In addition to new details about next year’s iPhone 17 lineup, a rumor today has shed more light on what to expect from the next-gen iPhone SE. The so-called iPhone SE 4 will reportedly feature a larger display, a significantly upgraded camera, an OLED screen, and more.
iPhone SE 4 rumored specs
Today’s rumor comes from Ice Universe on Weibo, a source that has previously leaked accurate details about upcoming iPhone features. Here’s what the account says to expect from the iPhone SE 4, apparently set to launch sometime in spring 2025.
Display: 6.06-inch OLED screen with a notch and 60Hz refresh rate
Chipset: A18
RAM: Either 6GB or 8GB
Rear camera: Single 48MP lens
Design: Aluminum frame
Biometrics: Face ID
Port: USB-C
Price: $499-$549
iPhone SE 4 CAD render / source: 91mobiles
The iPhone SE 4 is expected to feature an iPhone 14-style design. This means it will ditch the Home button in favor of an edge-to-edge display with a notch.
As a refresher, the current iPhone SE was introduced in 2022 with a design that resembles the iPhone 8. It features a 4.7-inch display, the A15 Bionic chip, a 12MP Main camera, and a 7MP front-facing camera.
With those specs in mind, it’s clear the forthcoming iPhone SE 4 will be a major upgrade. The question, of course, is pricing. The current iPhone SE starts at $429 for 64GB of storage. If today’s rumor turns out to be true, we’d be looking at a price increase of as much as $120.
At I/O 2024, Google said Gemini Live would offer ten natural-sounding voices instead of just the one we’re currently limited to, and testing appears to be underway.
Since launch, Gemini has used a male voice to read back responses (2 examples):
Activating Gemini on Android today reveals a female voice (3 examples):
We’re only seeing the new voice in Gemini for Android, with the iOS app and web client unchanged. As of today, there’s no ability to change the voice back in settings. Google could be testing ahead of the broader launch.
Google Assistant today offers 12 voices that use colors for names. Gemini will presumably use the same strategy.
The iOS 18 public beta is now rolling out for download. This means anyone can now try out iOS 18 and all of its new features. The update includes a broad range of new features for iPhone users, such as new customization options, upgrades to Messages, a completely redesigned Photos app, and much more.
Head below for our full recap of everything new in iOS 18…
How to install iOS 18 public beta
If you’re interested in signing up for Apple’s public beta testing program, you can do so via Apple’s website right here. Apple’s new software version will be complete in the fall, at which point it will be released to the general public. For the time being, testers should still expect performance and stability issues when running the iOS 18 public beta on primary devices.
What’s new in iOS 18?
Home screen customization
iOS 18 adds multiple new ways for users to customize their iPhone’s Home Screen. You can now place app icons and widgets anywhere on your Home Screen grid. This allows you to leave blank spaces and have full control over where your icons and widgets appear.
iOS 18 also now lets you tint your Home Screen app icons and widgets. You can choose any color you want, or opt for a new dark mode option that turns almost all of Home Screen app icons dark.
New Control Center features
Control Center has gotten a significant overhaul in iOS 18, giving you full control (ha) over the layout and organization of your experience. You can have multiple pages in Control Center, which you can easily swipe between.
There is also a new API that allows third-party apps to donate controls to the new Control Center interface. For example, the Ford app could adopt this API and offer Control Center controls for things like starting your car, opening your trunk, and more.
Change Lock Screen controls
As part of the new Control Center revamp, iOS 18 now lets you customize the two controls that appear on your iPhone’s Lock Screen. You can replace the flashlight and camera buttons with any of the new Control Center controls, even including third-party controls.
All of these controls can also be assigned to the Action button on the iPhone 15 Pro.
New Messages features
iOS 18 includes multiple new features for the Messages app. First, there are new text effects that can be applied to individual words in messages. These options include big, small, shake, nod, explode, ripple, bloom, and jitter. You can also now add formatting like bold, underline, italics, and strikethrough to any letter, word, or phrase in iMessage.
The Tapbacks system has been revamped in iOS 18, so you can react to messages using emojis or stickers.
Scheduled messages are also now supported in Messages with iOS 18. You can write a message and then choose to have it delivered in the future, such as when you know the other person will be awake.
RCS support
Speaking of the Messages app, iOS 18 includes support for RCS messaging for the first time. RCS unlocks better cross-platform communication between iPhone and Android devices. This includes things like read receipts, typing indicators, better group chat support, high quality photos and videos, and more.
RCS support will vary from carrier to carrier around the world. Availability will likely expand as we get closer to iOS 18’s general release in September.
iPhone Mirroring
In conjunction with macOS Sequoia (which is also now available in public beta), iOS 18 adds a new iPhone Mirroring feature for accessing your iPhone via your Mac. This feature allows you to interact with your iPhone, receive push notifications, and move files between both devices.
iOS 18 revamps the experience of using screen sharing with SharePlay. Now, you can draw on someone’s screen so they can see what you can do on theirs, or you can control their screen and take actions yourself.
If you provide a lot of iPhone or iPad tech support, this feature will be a lifesaver for you.
All-new Photos app
The Photos app is getting a major revamp in iOS 18, with Apple describing this as the biggest-ever update to the app. There are no more tabs at the bottom of the Photos app, and instead, it features a unified layout that has been simplified into a single view.
One tent pole of the Photos app is a series of collections. Apple explains that your library is organized by theme, letting you browse by Recent Days, People & Pets, Trips, on a map, and more. The new Photos app is also highly customizable, so you can rearrange and pin different Collections, filter out specific types of content (like screenshots), and more.
The search functionality in the iOS 18 Photos app has been completely revamped as well. You can now search by combinations of people, places, and more.
New features in Safari
iOS 18 brings a new Highlights feature to Safari, which Apple says uses machine learning to surface key information from the webpage you’re visiting:
Summary: Review a summary of an article to get the gist before reading on.
Location: See the location of a restaurant, hotel, or landmark.
People: Expand your knowledge about a person you’re reading about.
Music: Listen to an artist’s hit track right from an article about the song or album.
Movies and TV shows. Check out a movie or TV show or add it to your watch list.
New Passwords app
Apple has finally given us a dedicated Passwords app. This new app, included in iOS 18, iPadOS 18, macOS Sequoia, and visionOS 2, gives easy access to all of your passwords, passkeys, and other login information. The app also stores your Wi-Fi passwords.
New features for Apple Notes
The Notes app has added a number of new features with iOS 18:
In-line math support: Enter an expression and have it solved instantly while typing.
Collapsible sections: Simplify and hide text with collapsible section headers, making it easy to manage your most text-heavy notes.
With the new highlight style feature, it’s easier to quickly mark up your notes and make text stand out.
Gaming improvements
Apple continues its efforts to make the iPhone a gaming powerhouse with iOS 18:
Maximize gameplay performance: Game Mode minimizes background activity to sustain consistently high frame rates for hours of continuous gameplay.
More responsive AirPods and controllers: Game Mode dramatically reduces audio latency with AirPods, and makes wireless game controllers incredibly responsive.
Apple Wallet upgrades
The Wallet app is getting noticeably better with iOS 18 this year. These upgrades are headlined by a new Tap to Cash feature. By simply bringing your phone close to a friend’s iPhone, you can send money instantly – transferring from your Apple Cash account to theirs.
Apple Wallet’s support for event tickets has also been redesigned in iOS 18, as Apple explains:
Event tickets in Apple Wallet receive their greatest transformation ever, with a beautiful new design and richer experience for fans. Tickets in Wallet can put key event information at users’ fingertips, such as a map of the venue and parking details; useful services like in-seat food delivery; recommended playlists from Apple Music; local forecasts from Weather; and easy access to location sharing to help fans find their friends when they arrive.
A new Tap to Provision feature coming to Apple Wallet this year. When available, this feature will let you add new credit or debit cards to Apple Wallet by simply tapping your card on the back of your iPhone.
Apple Pay is also coming to Chrome and other third-party web browsers and computers with iOS 18. Apple says you will just need to scan a code from the website using your iPhone and then complete the payment.
Finally, Apple Pay and Apple Wallet are also adding new integrations with rewards and installment payments from banks. Perhaps most notably, Apple says that users in the United States will be able to apply for loans directly through Affirm when they check out with Apple Pay.
New Home app and HomeKit features
In the Home app with iOS 18, you can now grant specific controls with guest access. This will help you better manage how and when people can enter your home. You have the flexibility to give access to things like garage openers, alarm systems, and door locks only at specific times.
iOS 18 also adds hands-free unlock support for HomeKit smart locks. The idea is that UWB support will make the process truly hands-free, using proximity to automatically lock and unlock doors as you arrive and depart. Unfortunately, you’ll need a UWB-enabled smart lock for this to work, and those don’t exist yet.
You can now set a preferred Home Hub in iOS 18. In the past, the Home app has attempted to automatically select the best Apple TV or HomePod in your house to serve as your Home Hub, but this gives you direct control over which is used.
New privacy features
As usual, iOS 18 includes a number of new privacy and security features for iPhone users. First, you can now lock any app behind Face ID, Touch ID, or a passcode. This means no one will be able to open the app without your authentication.
More than that, iOS 18 also includes support for hidden apps. The app name and icon are hidden on the Home Screen and in search, and you won’t receive notifications from the app. Instead, the app is only accessible via a new hidden apps folder in the App Library and requires Face ID, Touch ID, or your passcode to be opened.
More new privacy features:
Improved Contacts sharing: Choose which contacts to share with an app, instead of giving an app access to all your contacts.
Accessory Setup Kit: A new way to pair Bluetooth accessories without giving the app visibility of other devices on your network.
Settings app changes: A redesigned Privacy & Security interface in the Settings app makes it easier to manage what information you’re sharing with apps.
Accessibility
Here are some of the new Accessibility features in iOS 18:
Eye Tracking gives users a built-in option for navigating iPad and iPhone with just their eyes.
Music Haptics is a new way for users who are deaf or hard of hearing to experience music on iPhone. The Taptic Engine in iPhone plays taps, textures, and refined vibrations to the audio of the music.
With Vocal Shortcuts, iPhone and iPad users can assign custom utterances that Siri can understand to launch shortcuts and complete complex tasks.
Vehicle Motion Cues is a new experience for iPhone and iPad that can help reduce motion sickness for passengers in moving vehicles.
Accessibility features coming to CarPlay include Voice Control, Color Filters, and Sound Recognition.
And much more…
Outside these headlining features, iOS 18 includes many other changes and new features.
Apple Maps:
Topographic maps
Browse a selection of hikes available at national parks across the United States
Create and save custom walking and hiking routes
Get turn-by-turn navigation for hiking and walking routes.
Journal:
Log your state of mind and mood directly in the Journal app.
New “insights” feature for keeping track of your journaling goals like streaks and stats
New widgets for your Home Screen or Lock Screen
Search and sort support
Phone:
Record phone calls, with a notification to both parties that the call is being recorded. Recorded transcriptions are automatically saved to the Notes app.
Keypad search with T9 dialing support
Call history search
Automatic Mic Mode selection
Calendar:
A redesigned month view makes it easier to get an overview of your month ahead.
You can create, view, edit, and complete reminders from the Reminders app right in Calendar.
Freeform:
Scenes allow you to organize and present your board section by section.
Share a copy of your board with anyone using a simple link.
The enhanced diagramming mode simplifies forming connections on your canvas.
Align your board content precisely by snapping items to the grid.
More tidbits:
Emergency SOS live video: Share streaming video and recorded media during emergency calls
Calculator: Access the all-new Math Notes calculator, a new portrait orientation for the scientific calculator, and other new features like unit conversion and history.
Apple’s Weather app gets two new features in iOS 18
iOS 18’s new ‘dynamic’ wallpaper option changes colors automatically
Apple TV+ InSight feature now live with iOS 18 and tvOS 18 beta 3
iOS 18 adds a much-needed new feature for Apple Maps search
Apple Music in iOS 18 gets two new features that are flying under the radar
Your iPhone is getting a dedicated Game Mode in iOS 18
iOS 18 will show you what time it is even when your iPhone is dead
iPhone flashlight iOS 18: How it works
Coming later: Apple Intelligence
These are just some of the new features in iOS 18 available today. A number of new features, including Apple Intelligence, will roll out over the next year.
As reported before, Apple Intelligence is Apple’s suite of AI features that it says will revolutionize how people use their Apple devices. This includes a set of Writing Tools for proofreading and rewriting your text. A new Priority Notifications feature powered by AI will surface your most important notifications first.
Apple Intelligence also includes Genmoji, a new feature for creating your own emoji using natural language right from your keyboard. Image Playground is a new feature where you can create original images that can be used anywhere.
Siri is also getting a dramatic revamp as part of Apple Intelligence and iOS 18:
Powered by Apple Intelligence, Siri becomes more deeply integrated into the system experience. With richer language-understanding capabilities, Siri is more natural, more contextually relevant, and more personal, with the ability to simplify and accelerate everyday tasks. It can follow along if users stumble over words and maintain context from one request to the next. Additionally, users can type to Siri, and switch between text and voice to communicate with Siri in whatever way feels right for the moment. Siri also has a brand-new design with an elegant glowing light that wraps around the edge of the screen when Siri is active.
Again, none of the Apple Intelligence features are available in the iOS 18 public beta. These features will be released over the months to come.
iOS 18 device compatibility
iOS 18 is compatible with the following iPhone models:
Android 15 itself is shaping up to be a pretty middling upgrade, but it sounds like Samsung may have some bigger updates in store, according to a known tipster.
One UI updates generally build on the latest version of Android with Samsung’s own suite of new features. But, over the past few releases, we haven’t see a lot of change.
Apparently, that streak could end this year, as tipster Ice Universesays that One UI 7, Samsung’s Android 15 release, will be the “most changed version in the history of One UI.”
Today's leak: One UI 7 may be the most changed version in the history of One UI. The icon is redrawn.
What does that mean? It’s hard to tell without added context. The post only goes on to further say that the “icon is redrawn,” which perhaps hints at some design changes or perhaps animation tweaks, but it’s really hard to know for sure. On Weibo, Ice further expands to say that the “drop-down bar” has been changed, and specifies that the “icon style” is updated.
Android 15 itself is, as mentioned, void of any big changes.
One thing Samsung is confirmed to deliver is “App Lock,” a new feature separate from “Secure Folder.”
When it debuts, whatever it may bring, Samsung is likely to test in beta and later launch One UI 7 first on devices such as the Galaxy S23 series and the recently-launched Galaxy Z Fold 6 and Flip 6.
Apple is now rolling out updated builds of iOS 18 beta 3 and macOS Sequoia beta 3. The revised builds come a week after the original beta 3 was released and are a strong indication that the company is gearing up to launch the first iOS 18 and macOS 15 public betas.
New iOS 18 beta 3 and macOS 15 beta 3 build
For instance, the current build number for iOS 18 beta 3 is 22A5307f, while the new one is 22A5307i. For macOS Sequoia, the new build number is 24A5289h, while the previous one was 24A5289g. It’s unclear at this point whether there’s anything new in these updated builds, but it’s likely that they just bring some additional bug fixes.
There’s a lot of anticipation about when Apple will enable Apple Intelligence features in the iOS 18 beta and macOS Sequoia beta. So far, none of the AI-related stuff is available to beta users. The company said that some features would be available later this summer, while others are not expected until 2025.
With iOS 18 beta 3, Apple has introduced a new variant of the system’s default wallpaper that changes color during the day. The update also refines the new Photos app and the redesigned flashlight interface on iPhones with Dynamic Island. The update also enabled RCS on the iPhone for more carriers around the world.
Apple this week quietly held a gaming-focused media event in New York City. The event is said to have focused on showing off things like Game Mode in iOS 18, the new M4 iPad Pro performance, and more.
Macotakara detailed the event, which was held on July 10, in a blog post today. On display at the NYC event were the iPhone 15 Pro Max, M4 iPad Pro, MacBook Pro, MacBook Air, and iMac. Some of the iPhone 15 Pro Max was demo units were paired with controllers from Backbone. There were also PlayStation DualSense controllers from Sony available for Mac and iPad gaming demos as well.
Among the games shown off by Apple during this event were:
Rseident Evil 7 Biohazard
Valheim
Assassin’s Creed Mirage
Diablo Immortal
Zenless Zone Zero
Palworld
The event also focused on the new gaming features coming as part of iOS 18, iPadOS 18, and macOS 15 this year. iOS 18, for example, brings Game Mode to the iPhone for the first time. Apple’s Game Porting Toolkit is also now available to let developers port macOS games to iOS. iOS 18 expands AirPods Personalized Spatial Audio with dynamic head tracking to gaming with reduced audio latency.
Apple held a similar event for members of the press and influencers last year, offering a look at games coming to iPhone, iPad, Apple TV, and Mac. Following last year’s event, there were a number of articles and social media posts from those in attendance. So far, this story from Macotaka is the only write up from this year’s event.
Over the last several years, particularly with the advent of Apple silicon for the Mac, Apple has ramped up its emphasis on gaming across all of its platforms.
Apple’s public beta program is gearing up for its busiest season. Any day now, Apple is expected to release the first public betas for iOS 18, macOS Sequoia, and several other major updates.
Ahead of the public beta’s release, Apple lets you pre-enroll in the beta program so your device is ready and able to install the new software as soon as it becomes available. Here’s how to do it.
Public beta enrollment available now
If you plan to install the iOS 18 public beta on your iPhone—or any of the other beta releases for another device—you’ll first need to enroll in Apple’s public beta program.
Enrollment is quick and easy, and available now at beta.apple.com. Here’s what you need to do:
Sign in with your Apple Account (formerly called Apple ID)
Read the Beta Software Program Agreement
Hit the blue ‘Agree’ button
Follow the device-specific guides for getting beta updates on that device
After you’ve followed these instructions, your device will be set for the public betas’ impending release.
These are the public beta releases coming soon
Public betas will be available for nearly all of Apple’s devices—but not quite all. The following public betas are expected to be available:
iOS 18
iPadOS 18
macOS Sequoia
watchOS 11
tvOS 18
HomePod software 18
Each of these has its own specific instructions for installing the public beta, which you can find here.
While just about every platform offers a public beta, the one notable exception is the Vision Pro. Apple has never offered a public beta for Vision Pro, limiting its betas to developers only. That unfortunately will still be the case this summer with visionOS 2.
Since its first generation, Samsung has forced users of its Galaxy Fold series to enroll their fingerprint with the device in its opened state. Finally, that’s come to an end.
Starting with the Galaxy Z Fold 6 series, Samsung has tweaked the fingerprint enrollment process for its book-style foldable to allow users to add their fingerprint whether the display is closed or open. The animation has even been updated to properly show this.
Previously, and with every prior Fold, Samsung required users to open the device to add a new fingerprint, whether during or after setup. This was still in place on the Galaxy Z Fold 5.
Samsung’s reasoning for this was requirement was never particularly clear, but we’re glad it’s finally come to an end. While adding one fingerprint while the device is open makes sense, it prevents the user from naturally placing their second fingerprint for the grip they have while the device is closed. As such, this new setup should allow for faster, and potentially more accurate enrollment.
Meanwhile, though, a bug in Samsung’s software prevents users from setting up the fingerprint during the initial device setup process.
The Galaxy Z Fold 6 and Flip 6 are available for pre-order now with up to $1,200 in trade-in value, doubled storage for free, and other perks. You can also get up to $150 more offer with our link to the Galaxy Z Fold 6 at Samsung.com.
Apple and Google have teamed up to introduce a new data portability tool that lets users transfer their Google Photos collections straight to iCloud Photos. This follows the launch of a tool that lets you transfer iCloud Photos to Google Photos back in 2021.
Apple and Google’s work is part of the Data Transfer Project, which is an open-source initiative focused on data portability between different online platforms. In a blog post announcing today’s news, the Data Transfer Initiative explained that support for transferring photos and videos from Google Photos to iCloud Photos will roll out over the next week:
Beginning today, Apple and Google are expanding on their direct data transfer offerings to allow users of Google Photos to transfer their collections directly to iCloud Photos. This complements and completes the existing transfers that were first made possible from iCloud Photos to Google Photos and fulfills a core Data Transfer Initiative (DTI) principle of reciprocity. The offering from Apple and Google will be rolling out over the next week and is the newest tool powered by the open source Data Transfer Project (DTP) technology stack, joining existing direct portability tools available to billions of people today offered by DTI and its founding partners Apple, Google, and Meta.
Apple and Google have both published support articles that detail the process of transferring collections from Google Photos to iCloud Photos. Apple says that the service will be available in over 240 countries and regions around the world. The service isn’t available for child accounts or Managed Apple ID accounts. You also can’t import photo and video data to iCloud while Advanced Data Protection is enabled.
Apple says:
When you transfer photos and videos to iCloud Photos, they aren’t deleted from Google Photos.
You don’t need to download your photos or videos to transfer them. The transfer happens directly from Google to iCloud.
The transfer process might take between several hours and a few days, depending on the size of the photos and videos being transferred.
To transfer your photos and videos from Google Photos to iCloud Photos:
Follow the instructions to start an export from Google Photos.
Choose “Apple – iCloud Photos” as the destination to transfer and sign in with your Apple ID.
Tap Allow to share permission with Google to add photos and videos to iCloud.
You can learn more on Apple’s website and Google’s website, both of which have more details on how the process works and what happens when your transfer is complete.
“Live” will let you have a two-way conversation with Gemini when it arrives this summer. Shown as a fullscreen experience at I/O 2024, Gemini Live might also work in the background, including on your lockscreen.
Strings in Google app 15.27 (beta) mention how a “background_mode” will let you “continue [Gemini] Live chats while using other apps or while your screen is locked.”
For the most part, Google Assistant and Gemini will stop after the accompanying UI is off the screen.
Allowing Gemini Live to accept input and reply as you’re doing other stuff on your device could lead to a more immersive and natural experience. In that regard, Gemini Live is basically a phone call. One possible use case is looking through your apps for more information to manually add to a conversation with Gemini.
Once done, you can say “Stop” to Gemini Live or end the chat by looking for a persistent notification.
Meanwhile, Google is working to let Gemini do more when your device is locked. Today, enabling that setting allows you to set alarms and timers, with most other commands — including something as basic as asking for the weather — requiring device unlock.
Moving forward, as we enabled below, setting up “Gemini on lock screen” and “extensions on lock screen” will let you get “answers to general questions and more.” Your options are Messages, Workspace, and Home Automation.
Google Maps, YouTube, Google Flights, and Google Hotels extensions are turned on by default on lock screen. Any future extensions that don’t require user credentials or don’t access private data will be on by default. You can turn them off in settings at any time.
Finally, “Gemini will read your messages to you” if you enable “Spoken message notifications.”
