O'Grady's PowerPage

Category: iPhone SE

  • Rumor: iOS 26.3 update could arrive in late January

    Rumor: iOS 26.3 update could arrive in late January

    If you follow historical precedent, Apple’s next major iOS update could arrive in late January of 2027, as Apple historically offers its iOS x.3 updates as follows:

    • iOS 18.3: Monday, January 27
    • iOS 17.3: Monday, January 22
    • iOS 16.3: Monday, January 23

    Each launch date is very close together, with only slight fluctuation in the exact day. But if you look more closely at the calendar, they all follow the same pattern. It’s thought that Monday, January 26, could be the most likely launch date, although this could slip to a later day of that week as well.

    The new changes and features that have been gleaned from the iOS 26.3 beta are as follows:

    • Wallpaper changes
    • Android transfer option
    • Notification forwarding for EU users

    “In the iPhone’s wallpaper screen, iOS 26.3 splits Weather into its own dedicated section, separate from Astronomy. It also adds a couple of new Weather options to the gallery.

    Android transfer is a new setting birthed out of an Apple-Google collaboration. It makes it easier to transfer from an iPhone to an Android device. Google is simultaneously launching a similar feature for users switching to iPhone.

    Finally, if you live in the EU, you’ll be able to set up notification forwarding for non-Apple Watch wearables. One of the Apple Watch’s best features is its ability to receive all your iPhone’s notifications. And soon, in the EU, that ability will extend to third-party smartwatches and wearables.”

    Apple has only released one iOS 26.3 beta to date, and additional features and changes could easily surface in beta 2 and beyond. If you’ve had a chance to try the first beta, please let us know about your experience in the comments.

    Stay tuned for additional details as they become available.

    Via 9to5Mac

  • Apple receives clearance to activate Apple Watch hypertension detection/notification feature in Australia

    Apple receives clearance to activate Apple Watch hypertension detection/notification feature in Australia

    This could come in handy if you’re in Australia.

    Australia has granted approval for Apple to enable its Apple Watch hypertension notification feature within the country.

    According to Information Age, the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA), Australia’s medical device regulator, has approved Apple’s hypertension notification feature for use on Apple Watch. The software was formally listed as a medical device on the Australian Register of Therapeutic Goods earlier this month.

    Apple announced the hypertension detection feature in December. The feature is designed to identify patterns associated with elevated blood pressure, rather than directly measuring blood pressure itself. It stores and uses data collected by the Apple Watch’s optical heart sensors to analyze how blood vessels respond to heartbeats over rolling 30-day periods. Should the system detect consistent indicators associated with possible hypertension, the user will receive a notification advising follow-up using conventional blood pressure measurement methods.

    The feature is intended for adults aged 22 and older who are not pregnant and who have not been previously diagnosed with hypertension. The feature also requires an Apple Watch Series 9 or later or an Apple Watch Ultra 2 or later running watchOS 26 that’s been paired with an iPhone 11 or later running iOS 26.2 or later.

    Apple can now legally activate the feature for Australian users, although it has yet to confirm when the feature itself will become available. In the past, Apple has activated some new health features via a software update or by remotely activating the feature once regulatory clearance has been obtained.

    Hypertension notifications have already rolled out in more than 150 countries.

    Stay tuned for additional details as they become available.

    Via MacRumors and Information Age

  • Flyover city tours feature quietly excised from Apple Maps

    Flyover city tours feature quietly excised from Apple Maps

    One of the cooler features in Apple Maps has apparently been quietly dismissed from the app.

    The Apple Maps application no longer offers a Flyover feature that provided users with automated tours of notable landmarks in major cities. The feature seems to have disappeared with the launch of iOS 26.

    Flyover city tours were introduced in 2014 with iOS 8 and OS X Yosemite, using Flyover imagery to generate an aerial tour. Most cities with Flyover imagery supported the tour feature, but it may not have been used often since Apple was able to quietly discontinue it.

    In better news, Flyover imagery remains, complete with over 350 cities offering the feature, which offers imagery of landmarks, parks, important buildings, and more from a bird’s-eye view. The images themselves are gathered via small military-grade planes which create detailed maps of buildings from above for the feature. The feature is not available in some areas due to privacy and security concerns.

    Flyover city tours used to be accessible by tapping on the Flyover icon when searching for a city, but that option has now been removed.

    Stay tuned for additional details as they become available.

    Via MacRumors

  • Rumor: Apple working with Samsung to develop display for a 24-inch OLED iMac

    Rumor: Apple working with Samsung to develop display for a 24-inch OLED iMac

    You’ve been hankering for an Apple Silicon iMac for years with larger than a 21-inch screen, and Apple may be developing it.

    According to The Elec, Apple has placed “Requests for Information” with Samsung Display and LG Display regarding OLED displays that could be used for a future iMac.

    “Requests for Information,” or “RFI,” are basically when a company asks suppliers to provide specifications and other details as to a component the company needs for product development. In this case, Apple has stated in its requests that it is looking for a 24-inch OLED display that offers 218 pixels per inch density and 600 nits of brightness. This is roughly the same size and density as Apple’s current LED-based iMac display, albeit with higher brightness.

    Unfortunately, the article also points out that “RGB OLED technology capable of reliably mass-producing 20- to 30-inch displays has not yet been developed.” In this case, mass production has become successful for smaller OLED displays, and a supplier would need to develop a process to mass produce the larger displays, which could take some time.

    The Elect reports that Apple could complete development of the OLED iMac by 2027 or 2028. If everything goes as scheduled, the OLED iMac would ship in 2027 at the earliest should development finish in the early part of the year. It could also be more likely that the larger-display iMac would become available in 2028 or 2029. There’s also the possibility that Apple could scrap the project during its development stage.

    Apple has been gradually migrating its devices from LED displays to OLED, its current iPhone lineup using OLDs, which the iPad Pro stands as the only iPad to use an OLED. Reports have also said that Apple plans to release an OLED touchscreen MacBook Pro in the second half of 2026.

    Stay tuned for additional details as they become available.

    Via Macworld and The Elec

  • ChatGPT to gain Apple Music integration, allow for quick creation of playlists

    ChatGPT to gain Apple Music integration, allow for quick creation of playlists

    You may love or hate ChatGPT, but you can’t deny that it’s adding some interesting features pretty quickly.

    Per an OpenAI Substack post by Fidji Simo, the company’s CEO of applications, users will soon be able to ask ChatGPT to create Apple Music playlists.

    Last October, OpenAI introduced apps in ChatGPT, with the first round of partnerships and integrations including Spotify, Booking.com, Canva, Coursera, Figma, Expedia, and Zillow. Back then, OpenAI also released a preview of the Apps SDK, which would soon let developers integrate their own apps into ChatGPT.

    Simo stated that “even more apps will be available in a new directory, including Adobe, Airtable, Apple Music, Clay, Lovable, OpenTable, Replit, and Salesforce, and other developers will be able to submit their apps for review.”

    It’s thought that the Apps SDK (Software Development Kit) is about to exit the preview stage and that OpenAI will begin integrating the aforementioned new features and partnerships.

    The app will most likely work similarly to how Spotify works within ChatGPT, wherein you can say “Spotify, make a playlist for my party this Friday,” and ChatGPT can automatically surface the app in your chat and use relevant context to help.

    Apple Music requires an active subscription. You can sign up for $10.99 per month, with one month free.

    Stay tuned for additional details as they become available.

    Via 9to5Mac and Substack