworld readers. Offer ends soon. Grab it today! $11.90/yr at RoboForm These carry the burden of remembering everything for you, as you just have to create one master password, after which the app takes care of logging into all other accounts. They even make recommendations for really secure passwords, so you don’t rely on the mixture of your birthday and the name of your first pet. Having only a single login to remember? That sounds good to us. Need some help coming up with a safe and secure password? Read our tips to make your passwords even stronger. Updated with details of Apple’s Password app. How password managers work The idea of password managers is to simplify the way you access your various accounts. Instead of having to memorize multiple complex passwords for each of the services you use you need only recall one password – or provide a fingerprint or Face ID – and the password manager will automatically fill in the required details for you. Just remember this is only as safe as the password you use to unlock access to all your passwords – so don’t lock them all behind an easy-to-guess password, like your pet’s name. The password managers also offer various other features. For example, they can generate random, highly secure passwords for your accounts, they can warn you if your password has been compromised, and some can advise you about existing insecure passwords and support your efforts to update them. Obviously, security is a high priority—as the manager apps have the virtual keys to your kingdom—which is why all of the options listed below use high-grade encryption to protect your details. Many also feature digital wallets so your bank details can be safely stored and used to make purchases online without having to root around in your pocket or bag for the card number and expiry date. A good Password Manager makes it easy to use strong, unique passwords everywhere on the web, no matter what platform or browser you happen to use. But to get the most out of them, you need to pay a subscription fee. Do you need a password manager? Is Apple’s Password app enough? Now that Apple has its own standalone Passwords app (which arrived in iOS 18 and macOS Sequoia) do you need another Password Manager? As you will see from our review below, and our full review of Apple’s Passwords app, most users can replace their paid password manager with Apple’s free solution. Most people don’t use a password manager at all, so getting them in the door this way is a good thing – and Apple Passwords is definitely good enough for most everyday users. The problems arise if you are trying to switching from an existing Password Manager. Indeed, the biggest annoyance we ran into was making the switch and getting everything transferred over, as you can see if you read: Apple’s free Passwords app can replace your paid password manager (kinda). If you just love your current password manager and use it to connect to multiple platforms and browsers, it may well be worth continuing to pay its subscription fee. If you’re thinking of switching to save the fee for your existing password manager, by all means move, just expect it to take a little time. For more ways to keep your data safe, read our iPhone security and Best Mac security tips articles. Best Password Managers for Mac and iPhone Apple Passwords – Best For Basics Best Prices Today: Retailer Price Free View Deal Price comparison from over 24,000 stores worldwide Product Price Price comparison from Backmarket Free at Apple Apple’s Passwords app works well enough for the basic functions most of us rely on. It stores and fills login passwords, Wi-Fi passwords, 2FA codes, and passkeys. It warns you of easy-to-guess passwords, reused passwords, and passwords that appeared in major data breaches. It’s also relatively easy to securely share passwords with others. Apple also provides its own suggested passwords for new signups. It doesn’t give you much in the way of other features–stored credit card and identification info to autofill in forms, secure document storage or notes, and so on. Apple has other apps that do those things in encrypted ways, but if you use other platforms and browsers, this information is not easily available. Increasing the font size on the 2FA codes by a few points would help. There’s text at the top of the Codes screen that shows you how long until the codes reset, but it scrolls off the top of the screen when you scroll down your list–it should stay anchored at the top of the screen. Apple’s Passwords app gets the job done and is fine for the bulk of Apple users who don’t regularly use other platforms or browsers. If you use the required extrensions it will even work for those who use Chrome, Edge – and even Windows. Read our full Passwords review 1Password – Best Password Manager Best Prices Today: Retailer Price 1Password (annually) $36 View Deal Price comparison from over 24,000 stores worldwide Product Price Price comparison from Backmarket $36 at 1Password (annually) One of our long-standing favorites is 1Password which has a nice, clean layout and is simple to use. As well as storing and autofilling your passwords and Passkeys it can also hold other important information, such as your payment details, address, driver’s licence and passport. All of which can be instantly called up to fill out online forms or checkout from websites and apps. Security is front and center, with 1Password boasting AES end-to-end encryption so only you will hold the key to your account. It also uses the Secure Remote Password (SRP) protocol, which allows you to authenticate your details to a site without the information being sent to a server which could compromise security. A feature called Watchtower analyzes the overall strength of your online security and warns you if passwords are repeated or vulnerable. There’s also a password generator if you want to replace your tired old attempts with something a bit more secure. A free 14-day trial is available, but after that, you’ll need to move on to a paid subscription that starts at $36 (approx £29) per year. For this, you’ll be able to use the software on as many devices as you like, including macOS, Windows, ChromeOS, and Linux, plus the accompanying iPhone and Android apps. 1Password has won numerous awards and is an easy service to recommend. Read our full 1Password review Dashlane – Best For Features Best Prices Today: Retailer Price Dashlane (annually) $59.99

Macworld Before it gained the option for cellular functionality back in 2018, the Apple Watch used to be unfavorably compared with rival smartwatches that included LTE support. But is the capability really that useful? The latest Apple Watch models being able to process Siri queries and requests on-device, for example, means one less reason why you would need a cellular connection. When you consider that the cellular version of the Apple Watch Series 10 costs $100/£100 more than the standard model (and that’s before you pay for data!), you may well be wondering if it’s worth the extra expense of getting a cellular Apple Watch. We’re here to help answer that question. Why you need an Apple Watch with cellular The benefits of cellular connectivity on an Apple Watch are pretty clear-cut. Rather than having to carry both your Watch and your iPhone around with you, you could leave the house with simply your Apple Watch. There’s already some functionality that works without any kind of internet connection—Apple Pay, for example, or fitness tracking—but having cellular on the watch expands the roster of features you can use without your phone. The Apple Watch Ultra always comes with cellular but you can get the Series 10 and SE in GPS or cellular configurations.Jim Martin / Foundry Fitness enthusiasts can get a lot from a cellular Apple Watch. Runners, for example, can stream music from Apple Music or another service, rather than fussing with syncing music to the Watch’s local storage. They can also continue to get notifications while they work out, including iMessages and emails—though whether that’s a benefit or a distraction is a matter for personal preference. A cellular Apple Watch will also be able to make and receive phone calls without requiring your iPhone. Another reason why you might need cellular is if you plan on setting up a device using the Apple Watch For Your Kids (formerly Family Setup) feature. This allows you to set up an Apple Watch for a family member who doesn’t have their own iPhone. “A cellular plan isn’t required to set up an Apple Watch for a family member,” Apple explains, “but is necessary for some features.” To get full functionality you’ll need an Apple Watch Series 4 or later with cellular. Apple Watch Series 10 (42mm) Read our review Best Prices Today: $349 at Best Buy | $383.28 at Amazon | $399 at Adorama Why you don’t need an Apple Watch with cellular  Let’s look at the other side of the coin. There are plenty of things that your Apple Watch can do without a cellular connection (or the assistance of an iPhone). For many features, all you need is to be able to connect to Wi-Fi, which may well be available. And you might not even need that. One feature that used to require a cellular or Wi-Fi connection was Siri, but the Apple Watch Series 9 and later can process Siri queries and requests on-device, with no web connection required. We discuss all the things an Apple Watch can do without an iPhone in a separate article. Whether or not you need cellular will depend a lot on what you intend to use your Apple Watch for. Ask current owners about their usage, and I guarantee that the answers will be far more limited than the Watch’s full capabilities. But little of that has to do with the lack of cellular connectivity on the Apple Watch—we don’t think most Apple Watch users are annoyed that they can’t get their notifications when their phone isn’t nearby, because most of the time their phone is nearby. Another reason to avoid an Apple Watch with cellular is that the capability may be a drain on battery life. The device’s battery performance will be impacted by the extent that you use cellular, so you might not want all those notifications, and you might not want to stream Apple Music at the highest quality, for example. (Look at ways to maximize battery life on the Apple Watch and ways to save data on the Apple Watch for related advice. Or for accessories that could help, check out our round-up of the best Apple Watch chargers and docks.) Finally, there’s the financial question. The cellular-enabled model is more expensive than the non-cellular offerings, of course. And on top of that cost, no cellular provider is going to give away data for free, so there will either be an additional monthly data cost, or you will be sharing data with your iPhone. Either way, it’s likely to cost you more. On balance we don’t think that those tradeoffs are worth the relatively meager benefits of adding cellular connectivity to the Apple Watch. But it’s important to reflect on what you need from your smartwatch and consider how the tradeoff looks for you. Apple Watch SE (2nd generation, 44mm) Best Prices Today: $310 at Amazon How much does a cellular Apple Watch cost? The cellular Apple Watch Series 10 costs $100/$100 more than the standard version, while the SE costs $50/£70 more if you want to include cellular. The Apple Watch Ultra is only available with cellular. Some networks will charge you extra to get data on your Apple Watch, while others allow you to add it to an existing iPhone contract and share the data. In the U.S. you can get a cellular Apple Watch plan with AT&T, T-Mobile, Verizon, Xfinity Mobile, and many more. See Apple’s exhaustive list of providers. Most plans cost $10 a month for unlimited data in conjunction with an existing wireless phone plan. AT&T offers the 42mm Apple Watch Series 10 for $13.89 a month for 36 months, though you can get it for less with a trade-in. Verizon offers the same model for $13.88 a month. T-Mobile will sell you an Apple Watch SE, in the 40mm size, for $99, when you activate a new line on a qualifying Apple DIGITS or Apple Watch Standalone line. This will allow you to activate your existing T-Mobile plan on your Apple Watch. Xfinity Mobile includes unlimited talk and text with a $10 smartwatch fee. In the U.K., you can get a cellular Apple Watch contract with Three, EE, O2, and Vodafone. (Only Three and EE support Family Setup/Apple Watch For Your Kids, though). Three lets you connect your watch to your iPhone on its network and share the data allowance between the two, so there’s no additional cost. You’ll need to sign up for the company’s Smartwatch Pairing Plan. EE’s Apple Watch offers include an Apple Watch Series 10 (42mm) with 4GB of data for £26 a month and zero upfront cost. For more advice on buying an Apple Watch, take a look at our round-up of the best Apple Watch deals and our in-depth Apple Watch buying guide.

Macworld Anyone who follows Apple and its business decisions knows that the company is in a constant growth mindset. Apple has taken that mindset further with its new Miami Worldcenter store, which features a huge garden surrounding the store with “plants and flora inspired by the multicultural Latin American influence of Miami.” And to top off (literally) the store’s “biophilic design,” the roof also doubles as a garden. The Miami Worldcenter store is built using regionally sourced timber and other low-carbon materials. The store uses 100 percent renewable energy and is carbon neutral. Mother Nature would approve. The video below shows an aerial view of the store grounds and its roof garden. #id6793a694c4a40 .jw-wrapper::before { content: "apple store miami worldcenter" !important; } Even though retailers are shutting down stores left and right, Apple is opening its 10th store in the Miami area, and the company is going big with this store. It features a dedicated space for Apple Vision Pro demos; the first ever Apple Pickup station in a Miami Apple Store where customers can pick up orders made online; and Today at Apple and Made for Business events. The store opens on Friday, but if you’re not in the Miami area, check out these photos. Interior shot of Apple Store Miami Worldcenter.Apple The Apple Store Miami Worldcenter features the first Apple Pickup station in Miami, where customers can pick up online orders.Apple The Apple Vision Pro demo room at Apple Store Miami Worldcenter.Apple Today at Apple and Made for Business session will be held at the new store.Apple

Macworld Macs have tended to be less of a target for malware in the past, leading some to believe that Macs don’t need antivirus, but the increasing popularity of Macs means this has changed. Don’t find out the hard way that Macs aren’t immune from viruses and other types of malware. While it is typically Windows computers that get news headlines for being attacked by computer viruses, Macs are vulnerable to malware, too. In this collection of Mac antivirus reviews, fully tested by our expert editors, we recommend the best Mac antivirus software to help keep you and your Mac or MacBook safe from whatever rogue software comes your way. Not everyone is a security expert or knows how to check their Mac for viruses, but you also don’t need to be a security expert to keep your Mac safe. Apple does include some built-in antivirus protection in macOS, but a good Mac antivirus product will do it all for you, protecting your Mac from new and known malware, blocking ransomware, protecting older systems from security vulnerabilities caused by outdated software, and stopping you from passing on Windows viruses to PC-using friends and colleagues. The most difficult decision for you as a Mac user is deciding which of the multiple Mac antivirus programs on the market is going to do the best job of keeping you and your data safe, and which ultimately offers the best value. Check out our Best overall Mac Antivirus: Intego Mac Internet Security Our Macworld experts are here to help, and no-one is better placed to guide you on which antivirus to choose for your Mac than the leading authority on Mac products and products built for Mac (the clue is in our name). We thoroughly test all Mac antivirus products from a usability and functionality perspective and use a combination of our own testing data and AV Comparatives/AV-Test lab data to ascertain which is the most reliable and trustworthy security product for your Mac. These are the security products our own editors would (and do) choose for their own machines, so you can place your full trust in our Mac antivirus recommendations. Our top pick right now is Intego Mac Internet Security. But depending on the type and number of devices you want to protect, and your budget, you may prefer one of the other Mac antivirus recommendations in our list below. Some cover more than Macs, you can also use them to protect your iPhone, iPad and other devices. You won’t find every Mac antivirus product we’ve tested here, only the very best contenders, meaning you can be sure that any of these products will do a decent job of protecting your Mac. If you are thinking of trying out software that isn’t listed below we may have reviewed it and not thought it was good enough for this round up, in that case, take a look at all the Mac Antivirus apps we’ve reviewed here. You’ll also find some free options for those of you looking for the best free antivirus for Mac. Although, if value is the most important criteria for you, we also recommend looking at our best Mac antivirus deals round-up. And if you’re running Windows and macOS, also check out the advice from our sister site PC World for the best Windows antivirus. Want to protect your iPhone? Many of the antivirus solutions below also include support for iOS and other operating systems too. Also read: How to scan an iPhone for malware and stay safe. Updated January 2025 to added scores from the December 2024 AV Test (from the Independent IT Security Institute). Note that AVTest only includes venders who choose to be included. Best Mac Antivirus 2025: Reviewed and Ranked 1. Intego Mac Internet Security X9 – Best overall Mac antivirus Pros Built for Mac. Easy set up. Good performance. Cons Mac specific (no Windows/Android protection). Covers: macOS Intego’s Mac Internet Security X9 combines the company’s VirusBarrier and NetBarrier applications to provide both antiviral protection and network traffic filtering programs. There’s also an Intego Premium Bundle X9 that includes five apps: VirusBarrier and NetBarrier as well as Mac Washing Machine (a Mac cleaner), ContentBarrier (Parental controls) and Personal Backup (a bootable backup). Intego’s Internet Security costs $24.99/£20.99 for the first year. Intego’s Mac Premium Bundle costs $29.99/£23.99 for the first year. Use our link to get the deal: You can get Intego Mac Internet Security X9 and Mac Premium Bundle here. The Mac Internet Security X9 is easy to download, install, and configure. It checks for the latest viral definitions and sets up real-time scanning features and intuitive network monitoring, allowing users to see and work with both incoming and outgoing Internet connections on their Mac. While Mac Security X9 doesn’t offer every feature, it offers impressive configuration and customization to both its VirusBarrier and NetBarrier tools. VirusBarrier performs well in protecting users from viruses, while NetBarrier acts as a firewall that protects connections. The application allows users to create settings for home, work, or public connections, and allows or deny connections as needed. There are some issues to address, we’d like to see a running counter tracking the number of files processed in a VirusBarrier scan and we were disappointed that it allowed traffic to questionable websites linked to spam messages.  Mac Internet Security X9 doesn’t try to upsell users to Intego’s other suites and services, making it worth considering. The tools in place are effective, work well, and make this utility worth considering. AV Comparatives, June 2024: 99% Mac Malware Protection, 93% Mac PUA Protection, 100% Windows Malware Detection. Read our full Intego Mac Internet Security X9 review 2. AVG Internet Security for Mac – Effective Mac antivirus Pros Caught an impressive amount of questionable apps. Long trial. Easy to use. Cons Let in a fake Flash player. No indication that scans are happening. Covers: macOS AVG Internet Security for Mac is easy to download from the AVG website, downloads and installs easily, and once permissions have been assigned to your entire hard drive, you’re good to go. Best of all, it is available as a 60-day trial period before billing begins. AVG Internet Security focuses on four directives: Computer Protection, Web & Email Protection, Hacks Attacks, and Payment Protection. The Smart Scan feature checks your virus definitions to make sure they’re up to date and scans for viruses and malware. A Ransomware Shield, Network Inspector, and Fake Website Shield features look things over to see where you stand in terms of your overall online presence and security. The set of whitelists and exceptions can be customized to hone in on files you want to scan and leave out areas you want to leave alone. A quick antiviral scan took a few minutes while a full scan of an entire NVME drive with 821GB of data on it took just over 5.5 hours to complete. Scans on external drives and specific folders are easy to set up and execute, the scheduling feature works well, the software can set up location configurations, and there are customization options for network security. Tests with malware and phishing-based websites went well. The software, combined with macOS’s Gatekeeper functionality, stopped the vast majority of sample malware installations, quarantining them quickly and preventing installation. The software also prevented questionable external code from being loaded on suspect websites and blocked phishing sites from loading. There are a few places for improvement with AVG Internet Security for Mac, but not many. During testing, the software allowed a fake version of Adobe Flash Player to be installed. If you do override the macOS Gatekeeper and AVG security features and install malware, AVG Internet Security does a good job of removing it. If there’s one thing I might change about the software, it’s the fact that the scheduled scan feature doesn’t readily display that the scan is taking place. AVG Internet Security for Mac catches an impressive amount of viral, phishing, and malware activity for a consumer package, and does its job well, all while wrapped in a bright, friendly user interface that’s easy to navigate. Granted, given the subscription pricing and packages, a VPN client wouldn’t be out of the question, and the price point for a single device moves into questionable territory, but the software still performs well, travels well with its location settings, and this is appreciated. Have a look at its 60-day trial to see what works, what doesn’t, and what might be right for you. You may also be interested in trying the free AVG AntiVirus for the Mac. Despite being free, AVG’s free AntiVirus covers all the bases: blocking viruses and malware from websites, downloads, and email attachments. AVG will scan applications and check every file and remove threats from your Mac. It auto updates so you shouldn’t miss out on protection from the latest threats. AV Test, December 2024: 100% AV Comparatives, AV Comparatives, June 2024: 100% Mac

Macworld A virus? On an iPhone? While there are many that would say it’s not possible, it most certainly is, and if your iPhone or iPad is acting oddly then you’ve come to the right place. Here’s how to find out if your iPhone or iPad has a virus, and how best to get rid of it. Has your iPhone got a virus? Probably you don’t have a virus on your iPhone, but it’s not true to say iPhones don’t get viruses. There have been a few successful virus penetrations on iPhones over the years, including the state-sponsored espionage attacks via the Pegasus spyware attacks, and AdThief, which affected a number of jailbroken iPhones back in 2014. If you are unlucky enough to have been targeted in such an attack then, according to a support document, Apple will send a threat notification warning by mail and Message to you. Apple also aims to quickly address any security flaws that are being exploited by such spyware. Here’s How to check if your iPhone is infected by NSO’s Pegasus spyware. Apple also offers Lockdown Mode that you can switch on if you are targeted in this way. Here’s how to use Lockdown Mode to protect your iPhone. Despite this, in all honesty, there’s a very, very slim chance your iPhone has a virus unless you are a government employee or hold information that bad people want to get hold of. PROMOTIONAntivirus Deal: Intego Mac Premium Bundle Get Intego’s Mac Premium Bundle X9 with antivirus, firewall, backup and system performance tools for just $29.99 (down from $84.99) for the first year. Get Deal But those odds are changing, particularly in the EU. That’s because Apple is rolling out support for alternatives to the App Store to comply with the Digital Markets Act (DMA), and there’s every chance something unsavoury slips through the cracks. Since its inception, the iPhone (and later the iPad) has been a closed loop, or “Walled Garden”, where Apple, not the user, has the final say on what gets in or out. But tha’s now a little different, so it pays to be more vigilant If you are worried about a ‘bad actor’ infiltrating your device, there’s a good chance it’s tied to something you’ve installed, and could be down to an honest bug rather than any system-destroying threat. We’ll run through all the ways you can find out if you have iPhone malware, how to run an iPhone virus scan, and how to remove a virus from your iPhone below. How to tell if your iPhone has a virus It’s rare, but what if you are one of the unlucky few? What are the warning signs for a malware infection on your device? After all, it’s rare a virus will introduce itself. Here are some things to look out for: Drops in battery life Battery life draining more quickly can be a sign that more is going on under the hood of your device for some reason. You can see if any apps in particular are draining your battery in the background if you go to Settings > Battery and swipe down. Check to see if anything is burning through your battery.Foundry Also checking your iPhone’s Battery Health in Settings > Battery > Battery Health & Charging. It could just be your device’s cell is deteriorating over time, but it’s worth a check for the 30 seconds it’ll take. You will also see details of any apps that are guzzling a lot of battery life – iPhone is getting hot for no reason The same can be said about the heat that your phone generates. If you’re doing something particularly demanding, like playing hours of a game, you’ll naturally see an uptick in temperature. If the heat is increasing for no discernible reason, when the iPhone isn’t doing anything particularly taxing, and you’ve done the usual steps of turning your iPhone off and on again, it’s probably a good idea to get it checked out by an Apple Genius bar. Suspicious apps While it shouldn’t be possible for any apps to be installed on your iPhone without your knowledge, it’s worth checking the App Library on your iPhone for any apps in the recently installed section that you don’t recognise. Consider checking your recently installed apps, and delete any that could be tied to the problem. You can easily reinstall your apps once you have confirmed they aren’t causing the issues. Apps that crash often Are there any apps that are crashing regularly? Crashing isn’t a sign of malware, but if the app doesn’t run well, it could drain resources elsewhere on your device, making it feel as though there’s something wrong with your iPhone. Try updating the apps via the App Store to see if this helps. Sudden increases in data or call use Malware could try to hijack your iPhone and make calls to premium numbers, send data or even take part in cryptocurrency mining, all of which will drain your data or give a nasty surprise when the phone bill arrives. If you spot this, there’s a very good chance your device is infected. Random pop-up messages Receiving pop-up boxes out of the blue can also be a sign that things are not well with your iPhone. These can be a way to trick you into giving permission for things, as the text you’re reading isn’t necessarily what you’re agreeing to. If you’re worried that something may be amiss, turn your iPhone off and back on again to see if the pop-up disappears. How to fix the cause of the problem Whether it’s malware, a faulty app, a faulty phone or something else you might be able to fix the issue if you follow the steps below. Don’t jailbreak your device If you jailbroke your iPhone and installed an application from a non-official source whose authenticity is questionable you may have a malicious piece of software on your device and should attempt to isolate and uninstall the culprit. Check to see if the unexpected happens when you use certain apps If this is the case–and particularly if it’s only one app–then you’re probably looking at an app-specific issue, and we’ll deal with this in due course. As a rule of thumb, common behavior exhibited by apps that have been hijacked include redirecting you to an unfamiliar web page in Safari, and opening the App Store without permission. Check if the unexpected behavior happens when you use any app If the problem continues to occur no matter which apps are open, the chances are that your device is misbehaving because of a hardware problem, an iOS change that you’re not used to yet, or because you or another user of the device has changed a setting, perhaps inadvertently. It’s extremely unlikely that malware has penetrated to the heart of the operating system; this would be essentially unprecedented. In any of these cases we would take the device to an Apple Genius Bar. Find out if a compromised app is causing the problem Rather than a virus affecting iOS itself, it’s possible that you’ve simply got a problem app. This doesn’t necessarily mean the app is bad or that the developers are at fault; conversely, the fact that an app is legitimate or was made by a reputable company doesn’t mean it can’t be hijacked by malware or hackers. Because hackers cannot break into iOS itself, one of their most common strategies is to crack a developer kit, which may in turn be used by unwitting app developers. The crooks thus gain the ability to redirect you to a dodgy website when you use the app that was built using the compromised tool. It’s usually obvious when one particular app is the culprit, because you only have problems when using it. The usual giveaway sign is that, when you’ve got that app open, you will periodically be redirected to a web page, or to the App Store, without your permission. If you think one app is the problem, first of all have a look to see if an updated version of the app is available, since the problem may have been noticed and fixed. Also check the app’s website (if it has one) and/or the developers’ X (the one we all call Twitter) feed (if they have one) to see if the issue has been reported or discussed in those places. If the devs are contactable then you should report the issue to them. They may be able to offer a solution right away, but even if they can’t, they are more likely to find a fix if they know about it. Assuming that updating the app doesn’t solve the problem, uninstall it and try to manage without for a while. If the problem disappears then you’ve found your culprit, and it’s time to decide if you can manage without the app in the long term. Even if you do decide to delete the app permanently, however, remember that you can check in with the developers from time to time and see if a satisfactory update has materialized. Clear your history and website data Here’s a quick tip that may resolve web page redirect problems. Go to Settings > Safari > Clear History and Website Data, then tap Clear History and Data to confirm. Power off and restart your iPhone Another simple method to clear out a software problem is to power down your device and then restart it. This won’t necessarily get rid of a virus, but it can help if an app is playing up. To do this, hold down the side button and volume up button until the screen changes and the ‘slide to power off’ slider appears. On an iPhone with Touch ID, you just need to hold down the power button until you see the slider. In either case this should take about four to five seconds. Finally, use the slider to power down the device. To restart the phone, hold down the power button or side button again. This time it should take about 10 seconds. The Apple logo will appear; at this point you can let go of the button. Wait until the passcode entry screen appears (you need to enter a passcode instead of using Touch ID/Face ID the first time you unlock a phone after powering up) and then unlock the device. Has this fixed the problem? If not, you may need to take more drastic measures. Restore your iPhone from a backup We trust that you back up your iPhone on a regular ba

Macworld Whether you’re looking to gift an Apple product or just pick one up for yourself, we’ve scoured the web for the best prices on everything from Macs to MacBooks, iPads to iPhones, Apple Watches to Apple TVs, and more. Apple rarely discounts its own products–even during its annual Black Friday shopping event, which runs from Black Friday to Cyber Monday it elects to give out gift cards rather than actual price reductions. However third-party retailers such as Amazon and Best Buy run sales all year long. So if you want a new Apple device right now, there are plenty of discounts worth grabbing. In this article, you’ll find the top discounts we’ve seen. Plus, for even more deals, we’ve linked to our dedicated deals round-ups for each product category. Apple does offer year-round discounts to students, including a Back To School event where further-education students can get up to $150 in gift cards when purchasing certain Apple products (this giveaway will be running in the southern hemisphere between January to March). There’s also the Apple Refurbished Store where you can sometimes grab a bargain. Use the table of contents to jump to the best deals right now for the Apple product you want—including the new iPhone 16, Apple Watch Series 10, AirPods 4, iPad mini, and all the M4 Macs, which were announced this fall. Best AirPods deals Foundry New AirPods were announced by Apple in September 2024. We saw some deals on the AirPods 4 over Black Friday, and, at least in the U.S., those discounts appear to be continuing for now. Following the launch of new AirPods, the AirPods 2nd-gen and AirPods 3rd-gen were discontinued. You may therefore see deals on those older products until stock runs out, however, we recommend that instead of buying discounted AirPods 3, consider the even cheaper AirPods 4 without ANC, which start at $129/£129. Apple also introduced a USB-C equipped AirPods Max in new colors and discontinued the older Lightning-equipped models. If you see the Lightning model at a good discount it’s worth buying. U.S. Amazon, AirPods Pro 2 (USB-C case): $199 ($50 off, MSRP $249) Amazon, AirPods 4: $119 ($10 off, MSRP $129) Amazon, AirPods 4 with ANC: $169 ($10 off, MSRP $179) Amazon, AirPods Max (USB-C): $529 ($20 off, MSRP $549) Amazon, AirPods Max (Lightning): $400 ($149 off; MSRP $549 – Clearance) U.K. Argos, AirPods (3rd gen, 2021, MagSafe): £139 (£40 off, RRP was £179–Clearance) Argos, AirPods (3rd gen, 2021, Lightning): £129 (£40 off, RRP was £169–Clearance) Argos, AirPods (2nd gen, 2019): £109 (£20 off, RRP was £129–Clearance) See our dedicated round-up of the best AirPods deals Best iPhone and accessory deals Dominik Tomaszewski / Foundry In the U.S. specific iPhone deals are hard to come by apart from carrier offers for new signups and trade-ins. We recommend checking Verizon, AT&T, and T-Mobile’s sites if you’re looking to change carriers or add a new line. Apple also offers trade-ins and carrier deals through its website. We also recommend that you look at our round-up of iPhone 14 deals as well as iPhone 15 deals for U.S. readers, and with the arrival of the iPhone 16 we will be tracking Where to get the best iPhone 16, Plus, Pro, and Pro Max deals in the U.S. In the U.K., we frequently see Apple-certified resellers discount unlocked iPhones. Look for money off at Amazon, Currys, and Very. We are recording all the best prices of iPhone 15 in the U.K. separately and we are tracking the best deals for the iPhone 16, Plus, Pro, and Pro Max separately. It is possible to find discounts on most iPhones in the UK, including older/discontinued handsets, including the following deals, but remember Apple has reduced pricing in the U.K. for the new range of handsets, so the discounts may not be as good as they look. Amazon, iPhone 16, 128GB, £749 (£50 off, RRP £799) Amazon, iPhone 16 Plus, 128GB, £849 (£50 off, RRP £799) AO.com, iPhone 16 Pro, 128GB, £949 (£50 off, RRP £999) Amazon, iPhone 16 Pro Max, 256GB, £1,149 (£50 off, RRP £1,199) Amazon, iPhone 15 Plus, 128GB, £749 (£50 off, RRP now £799) Argos, iPhone 15 Pro, 512GB, £1,149 (£130 off, RRP was £1,299 – Clearance) Argos, iPhone 15 Pro Max, 256GB, £1,049 (£150 off, RRP was £1,199 – Clearance) Amazon, iPhone 14, 128GB: £549 (£50 off, RRP £599) Also see our dedicated round-up of the best iPhone deals and: iPhone 16 & iPhone 16 Pro deals (US) and iPhone 16 & iPhone 16 Pro deals (UK) iPhone 15 & iPhone 15 Pro deals (US) and iPhone 15 & iPhone 15 Pro deals (UK) iPhone 14 & iPhone 14 Pro deals iPhone 13 deals Best iPhone SE deals Best iPad deals Dominik Tomaszewski/IDG You can save a decent amount on most iPads, from time to time we do see really good discounts, especially on the larger capacity models. U.S. Amazon, 10th gen iPad (64GB): $299 ($50 off, MRSP $349) Amazon, iPad mini (A17 Pro, 128GB): $474 ($25 off, MSRP $499) Amazon, iPad mini (A17 Pro, 256GB): $549 ($50, MSRP $599) Amazon, 11-inch M2 iPad Air (128GB): $549 ($50 off, MSRP $599) Amazon, 13-inch M2 iPad Air (256GB): $729 ($70 off, MSRP $799) Amazon, 11-inch M4 iPad Pro (256GB, 8GB RAM): $899 ($100 off, MSRP $999) Amazon, 13-inch M4 iPad Pro (256GB, 8GB RAM): $1,195 ($104 off, MSRP $1,299) Amazon, 13-inch M4 iPad Pro (2TB, 16GB RAM): $2,098 ($202 off, MSRP $2,299) U.K. Amazon, 10th-gen iPad (256GB): £396.23 (£82.77 off, RRP £479) John Lewis, 11-inch iPad Air (M2, 128GB): £559.97 (£39 off, RRP £599) Amazon, 11-inch iPad Air (M2, 256GB): £654.97 (£39 off, RRP £699) John Lewis, 13-inch iPad Air (M2, 128GB): £749 (£50 off, RRP £799) Amazon, 13-inch iPad Air (M2, 256GB): £849 (£50 off, RRP £899) Amazon, iPad mini (2024, A17 Pro, 128GB): £468.97 (£30 off, RRP £499) AO, iPad mini (2024, A17 Pro, 256GB): £567 (£32 off, RRP £599) AO, iPad mini (2024, A17 Pro, 512GB): £756 (£43 off, RRP £799) Amazon, 11-inch M4 iPad Pro (256GB): £934.97 (£64 off, RRP £999) John Lewis, 11-inch M4 iPad Pro (512GB): £1,130 (£69 off, RRP £1,199) Amazon, 11-inch M4 iPad Pro (1TB): £1,500.97 (£98 off, RRP £1,599) Amazon, 13-inch M4 iPad Pro (256GB): £1,217.97 (£81 off, RRP £1,299) Amazon, 13-inch M4 iPad Pro (512GB): £1,405.97 (£54 off, RRP £1,499) See our dedicated round-ups of the best iPad deals below Best iPad 10th-gen deals Best iPad Air deals Best deals iPad Pro deals Best iPad mini deals Best Apple Watch deals Jason Cross/IDG The Apple Watch Series 10 arrived in September 2024. The arrival of the Series 10 marks the end of the Apple Watch Series 9, which Apple discontinued. The Apple Watch SE and Apple Watch Ultra 2 haven’t been updated and remain on sale. U.S. Amazon, Apple Watch Series 10 (42mm): $389 ($10 off, MSRP $399) Amazon, Apple Watch Series 10 (46mm): $419 ($10 off, MSRP $429) Amazon, Apple Watch SE 2 (40mm): $199 ($50 off, MSRP $249) Amazon, Apple Watch SE 2 (44mm): $229 ($50 off, MSRP $279) Amazon, Apple Watch Ultra 2: $680 ($119 off, MSRP $799) U.K. Amazon, Apple Watch Series 10 (42mm): £382 (£17 off, RRP £399) John Lewis, Apple Watch Series 10 (46mm): £409 (£20 off, RRP £429) KRCS, Apple Watch SE (2022, 40mm): £214.62 (£4.38 off, RRP £219) KRCS, Apple Watch SE (2022, 44mm): £244.02 (£4.98 off, RRP £249) Argos, Apple Watch Series 9 (41mm): £299 (£100 off, RRP was £399–Clearance) Argos, Apple Watch Series 9 (45mm): £329 (£100 off, RRP was £429–Clearance) See our dedicated round-up of the best Apple Watch deals Best MacBook deals IDG Apple released new 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models with M4/M4 Pro/M4 Max processors in October 2024. Prices stayed the same, but the new base model now starts with 16GB of RAM. The MacBook Air, while still running on the M3 chip had a RAM update in October 2024 and now ships with 16GB RAM as standard. U.S. Amazon, M4, 14-inch MacBook Pro, 512GB/16GB RAM: $1,449 ($150 off, MSRP $1,599) Amazon, M4 14-inch MacBook Pro, 1TB/24GB RAM: $1,799 ($200 off, MSRP $1,999) Amazon, M4 Pro 14-inch MacBook Pro, 1TB/24GB RAM: $2,179 ($220 off, MSRP $2,399) Amazon, M4 Pro 14-inch MacBook Pro, 1TB/36GB RAM: $2,899 ($300 off, MSRP $3,199) Amazon, M4 Pro 16-inch MacBook Pro, 512GB/24GB RAM: $2,249 ($250 off, MSRP $2,499) Amazon, M4 Pro 16-inch MacBook Pro, 512GB/48GB RAM: $2,629 ($270 off, MSRP $2,899) Amazon, M4 Max 16-inch MacBook Pro, 1TB/36GB RAM: $3,149 ($350 off, MSRP $3,499) Amazon, 13-inch MacBook Air, M2 (8-core GPU, 256GB/16GB RAM): $914 ($85 off, MSRP $999) Amazon, 13-inch MacBook Air, M3 (8-core GPU, 256GB/16GB RAM): $899 ($200 off, MSRP $1,099) Amazon, 13-inch MacBook Air, M3 (8-core GPU, 512GB/16GB RAM): $1,099 ($200 off, MSRP $1,299) Amazon, 15-inch MacBook Air, M3 (8-core GPU, 256GB/16GB RAM): $1,099 ($200 off, MSRP $1,299) Amazon, 15-inch MacBook Air, M3 (8-core GPU, 512GB/16GB RAM): $1,249 ($250 off, MSRP $1,499) Walmart, M3 14-inch MacBook Pro, 512GB/8GB RAM: $1,284 ($315 off, Was $1,599 – Clearance) B&H, M3 Pro 14-inch MacBook Pro, 512GB/18GB RAM: $1,599 ($400 off, Was $1,999 – Clearance) Best Buy, M3 Pro 14-inch MacBook Pro, 1TB/18GB RAM: $2,099 ($300 off, Was $2,399 – Clearance) Best Buy, M3 Pro 16-inch MacBook Pro, 512GB/18GB RAM: $2,199 ($300 off, Was $2,499 – Clearance) U.K. KRCS, M4 14-inch MacBook Pro, 512GB/16GB RAM, £1,519.05 (£80 off, RRP £1,599) KRCS, M4 14-inch MacBook Pro, 1TB/16GB RAM, £1,709.05 (£90 off, RRP £1,799) Amazon, M4 Pro 14-inch MacBook Pro, 512GB/24GB RAM, £1,799 (£200 off, RRP £1,999) Amazon, M4 Pro 14-inch MacBook Pro, 1TB/24GB RAM, £2,153.97 (£245 off, RRP £2,399) Amazon, M4 Pro 16-inch MacBook Pro, 512GB/24GB RAM, £2,249.97 (£245 off, RRP £2,499) Amazon, M4 Max 16-inch MacBook Pro, 1TB/36GB

Macworld The iPhone comes with a number of ringtones you can use for calls and text notifications, and even added a lot of new ones in iOS 17. But it’s your iPhone, why not use a custom ringtone that only you have? You can even set certain ringtones for specific contacts, so you immediately know who it is when they call. For example, you can set a song that’s special to you and your spouse as a ringtone, so when your spouse calls, you’ll hear the song and know immediately who it is. You can even make a custom ringtone right on your iPhone with GarageBand, or use your Mac and edit it in the Music app, as long as you know the steps. Here’s how it works. How to make custom ringtones on your iPhone There are a few ways to make a custom ringtone to play on your iPhone, we will discuss each of these methods below. You can either create your ringtone in the Music app on your Mac (or PC). Just choose a track you like, edit it so that a 30 second clip, and convert it so it can be added to your ringtones. (Jump to the instructions). You can create and edit your ringtone in the GarageBand app directly on your iPhone. (Jump to the instructions). You can buy ringtones from Apple. (Jump to the instructions). Once you have created your 30 second clip you need to add it to your iPhone and assign it to a contact. We discuss how to import your ringtone and how to make it play when a certain contact calls below. Read on for our complete guide to making your own ringtone and assigning it to a contact on your iPhone. How make a ringtone from your favourite track on a Mac The easiest way to create a ringtone from a song you like is using the Music app on your Mac (or PC). However, you must own the physical song file—streamed songs cannot be made into ringtones. Also, the files must not be copy-protected. IDG Follow these steps to create your ringtone for iPhone: Launch the Music app. Go to your music library and find the song you want to make into a ringtone. Play the song and keep an eye on the elapsed time at the top of the app. Note the time stamp where you want the ringtone to start, then note where you want it to end. (Note: Ringtones cannot be longer than 30 seconds.) Right-click on the song and in the pop-up menu, select Get Info. A window with the details of the song file will appear. Click Options. In Options, there are timecodes for Start and Stop. Check the Start checkbox and enter the starting time from step 2. Then check the Stop box and enter the end time. Click OK. Select the file, and then click on the File menu and select Convert > Create AAC version. (If the only option you see is Create MP3 version, select that.) A new copy of your song file will appear under the original. Right-click on it and select Show in Finder. (If you can’t see the copy of the song below the one you just converted click on Songs on the left, and search for that track). A Finder window with the song file should appear on your desktop. Look at the file’s extension (the extension appears after the file name and a period “.”). If you don’t see the extension, right-click on the file, select Get Info, and then look for the Name & Extension section. Then do one of the following: If the extension is .m4a click on the name and change the extension to .m4r. Confirm you want to change the extension. If the extension is .mp3, the file needs to be converted to .m4a. Open the file in QuickTime Player, which is in your Applications folder. Then in QuickTime Player, click on the File menu and select Export As > Audio Only. Name the file, choose a place to save it, then click Save. Then change the extension of the newly exported file to .m4r. Now you have a suitable ringtone file, and you just need to install it on your iPhone, read on for how to do that. IDG How to get the ringtone you created on to your iPhone If you used a Mac, as per the steps above, to create your ringtone, here’s how to get that on your iPhone: Connect your iPhone to your Mac via USB. Open a Finder window (press ⌘-N on the desktop). In the sidebar under Locations, you should find your iPhone. Select it. Find your ringtone file (the one with the .m4r extension), and drag it over to the Finder window that has your iPhone selected. A green “+” icon should appear on your cursor and the file that you are dragging. That means you will be adding it to your iPhone. Drop the file to install it. You may have to wait while the tones sync (a bar will appear at the bottom of the Finder window). Now open the Setting app on your iPhone, then tap Sound & Haptics > Ringtone, and it will appear at the top of the list with other custom ringtones (if you have others). IDG How to set a custom ringtone to play for a iPhone contact The next step is to assign that ringtone to a contact so that it plays when they call you. Open the Contacts app. Find and open the contact you want to add the ringtone to. Tap on Edit. Swipe down to Ringtone and tap on it. Now Choose the new tone you have added. How to make a custom ringtone on your iPhone If you don’t want to use your Mac to create a ring tone you can do it in GarageBand right on your iPhone. You can use almost any audio file in AAC format, with the file extension changed to .m4r, and a maximum length of 30 seconds will work. You can use other audio editing software to produce one. Fortunately, Apple gives you GarageBand for free, and it’s available on both Mac and iPhone. Here’s how to use the iPhone version of GarageBand to make a ringtone. You can start from scratch (we’re not going to show you how to make a song in this tutorial) or you can edit an existing sound file, which we’ll demonstrate here. The ringtone must be no longer than 30 seconds.  Before you edit in GarageBand, here’s how to prep for the file you want to edit. If you have an existing sound file, copy it to iCloud Drive. If you want to edit a song, you must have the song file, either by buying it online or ripping it from a CD. If you have the actual song file already on your iPhone, you will be able to access it through GarageBand. Copy-protected song files cannot be edited. Streamed Apple Music songs or songs from another streaming service cannot be used as ringtones. Here’s how to edit a sound file in GarageBand for iPhone and then save it as a ringtone. If you don’t have or want to use your Mac, you can create a custom ringtone right on your phone with a little work. You can import a pre-recorded song—again, it needs to be an unprotected track that you own—or create something original using GarageBand’s instruments. Here’s how to get it done: Left: the Tracks button.Right: the Loop Browser button.IDG Launch GarageBand. If you don’t have it, it’s free in the App Store. It’s a big application, so give it some time to download. Tap Tracks at the top of the screen. Swipe through the screen left or right until you find the Audio Recorder section. Tap it. At the top left of the screen tap the Tracks button. It’s the third button from the left. Tap the Loop Browser on the upper right. It’s the button with a loop icon. A file browser window opens and you can navigate to the file you want to edit. If your file is on iCloud Drive, tap Files and then tap the Browse items from the Files app link at the bottom. If you want to edit a song file, tap Music, then navigate to your song file. Press and hold the file, then drag it from the browser window to the GarageBand workspace. Now it’s time to edit the track down to 30 seconds. If you want a visual cue to help you with the time, tap the Settings button and turn on Time Ruler. This will display the time in seconds at the top of the workspace. Tap the Play button at the top to hear the song. Tap it again or tap the Stop button next to it to stop playing. To trim a song, tap the track and trim bars will appear at the ends. Tap and drag a bar to the stop where you want to trim the song. While we’re not going into greater detail here, you can perform other edits if you want. You can cut sections out, add effects, etc. Once you’ve edited the song, you can save it as a ringtone. Tap the Navigation button in the upper left. It’s the arrowhead pointing downward. In the pop-up menu, select My Songs. A window called “GarageBand Recents” will open, and your saved GarageBand Project will display as “My Song.” If you want to rename it, tap and hold on the project, and in the pop-up menu, select Rename. Give it a new name. To export the song as a ringtone, tap and hold on the project, then in the pop-up menu, select Share. The “Share Song” window will appear; select Ringtone. You’ll need to give the ringtone a name (the default is the name of the project). The tap Export to save the ringtone. After the export is done, a window will appear that will ask you how you want to use the ringtone. You can set it now, or do so later in the iPhone Settings > Sounds & Haptics > Ringtone. To set a ringtone for a specific contact, you need to do that in the contact’s entry in the Contacts app ([your contact] > Edit > Ringtone). Songs can be imported into GarageBand, but they must be on your iPhone and not copy protectedIDG Tap and hold, then drag the bar at the end of the song to trim it.IDG Apple How to buy ringtones from Apple Apple sells ringtones that you can buy directly on your iPhone. Here’s how to shop for ringtones. Launch the iTunes Store app—not the Apple Music app or App Store. If you can’t find the iTunes Store, do a search on your iPhone or tell Siri, “Open the iTunes Store.” You can also get to the iTunes Store through the Settings app by tapping Sound & Haptics > Ringtone > Tone Store.

Macworld Among the less-publicized features introduced late last year in iOS 18.2 is a massive change to the Mail app. For longtime users of the Mail app, it was a shock to the system and definitely takes some getting used to. But if that hasn’t happened, there’s good news—you can change it back to the old way. The new Mail app breaks the Inbox into several categories: Primary, Transactions, Updates, and Promotions. The categories are fairly self-explanatory: Primary: Personal and other time-sensitive messages. Transactions: Purchases, receipts, and shipping messages. Updates: Newsletters, mailing lists, and social updates. Promotions: Coupons, sales announcements, and spam that doesn’t land in junk. Once you start using iOS 18.2, the new Mail will be on by default and messages will automatically begin routing to their respective categories. Any folders will remain, of course, but your Mail experience is definitely different. For one, your Mail badge will only show the count for messages in the Primary category, which means dozens of messages could go unread for hours or even days. And since everything is done automatically, some important messages might get routed to the wrong category. However, all time-sensitive messages will appear in the Primary view even if they’ve been routed to other categories. If you don’t trust it or just plain don’t like it, the good news is you can change it back to the old way with very little trouble. In your inbox, tap the three-dot menu at the top-right and you’ll see an option for List View. Tap it and you’ll return to the old way of doing things with a chronological inbox. For now, the new Mail is only for the iPhone and iPad, but it’s coming soon to the Mac in macOS 15.4. 

Macworld I know the road is well-trod by now, but yes, we’re back to talk about Apple Intelligence once again. Why? Well, for better or worse, it seems to be pretty much all that Apple wants to talk about these days, and when the company has put this much time, energy, and, yes, marketing attention onto a single feature, then scrutiny is, also for better or worse, what you get. While the features under this Apple Intelligence banner have had their fair share of problems so far—everything from inaccurate news summaries to misidentifying spouses—none of that seems to have slowed Apple’s adoption of the technology. With the news that the upcoming iOS 18.3 and macOS 15.3 updates will activate Apple Intelligence by default, the company continues to plow full speed ahead, directly into a minefield that’s also somehow replete with both asteroids and icebergs. Apple Intelligence agency Apple’s AI features exist in a Schrödingeresque limbo: the company continues to label them as betas (in increasingly fine print, it seems) while simultaneously using them to sell its products. Go to Apple’s website right now, and the top spot on the company’s homepage is a banner for the iPhone 16 Pro with the subtitle “Hello, Apple Intelligence.” The company is having its cake Genmoji and eating it too. Unsurprisingly, this stems mainly from its business concerns. AI is on the tip of everyone’s tongue right now, and Apple both has to be seen to be relevant and, moreover, has to be relevant by incorporating said features. The company was caught flat-footed in the AI groundswell and has had to scramble to catch up, which means telling everybody loudly that it has now caught up, even if it hasn’t. From a purely technological standpoint, the change to make Apple Intelligence opt-out rather than opt-in makes sense from a couple of standpoints. One, it eliminates any steps for people who have Apple Intelligence capable devices, making those features immediately available to people who might not have otherwise known they were there or spent the time figuring out how—or even if—to turn them on. As an ancillary benefit, enabling these features expands the pool of people using them, which helps the company gather analytics and metrics, in turn feeding into improving those features. Is there a risk for Apple in making this move? Sure. Some people will be confused or unaware of what the features are doing and might end up with unexpected or misleading results, despite Apple’s attempts to provide caveats. Some people will be upset that the features were enabled without their explicit permission. (You don’t have to look far on social media these days to see similar uproars about more innocuous capabilities that people have lumped in with generative AI.) But to Apple, the benefits clearly outweigh any potential downsides. The same can’t necessarily be said for users. Fight for the users Let’s start with this: I don’t believe AI features to be a total waste of time. There are obvious utilities to machine learning algorithms of the kinds that Apple has been employing for years and even generative AI and Large Language Models can be tremendously useful within certain contexts. But those technologies are also not without their costs, including everything from the unauthorized use of intellectual property to their not infrequent errors to the environmental impact. Apple Intelligence features can be useful, but they can also be frustrating.Apple And this is where Apple’s move to enable Apple Intelligence by default raises an eyebrow. Given the contentious nature of these features, there is understandable frustration to users immediately having their devices start utilizing this functionality without their say-so. It’s not dissimilar from Google’s recent choice to start serving up an AI overview—often with hilariously bad information—at the top of its search results. Like Apple, Google is struggling to prove its relevance in a field that risks leaving it behind, but it’s a move that I would argue has made Google’s product worse, and even cheapened their brand overall. That’s a risk for Apple too, and it’s a company that lives by its reputation more than most. But it’s not all downside: for every person upset about Apple’s choice to automatically enable Apple Intelligence, there may be another who benefits from the addition of its proofreading tools or delights in making Genmoji, and might never have found those features had they not been on by default. Gimme an A, gimme an I, what does it spell? A…I….dunno? It’s not as if there isn’t precedent for this on Apple’s part. The company has long taken a paternalistic approach to its users, whether it be in swapping scrolling direction on the Mac, insisting that people held its phones wrong, or getting rid of small phones. It probably shouldn’t be surprising that the company would go down this road—but that doesn’t mean it’s not disappointing. Like it or not, Apple Intelligence isn’t going anywhere. The company has one more set of promised features to deliver before the presumably next round is unveiled at June’s Worldwide Developers Conference, and there exists the possibility—slim, perhaps—that those capabilities might prove the whole endeavor worthwhile. But don’t be surprised if the number of Google searches for “how to turn off Apple Intelligence” start climbing—just remember that putting glue into your phone is never the answer.

Macworld The FileVault security system, introduced many years ago to macOS, prevents someone from starting up or restarting your computer and gaining access to its startup volume, which is encrypted. (FileVault handled the encryption in its early days, but it’s now handled in hardware and always enabled with any Intel Mac with a T2 Security Ship and with all Apple silicon M-series Macs.) This introduces a problem if you’re using remote screen access to use your Mac. If you need to make a change that requires rebooting your Mac, it will go right back to the FileVault login screen, which cannot be accessed through remote-control software. The password has to be entered at that screen to unlock the startup drive and to boot into macOS. Restart manually and bypass FileVault If you need to restart manually after making a change, you can use a Terminal command that will restart your computer into macOS a single time. Make any changes on your remotely controlled Mac before restarting. This can include installing software that ends with a Restart option. Don’t click that button. At the Terminal, enter sudo fdesetup authrestart -delayminutes 0 and press Return. Set 0 to the number of minutes you want the Mac to wait, or leave it at 0 to restart immediately. After the Mac restarts, you should be able to resume your remote session and access the login window to enter the account password. There are three important provisos: This only affects the restart created by the fdesetup command. Subsequent restarts will go through the FileVault login. Starting a Mac from having its power off or power cycling it–say, through a HomeKit or other remote-controlled outlet or UPS–still requires a FileVault login. It’s possible the fdesetup restart will go awry and fail to allow you back in. Disable FileVault to ensure remote access You could disable FileVault in System Settings > Privacy & Security > FileVault. Then, whenever your Mac reboots, it will always allow access from the main macOS login window. This works in case of a power outage, a crash and automatic restart, or a manual restart. (Make sure that System Settings > Energy’s “Start up automatically after a power failure” is enabled.) However, it comes with the risk that your data could fall into the wrong hands. With FileVault disabled, someone with access to your computer can restart it into recoveryOS, typically used for Disk Utility or reinstalling macOS, and easily retrieve all your stored files. Disabling FileVault is a common practice for Macs used as servers, which are typically stored in locked rooms, secured with biometric or other unique access codes, and monitored by security cameras. For a home user, you should consider whether your Mac ever leaves the house, how susceptible you are to theft, and whether you’re concerned your data would wind up in the hands of someone else. With Find My enabled, if the Mac is connected to the Internet, you can remotely lock and restart it to prevent access. However, thieves are unlikely to connect a Mac before trying to access data on it if they’re sophisticated enough to extract your information. This Mac 911 article is in response to a question submitted by Macworld reader Cynthia. Ask Mac 911 We’ve compiled a list of the questions we get asked most frequently, along with answers and links to columns: read our super FAQ to see if your question is covered. If not, we’re always looking for new problems to solve! Email yours to mac911@macworld.com, including screen captures as appropriate and whether you want your full name used. Not every question will be answered; we don’t reply to emails, and we cannot provide direct troubleshooting advice.

Macworld The rumors are heating up for Apple’s next major iPhone release. In this episode of the Macworld Podcast, we cover what’s going on with the iPhone SE and what we could see in the next few weeks. This is episode 918 with Jason Cross, Michael Simon, and Roman Loyola.  Watch episode 918 on YouTube Listen to episode 918 on Apple Podcasts Listen to episode 918 on Spotify Get info  For more information about the topics discussed on the show, click on the links below.  iPhone SE 4: Everything you need to know about Apple’s next budget phone  Subscribe to the Macworld Podcast You can subscribe to the Macworld Podcast—or leave us a review!—right here in the Podcasts app. The Macworld Podcast is also available on Spotify and on the Macworld Podcast YouTube channel.  Or you can point your favorite podcast-savvy RSS reader at: https://feeds.megaphone.fm/macworld To find previous episodes, visit Macworld’s podcast page or our home on MegaPhone. Apple

Macworld Going out to a bar or restaurant probably isn’t your idea of fun in the winter…especially if it feels like it’s -10 degrees out.Instead of braving the cold just for some entertainment, add this gaming and streaming console to the mix. Think of it as your favorite arcade and movie theater had a baby. That’s what this gadget is! Spend your weekend gaming with its thousands of games and wireless controllers. It’s now over 30% off, and you can even use it to stream your favorite flicks in 4K. Imagine never having to step outside your cozy living room to find some fun. You’ll have access to this projector’s 36,000+ games that are already built-in. Use the included two wireless controllers and invite a few friends overto duke it out. Feeling more like a movie night? Add your favorite streaming apps right on your projector with Android OS. You can project movies or shows in 1080p and in screen sizes up to 100 inches, giving you the movie theater experience at home. Add this gaming and streaming projector to your home for cozy, hassle-free entertainment, now just $99.99 while supplies last.   2-in-1 Ultimate 1080p HD Gaming Projector with Android 11, 2 Controllers & 36,000+ Games Only $99.99 at Macworld StackSocial prices subject to change.

Macworld One laptop we recommend to anyone and everyone is this amazing MacBook Air. And wouldn’t you know it, but it’s $250 off at Amazon right now, which means you can get it for a crazy-low $1,249. When we reviewed the MacBook Air M3, we put it succinctly by saying it’s “simply the best, but better.” We gave this laptop a 4.5-star rating, appreciating the excellent battery life, top-notch performance, and great price point. We also loved the design and display as well as the ability to run two external displays. The 15.3-inch Liquid Retina display this laptop comes with is absolutely gorgeous, with super crisp images, vivid colors, and great brightness. The laptop comes with 16GB of memory and a 512GB SSD, which should be enough for most day-to-day scenarios. This MacBook comes with a Thunderbolt 3 port, but this official Apple Thunderbolt 4 cable for half off will work just fine. So, if you’re looking for a laptop upgrade, now’s a great time to get the new MacBook Air before the price jumps back up. Buy now at Amazon